Golf Events from the Weekend 26th April 2015

Well it was another amazing weekend on the Major Professional golf tours from around the world and this week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup headed to the State of Louisiana for the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and it was played on the TPC Louisiana, Avondale, Louisiana. It carried a huge prize purse of US $6,900,000 for the taking. Seung-Yul Noh (South Korea) was the defending champion and was keen for back to back titles. Danny Lee (NZL), Steven Alker (NZL) and Tim Wilkinson (NZL) gained starts as well. And it was the golfer by the name of Justin Rose (England) with rounds of 69-3, 66-6, 65-7 and a final round of 66-6 for a 72 hole total of 266-22 after 72 holes and he won by a single shot for his seventh win of his of his USPGA Tour career to date so far. He won US $1,242,000 for the win and moved to eighth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $2,252,000 earned from the eight events he has played to date this season so far. Jordan Spieth (USA) still leads that list with US $5,087,996 earned from the eleven events he has played to date this season so far. Justin Rose (England) also earned 500 FedEx Cup Points for the win and moved to fifteenth position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 839 points earned from the eight events he has played to date this season so far and he is 1,233 points behind the current leader of that list who is Jordan Spieth (USA) with 2,072 points earned from the eleven events he has played to date this season so far. From the eight events Justin Rose (England) has played to date this season so far he has made five cuts and achieved two top ten finishes which includes the win this week. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially his second, third and final rounds that were 66-6, 65-7 and 66-6 and all blemish free!!

 

Justin Rose (England) plays an iron shot during the final round

Justin Rose (England) played an awesome final round of 66-6 which was blemish free and included a front nine of 33-3 with birdies on the par four, fourth hole, par five, seventh hole and par four, eighth hole and made the turn at minus nineteen and was one shot behind the leader. Cameron Tringale (USA) went out in 30-6 and made the turn at minus twenty and was leading by one shot. Boo Weekley (USA) went out in 31-5 and made the turn at minus eighteen and was two shots behind the leader. Jason Day (Australia) went out in 34-2 and made the turn at minus eighteen and was two shots behind the leader. Jim Herman (USA) went out in 32-4 and made the turn at minus sixteen and was four shots behind the leader.

Justin Rose (England) played holes ten to fourteen in one under par and that included birding the par four, thirteenth hole and he moved to minus twenty and was now tied for the lead. Cameron Tringale (USA) played holes ten to fourteen in even par and that included birding the par five, eleventh hole and bogeying the par four, thirteenth hole and he remained at minus twenty but was now tied for the lead. Boo Weekley (USA) played holes ten to fourteen in one under par and that included birding the par five, eleventh and par four, thirteenth holes but he bogeyed the par four, twelfth hole and he moved to minus nineteen and was now only one shot behind the leaders. Jason Day (Australia) played holes ten to fourteen in one under par and that included birding the par five, eleventh hole and he moved to minus nineteen and was now only one shot behind the leaders. Jim Herman (USA) played holes ten to fourteen in two under par and that included birding the par four, tenth hole and par five, eleventh hole and he moved to minus eighteen and was now only two shots behind the leaders. 

Justin Rose (England) played holes fifteen to seventeenth in one under par and the included birding the par three, seventeenth hole and he moved to minus twenty one and now was leading by one shot heading to the par five, 72nd hole. Cameron Tringale (USA) played holes fifteen to seventeen in even par and he remained at minus twenty and now was one shot behind the leader heading to the par five, 72nd hole. Boo Weekley (USA) played holes fifteen to seventeen in one under par and that included birding the par four, sixteenth hole and he moved to minus twenty and now was only one shot behind the leader heading to the par five, 72nd hole. Jason Day (Australia) played holes fifteen to seventeen in even par and it included birding the par four, sixteen hole and bogeying the par five, fifteenth hole and remained at minus nineteen and was now two shots behind the leader heading to the par five, 72nd hole. Jim Herman (USA) played holes fifteen to seventeen in even par and remained at minus eighteen and was now three shots behind the leader heading to the par five, 72nd hole. 

Jim Herman (USA) who finished over an hour ahead of the final group made a birdie at the par five, 72nd hole and he finished at minus nineteen after 72 holes and finished three shots behind the winner. Justin Rose (England) who was playing a few groups ahead of the final group made a birdie up the par five, 72nd hole by holing a ten foot putt for birdie and he finished the 72 holes at minus twenty two and had set the mark as the leader in the club house!! He scored 33-3 on the back nine and now would just have to wait to see if it was good enough to hold up? Boo Weekley (USA) who was playing in the group ahead of the final group made a poor par on the par five, 72nd hole and finished the 72 holes at minus twenty and finished two shots behind the winner. Cameron Tringale (USA) who was also playing in the group ahead of the final group hit a good drive off the par five, 72nd hole that landed in the fairway and then he went for the green with his second shot from over 250 yards and his shot landed just short of the green. Then his chip for eagle just came up two feet short of the hole and he had to settle for his birdie four and finished the 72 holes at minus twenty one and finished one shot behind the winner. Jason Day (Australia) who was playing in the final group was the last player on the course that could force a playoff with Justin Rose (England), he struck a very good drive right down the centre of the fairway on the par five, 72nd hole which left him with a two iron from just over 250 yards. He knew he would have to hole it for a double eagle to force the playoff. He struck it well but the wind drifted it to the left of the green and he was unable to get up and down and had to settle for his par five and he finished the 72 holes at minus nineteen and finished three shots behind the winner. 

 

Justin Rose (England) acknowledges the gallery after holing the winning putt!!

So that meant Justin Rose (England) had been declared the winner!! It was his seven win of his USPGA Tour career to date. He celebrated by giving his caddie, Mark Fulcher a huge hug!! Then he rang his wife, Kate on his cell phone to tell her the good news!! Then he was interviewed by CBS Sports on course reporter, Peter Kostis and he said “When he went to the NBA Basketball in New Orleans on Tuesday night he watched the Golden State Warriors' point guard, Steph Curry” "I felt like I had gone cold in my round [Saturday]," Justin Rose (England) said. "I started off hot, had gone cold and [Fulcher] said, 'Come on, just remember Steph Curry.' He went cold, but he kept wanting the ball. He kept shooting threes. He kept believing in himself. That was our mentality." "And today, again, we kind of used that analogy," Justin Rose (England) said. "That’s what great athletes who you look up to do. In big moments, they want the ball. They make big shots and big putts and that’s kind of luckily what I inspired myself today to do." He also said “He is so happy to win this week coming off his tied for second position in the first Major Championship at the Masters Tournament two weeks ago after playing poor golf in his first five events of the season without a single top ten finish”. 

 

Justin Rose (England) pumps his fist in celebration after holing the winning putt!!

Justin Rose (England) has won seven USPGA Tour events to date so far in his career with the most recent one being the 2015 Zurich Classic of New Orleans this past week and here are his other six: 2010 Memorial Tournament; 2010 AT&T National; 2011 BMW Championship; 2012 WGC – Cadillac Championship; 2013 U.S. Open Championship (Maiden Major Championship) and 2014 Quicken Loans National (He has won every year since 2010). Justin Peter Rose (England) (born 30 July 1980) is a South African-born English professional golfer who plays most of his golf on the USPGA Tour, while keeping his membership on the European Tour. He won his first major championship at the 2013 U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club, becoming the first English player to win a major since Nick Faldo (England) in 1996 and the first to win the U.S. Open since Tony Jacklin (England) in 1970. He first came to prominence as an amateur at the 1998 Open Championship where he holed a dramatic shot from the rough at the final hole to finish in a tie for fourth place. He won the 2007 Order of Merit on the European Tour and was ranked in the World top-ten for 34 weeks between November 2007 and July 2008. In March 2012, Justin Rose (USA) won his first World Golf Championship event at the WGC – Cadillac Championship and as a result he re-entered the world top-10. After finishing second to Tiger Woods (USA) in the 2013 Arnold Palmer Invitational, he rose to a career high world ranking of third. On 29 June 2014, Justin Rose (England) won the Quicken Loans National, beating Shawn Stefani (USA) at the first hole of a playoff, with both players having tied after 72 holes. Two weeks later, Justin Rose (England) won the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open. At the 2015 Masters Tournament, Justin Rose (England) finished in a tie for second with Phil Mickelson (USA) behind winner Jordan Spieth (USA). Justin Rose's (England) 14-under 274 (as well as Phil Mickelson's (USA)) was the lowest score by a runner-up in Masters history.

He has also achieved one Major Championship win in his career so far to date and that came at the 2013 U.S. Open Championship. He has also won seven times to date on the European Tour with his last win coming at the 2014 Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open. He has also achieved eight other top ten finishes in Major Championships. He has also achieved nine top ten finishes in WGC Events that includes his win at the 2012 Cadillac Championship. He has represented Team Europe in the 2008, 2012 and 2014 Ryder Cups which Team Europe won in 2012 and 2014. Let’s hope he can achieve his eighth win on the USPGA Tour in the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season and perhaps his second Major Championship? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season.

 

Justin Rose (England) poses with the Zurich Classic of New Orleans Trophy he won!!

Coming in solo second position at 267-21 after 72 holes was Cameron Tringale (USA); he earned US $745,200 for his efforts and moved to twenty sixth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,356,279 earned from the sixteen events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 300 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to twenty four position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 709 points earned from the sixteen events he has played to date this season so far. From the sixteen events he has played to date this season so far he has made twelve cuts and achieved two top ten finishes which includes the one this past week. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially his second round 65-7 which was blemish free and his final round 65-7 which included a front nine of 30-6!! He will be happy with his play in the month of April because both of his top ten finishes have come in this month with the other being the a tie for fifth at the Shell Houston Open three weeks ago. In December 2009, Cameron Tringale (USA) successfully gained a 2010 USPGA Tour card through the qualifying school, finishing tied for nineteenth. He made his debut as a member of the USPGA Tour at the 2010 Sony Open in Hawaii in January. In twenty one starts that season, Cameron Tringale (USA) made just more than US $300,000, leaving him 176th on the money list. His best finishes were ties for eleventh at the Viking Classic and the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. In December, Cameron Tringale (USA) regained his USPGA Tour card for 2011 by finishing fourth at Qualifying-School. That season he collected fourth place finishes at the Greenbrier Classic and CIMB Classic and a fifth at the Texas Open. He finished fourth at the 2012 Farmers Insurance Open, seventh at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and eighth at the Shell Houston Open. His best result in 2013 was third at the Tampa Bay Championship. In the 2014 USPGA Tour season, Cameron Tringale (USA) finished fourth at the Shell Houston Open and Greenbrier Classic. Six days after the 2014 PGA Championship, Cameron Tringale (USA) disqualified himself after he realized he signed an incorrect scorecard. He originally finished tied for thirty third. During the playoffs he ended second at The Barclays. And also last year in the 2014 Franklin Templeton Shootout he won his first unofficial USPGA Tour event with his partner Jason Day (Australia). Let’s hope he can have more top ten finishes in the weeks ahead and perhaps achieve his maiden USPGA Tour win in the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 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 268-20 after 72 holes was Boo Weekley (USA); he earned US $469,200 for his efforts and moved to thirty sixth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,174,501 earned from the thirteen events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 190 FedEx Cup points for his efforts and moved to forty fourth position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 525 points earned from the thirteen events he has played to date this season so far. From the thirteen events he has played to date this season so far he has made eight cuts and achieved four top ten finishes which includes the one here. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all under par especially his 64-8 that saw him share the first round lead and his final round 65-7. But he will be just content with his second round 70-2 because had it been a couple of shots lower he would have been in a playoff or won. But he will be encouraged by his good form this week after missing three of his last four cuts. Born in Milton, Florida, Boo Weekley (USA) turned professional in 1997 and played on mini-tours until 2002, when he qualified for the USPGA Tour. He made the cut in only five of 24 events that year, and lost his tour card. From 2003 through 2006, he played on the Nationwide Tour, finishing well enough in 2006 to again qualify for the USPGA Tour. His first victory came at the Verizon Heritage in April 2007. Boo Weekley's (USA) good form at the start of the 2007 season included two top 10 finishes before his victory, after which he reached a new career high of 55 in the Official World Golf Rankings. Later in 2007, he entered the top 50 of the rankings. He represented the United States at the 2007 Omega Mission Hills World Cup with Heath Slocum (USA) and finished in 2nd place. In 2008, Boo Weekley (USA) successfully defended his title at the Verizon Heritage, and rose into the top 25 of the rankings. Boo Weekley (USA) shot to prominence at the 2008 Ryder Cup, with a succession of virtuoso displays of superb golf including an emphatic 4&2 victory over Oliver Wilson (England) in final day Singles play. The final day was also notable however when Boo Weekley (USA) was filmed riding his driver "cowboy horse" style down the first fairway. Boo Weekley's (USA) nickname comes from Yogi Bear's sidekick, Boo Boo Bear. He failed out of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College where he studied turfgrass science. After only one year at Baldwin, where he played on the golf team, Boo Weekley (USA) returned home. He was hired as a hydroblaster at the Monsanto chemical plant in Pensacola, Fla. where he would be lowered into large ammonia tanks to clean them. Boo Weekley (USA) began his professional career on the Developmental Players Tour (DP Tour) in Atlanta, Ga., a tour co-founded by Jack Slocum, father of fellow USPGA golfer and friend Heath Slocum (USA). Boo Weekley (USA) attended high school with Heath Slocum (USA) and they played together on the golf team. He lists Ben Hogan as his hero. In May 2013, Boo Weekley (USA) won the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial in Fort Worth, Texas. Boo Weekley (USA) beat Matt Kuchar (USA) by one stroke to take his first win in five years. Let’s hope he can have more top ten finishes in the weeks to come and perhaps he can achieve his fourth USPGA Tour win in the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. I wish him all the best with the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

Coming in tied for fourth position at 269-19 after 72 holes was Jason Day (Australia); he earned US $303,600 for his efforts and moved to sixth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $2,351,128 earned from the eight events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 123 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to seventh position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 1,063 points earned from the eight events he has played to date this season so far. From the eight events he has played to date this season so far he has made eight cuts and achieved four top ten finishes which includes the one this week and also his win at the Farmers Insurance Open in early February. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially his second round 65-7 which was blemish free. He also announced this week that he and his wife, Ellie are expecting their second child later this year. Jason Day (Australia) has won three USPGA Tour events in his career to date so far and they are the 2010 HP Bryon Nelson Championship; 2014 WGC – Accenture Match Play Championship and the  2015 Farmers Insurance Open. He also has seven top ten finishes in Major Championships to date so far and he must be the favourite to win his Maiden Major Championship this year? He has also performed very well in WGC – Events with winning one in 2014 (WGC – Accenture Match Play Championship) and also having three other top ten finishes. He must be one of the early favourites to win the WGC – Cadillac Match Play next week which he is the defending champion. I wouldn’t be surprised if he wins another tournament before the end of the season. I wish him all the best for the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

The other player to tie for fourth position was Jim Herman (USA); he too earned US $303,600 for his efforts and moved to seventy seventh position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $688,370 earned from the fifteen events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 123 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to eighty fourth position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 359 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 here. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially his final round 65-7 which was blemish free. James Robert Herman (born November 5, 1977) is an American professional golfer who plays on the USPGA Tour. Jim Herman (USA) was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. He played golf at St. Xavier High School and graduated in 1996. Jim Herman (USA) played college golf at the University of Cincinnati. He turned professional in 2000. Jim Herman (USA) played on the mini-tour, Golden Bear Tour from 2001 to 2004. He was then an assistant golf pro at several golf clubs before qualifying for the Nationwide Tour after finishing tied for seventh fourth at the 2007 USPGA Tour Qualifying Tournament. He has played the Nationwide Tour since 2008, winning once at the 2010 Moonah Classic in Australia. Jim Herman (USA) was a USPGA Tour rookie in 2011, after finishing 19th on the 2010 Nationwide Tour money list. He played in the 2010 U.S. Open Championship, finishing 47th. 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 seven in tied for sixth position at 270-18 after 72 holes was Daniel Berger (USA); he earned US $239,775 for his efforts and moved to eighteenth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,602,258 earned from the seventeen events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 95 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to eighteenth position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 797 points earned from the seventeen events he has played to date this season so far. From the seventeen events he has played to date this season so far he has made twelve cuts and achieved four top ten finishes which includes the one this past week. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially his first round 66-6. He is just having an awesome rookie season and must be due for his maiden USPGA Tour win soon? Daniel Berger (USA) (born April 7, 1993) is an American professional golfer who plays on the USPGA Tour. Daniel Berger (USA) was born in Plantation, Florida to Nadia and Jay Berger. His father is a former tennis pro, coach, and head of men's tennis for the United States Tennis Association. Daniel Berger lived in Miami for about ten years before moving with his family to Jupiter, Florida, where he began taking golf seriously. He graduated William T. Dwyer High School in 2011 and went on to play golf at Florida State University, where he tied for second at the 2013 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championships. Daniel Berger (USA) turned pro after his sophomore season. In late 2013, Daniel Berger (USA) qualified for the Web.com Tour and played four events. The following year, he finished tied for second at the TPC Stonebrae Championship and ranked fifteenth in the season-long Web.com Tour standings, which earned him a promotion to the USPGA Tour for the 2014–15 season. On March 2, 2015 Daniel Berger (USA) shot a 6-under-par 64 in the final round of the Honda Classic and lost to Padraig Harrington (Ireland) in a playoff. Had Daniel Berger (USA) won, it would have been the second-largest final round comeback in USPGA Tour history: he began the final round nine strokes behind 54-hole leader Ian Poulter (England). During the third round of the 2015 Arnold Palmer Invitational, Daniel Berger (USA) made a double eagle at the par-5 sixth hole. He has made an awesome start to his rookie season on the USPGA Tour and he has already secured his card for next season. He can take a lot of confidence out of this week going forward and I am sure he will win his maiden USPGA Tour event in the next few years if it doesn’t come this year. Let’s hope he can have lots more top ten finishes in the weeks ahead. I wish him all the best for the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season.

The other player to tie for sixth position was David Hearn (Canada); he too earned US $239,775 for his efforts and moved to seventy third position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $751,506 earned from the sixteen events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 95 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to seventy second position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 407 points earned from the sixteen events he has played to date this season so far. From the sixteen events he has played to date this season so far he has made ten cuts and achieved two top ten finishes which includes the one here. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all under par especially his first round 65-7. David Hearn (Canada) (born June 17, 1979) is a Canadian professional golfer who plays on the USPGA Tour. He has also played on the Nationwide Tour, Canadian Tour and the Asian Tour. David Hearn (Canada) was born in Brampton, Ontario. He attended the University of Wyoming, where he played on the golf team. He was a member of the winning Canadian team at the 2001 Four Nations Cup tournament, and played out of the Brantford Golf and Country Club as an amateur. David Hearn (Canada) turned professional late in 2001. He was named the Canadian Tour Rookie of the Year in 2002. In the 2008 U.S. Open Championship, he missed the cut by two strokes. David Hearn (Canada) made his first cut in a major championship at the 2013 U.S. Open, finishing tied for 21st. In June 2013, David Hearn (Canada) finished in a tie for second at the John Deere Classic, after losing in a three-man playoff, which also included Zach Johnson (USA), to Jordan Spieth (USA). After all three players had pared the first and second extra holes, David Hearn (Canada) had two opportunities at the third and fourth extra holes to seal the win, but could not hole either of the makeable putts. The playoff ended at the fifth extra hole when Jordan Spieth (Canada) made par to David Hearn (Canada) and Zach Johnson's (USA) bogeys. This was David Hearn's (Canada) best finish to date on the USPGA Tour, beating his previous tie for fifth at the 2011 Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. Let’s hope David Hearn (Canada) can have more top ten finishes in the weeks ahead and perhaps achieve his maiden USPGA Tour win this season? I wish him all the best for the rest of 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 70-2 in the first round which was good in the wet conditions and it included four birdies and two bogeys, then he scored an excellent 64-8 in the second round which he had to  finished on Saturday Morning (Because of the bad weather on Friday afternoon that caused play to be suspended) and included a front nine of 31-5 with birdies on the par four, first hole, par five, second hole, par four, sixth hole, par five, seventh hole and par four, eighth hole then he played the back nine in 33-3 with birdies on the par four, tenth hole, par four, fifteenth hole, par four, sixteenth hole and par five, eighteenth hole with his lone bogey coming on the par four twelfth hole and a very good third round 68-4 which was blemish free and included a front nine of 35-1 which included a birdie on the par four, sixth hole and then he played the back nine in 33-3 which included birdies on the par four, thirteenth hole, par three, fourteenth hole and par four, sixteenth hole and most of that had to be completed on Sunday morning because of the weather delay of Saturday Afternoon and a average final round of  71-1 which includes a front nine of 35-1 with birdies on the par five, second hole and par three, third hole and a poor bogey on the par four, sixth hole and he scored a disappointing 36 even par on the back nine which included a birdie on the par five, eighteenth hole and a bogey on the par four, fifteenth hole for a 72 hole total of 273-15 and he tied for twenty second position. He earned US $64,055 for his efforts and moved to fifty fifth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $912,910 earned from the nineteen events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned forty sixth FedEx Cup points for his efforts and  moved to fifty third position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 486 points earned from the nineteen events he has played to date this season so far. From the nineteen events he has played to date this season so far he has made eleven cuts and withdrawn from one event and achieved two top ten finishes which includes the one in mid March 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 happy with his second and third rounds that were both in the mid to low 60s especially his 64-8 in the second round. But he will be just content with his first and final rounds that were both in the low 70s!! Danny Lee (NZL) just needs to be more consistent and keep the big numbers of his card and once he has learnt to do that I feel he will achieve more top twenty or better finishes. 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 (NZL) 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 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

The next best New Zealand golfer in the field was Tim Wilkinson (NZL) and he scored a very good first round of 69-3 with having four birdies and one bogey in the wet conditions. Then a very good second round of 69-3 where he scored a front nine of 32-4 with birdies on the par four, first hole, par five, second hole, par five, seventh hole and par three, ninth hole but his back nine 37+1 wasn’t so good with his lone bogey coming on the par four, tenth hole, then he scored a good third round of 70-2 which included a front nine of 35-1 with birdies on the par four, fourth hole, par five, fifth hole, par five, seventh hole and par four, eighth hole but he had disastrous triple bogey seven on the par four, sixth hole and a back nine of 35-1 which included birdies on the par three, fourteenth and par four, sixteenth holes and a bogey on the par four, fifteenth hole and a good final round of 70-2 which included a front nine of 36 even par with birdies on the par three, third hole and par five, seventh hole but bogeys on the par four, fourth hole and par four, fifth hole and a back nine of 34-2 with birdies on the par four, sixteenth and par three, seventeenth holes for a 72 hole total of 278-10 and he tied for forty eighth position. He earned US $16,991 for his efforts and moved to 185th position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $97,294 earned from the sixteen events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned twenty FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 175th position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 98 points earned from the sixteen events he has played to date this season so far. From the sixteen events he has played to date this season so far he has made five cuts and achieved no top ten finishes. He will be really happy with his four rounds this week that were all under par especially his first and second rounds that were both 69-3s. In the last eleven events he has played on the USPGA Tour he has only made two cuts. Let’s hope he can gain some confidence out of this performance this past week and make some more cuts in the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season and have some top ten finishes as well. 

The next best New Zealand golfer in the field was Steve Alker (NZL) and he scored rounds of 71-1 in the first round which was average and included four birdies, a bogey and double bogey in the damp conditions and a good second round of 70-2 which included four birdies and two bogeys for a 36 hole total of 141-3 and he missed the cut by two shots. He currently lies in 203rd position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $55,248 earned from the eleven events he has played to date this season so far. He also is currently in 193rd position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 57 points earned from the eleven events he has played to date this season so far. From the eleven events he has played to date this season so far he has made three cuts and achieved no top ten finishes. He will be content with his two rounds this week that were both under par but the standard of play was extremely high this week because minus five was the cut mark!! Let’s hope he can make some cuts in the next few events he plays in, in the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season and even achieve some top ten finishes.

Next week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup and the European Tour and Race to Dubai and all the other Major Professional Golf Tours from around the world head to the State of California for second WGC Event of the 2015 season and it is the WGC – Cadillac Match Play and it is played on the TPC Harding Park, San Francisco, California and only the players ranked inside the top sixty four on the current Official World Golf rankings qualify for it. Also it is the only tournament on the USPGA Tour that is played in a Match Play Format. This year there is a new format with the top sixteen ranked golfers in the world being split into the sixteen groups and they all get the number seeding in their group. On Monday 27th April the reaming forty eight players with have their names drawn randomly and placed in one of the sixteen groups with the number one seeds. Every player in each group will play round robin eighteen hole matches with the other three players. Each four-man group will play round-robin matches on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. The player with the best record in each group advances to the Round of 16 for single-elimination match play (in the event of a two-way tie in a group, head-to-head results will be used as the tiebreaker; a three-way tie will require a sudden-death playoff).  After the three days of group play are completed, the Round of 16 will be played Saturday morning, followed by the Quarterfinals Saturday afternoon. The Semi-finals will be Sunday morning, followed by the Championship Match and Consolation Match on Sunday afternoon. This means that fans are guaranteed to see the field in its entirety during the first three days of competition before players begin being eliminated. It carries a huge prize purse of US $9,250,000 for the taking. All the top players in the world will be there including Rory McILroy (NIR); Jordan Spieth (USA); Henrik Stenson (Sweden); Bubba Watson (USA) and Jim Furyk (USA) along with many others. Jason Day (Australia) is the defending champion and will be keen to defend his title. It starts on Wednesday 29th April 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 eighth week of his fifth spell of his career and for the 78th week of his career in total is Rory McILroy (NIR) fresh off his solo fourth position at the 79th Masters Tournament two weeks ago and his tied for eleventh position five weeks ago at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard with 11.21 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Two is Jordan Spieth (USA) who is fresh off his tied for eleventh position at the RBC Heritage one week ago and two weeks ago he won his maiden Major Championship at the 79th Masters Tournament with 9.08 Official World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Three is Henrik Stenson (Sweden) who is fresh off his tied for nineteenth position at the 79th Masters Tournament two weeks ago and also his solo second position five weeks ago at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard with 7.35 Official World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Four is Bubba Watson (USA) who is fresh off his tied for twenty ninth position at the Shenzhen International one week ago and also he tied for thirty eighth position at the 79th Masters Tournament two weeks ago with 7.18 Official World Ranking Points and rounding out the top five on the Official Golf World Ranking Points list standings this week is Jim Furyk (USA) who is fresh off his win at the RBC Heritage one week ago and also he missed the cut at the 79th Masters Tournament two weeks ago with 6.71 Official World Ranking Points. Danny Lee (NZL) this week is in his sixth week of another spell of being the highest ranked New Zealand Golfer in the world after he finished in tied for twenty second position this past week at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans on the USPGA Tour. This week he gains two places and rises to 194th position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list standings with 0.92 Official Golf World Ranking Points. 

Visualisation is the key to producing great golf shots!!

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

Golf Events from the Weekend 19th April 2015

Well it was another amazing weekend on the Major Professional Golf Tours from around the world and this week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup headed to Hilton Head, South Carolina for the RBC Heritage and it was played on the Harbour Town GL, Hilton Head, South Carolina. It carried a good prize purse of US $5,900,000 for the taking. It was played in a relaxed family environment after the pressure the week before at the first Major Championship of the year which was the Masters Tournament and a lot of the players brought their families with them to this tournament because there is lots for them to do. Matt Kuchar (USA) was the defending champion and was keen to defend his title in his home State. Danny Lee (NZL) and Tim Wilkinson (NZL) gained starts as well. And it was the golfer by the name of Jim Furyk (USA) who scored rounds of 71 even par, 64-7, 68-3 and a final round of 63-8 for a 72 hole total of 266-18 but he was tied on that score by Kevin Kisner (USA) who scored rounds of 68-3, 67-4, 67-4 and a final round of 64-7 for a 72 hole total of 266-18 also. So those two players headed back to the par four, eighteenth hole for the first playoff hole. 

 

Jim Furyk (USA) tees off on the 72nd hole

So to the first playoff hole and Jim Furyk (USA) and Kevin Kisner (USA) both choose a number out of the USPGA Tour Officials Hat. Jim Furyk (USA) choose number one and he teed off first and Kevin Kisner (USA) choose number two and he teed off second. Jim Furyk (USA) teed of first and hit a brilliant drive right down the centre of the fairway short of the water hazard with Calibogue Sound on the left hand side. Kevin Kisner (USA) teed off second and struck a brilliant drive as well that drew back to the centre of the fairway from the right hand side. Jim Furyk (USA) played his second shot first with his short iron and struck another brilliant shot that was right over the flag stick and came to rest eight feet underneath the flag stick on the green and left him with a very makeable birdie putt. Kevin Kisner (USA) played his second shot next with his nine iron and he too struck a good shot which landed on the green leaving him a putt from fifteen feet from the cup and he knew walking up to the green that he had to more than likely hole that putt if he was going to extend the playoff to a second hole. Kevin Kisner (USA) putted for his birdie from fifteen feet first and struck a very good putt that fell in the cup on the left hand side of the hole for his birdie three and he now really had put the pressure back on Jim Furyk (USA) who must of been thinking “What do I have to do to win my seventeenth USPGA Tour event because his last win which was his sixteenth came in 2010 at the Tour Championship and he has had a lot of close calls since and has always come out on the losing side every time!!” Jim Furyk (USA) now knew the only way to get to the second playoff hole was to make the eight foot birdie putt. He studied the line with his caddie, Mike “Fluff” Cowan, then he put an awesome stroke on the putt and it rolled right in the centre of the cup!! Jim Nantz, who is the CBS Sports Anchorman, mentioned that the putt Jim Furyk (USA) just made to extend the playoff was “Incredibly gutsy!!” So those two players headed to the par three, seventeenth hole for the second playoff hole. 

 

Jim Furyk (USA) drops his putter and pumps his fists just before the winning putt drops!!

Jim Furyk (USA) teed off first on the par three, seventeenth hole which was the second playoff hole and he hit a brilliant seven iron that never left the flag stick and landed just to the left of the flag stick about eight feet short of the cup leaving a very makeable birdie putt. Kevin Kisner (USA) played second and chose an eight iron, he hit a very good shot that came to rest twenty feet short of the flag stick on the green but he knew he would more than likely have to whole that putt if he was going to extend the playoff to a third hole. Kevin Kisner (USA) putted for his birdie from twenty feet and he put a good stroke on it but it never took the left to right break he was expecting and it missed on the left hand side of the cup and he easily tapped in for his par. He now knew his fate was in Jim Furyk (USA) hands. Jim Furyk (USA) now knew his eight foot par putt was for the tournament win and his first in just short of five years!! Jim Furyk (USA) and his caddie, Mike “Fluff” Cowan again studied the line intensively. Then Jim Furyk (USA) stroked his birdie putt and knew he could get the monkey of his back and avoid all those questions from the media about “When are you going to win again”? He struck a brilliant putt that was right on line at perfect holing speed and fell in the centre of the cup for his birdie two and he had won the RBC Heritage and finally his seventeenth USPGA Tour event!! He dropped his putter in pure joy of winning!! Then he high fived and hugged his caddie, Mike “Fluff” Cowan!! Then he was interviewed by CBS Sports on course reporter, Peter Kostis and he told him “He was so pleased to win here and he finally grabbed the opportunity to win when it presented itself” He also said “He was so pleased with the way he played in the final round with scoring 63-8 and also birding the two playoff holes and he knew it was his day when he started getting fortunate bounces early in his round”.  

 

Jim Furyk (USA) on the left and Mike "Fluff" Cowan his caddie on the right embrace after he holed the winning putt!!

Jim Furyk (USA) earned US $1,062,000 for the win and moved to eighteenth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,544,661 earned from the seven events he has played to date this season so far. Jordan Speith (USA) still leads that list with US $5,087,996 earned from the eleven events he has played to date this season so far. Jim Furyk (USA) also got 500 FedEx Cup Points for his win and moved to nineteenth position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 742 points earned from the seven events he has played to date this season so far and he is 1,330 points behind the current leader of that list who is still Jordan Spieth (USA) with 2,072 points earned from the eleven events he has played to date this season so far. From the seven events Jim Furyk (USA) has played to date this season so far he has made six cuts and achieved two top ten finishes which includes the win this week. He will be happy with his second, third and final rounds this week that were all under par especially final round 63-8 which was the low round of the day and also the two birdies he made on the two playoff holes!! But he will be just content with his first round 71 even par which saw the unusual occurrence of him making eighteen straight pars!! 

Jim Furyk (USA) played an awesome final round of 63-8 and it included a front nine of 30-6 which included birdies on the par five, second hole, par three, fourth hole, par four, sixth hole, par three, seventh hole, par four, eighth hole and par four, ninth hole. He then played the back nine in 33-2 with birdies on the par four, twelve hole, par four, thirteen hole and par five, fifteenth hole and his lone bogey of the day came on the par four, eleventh hole. And in the twenty holes he played on Sunday he was ten under par with the two birdies he made on the two playoff holes!! Jim Furyk (USA) turned professional in 1992. He won the Nike Mississippi Gulf Coast Classic on the then Nike Tour in 1993. He joined the USPGA Tour in 1994 and won at least one tournament each year between 1998 and 2003. At the time, this was the second-best streak of winning seasons behind Tiger Woods (USA) and he made the top ten in the Official World Golf Ranking. Jim Furyk's (USA) biggest win to date came on June 16, 2003, when he tied the record for the lowest 72-hole score in U.S. Open history to win his first Major Championship. In 2004, he only played in fourteen events after missing three months due to surgery to repair cartilage damage in his wrist; he missed six cuts and his highest finish was tied for sixth, which caused him to fall out of the top hundred on the money list. He returned to good form in 2005 and regained his top ten ranking, winning a USPGA Tour event in that year and two in 2006. In the 2006 season, he finished a career-high second on the Money list and won the Vardon Trophy for the first time. He also had thirteen top-ten finishes, including nine top-3s, four second-place finishes, and two victories. The 2010 USPGA Tour season was a banner one for Jim Furyk (USA). After going more than two seasons winless, he won a career-best three tournaments on Tour in 2010: The Transitions Championship, the Verizon Heritage, and the season-ending Tour Championship. His victory in the Tour Championship also earned him the 2010 FedEx Cup after winning by one stroke. His accomplishments in 2010 won him both the PGA Player of the Year and PGA Tour Player of the Year for the first time. 

 

Jim Furyk (USA) poses with the RBC Heritage Trophy he won and also wears the Tartan Jacket!!

Since 2012, Jim Furyk (USA) has come close on several occasions to winning more titles, but to date has not done so (Until the RBC Heritage this week). At the 2012 U.S. Open, Jim Furyk (USA) led after 54 holes and was still the leader deep into the final day, before snap hooking his drive into the trees at the 16th which led to a bogey and was followed by another at the 18th. He finished in a tie for fourth, two strokes behind Webb Simpson (USA). At the 2012 WGC – Bridgestone Invitational, Jim Furyk (USA) led after the first three rounds and looked set to win the championship as he held a one-stroke lead going into the final hole, but a double-bogey cost him the title to Keegan Bradley (USA). At the 2013 PGA Championship, Jim Furyk (USA) led by one stroke going into the final day over Jason Dufner (USA), but this time his lead was overturned on the front nine and he was unable to reduce the deficit as Jason  Dufner (USA) won by two strokes. Jim Furyk's (USA) caddy since 1999 has been Mike “Fluff” Cowan, who was Tiger Woods (USA) caddy for his first two years as a professional. On September 13, 2013, Jim Furyk (USA) shot a 12-under-par 59 in the second round of the BMW Championship at Conway Farms Golf Club in Lake Forest, Illinois, becoming just the sixth player to shoot 59 in a USPGA Tour event. In July 2014, Jim Furyk (USA) held the 54-hole lead at the RBC Canadian Open, with a three stroke advantage over his nearest competitor Tim Clark (RSA). However Tim Clark (RSA) produced five birdies in his last eight holes to claim the title, after Jim Furyk (USA) missed a 12 footer on the 18th green to force a playoff. The three shot margin was the largest 54-hole lead Jim Furyk (USA) has ever lost in his tour career. In February 2015, Jim Furyk (USA) held a one shot lead at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am going into the final round, but shot a two over round of 74 to finish six strokes behind Brandt Snedeker (USA). Jim Furyk's (USA) round was the worst of any player to finish within the top 50 on the final day. Since Jim Furyk's (USA) last victory at The Tour Championship in 2010, he is 0-for-9 with a lead/co-lead after 54 holes. On April 19, 2015, Jim Furyk (USA) ended the long slump when he defeated Kevin Kisner (USA) with birdie on the second playoff hole at the RBC Heritage. The victory was his second at the event (having won here in 2010 also) and his seventeenth victory on the USPGA Tour. He are his seventeen wins from the first to the most recent: 1995 Las Vegas Invitational; 1996 United Airlines Hawaiian Open; 1998 Las Vegas Invitational; 1999 Las Vegas Invitational; 2000 Doral – Ryder Open; 2001 Mercedes Championship; 2002 Memorial Tournament; 2003 U.S. Open Championship (Maiden Major Championship); 2003 Buick Open; 2005 Cialis Western Open; 2006 Wachovia Championship; 2006 Canadian Open; 2007 Canadian Open; 2010 Transitions Championship; 2010 Verizon Heritage; 2010 The Tour Championship and the 2015 RBC Heritage. He has also achieved twenty two top ten finishes in Major Championships (Which includes his maiden US Open Championship win in 2003). And he has also achieved seventeen top ten finishes in WGC Events but it is amazing to think he has not won one. Let’s hope he can achieve more top ten finishes in the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season and perhaps win his eighteenth event? I wish him all the best for the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

Coming in solo second position at 266-18 after 72 holes and losing on the second playoff hole was Kevin Kisner (USA); he earned US $637,200 for his efforts and moved to fortieth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,032,947 earned from the fifteen events he has played to date so far. He also earned 300 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to thirty seventh position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 559 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 this week. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all in the mid 60s especially his final round 64-7 which was blemish free!! And the thirty eight holes he played on the weekend (Including the two playoff holes) he made one eagle and ten birdies without dropping a single shot!! But he will be a little disappointed with his par on the second playoff hole that lost him the title. But he can take a lot of positives out of this week moving forward. But to date this is his best finish on the USPGA Tour in his career so far. Kevin Kisner (USA) (born February 15, 1984) is an American professional golfer. Kevin Kisner (USA) was born in Aiken, South Carolina. He played college golf at the University of Georgia and was a member of their 2005 NCAA Division I Championship team along with Chris Kirk (USA), Richard Scott (USA) and Brendon Todd (USA). After graduating in 2006, he turned professional. Kevin Kisner (USA) played on the mini-tours (NGA Hooters Tour and Tarheel Tour) and from 2007 to 2009, winning three times. He also played in six Nationwide Tour events in 2009. He played the Nationwide Tour full-time in 2010, winning once at the Mylan Classic. He finished the year eleventh on the money list and earned his 2011 USPGA Tour card. Kevin Kisner (USA) failed to earn enough money on the USPGA Tour in 2011 to retain his card (181st on money list), but finished tied for eleventh at qualifying school to earn his card for 2012. He again failed to retain his card, finishing 167th on the money list, and missed earning a card in qualifying school by one stroke. He returned to (the now renamed) Web.com Tour in 2013 and won the Chile Classic in March. He finished thirteen on the 2013 Web.com Tour regular season money list to earn his 2014 USPGA Tour card. His best finish on the USPGA Tour is a second place at the 2015 RBC Heritage (As I mentioned above) after losing on the second hole of a playoff to Jim Furyk (USA). Let’s hope he can have more top ten finishes in the weeks ahead and perhaps win his maiden USPGA Tour event in the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season? 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 268-16 after 72 holes was Troy Merritt (USA); he earned US $401,200 for his efforts and moved to seventieth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $718,790 earned from the fourteen events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 190 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to sixty seventieth position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 397 points earned from the fourteen events he has played to date this season so far. From the fourteen 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 here. He will be very happy with his four rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially his 61-10 in round two which was the equal low round of the day and the tournament and included ten birdies without a single blemish!! It also included a back nine of 28-7 and in that back nine he birdied the last four holes!! But he will rue the double bogey he made on the par four, eighth hole in the third round and the double bogey he made on the par four, twelfth hole in the final round when he was tied for the lead. He will gain a lot of positives out of this week going forward. Troy Merritt (USA) (born October 25, 1985) is an American professional golfer who has plays on the USPGA Tour and the Web.com Tour. Troy Merritt (USA) was born in Osage, Iowa. He played college golf at Winona State University until after his sophomore year, when he transferred to Boise State University. He was first team All-WAC for Boise State and tied the school-record for a low round score when he posted a 62 (-9) in the second round of the District VII Shootout. Troy Merritt (USA) turned professional in 2008. Troy Merritt's (USA) first win on the Nationwide Tour came on September 6, 2009 when he won a US $117,000 purse at the Mexico Open, beating Australia's Adam Bland (Australia) with a twenty foot birdie putt on the first hole of a playoff.  On December 7, 2009, Troy Merritt (USA) became only the third golfer to medal at USPGA Tour Qualifying Tournament by leading after every round. Despite a double-bogey on the final (108th) hole of the six round tournament he won by one stroke over veteran Jeff Maggert (USA) with a score of twenty two under-par. In 2010, Troy Merritt (USA) finished 125th on the USPGA Tour Final Money list standings, earning the final spot to retain a tour card. Troy Merritt (USA) currently resides in Arizona with his wife Courtney. Let’s hope he can have more top ten finishes in the weeks to come. 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 269-15 after 72 holes was Brendon Todd (USA); he earned US $283,200 for his efforts and moved to forty eighth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $950,473 earned from the twelve events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 135 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to forty fourth position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 515 points earned from the 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 ten cuts and achieved three top ten finishes which includes the one here. He will be happy with his second, third and final rounds that were all in the mid to low 60s especially his third round 63-8 which was the low round of the day and it was blemish free!! But he will be disappointed with his first round 73+2 which left him too many shots to make up to seriously contend for the title and especially the triple bogey he made on the par three, fourteen hole!! But he can take a lot of confidence out of his last three rounds and he is having another great season backing up from his maiden USPGA Tour win at the 2014 HP Bryon Nelson Championship. Brendon Todd (USA) joined the Nationwide Tour in 2008. That year he won the Utah Championship, and finished 19th on the money list, earning him a spot on the USPGA Tour in 2009. At the 2009 Athens Regional Foundation Classic on the Nationwide Tour, Brendon Todd (USA) became the first player on the Tour to ace the same hole twice in the same tournament. On April 16, during the first round, his ace on the 157 yard, par-3, 17th hole, came with a 7-iron. The next day, the ace came with an 8-iron from 147 yards. In his rookie season on the USPGA Tour in 2009, he made only 5 of 21 cuts, and did not earn a tour card for 2010. 

Brendon Todd (USA) rejoined the Nationwide Tour in 2010. In 2011, he had a steady season on that tour, and was medalist at the season-ending qualifying school to return to the USPGA Tour. In 2012, he was the final person to retain any status on the USPGA Tour. His finish of 150th on the USPGA Tour's money list meant that he maintained conditional status and avoided the second round of Q School. As a member of the 126-150 category on that tour, Brendon Todd (USA) also had full Web.com Tour status. In 2013, Brendon Todd (USA) won his second Web.com Tour event, the 2013 Stadion Classic at UGA. He finished 20th on the 2013 Web.com Tour regular season money list, earning him a 2014 USPGA Tour card. On May 18, 2014, Brendon Todd (USA) won his first USPGA Tour event, in his 77th start at the HP Byron Nelson Championship (which I mentioned earlier). Brendon Todd (USA) shot a bogey free round of 66 on the final day to finish two strokes ahead of Mike Weir (Canada). The victory earned Brendon Todd (USA) a two year tour exemption and ensured a first visit to The Masters Tournament in 2015 (where he missed the cut).  He followed up his win with a tied for fifth at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial to move inside the Top 60 in the Official World Golf Ranking. Therefore, he earned entry into his first major, the U.S. Open Championship, where he ended seventeenth. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

Coming in solo fifth position at 270-14 after 72 holes was defending champion, Matt Kuchar (USA); he earned US $236,000 for his efforts and moved to twenty fourth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,361,334 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 seventeenth position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 763 points earned from the 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 twelve cuts and achieved four top ten finishes which includes the one here this week. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially his second round 66-5. And it was a fine defence of his title. Matt Kuchar (USA) has won seven times on the USPGA Tour in his career to date so far and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2002 Honda Classic; 2009 Turning Stone Resort Championship; 2010 The Barclays; 2012 The Players Championship; 2013 WGC – Accenture Match Play Championship; 2013 The Memorial Tournament and the 2014 RBC Heritage. He has also achieved six top ten finishes in Major Championships with his best being tied for third at the 2012 Masters Tournament. Let’s hope he can achieve his maiden Major Championship win of his career in 2015? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

Rounding out the top six in solo sixth position at 271-13 after 72 holes was Sean O’Hair (USA); he earned US $212,400 for his efforts and moved to fortieth fifth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $995,013 earned from the thirteen events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 100 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to thirty six position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points standings list with 561 points earned from the thirteen events he has played to date this season so far. From the thirteen events he has played to date this season so far he has made ten cuts and achieved two top ten finishes which includes the one this past week. He will be happy with his second and final rounds that were both in the low 60s especially his 64-7 in the final round that moved him well up the field. But he will be just content with his first and third rounds that were both 70-1s. But it was good to see him have another top ten finish so quickly after his tied for second behind Jordan Spieth (USA) at the Valspar Championship in mid March. Sean O’Hair (USA) has won four USPGA Tour events in his career to date so far and here they are from the first to the most recent; 2005 John Deere Classic; 2008 PODS Championship; 2009 Quail Hollow Championship and 2011 RBC Canadian Open. He has recorded two top ten finishes in Major Championships with a tie for tenth position at the 2009 Masters Tournament and a tie for seventh position at the 2010 Open Championship. Sean O'Hair (USA) had a number of issues to deal with in 2011, one of which was the fact that he split from his swing coach Sean Foley. For the first half of the season, Sean O'Hair (USA) battled with his swing but could not find any consistent play. He missed 10 out of 17 cuts from the start of the season to mid July, which included five straight missed cuts in the middle of the season. He was ranked well outside the top 125 after The Open Championship in July and his season best at that point was a tie for 16th place at Colonial. However Sean O'Hair (USA) won the RBC Canadian Open, the first event after The Open Championship in a playoff over American Kris Blanks (USA) for his first USPGA Tour title in over two years. In brutally tough conditions in Vancouver, Sean O'Hair (USA) fought back from a second round 73 on the par 70 course to shoot 66-68 on the weekend. Only eight players finished under par for the week and Sean O'Hair (USA) was tied at -4 with Kris Blanks after regulation play. Replaying the eighteenth, both players found trouble from the tee, Sean O’Hair (USA) decided to lay well back and in the fairway, whereas Kris Blanks (USA) went for it and found the greenside bunker. Sean O'Hair (USA) played his pitch safely onto the front of the green, but Kris Blanks' (USA) bunker shot trickled off the back of the green and he then pitched up to six feet away. Sean O'Hair (USA) two putted for his bogey but when Kris Blanks (USA) missed his six footer coming back, Sean O'Hair (USA) was declared champion at the first extra hole. As a result of this win, Sean O'Hair (USA) moved up from 147th to 43rd on the FedEx Cup list. Also having dropped out of the world's top 100 earlier in the season, he regained that place by rising to 60th in the rankings on July 25. In 2012 Sean O'Hair (USA) finished tied for second position at the Sony Open in Hawaii. He made the cut 19 times in 24 events and finished 63rd in the FedEx Cup. In 2013 Sean O'Hair (USA) had his worst USPGA Tour season since joining full-time. He only made 7 cuts in 22 events with only two top-25 finishes and three withdrawals. He played in the Web.com Tour Finals and finished 16th to retain his USPGA Tour card for 2014. In 2014 Sean O'Hair (USA) played in 25 USPGA Tour events, but only had one top 10 and finished 160th in the FedEx Cup, which meant a return to the Web.com Tour Finals. He successfully regained his USPGA Tour card. In 2015 Sean O'Hair (USA) was given a sponsor's exemption to the Valspar Championship in Tampa, Florida. He tied for the lead after shooting a final-round 4-under 67, which got him into a playoff with Jordan Spieth (USA) and Patrick Reed (USA) at 10-under 274. Jordan Spieth (USA) emerged victorious. Let’s hope Sean O’Hair (USA) can have more top ten finishes in the weeks to come and perhaps win his fifth USPGA Tour event in the 2015 season? I wish him all the best with 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 71 even par in the first round which was very good in the windy conditions and it included a front nine 33-3 which was his back nine and the highlight of his round was an eagle on the par five, second hole, then he scored a good 71 even par in the second round to make the cut on the number, and a very good third round of 69-2 in which he eagled the par five, second hole for the second time this week and a poor final round of 72+1 where after starting on the back nine he went out in 33-2 and then started the front nine (His back nine) well and found himself five under for the day with four holes to play and it looked he was going to make a decent pay cheque, but he finished bogey, par, double bogey and triple bogey and came home in 39+3 for a 72 hole total of 283-1 and he tied for sixtieth position. He earned US $12,803 for his efforts and moved to fifty seventh position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $848,855 earned from the eighteen events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned ten FedEx Cup points for his efforts and  moved to  fifty eight position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 440 points earned from the eighteen events he has played to date this season so far. From the eighteen events he has played to date this season so far he has made ten cuts and achieved two top ten finishes which includes the one two weeks ago 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 happy with his first, second and third rounds that were all at even par and under par especially his third round 69-2. But he will be disappointed with his final round 72+1 especially his final two holes which he finished double bogey, triple bogey!! Danny Lee (NZL) just needs to be more consistent and keep the big numbers of his card and once he has learnt to do that I feel he will achieve more top twenty or better finishes. 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 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

The next best New Zealand golfer in the field was Tim Wilkinson (NZL) and he scored a shocking first round of 75+4 in the difficult conditions. Then a good second round of 70-1 where he scored 33-2 on the back nine for a 36 hole total of 145+3 and he missed the cut by three shots. He currently lies in 193rd position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $80,303 earned from the fifteen events he has played to date this season so far. He also is currently in 182nd position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 78 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 four cuts and achieved no top ten finishes. He will be really angry with his first round 75+4 which made it hard for him to make the cut, but encouraged by his second round 70-1. In the last ten events he has played on the USPGA Tour he has only made one cut. Let’s hope he can make some more cuts in the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season and have some top ten finishes as well. 

Next week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup head to the State of Louisiana for the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and it is played on the TPC Louisiana, Avondale, Louisiana. It carries a huge prize purse of US $6,900,000 for the taking. Seung-Yul Noh (South Korea) is the defending champion and will be keen for back to back titles. Danny Lee (NZL) and Tim Wilkinson (NZL) are likely to gain starts as well. It starts on Thursday 23rd April. 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 seventh week of his fifth spell of his career and for the 77th week of his career in total is Rory McILroy (NIR) fresh off his solo fourth position at the 79th Masters Tournament one week ago and his tied for eleventh position four weeks ago at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard with 11.38 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Two is Jordan Spieth (USA) who is fresh off his tied for eleventh position at the RBC Heritage this past week and one week ago he won his maiden Major Championship at the 79th Masters Tournament with 9.17 Official World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Three is Henrik Stenson (Sweden) who is fresh off his tied for nineteenth position at the 79th Masters Tournament one week ago and also his solo second position four weeks ago at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard with 7.49 Official World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Four is Bubba Watson (USA) who is fresh off his tied for twenty ninth position at the Shenzhen International this past week and also he tied for thirty eighth position at the 79th Masters Tournament one week ago with 7.14 Official World Ranking Points and rounding out the top five on the Official Golf World Ranking Points list standings this week is Jim Furyk (USA) who is fresh off his win at the RBC Heritage this past week and also he missed the cut at the 79th Masters Tournament one week ago with 6.82 Official World Ranking Points. Danny Lee (NZL) this week is in his fifth week of another spell of being the highest ranked New Zealand Golfer in the world after he finished in tied for sixtieth position this past week at the RBC Heritage on the USPGA Tour. This week he slips fives places and falls to 196th position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list standings with 0.89 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