Well it was another awesome weekend on the Major
Professional Golf Tours from around the world and this week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup along with the
European Tour and Race to Dubai and many of the other tours from around the
world head to Miami, Florida for the first World Golf Championship Event for
the 2015 season and it was the WGC – Cadillac Championship and it was played on
the Trump National Doral, Miami, Florida. It carried a huge prize
purse of US $9,250,000 for the taking and only the top fifty golfers on the
Official World Golf rankings the week prior to the event were exempt to play in
it as well as other golfers who have won the money list of the minor tours
around the world like the Japan Tour, Sunshine Tour and PGA Tour of
Australasia, etc. Also many other big tournament winners of various events on
those tours I just mentioned got an invitation to play as well. Patrick Reed
(USA) was the defending Champion and was keen to defend his title. All the big
name players in the world were there as well including Rory McILroy (NIR),
Henrik Stenson (Sweden), Bubba Watson (USA), Jason Day (Australia) and Adam Scott
(Australia) to name a few and it was the golfer by the name of Dustin Johnson
(USA) who scored rounds of 68-4, 73+1, 69-3 and a final round of 69-3 for a 72
hole total of 279-9 and he won by a single shot for his ninth win on the USPGA
Tour to date so far in his career and it also was his second WGC event he has
won to date so far as well. Also it was his first win since his six months
leave of absence from the USPGA Tour which began in August 2014 and he returned
to the USPGA Tour in late January 2015. Dustin Johnson (USA) earned US $1,570,000
for the win and moved to second position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour
Money list standings with US $2,440,667 earned from the five events he has
played to date this season so far. Bubba Watson (USA) is the current leader of
that list with US $2,680,950 earned from the five events he has played to date
this season so far. Dustin Johnson (USA) also earned 550 FedEx Cup Points for
the win and moved to third position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points
list standings with 910 points earned from the five events he has played to
date this season so far and he is 240 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 five events Dustin Johnson
(USA) has played to date this season so far he has made three cuts and achieved
three top ten finishes which includes the win this week. He will be extremely
happy with his first round 68-4, his third round 69-3 (Which he made a hole in
one on the par three, fourth hole) and his final round 69-3 which he played the
back nine in 34-2. But he will be a little disappointed with his second round
73+1 but he was still able to win!!
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| Dustin Johnson (USA) tees off in the early stages of the final round |
Dustin Johnson (USA)
played an excellent final round of 69-3 which included a front nine of 35-1 with
birdies on the par three, four hole where he knocked it to within a foot of the
hole and almost had his second hole in one in as many days and he also birdied
the par five, eight hole. But he had a poor bogey on the par four, seventh hole
and he made the turn at minus seven and was three shots behind the leader. J.
B. Holmes (USA) went out in 39+3 and made the turn at minus eight and was two
shots behind the leader. Bubba Watson (USA) went out in an amazing 32-4 and
made the turn at minus ten and was leading by two shots.
Dustin Johnson (USA)
played holes ten to fourteen in one under par and that included birding the par
five, tenth hole and he moved to minus eight and now was in the lead by one
shot. J. B. Holmes (USA) played holes ten to fourteen in one over par and fell
back to minus seven and now was now one shot behind the leader. Bubba Watson
(USA) played holes ten to fourteen in three over par and that included bogeying
the par four, eleventh hole, par five,
twelfth hole and par four, fourteenth hole and he fell back to minus seven and
was now one shot behind the leader.
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| Another photo Dustin Johnson (USA) in action during the final round |
Dustin Johnson (USA)
played holes fifteen to seventeen in one under par and that included making a
birdie two on the par three, fifteenth hole and he moved to minus nine and was
still leading by one shot heading to the very difficult par four, 72nd hole. J.
B. Holmes (USA) played holes fifteen to seventeen in one under par and that
included birding the short par four, sixteenth hole where he drove the green
and two putted for his birdie three and moved to minus eighth one shot behind
the leader heading to the very difficult par four, 72nd hole. Bubba Watson
(USA) played holes fifteen to seventeen in even par and remained at minus seven
two shots behind the leader heading to the very difficult par four, 72nd hole.
Bubba Watson (USA)
who was playing in the group ahead of the final group made a solid par up the
very difficult par four, 72nd hole and finished the 72 holes at minus seven and
finished two shots behind the winner. J. B. Holmes (USA) who was playing in the
final group with Dustin Johnson (USA) made a solid par at the very difficult
par four, 72nd hole remained at minus eight and finished the 72 holes one shot
behind the winner. Dustin Johnson (USA) who was also playing in the final group
now stood on the very difficult par four, 72nd hole with a one shot lead. With
water all down the left hand side and trees down the right hand side he knew a
straight drive was the only option. He struck his drive very well and took an
aggressive line and drove it right over the hazard that cuts into the fairway
at the landing area and it landed in the middle of the fairway. Johnnie Miller
(USA) who is NBC Sports/Golf Channels Golf Analyst said “The drive Dustin
Johnson (USA) just hit was his best drive of the week for him”. He was now
faced with a short iron from 165 yards and he played the percentage shot for
his second shot to the back left pin placement that had a slight fade on it and
landed pin high in the back right fringe leaving thirty five feet for his
birdie putt. After J. B. Holmes (USA) missed his birdie putt and tapped in for
his par, Dustin Johnson (USA) knew what he had to do and that was to get down
in two shots from about thirty five feet. He choose his putter and after
composing himself he put a brilliant roll on it and rolled it down three feet
short of the cup. He then tapped that three foot putt in for the win!! He got a
huge high five and hug from his caddie, Austin Johnson who is his younger
brother!! He scored 34-2 on his back nine. He then was interviewed by NBC
Sports/Golf Channel on course reporter, Steve Sands and told him “He was so
happy with the way he struck the ball this week (which was very solid) and it
is an honour for him to win this Championship”. He also said “It was great to
get back in the winner’s circle after his time he had had away from the game
recently”. He then got a huge hug and kiss from his fiancée, Paulina Gretzky while holding their seven week old
son, Tatum.
%2Bcelebrates%2Bafter%2Bholing%2Bthe%2Bwinning%2Bputt!!.jpg) |
| Dustin Johnson (USA) celebrates after holing the winning putt!! |
Dustin Johnson (USA)
has won nine USPGA Tour events to date so far in his career and here they are
from the first to the most recent: 2008 Turning Stone Resort Championship; 2009
AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro – Am; 2010 AT&T Pebble Beach National
Pro – Am; 2010 BMW Championship; 2011 The Barclays; 2012 FedEx St. Jude
Classic; 2013 Hyundai Tournament of Champions; 2013 WGC – HSBC Champions and
the 2015 WGC – Cadillac Championship. He has also recorded seven top ten
finishes to date so far in Major Championships and I wouldn’t be surprised at
all if he won his maiden Major Championship in 2015. He also has achieved five
top ten finishes to date so far in WGC – Events which includes winning the 2013
WGC – HSBC Championship and the 2015 WGC – Cadillac Championship. Dustin
Johnson (USA) is an American Professional Golfer who currently plays on the USPGA
Tour. He is one of the longest drivers on the USPGA Tour, having been third in
the driving distance stats for three consecutive years (2009–11) and has ranked
inside the top five in each of his five years on the USPGA Tour. He has been
featured in the top five of the Official World Golf Rankings, reaching a high
of fourth in 2011. Dustin Johnson was born in Columbia, South Carolina, and
played collegiate golf at Coastal Carolina University. As an amateur, he won
the Monroe Invitational and the Northeast Amateur in 2007 and played on the
winning 2007 Walker Cup and Palmer Cup teams. Dustin Johnson (USA) is the first
player since Tiger Woods (USA) to win at least once in each of his eight
seasons coming out of college.
Dustin Johnson (USA) took part in the Long Drive Contest for charity at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in January, alongside Bubba Watson (USA) and Robert Garrigus (USA). In March 2011, Dustin Johnson (USA) entered the final round of the WGC – Cadillac Championship with a two stroke lead over the rest of the field. However he could only manage a final round one-under-par 71 to finish as runner-up behind Nick Watney (USA). Dustin Johnson (USA) earned his best finish in a Major Championship in July at the 2011 Open Championship in England. He finished in a tie for second place at Royal St George’s, alongside fellow American Phil Mickelson (USA), three strokes behind champion Darren Clarke (NIR). Dustin Johnson's (USA) first three rounds of 70-68-68 left him one stroke behind Darren Clarke (NIR) and for most of Sunday's round Dustin Johnson (USA) managed to keep up with him, at one stage being just one back. His final round charge was derailed at the par five fourteenth hole, when his second shot went out of bounds and led to a double bogey. This took Dustin Johnson (USA) out of contention as he slipped to four strokes behind Darren Clarke (NIR) with only four holes to play. One highlight of Dustin Johnson's (USA) week at Royal St George's came in the first round when he recorded a hole in one on the par three 16th hole. This result marked the third time that Dustin Johnson (USA) had been part of the final group on Sunday at a Major Championship and also occurring in three out of the four majors, the 2010 U.S. Open, the 2010 PGA Championship and the 2011 Open Championship. As a result of this second place finish, Dustin Johnson (USA) moved to his highest spot in the Official World Golf Ranking at the time, seventh, and became the third-ranked American behind Steve Stricker (USA) and Phil Mickelson (USA).
Dustin Johnson (USA) won his fifth USPGA Tour title at The Barclays in 2011. He beat Matt Kuchar (USA) by two strokes. This was his second 54-hole tournament victory of his career, after the 2009 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. The tournament was shortened due to the threat of Hurricane Irene. Dustin Johnson (USA) shot rounds of 66-63-65 to win at -19. This was Dustin Johnson's (USA) first victory of 2011 and it moved him from nineteenth to first in the FedEx Cup standings. It was also the second FedEx Cup playoff event win of his career after he won the BMW Championship in 2010. The win also took him to a career high of fourth in the world rankings, the second highest American, (behind Steve Stricker (USA)). Although he started the playoffs well and held the number one position for the first week, he was unable to continue his form at the three remaining playoff events and did not record a single top twenty in any of them and finished fourth in the final FedEx Cup standings.
Dustin Johnson incurred a back injury at home in March and missed over two months of the 2012 season, including the first major at The Masters Tournament. He returned to competition in late May at the Memorial Tournament in Ohio, made the cut and finished tied for nineteenth. The following week he won his sixth tour event, the FedEx St. Jude Classic in Memphis, Tennessee at TPC Southwind. He missed the cut at the U.S. Open the week after, finishing at +9, one stroke outside the cut mark. Dustin Johnson (USA) began his 2013 season with a win at the season opening Hyundai Tournament of Championships, an event reserved for winners from the past season. Dustin Johnson (USA) won by four strokes over defending champion Steve Stricker (USA) in an event that was shortened to 54 holes due the bad weather, mainly due to a very strong wind that meant conditions were unplayable. The first three days of the tournament were wiped out, with the field having to complete 36 holes on the Monday and a final 18 on Tuesday. The event was Dustin Johnson's (USA) seventh PGA Tour win and his third in a 54-hole event; a 54-hole event is still considered an official win with full Official World Golf ranking points. The same week Dustin Johnson (USA) also was seen with Paulina Gretzky, daughter of Wayne Gretzky. The two announced their engagement on August 18.In November, Dustin Johnson (USA) won the WGC – HSBC Champions, part of the 2013–14 USPGA Tour season. On July 31, 2014, Dustin Johnson (USA) announced he was taking the rest of the season off to seek professional help for personal challenges. On August 1, conflicting reports surfaced regarding the circumstances of Dustin Johnson's (USA) announcement from the previous day. Golf Magazine reported that Dustin Johnson (USA) had been suspended from the USPGA Tour for six months after testing positive for cocaine. The magazine indicated that this was his third positive drug test, after a 2009 positive for marijuana and 2012 positive for cocaine. However, USPGA Tour officials indicated that Dustin Johnson (USA) was taking a voluntary leave and was not under suspension.
%2Bposes%2Bwith%2Bthe%2BGene%2BSarazen%2BCup%2Btrophy%2Bhe%2Bwon!!.jpg) |
| Dustin Johnson (USA) poses with the Gene Sarazen Cup Trophy he won!! |
Dustin Johnson (USA) returned to the tour at the Farmers Insurance Open in February. He missed the cut by one stroke. In the next two events Dustin Johnson (USA) played, he recorded two top-five finishes: tied for fourth at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro – Am; and tied for second at the Northern Trust Open after losing at the third playoff hole to James Hahn (USA). Dustin Johnson (USA) missed a twelve footer for birdie on the third extra hole to extend the playoff. Those results led Dustin Johnson (USA) back inside the top-15 in the Official World Golf Rankings. As I mentioned earlier On March 8, Dustin Johnson (USA) beat J. B. Holmes (USA) by one stroke to win the WGC – Cadillac Championship at Trump National Doral in Miami, Florida. His life and golfing career are back on track now because On September 23, 2014, his fiancée Paulina Gretzky announced that she was pregnant with the couple's first child, due in 2015 and on January 20, 2015, Dustin Johnson (USA) announced the birth of their first child, a son, Tatum. 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 278-8 after 72
holes was J.B. Holmes (USA); he earned US $930,000 for his efforts and moved to
eight position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US
$1,754,520 earned from the nine events he has played to date this season so
far. He also earned 315 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to fourteen
position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 733 points
earned from the nine events he has played to date this season so far. From the
nine events he has played to date this season so far he has made eight cuts and
achieved three top ten finishes which includes the one this past week. He will
be happy with his first and third rounds that were both under par especially
his first round 62-10 which set the new course record and was blemish free with
one eagle and eight birdies!! It was also the low score of day and the
tournament. And it saw him have a four shot lead after round one. And he will
be happy with his third round 70-2 that saw him achieved a hole in one on the
par three, fourth hole thirty minutes after Dustin Johnson (USA) got his. But
he will be disappointed with his second round 73+1 and his final round 75+3
which included a front nine of 39+3 and saw him throw away his chance he had of
winning!! He will be happy with the week in general but angry he wasn’t able to
gain the victory when he took a five shot lead into the final round and let it
slip through his fingers!! J.
B. Holmes (USA) was medallist at the 2005 USPGA Tour Qualifying Tournament. He
tied for tenth in his first USPGA Tour start at the 2006 Sony Open in Hawaii
and in February that year he won the FBR Open, making him the fastest golfer to
reach US $1,000,000 in career earnings on the USPGA Tour. It was his fifth
tournament as a professional and his fourth on the USPGA Tour. After this
victory his form fell away, and this continued in 2007 when he made only two
top ten finishes and ended the year in 118th place on the money list. On
February 3, 2008, J. B. Holmes (USA) won the FBR Open for the second USPGA Tour
win of his career and also captured the tournament title for the second time in
three years. Starting the final round with a four shot lead, on the 18th tee he
was one shot behind Phil Mickelson (USA). J. B. Holmes (USA) birdied the 18th
to force a play-off and then defeated Mickelson on the first playoff hole (the
18th) by making a six-foot birdie putt after a 359 yard drive. This victory
took J.B. Holmes (USA) to 62nd in the Official World Golf Ranking. In 2008, J.
B. Holmes (USA) reached a career-high 42nd in the Official World Golf Ranking. After
shooting an 80 in the first round, J. B. Holmes (USA) withdrew from the 2011
PGA Championship in August. He had been dealing with vertigo symptoms for
several months and eventually was diagnosed with structural defects in the cerebellum
known as Chiari malformations. He underwent brain surgery on September 1, 2011,
and about a month later, doctors discovered later that J. B. Holmes (USA) was
allergic to the adhesive used on the webbed titanium plate at the base of his
skull. He was airlifted from his home in Kentucky to John Hopkins in Baltimore
for another surgery. J. B. Holmes (USA) returned to the USPGA Tour in late
January 2012 at the Farmers Insurance Open. After brain surgery, J. B. Holmes
(USA) played in 26 events in 2012. Elbow and ankle injuries limited him to six USPGA
Tour events in 2013 and did not play again until the Dunlop Phoenix Tournament on
the Japan Golf Tour. J. B. Holmes (USA) satisfied his medical extension through
earnings at the 2014 Zurich Classic of New Orleans, finishing tied for
eleventh. He would need a tied for 63rd finish at the Wells Fargo Championship to
earn entry into the 2014 Players Championship via FedEx Cup points. J. B.
Holmes (USA) would get his first win in six years, regained his USPGA Tour
status through the 2015-2016 season, and moved from 242nd to 68th in the Official
World Golf Ranking. The win also earned J. B. Holmes (USA) entry into the 2014
USPGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Louiville, Kentucky. Let’s hope he
can continue this fine form into his next few events he plays and perhaps
achieve his fourth USPGA Tour win? I wish him all the best for the rest of the
2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season.
Coming in solo third
position at 281-7 after 72 holes was Bubba Watson (USA); he earned US $540,000
for his efforts and moved to the top of the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money
list standings with US $2,680,950 earned from the five events he has played to
date this season so far. He also earned 200 FedEx Cup points for his efforts
and moved to second position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list
standings with 1,088 points earned from the five events he has played to date
this season so far. From the five events he has played to date this season so
far he has made five cuts and achieved four top ten finishes which includes the
one here and also his win at the WGC – HSBC Championship last November. He will
be happy with his four rounds this week that were all under par and he was the
only player in the field to score all four rounds under par!! But he will be
unhappy with his back nine 39+3 in the final round after going out in 32-4 and
it cost him his chance of winning when he was leading by two shots at the turn.
Bubba Watson (USA) has won seven events
to date on the USPGA Tour and here they are from the first to the most recent:
2010 Travelers Championship; 2011 Farmers Insurance Open; 2011 Zurich Classic
of New Orleans; 2012 Masters Tournament (Maiden Major Championship); 2014
Northern Trust Open; 2014 Masters Tournament (Second Major Championship) and
the 2014 WGC – HSBC Champions. Bubba Watson (USA) won the 2014 Masters
Tournament by three shots, with a score of −8. He entered the final round tied
for the lead with 20-year-old Masters rookie Jordan Spieth (USA). Playing
together in the final pairing, Jordan Spieth (USA) birdied the seventh hole for
a two-stroke lead over Bubba Watson (USA). However, the momentum turned on the
par-5 eighth hole. Jordan Spieth (USA) had a birdie putt, but ended up
three-putting for bogey while Bubba Watson (USA) birdied to pull into a
first-place tie. Then, on the ninth hole, Bubba Watson (USA) birdied again
while Jordan Spieth (USA) bogeyed, and the four-shot swing over two holes gave
Bubba Watson (USA) a lead that he never relinquished in a win over Jordan
Spieth (USA) and Jonas Blixt (Sweden). With the win, Bubba Watson (USA) became
the seventeenth player to win the Masters Tournament two or more times. The win
moved him again to number four in the Official World Golf Ranking and with the
finish this past week he has remained at number two in the Official World Golf
Ranking. I look for Bubba Watson (USA) to have a really strong 2015 part of the
2014/15 USPGA Tour season and perhaps he will win his third Major Championship?
I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season.
Coming in tied for
fourth position at 284-4 after 72 holes Adam Scott (Australia); he earned US $365,000
for his efforts and moved to sixty eighth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA
Tour Money list standings with US $473,000 earned from the two events he has
played to date this season so far. He also earned 128 FedEx Cup points for his
efforts and moved to 102nd position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points
list standings with 195 points earned from the two events he has played to date
this season so far. From the two events he has played to date this season so
far he has made two cuts and achieved one top ten finish that came this past
week. He will be happy with his first, second and final rounds that were all
under par especially his 68-4 in the second round which was the low round of the
day. But he will be disappointed with his third round 75+3 which ruined any
chance he had of winning. But he will be happy with how he putted with the
short putter this week because he has made the change from the broom stick
putter he won the 2013 Masters Tournament with the ban on Anchor putters coming
into effect on January 1st 2016. Adam Scott (USA) has won eleven USPGA Tour
events to date so far and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2003
Deutsche Bank Championship; 2004 The Players Championship; 2004 Booz Allen
Championship; 2005 Nissan Open (The
2005 Nissan Open was shortened to 36 holes due to rain. Adam Scott (Australia) defeated
Chad Campbell (USA) on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff. Due to the
event's length, this win is not officially recognized.); 2006 Tour
Championship; 2007 Shell Houston Open; 2008 EDS Byron Nelson Championship; 2010
Valero Texas Open; 2011 WGC – Bridgestone Invitational; 2013 Master Tournament
(Maiden Major Championship); 2013 The Barclays and 2014 Crowne Plaza
Invitational at Colonial. He has also achieved thirteen top ten finishes in
Major Championships that includes his 2013 Masters Tournament win. He has also
achieved thirteen top ten finishes in WGC Events that includes his win at the
2011 WGC – Bridgestone Invitational. He has played on the International
Presidents Cup Team in the Presidents Cup for the last six events dating back
to 2003 and he is a certainty to make the 2015 International team. In March
2014, Adam Scott (Australia) tied the course record at Bay Hill Club & Lodge, when he shot a 10-under-par 62 during
the first round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He went on to finish third
in the tournament behind the winner Matt Every (USA) and Keegan Bradley (USA) after
a poor four-over-par 76 in the final round. On May 19, 2014, Adam Scott
(Australia) took over as the World's #1 ranked golfer. Adam Scott
(Australia) was the seventeenth golfer to be ranked number one since official
rankings began. He is also the second Australian and the first since Greg
Norman Australia) in 1998. A week after becoming world #1, Adam Scott
(Australia) strengthened his ranking with a win at the Crown Plaza Invitational
at Colonial, being the first person to win all four Texas-based USPGA Tour
events. Adam Scott (Australia) held the number one ranking for eleven weeks
until August 2014. Let’s hope he can win his second Major Championship in the
2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. I wish him all the best for the
2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season.
Also tied for fourth position was Henrik Stenson (Sweden); he also
earned US $365,000 for his efforts and moved to seventy
seventh position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US
$438,500 earned from the two events he has played to date this season so far.
He also earned 128 FedEx Cup points for his efforts and moved to 115th position
on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 173 points earned
from the two events he has played to date this season so far. From the two
events he has played to date this season so far he has made two cuts and
achieved one top ten finish that came this very week. He will be happy with his
four rounds this week that were all at par and under par especially his first
round 69-3. But he will only be content with his third and final rounds that
were both even par 72s. 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). 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 sixth
position at 285-3 after 72 holes was Louis Oosthuizen (RSA); he earned US $270,000
for his efforts and moved to ninety second position on the current 2014/15
USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $359,833 earned from the two events he
has played to date this season so far. He also earned 105 FedEx Cup points for
his efforts and moved to 125th position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points
list standings with 161 points. From the two events he has played to date this
season so far he has made two cuts and achieved one top ten finish that came
this past week. He will be happy with his first and third rounds that were both
under par especially his third round 67-5. But he will be disappointed with his
second and final rounds that were both over par. He has won one USPGA Tour
event to date so far in his career and it came at the 2010 Open Championship (Which
was his maiden Major Championship) at St Andrews, Scotland. He has also
achieved two other top ten finishes in Major Championships with a second place
in the 2012 Masters Tournament when he lost in a playoff to Bubba Watson (USA)
on the second playoff hole. He also has achieved seven wins on the European
Tour to date so far in his career which he is also a member of and his last win
came at the 2014 Volvo Golf Champions. He has also achieved six top ten
finishes in WGC Events with his best finish being solo fourth at the 2012
Bridgestone Invitational. Let’s hope he can have more top ten finishes in the
weeks ahead on the USPGA Tour. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2015
part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season.
Rounding out the top
eight in tied for seventh position at 286-2 after 72 holes was Bill Haas (USA);
he earned US $215,000 for his efforts and moved to sixteenth position on the
current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,425,386 earned from
the seven events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 92
FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to sixteenth position on the current
2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 708 points earned from the seven
events he has played to date this season so far. From the seven events he has
played to date this season so far he has made six cuts and achieved two top ten
finishes which includes the one here and his win at the Humana Challenge in mid
January. He will be extremely happy with his third round 65-7 which was the low
round of the day by two shots!! But he will be disappointed with his first,
second and final rounds that were all over par. Bill Haas (USA) has won six
events on the USPGA Tour to date so far and here they are from the first to the
most recent: 2010 Bob Hope Classic; 2010 Viking Classic; 2011 Tour Championship
(Which won him the 2011 FedEx Cup); 2012 Northern Trust Open; 2013 AT&T
National and the 2014 Humana Challenge. In the twenty one Major Championships
he has played in he is yet to achieve a top ten finish. Maybe 2015 will be the
year he wins one? He has also achieved five top ten finishes in WGC Events and his
best finish to date so far is tied for sixth twice in the WGC – Cadillac
Championship in 2010 and 2014. He also played on the 2011 and 2013 winning US
Presidents Cup Teams and is a sure bet to be on the 2015 US Presidents Cup in
South Korea later in the year. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2015
part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season.
Also tied for
seventh position was Webb Simpson (USA); he also earned US $215,000 for his
efforts and moved to fortieth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money
list standings with US $773,517 from the six events he has played to date this
season so far. He also earned 92 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to forty
second position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points standings list
standings with 376 points earned from the six events he has played to date this
season so far. From the six events he has played to date this season so far he
has made five cuts and achieved three top ten finishes which includes the one
this week. He will be happy with his second and third rounds that were both
under par especially his 69-3 in the second round. But he will be disappointed
with his first and final rounds that were both over par. Webb Simpson (USA) has
been playing the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2009 season after gaining his
card at the 2008 USPGA Tour Qualifying School where he finished in tied for
seventh position. He has kept his card for the next year every season since.
His best season to date so far came in the 2011 where he finished in second
position on the Money List with US $ 6,347,353 earned from the twenty six events he played in and that
included two wins. He has recorded four wins in his career so far and they are
the 2011 Wyndham Championship, 2011 Deutsche Bank Championship, 2012 U.S. Open
Championship (Maiden Major Championship) and 2013 Shriners Hospital for
Children Open. I feel his fifth win will come in the 2014/15 season. I wish him
all the best for the rest of the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season.
Next week the USPGA
Tour and FedEx Cup has the third event of four in the Florida Swing and it is
Valspar Championship and is played on the Innisbrook Resort
(Copperhead), Palm Harbor, Florida. It carries a huge prize purse of
US $5,900,000 for the taking. John Senden (Australia) is the defending champion
and will be keen to defend his title. Danny Lee (NZL), Steve Alker (NZL) and
Tim Wilkinson (NZL) are likely to gain starts as well. It starts on Thursday
12th 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 first week of his fifth spell of his career and for the 71st
week of his career in total is Rory McILroy (NIR) fresh off his tied for ninth
position at the WGC – Cadillac Championship this past week and one week ago
missed cut at the Honda Classic with 11.32 Official Golf World Ranking Points;
coming in at Number Two is Bubba Watson (USA) who is fresh off his solo third
position this past week at the WGC – Cadillac Championship and two weeks ago he
tied for fourteen position at the Northern Trust Open with 7.74 Official World
Ranking Points; coming in at Number Three is Henrik Stenson (Sweden) who is
fresh off his tied for fourth position at the WGC – Cadillac Championship this
past week and he tied for thirteenth position at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic
five weeks ago with 7.27 Official World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Four
is Adam Scott (Australia) fresh off his tied for fourth position at the WGC –
Cadillac Championship this past week and he tied for second position at the
Australian PGA Championship twelve weeks ago with 7.00 Official World Ranking
Points and rounding out the top five on the Official Golf World Ranking Points
list standings this week is Jason Day (Australia) who is fresh off his tied for
thirty first position at the WGC – Cadillac Championship this past week and he
tied for fourth position three weeks ago at the AT&T Pebble Beach National
Pro – Am with 6.72 Official World Ranking Points. Ryan Fox (NZL) this week is
in his third week of his first spell of being the highest ranked New Zealand
Golfer in the world after his tied for fifth position this past week at the
Holden NZ PGA Championship on the PGA Tour of Australasia. This week he gains seven
places and rises to 197th position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points
list standings with 0.88 Official Golf World Ranking Points.
Remember the old saying when playing in the wind
“When it is breezy, swing easy!!”
Source: Pgatour.com,
Official World Golf Rankings, wikipedia.org, Google search engine,
europeantour.com, golfchannel.com
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