Golf Events from the Weekend 22nd March 2015

Well it was another excellent weekend on the Major Professional Golf Tours from around the world and this week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup stayed in the State of Florida for the fourth and final event of the Florida swing and it headed to Orlando for the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard and it was played on the Bay Hill Club & Lodge, Orlando, Florida. The Legendary Arnold Palmer was the host this tournament. It carried a huge prize purse of US $6,200,000 for the taking. Matt Every (USA) was the defending champion and was keen to defend his title. Danny Lee (NZL) gained a start as well. And it was the Golfer by the name of Matt Every (USA) who scored rounds of 68-4, 66-6, 69-3 and a final round of 66-6 for a 72 hole total of 269-19 after 72 holes and he won by one shot for his second USPGA Tour win of his career to date so far and also his second straight Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard defending the title he won last year. He won US $1,134,000 for the win and moved to twentieth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,299,641 earned from the ten events he has played to date this season so far. Bubba Watson (USA) still leads that list with US $2,680,950 earned from the five events he has played to date this season so far. Matt Every (USA) also earned 500 FedEx Cup points for his efforts and moved to twenty second position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 605 points earned from the ten events he has played to date this season so far and he is 545 points behind the current leader of that list who is Jimmy Walker (USA) who has earned 1,150 points from the nine events he has played to date this season so far. From the ten events Matt Every (USA) has played to date this season so far he has made seven cuts and the win this week was his very first top ten finish of the season to date so far. Matt Every (USA) will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all in the 60s (and he was the only player in the field to achieve that) especially his second round 66-6 which saw him have five birdies in a row from holes four to eight and his final round 66-6 which was the equal low round of the day and the birdie he made on the par four, 72nd hole won him the tournament.

 

Matt Every (USA) plays his second shot into the par four, 72nd hole with his short iron

Matt Every (USA) played a great final round under the circumstances which he scored 66-6 which included a front nine of 33-3 where he birdied the par four, third hole, par five, fourth hole, par five, sixth hole and par four, eight hole with his lone bogey coming on the par four, first hole and he made the turn at minus sixteen and was two shots behind the leader. Henrik Stenson (Sweden) went out in 35-1 and made the turn at minus seventeen and was one shot behind the leader. Matt Jones (USA) went out in 36 even par and made the turn at minus thirteen and was five shots behind the leader. Morgan Hoffman (USA) went out in 32-4 and made the turn at minus eighteen and was leading by one shot. 

Matt Every (USA) played holes ten to fourteen in two under par which included birdies on the par four, ten and eleventh holes and moved to minus eighteen and now was one shot behind the leader. Henrik Stenson (Sweden) played holes ten to fourteen in two under par and that included making birdies on the par four, eleventh hole and par five, twelfth hole and he moved to minus nineteen and now was leading by one shot. Matt Jones (Australia) played holes ten to fourteen in one under par and moved to minus fourteen and still was five shots behind the leader. Morgan Hoffman (USA) played holes ten to fourteen in two over par and fell back to minus sixteen and now was three shots behind the leader. 

Matt Every (USA) played holes fifteen to seventeen in even par which included three putting the par five, sixteenth hole and he remained at minus eighteen heading to the difficult par four, 72nd hole and was now tied for the lead. Henrik Stenson (Sweden) played holes fifteen to seventeen in one over par which included three putting the par four, fifteen hole for bogey and taking three shots to get the ball in the hole after reaching the back fringe of the par five, sixteenth hole in two shots and he fell back to minus eighteen and was now tied for the lead heading to the difficult par four, 72nd hole. Matt Jones (Australia) played holes fifteen to seventeen in three under par in which he birdied all three of them and he moved to minus seventeen and was now only one shot behind the leaders heading to the difficult par four, 72nd hole. Morgan Hoffman (USA) played holes fifteen to seventeen in one under par and moved to minus seventeen and now was only one shot behind the leader heading to the difficult par four, 72nd hole. 

 

Matt Every (USA) lines up his birdie putt on the par four, 72nd hole

Matt Jones (Australia) who was playing in the group ahead of the final group and made a solid par up the par four, 72nd hole and finished the 72 holes at minus seventeen and was two shots behind the winner. Matt Every (USA) who was playing in the group ahead of the final group hit the par four, 72nd hole in regulation but was faced with a difficult twenty foot putt that was straight down the hill for his birdie. When he was lining up the putt for his birdie he heard a fan from the surrounding gallery cough and when he turned around he coughed again and muttered out of his breath “The putt is dead straight with hardly any break”. He took the fans advice and rolled his putt from twenty feet down to towards the cup at perfect holing speed and to every ones amazement it fell in the cup for his birdie three and he now had set the club house leading mark at minus nineteen after 72 holes and would have to wait for the final group to see if it would be good enough? Morgan Hoffman (USA) who was playing in the final group made a shocking double bogey on the par four, 72nd hole and it was caused by hitting his tee shot well left and out of bounds!! He finished the 72 holes on minus fifteen and was four shots behind the winner. Henrik Stenson (Sweden) hit a good drive down the par four, 72nd hole. Then he hit his short iron into twenty feet from the flag stick. He was now faced with that twenty foot putt for birdie to force a playoff with Matt Every (USA). After calming his nerves he put a good roll on it but it just broke to the left of the cup and he had to settle for his par four and finished the 72 holes at minus eighteen one shot behind the winner. 

Matt Every (USA) now could celebrate because he knew he was now the Arnold Palmer Invitational Champion for the second straight year!! He celebrated by giving his caddie, Derek Mason a high five and hug!! Then he gave his wife, Danielle a huge kiss and his children Liam and Quinn were by his side as well. Then he was interviewed by NBC Sports/Golf Channel reporter, Steve Sands and he told him “He was so happy to be able to defend his title on this same course because it brought back a lot of good memories for him!!”. He also told him “He has rededicated himself to the game of golf and because after he won his maiden USPGA Tour event here last year he felt like he wasn’t good enough when playing alongside the best players in the world at the Major Championships and WGC Events and winning this event for the second time will help him to feel he belongs out here”. 

 

Matt Every (USA) acknowledges the crowd after holing the winning putt!!

Matt Every (USA) (born December 4, 1983) is an American professional golfer who has won on both the USPGA Tour and Nationwide Tour. Matt Every (USA) was born in Daytona Beach, Florida. He attended Mainland High School in Daytona Beach, where he played for the Mainland Buccaneers men's golf team. He was recognized as the Volusia County Golfer of the Year for four consecutive years, and was an all-state selection after his junior and senior seasons. Matt Every (USA) accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he played for coach Buddy Alexander's Florida Gators men’s golf team in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) competition from 2003 to 2006. During his career as a Gator golfer, he was a three-time first-team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) selection (2004, 2005, 2006), and a four-time All-American (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006). As an amateur, he played in the 2005 U.S. Open at Pinehurst in North Carolina and finished in a tie for 28th place. He was the recipient of the Ben Hogan Award, recognizing the best amateur golfer in the United States in 2006. 

 

Matt Every (USA) on the right and Arnold Palmer the tournament host on the left pose with the Arnold Palmer Invitational trophy he won!!

Matt Every (USA) turned professional after completing his NCAA eligibility in 2006. Before he found success on any major golf tour after turning professional, he competed on The Golf Channel's original series The Big Break in Mesquite, Nevada. Matt Every (USA) played in a select few USPGA Tour and Nationwide Tour events between 2006 and 2007 until he found a permanent home on the Nationwide Tour in 2008. In his second start in 2008, he finished runner-up in the Mexico Open. He finished the season with four top-10 finishes and made US $180,000 in earnings, just outside the top twenty five in earnings. In his 2009 sophomore year on the Nationwide Tour, Matt Every (USA) was ranked forty-ninth on the money list going into the Nationwide Tour Championship, needing a third place finish or better to obtain his USPGA Tour card for 2010. He had made fifteen of twenty-five cuts and had three top-10 finishes entering the season's final event. He shot a second-round 63 to take the 36-hole lead, a lead he did not relinquish. He won the event by three shots over Nationwide Tour money leader Michael Sim (USA). The win vaulted him to tenth on the money list, and qualifying him as a USPGA Tour rookie for 2010. Matt Every (USA) was one of three men arrested in a hotel in Bettendorf, Iowa and charged with possession of marijuana on July 6, 2010. In a statement, he denied possessing the drug but apologized for poor judgment. He was subsequently suspended for ninety (90) days from the Tour. Matt Every (USA) earned his first USPGA Tour win at the 2014 Arnold Palmer Invitational and would earn his first Masters Tournament invitation. And as I mentioned before he would go on to defend his title at the 2015 event. Let’s hope he can gain lots of confidence from this win and achieve some more good finishes in the weeks ahead. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

Coming in solo second position at 270-18 after 72 holes was Henrik Stenson (Sweden); he earned US $680,400 for his efforts and moved to eighteenth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,402,100 earned from the four events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 300 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to twenty first position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 608 points earned from the four events he has played to date this season so far. From the four events Henrik Stenson (Sweden) has played to date this season so far he has made four cuts and achieved three top ten finishes which have come in his last three starts and includes the one this week. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all under par especially his second and third rounds that were both under 66-6s and his third round was blemish free as well. But he will be just content with his final round 70-2 and angry with the par four, fifteenth hole and par five, sixteenth hole where he three putted both of them after being put on the clock by the USPGA Tour Official. But he is in great form at the moment and must be one of the favourites heading into the Masters Tournament (first Major Championship of the year) in three weeks time. Henrik Stenson (Sweden) has won four USPGA Tour events to date so far in his career and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2007 WGC – Accenture Match Play Championship; 2009 The Players Championship; 2013 Deutsche Bank Championship and the 2013 Tour Championship. As you can see they are all big championship wins. He has also won nine events on the European Tour which he is also a member of and his last one came at the 2014 DP World Tour Championship, Dubai. On 22 September 2013, Henrik Stenson (Sweden) won The Tour Championship and the FedEx Cup. He also tied his career best OWGR ranking of fourth at the time. He then moved up to a career best third in the OWGR ranking on 3 November 2013. He finished the 2013 season ranked first on the USPGA Tour in greens in regulation, first in ball striking, second among money leaders, third in total driving, fourth in scoring average, and seventh in driving accuracy percentage. On 17 November 2013, he won the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai, thereby also winning the Race to Dubai which he was already leading. Having already won the FedEx Cup Series in September, he thus became the first player to win the FedEx Cup on the USPGA Tour and the European Tour's Race to Dubai, and to do so in the same season, a 'historic double'. Henrik Stenson (Sweden) described his feat as a 'double-double' because in the process of winning these two seasonal points crowns, he also won the season finales of both tours (the Tour Championship and the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai).He was later named European Tour Golfer of the Year. In May 2014, Henrik Stenson (Sweden) reached a career high ranking of number two in the world, trailing only Adam Scott (Australia). And now has moved back to number two in the world after his solo second finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard this past week. Over the course of 2014, Henrik Stenson (Sweden) achieved career-best finishes at the Masters (Tied for fourteenth) and U.S. Open (tied for fourth) while tying a career-best finish at the PGA Championship (tied for third). Let’s hope he can keep this good form up in the weeks ahead and perhaps win his maiden Major Championship in 2015. I wish him all the best for the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

Coming in solo third position at 271-17 after 72 holes was Matt Jones (USA); he earned US $428,400 for his efforts and moved to thirtieth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $999,182 earned from ten events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 190 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to thirty seventh position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 466 points earned from the ten events he has played to date this season so far. From the ten events he has played to date this season so far he has made nine cuts and achieved two top ten finishes which includes the one here this week. He will be very happy with his second, third and final rounds that were all in the 60s especially his second round 65-7 which was blemish free. But he will just be content with his first round 71-1. He will be happy he has made his last nine cuts on the USPGA Tour and he could be a dark horse for the Master Tournament in three weeks time if he can get inside the top fifty golfers in the Official World Golf Rankings by next Monday to qualify (He is currently ranked 62nd) or win one of the next two events on the USPGA Tour. Matt Jones (Australia) in his 156th USPGA Tour start, got his first USPGA Tour win at the 2014 Shell Houston Open, beating Matt Kuchar (USA) on the first playoff hole when he made a 42-yard chip in for a birdie. He had previously made a 46-foot putt on the 18th hole to take the match to a playoff. The win also made Matt Jones (Australia) the last guaranteed entrant to the Masters Tournament and moved him to 41st in the Official World Golf Ranking. In May he finished 17th at The Players Championship. In the 2015 USPGA season, Matt Jones (USA) finished eleventh at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. Let’s hope he can have more top ten finishes in the weeks to come and perhaps win his second event on the USPGA Tour in 2015? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

Coming in solo fourth position at 273-15 after 72 holes was Morgan Hoffmann (USA); he earned US $302,400 for his efforts and moved to seventy sixth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Money list standings with US $501,466 earned from the ten events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 135 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to seventy ninth position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 273 points earned from the ten events he has played to date this season so far. From the ten events he has played to date this season so far he has made six cuts and achieved one top ten finish that came at this very event. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all under par especially his first round 66-6 that was blemish free and saw him in the lead by one shot and his second round 65-7 which saw him birdie six of seven holes on the front nine from holes three to nine!! But he will just be content with his third and final rounds that were both 71-1s especially his last nine holes of his final round which he played in 39+3. This finish was the best of the season to date for him and will give him a lot of confidence moving forward. He was also playing with a heavy heart this week as his Grandmother who was in her late nineties passed away just prior to him teeing off in the first round but he decided to play the tournament because that is what she would of wanted him to do. Morgan Hoffmann (USA) (born August 11, 1989) is an American professional golfer. Raised in Wyckoff, New Jersey, Morgan Hoffmann (USA) attended Ramapo High School. After winning two consecutive New Jersey state championships, Morgan Hoffmann (USA) relocated to the International Junior Golf Academy in Hilton Head, South Carolina to take advantage of the warm-weather and training opportunities. Morgan Hoffmann (USA) spent two years attending Oklahoma State University where he played on the golf team. As a highly rated amateur, he held the number one spot in the World Amateur Golf Ranking for a time in 2009, and played in that year's Walker Cup. After playing in the 2010 U.S. Open, Morgan Hoffmann (USA) decided to leave college early in order to turn professional. He qualified for his first professional major at the 2012 U.S. Open, finishing in a tie for 29th. Morgan Hoffmann (USA) has been a resident of Saddle Brook, New Jersey. Morgan Hoffmann (USA) played on the Web.com Tour in 2012, starting the season with no status and getting by on sponsor exemptions and Monday qualifiers. He played in 13 events and finished 19th on the money list, which earned him a promotion to the USPGA Tour. Let’s hope he can achieve more top ten finishes in the weeks ahead and I wish him all the best for the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

Rounding out the top five in solo fifth position at 274-14 after 72 holes was Ben Martin (USA); he earned US $252,000 for his efforts and moved to fifteenth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US$1,682,452 earned from the twelve events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 110 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to eleventh position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 829 points earned from twelve events he has played to date this season so far. From the twelve events he has played to date this season so far he has made eight cuts and achieved two top ten finishes which includes the one this week and his win in October last year at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. He will be happy with his first three rounds that were all in the 60s especially his 67-5 in the second round that was blemish free. But he will be just content with his final round 71-1 which he played the front nine in 39+3 but he will be happy how he came back with 32-4 on the final nine holes!! As an amateur, Ben Martin (USA) played in three Major Championships and was the runner-up at the 2009 U.S. Amateur Championship. Having turned professional in 2010, he won in his second professional event, and finished runner-up at qualifying school for the USPGA Tour at the end of the year. In 2011 on the USPGA Tour, Ben Martin (USA) made the cut in 12 of 25 events and failed to earn enough money to retain his card for 2012 season. He played on the Web.com Tour in 2012 and 2013, picking up his first tour win at the 2013 United Leasing Championship. He finished second on the 2013 Web.com Tour regular season money list to earn his 2013/14 USPGA Tour card. On October 19, 2014, Ben Martin (USA) played the last four holes in 4-under-par, including a 46-foot eagle putt on the par five, 16th hole to earn his first career USPGA Tour win at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open by two strokes over Kevin Streelman (USA). Ben Martin (USA) will gain a lot of confidence from this finish and I feel his second win could come this season as well. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season.  

The best New Zealand Golfer in the field was Danny Lee (NZL) and he scored rounds of 72 even par in the first round which was average, then he scored an excellent second round of 64-8 which was blemish free and the low round of the day and the week, and a good third round of 71-1 and a average final round of  72 even which he played with the World Number Golfer, Rory McILroy (NIR)  for a 72 hole total of 279-9 and he finished in tied for seventeenth position. He earned US $91,350 for his efforts and moved to fortieth  position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $836,052 earned from the fifteen events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 52 FedEx Cup points for his efforts and moved to forty second position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 430 points earned from the fifteen events he has played to date this season so far. From the fifteen events he has played to date this season so far he has made nine cuts and achieved two top ten finishes which includes the one last  week at the Valspar Championship and also his tied for third finish at the OHL Classic at Mayakoba in mid November last year. He will be extremely happy with his second round 64-8 which was blemish free and the low round of the day and the whole tournament and he birdied the par four, first hole, par three, second hole, par four, fifth hole, par five, sixth hole and par four, ninth hole to go out in 31-5 then he birdied the par four, tenth hole, par four, thirteenth hole and par five, sixteenth hole to come home in 33-3!! But he will just be content with his first and third and final rounds that were all in the low 70s. This finish should give Danny Lee (NZL) a lot of confidence going forward and it was nice for him to make another cut and have a top twenty finish the week after his second top ten finish of the season to date as prior to the top ten finish at the Valspar Championship last week and since his last top ten finish in mid November last year he had only made three cuts in those seven events and his best finish was tied for thirty second position at the Farmers Insurance Open in early February. Let’s hope he can have some more top ten finishes in the coming weeks and perhaps achieve his maiden USPGA Tour win in the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. Danny Lee (NZL) has been playing the USPGA Tour on and off fulltime since the 2012 season. Danny Lee (NZL) entered the 2012 USPGA Tour season with USPGA Tour and European Tour cards. He said he was still keen to play a two-tour schedule, however his main focus would be on America. He made only 13 cuts in 26 events on the USPGA Tour and lost his tour card. He did not play on the European Tour. After striking up a successful partnership late in the Nationwide Tour season, Danny Lee (NZL) said he would have Australian, Graeme Courts, a former long-time caddy of Loren Roberts (USA), working for him on the USPGA Tour. K.J. Choi (South Korea) introduced Danny Lee (NZL) to another Australian, Steve Bann, as a potential coach. "I am close with K.J. Choi (South Korea) and he said I was thinking too much about my swing," Danny Lee (NZL) said. "I was always working on something and I am too technical sometimes so K.J. Choi (South Korea) introduced me to Steve. Steve is a simple guy who is teaching me how to practise with better routine and how to trust my own game and not think too much. Danny Lee (NZL) played on the Web.com Tour in 2013, finishing 15th on the regular season money list to regain his USPGA Tour card for 2014/15 Season. His best finish was second at the Rex Hospital Open. In 2014 on the back of six straight missed cuts, Danny Lee (USA) adopted a claw putting grip for the Puerto Rico Open in March. He credited the change of putting style for yielding him an instant result; a runner-up finish, two shots behind winner Chesson Hadley (USA). I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

Next week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup heads to San Antonio for the first of two events in the first Texas Swing of the USPGA Tour season and it is the Valero Texas Open and it is played on the JW Marriott TPC San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas. It carries a huge prize purse of US $6,200,000 for the taking. Steven Bowditch (Australia) is the defending champion and will be keen for back to back titles. Danny Lee (NZL), Steve Alker (NZL) and Tim Wilkinson (NZL) will more than like gain starts as well. It starts on Thursday 26th March and I will report back who won the trophy next week.  

So to the Top 5 on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list this week and coming in at Number One Position for the thirtieth third week of his fifth spell of his career and for the 73rd week of his career in total is Rory McILroy (NIR) fresh off his tied for eleventh position this past week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard and two weeks ago he tied for ninth position at the WGC – Cadillac Championship with 10.93 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Two is Henrik Stenson (Sweden) who is fresh off his solo second position this past week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard and one week ago he finished in solo fourth position at the Valspar Championship with 7.96 Official World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Three is Bubba Watson (USA) who is fresh off his solo third position two weeks ago at the WGC – Cadillac Championship and four weeks ago he tied for fourteen position at the Northern Trust Open with 7.68 Official World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Four is Jason Day (Australia) who is fresh off his tie for seventeenth position at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard this past week and two weeks ago he tied for thirty first position at the WGC – Cadillac Championship with 6.61 Official World Ranking Points and rounding out the top five on the Official Golf World Ranking Points list standings this week is Adam Scott (Australia) fresh off his tied for thirty fifth position at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard this past week and one week ago he missed the cut at the Valspar Championship with 6.57 Official World Ranking Points. Danny Lee (NZL) this week is in his first week of another spell of being the highest ranked New Zealand Golfer in the world after his tied for tied for seventeenth position this past week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard on the USPGA Tour. This week he gains fifteen places and rises to 190th position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list standings with 0.93 Official Golf World Ranking Points. 

Remember the most important shot in golf is the one you are about to play!!

Source: Pgatour.com, Official World Golf Rankings, wikipedia.org, Google search engine, europeantour.com, golfchannel.com