Well it was another excellent weekend on the Major
Professional Golf Tours from around the world and this week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup stayed in
the State of Texas for the second event in the first of two Texas Swings of the
season and it was the Shell Houston Open and it was played on the GC of
Houston, Humble, Texas. It was set up to play in similar conditions
to the Augusta National Golf Club which hosts the Masters Tournament (First
Major of the Year) the following week and because of this it attracted some of
the best players in the World!! It carried a huge prize purse of US $6,600,000
for the taking. Matt Jones (Australia) was the defending champion and was keen
to defend his title. Danny Lee (NZL) and Tim Wilkinson (NZL) gained starts as
well. And it was the golfer by the name of J. B. Holmes (USA) who scored rounds
of 65-7, 70-2, 73+1 and final round of 64-8 for a 72 hole total of 272-16 but
he was tied on that score by Jordan Spieth (USA) who scored rounds of 69-3,
66-6, 67-5 and a final round of 70-2 for a 72 hole total of 272-16 also. And
the final player to tie on that same score was Johnson Wagner (USA) who scored
rounds of 69-3, 68-4, 66-6 and a final round of 69-3 for a 72 hole total of
272-16 as well and those three players headed back to the par four, eighteenth
hole for the first playoff hole.
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| J.B. Holmes (USA) plays a second shot in the final round |
So to the first
playoff hole and the USPGA Tour Official got each player to choose a piece of
paper out of the hat. J.B. Holmes (USA) choose first and drew number one so he
teed off first. Johnson Wagner (USA) choose second and drew number two and he
teed off second. Jordan Spieth (USA) choose third and drew number three and he
teed off third. J.B. Holmes (USA) teed off first and hit a brilliant drive down
the centre of the fairway on the extremely difficult driving hole where there
is water all down the left hand side and fairway bunkers all down the right
hand side where a missed drive would land. He had been practising on the
driving range prior to stay lose because he finished an hour and forty five
minutes ahead of the leaders. Johnson Wagner (USA) teed off second and he two
hit a very good drive right down the centre of the fairway just behind J.B.
Holmes (USA). Jordan Spieth (USA) teed off third and hit his drive just down
the left hand side trying to fade it back. He was unlucky because on the first
bounce it struck the fairway but then rolled down the slope leaving a severe
side hill/uphill lie for his second shot. But he was lucky in another sense
because it stayed out of the water. Johnson Wagner (USA) played his second shot
first with his mid iron and he lost it to the right and it landed in the right
hand green side bunker but it left him with plenty of green to work with for
his third shot. Jordan Spieth (USA) played his second shot next from the
extremely difficult up hill/side hill lie he was faced with. After discussing
the shot with his caddie he choose to aim at the right hand green side bunkers
and hoped it would draw back to the middle of the green. He struck his mid iron
right where he was aiming but it never drew back and landed in the right hand
green side bunker leaving him a good chance to get up and down. J.B. Holmes
(USA) played his second shot third and struck a very good mid iron that landed
twenty feet to the right of the flag stick and he was very well placed walking
up to the green with a par almost a certainty. Jordan Spieth (USA) played his
third shot first from the green side bunker. Just as he was on his back swing a
photographer took a photo of him and the flash put him off causing him to hit
his bunker shot slightly fat and it came up forty feet short of the flag stick.
Johnson Wagner (USA) played his third shot from the green side bunker second
and he played it to near perfection and it rolled out to within three feet of
the flag stick virtually assuring him of his par. Jordan Spieth (USA) now
putted for his par from forty five feet and he knew if he was going to get to
the second playoff hole he would have to sink it. He put a good stroke on it with good pace but
it missed on the left hand side and rolled eight feet past the cup and he knew
he would more than likely be eliminated from the playoff now. J. B. Holmes
(USA) now knew if he could hole his twenty foot birdie putt he would win the
Shell Houston Open. He struck a very good putt that looked like it was going in
the cup but just veered to the left at the hole and came to rest a foot from
the cup and he tapped in for his par four. Jordan Speith (USA) now knew he had
been eliminated from the playoff. Johnson Wagner (USA) tapped in his par four
and he and J. B. Holmes (USA) headed back to the par four, eighteenth hole for
the second playoff hole.
%2Bon%2Bthe%2Bright%2Band%2Bhis%2Bcaddie%2C%2BBrendon%2BParsons%2Bon%2Bthe%2Bleft%2Bprepare%2Bto%2Bplay%2Ba%2Bshot.jpg) |
| Brandon Parsons who is J.B. Holmes (USA) caddie on the left and J.B. Holmes (USA) on the right prepare to play a shot in the playoff!! |
So to the second
playoff hole. J. B. Holmes (USA) teed off first and this time hit an even
better drive than the first playoff hole effort this again landing it in the
fairway but twenty yards longer. Johnson Wagner (USA) teed off second and hit
another good drive that landed right in the centre of the fairway about the
same distance as the first playoff hole. Johnson Wagner (USA) hit his second
short first and again used a mid iron he hit a good shot on the green but it
never got over the ridge in the middle of the green and left him with a putt of
over forty feet for his birdie. J. B. Holmes (USA) played his second shot next
with his short iron. He stuck a perfect shot that landed ten feet pin high to
the right of the flag stick. Walking up to the green he must of been thinking
he would have two chances to win the first would be his putt for birdie and
then if Johnson Wagner (USA) missed his par putt. Johnson Wagner (USA) putted
from forty feet for his birdie and put a good roll on it and it rolled down to
about eight feet past the cup. J. B. Holmes (USA) now knew if he could hole his
ten foot birdie putt he would win the Shell Houston Open. He put a very good
stroke on it and just missed on the right hand side this time it came to rest a
foot past the cup and he easily tapped in for his par four. Johnson Wagner
(USA) now knew he would have to hole his eight foot par putt to extend the
playoff to a third hole. He calmed his nerve and put a good stroke on it but it
missed on the right hand side and J. B. Holmes (USA) was now the confirmed winner
of the 2015 Shell Houston Open. He got a huge high five and hug from his
caddie, Brandon Parsons. Then his wife, Sara came onto the eighteenth green to
give him a hug and kiss to celebrate as well!! Then he was interviewed by the
NBC Sports/Golf Channel Reporter and told him "It was just a
great day for me and it ended good too," "I didn't tee off expecting
to win today. It's a nice surprise. I started out with five birdies. After that
I thought I had a chance." He also said “Getting this four win on the
USPGA Tour will give me a lot of confidence heading into the first Major
Championship of the year at the Masters Tournament next week”. J.B. Holmes (USA) played an extremely good
final round which included a front nine of 29-7 with birdies on the par four,
first hole, par four, second hole, par four, third hole, par five, fourth hole,
par four, fifth hole, par three, seventh hole and par five, eighth hole. He
played the back nine in 35-1 with birdies on the par four, eleventh hole and
par four, twelfth hole but made a poor bogey on the par three, sixteenth
hole.
%2Bon%2Bthe%2Bleft%2Band%2Bhis%2Bcaddie%2C%2BBrandon%2BParsons%2Bon%2Bthe%2Bright%2Bcelebrate%2Bafter%2Bhe%2Bholed%2Bthe%2Bwinning%2Bputt!!.jpg) |
| J.B. Holmes (USA) on the left and his caddie, Brendan Parsons on the right celebrate his win on the second playoff hole!! |
J.B. Holmes (USA) won US $1,188,00.00 for the win and
moved to third position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings
with US $2,942,520 earned from the eleven events he has played to date this
season so far. Jimmy Walker (USA) still leads that list with US $3,469,349
earned from the ten events he has played to date this season so far. J. B.
Holmes (USA) also earned 500 FedEx Cup points for the win and moved to third
position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 1,233
points earned from the eleven events he has played to date this season so far
and he is 417 points behind the current leader of that list who is Jimmy Walker
(USA) who has earned 1,650 points from the ten events he has played to date
this season so far. From the eleven events J.B. Holmes (USA) has played to date
this season so far he has made nine cuts and achieved four top ten finishes
which includes the win this week. He will be extremely happy with his first and
final rounds that were both in the mid to low 60’s especially his first round
65-7 which he holed his second shot on the par four, tenth hole which was his
first hole of the day for an eagle two having teed off on the back nine first
and his 64-8 in the final round which was the low round of the day by two
shots!! But he will be just content with his second and third rounds that were
both in the mid to low 70s. And he will be very happy with how he played the
two playoff holes on the very difficult par four, eighteenth hole by hitting
the fairway and greens in both of the two playoff holes and giving himself good
birdie chances and he really applied the pressure onto Jordan Spieth (USA) and
Johnson Wagner (USA) which they had no answer for!! This win is also sweet
redemption for him after he blew a five shot lead after 54 holes at the WGC –
Cadillac Championship to lose by a single shot to Dustin Johnson (USA) and back
in early February he lost on the second playoff hole at the Farmers Insurance
Open to Jason Day (Australia).
%2Bposes%2Bwith%2Bthe%2BShell%2BHouston%2BOpen%2BTrophy%2Bhe%2Bwon!!.jpg) |
| J. B. Holmes (USA) poses with the Shell Houston Open Trophy he won!! |
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. And as I
mentioned earlier he won his fourth USPGA Tour event this week at the Shell
Houston Open. Let’s hope he can continue this fine form into his next few
events he plays and perhaps achieve his fifth USPGA Tour win and maybe his
maiden Major Championship in 2015? I wish him all the best for the rest of the
2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season.
Coming tied for
second position at 272-16 after 72 holes and losing on the first playoff hole
was Jordan Speith (USA); he earned US $580,000.00 for his efforts and moved to
second position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $3,158,196
earned from the nine events he has played to date this season so far. He also
earned 245 FedEx Cup points for his efforts and remained in second position on
the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 1,409 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 six top ten finishes that includes the one this week and also his win
at the Valspar Championship three weeks ago. He will be happy with his first
three rounds that were all in the 60s especially his 66-6 in the second round.
But he will be a little disappointed with his final 70-2 but pleased he was
able to get up and down from a difficult position on the par four, 72nd hole to
make the playoff. But angry how he played his green side bunker shot on the
first playoff hole that caused him to make a bogey five and be eliminated!! But
at the same time he will be happy with his form heading into the first Major
Championship of the year at the Masters Tournament next week with his last
three starts being a win at the Valspar Championship three weeks ago, solo
second at the Valero Texas Open one week ago and tied for second this past week.
He must be one of the hottest players on the planet right now? Jordan Spieth
(USA) has won two USPGA Tour events with the first one being the 2013 John
Deere Classic and the second one being the 2015 Valspar Championship and both
have come in playoffs. He also won the 2014 Emirates Australian Open and 2014
Hero World Challenge (Tiger Woods Tournament) in back to back weeks at the end
of last year. Jordan Spieth (USA) opened the 2013 season by missing the cut by
two strokes at the Framers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in January. In March,
Jordan Spieth (USA) made three cuts, finishing tied for second at the Puerto
Rico Open and tied for seventh at the Tampa Bay Championship. He notched
another top-10 finish in April at the RBC Heritage, a tie for ninth. He earned
Special Temporary Member status in March, allowing him unlimited sponsor
exemptions. On July 14, about two weeks before his twentieth birthday, Jordan Spieth
(USA) won the John Deere Classic in a three-way, sudden-death playoff on the
fifth playoff hole against defending champion Zach Johnson (USA) and David
Hearn (Canada). He became the fourth youngest USPGA Tour winner and the first
teenager in 82 years; last accomplished by Ralph Guldahl (USA) at the Santa
Monica Open in 1931. Jordan Spieth (USA) holed out from a greenside bunker on
the 72nd hole to make the playoff. With the victory, Jordan Spieth (USA) was
granted full status as a USPGA Tour member and became eligible for the FedEx
Cup, entering in eleventh place in the standings. It also earned him entry into
the next three majors: the 2013 Open Championship, PGA Championship, and 2014
Masters Tournament. He moved to 59th in the Official World Golf Ranking. Only
five weeks after his first victory, Jordan Spieth (USA) played the Wyndham
Championship, where he lost in a playoff to Patrick Reed (USA). The runner-up
finish moved him up to 36th in the Official World Golf Ranking. Jordan Spieth (USA)
shot a final round 62 in the Deutsche Bank Championship, vaulting him into a
tie for fourth and 28th in the Official World Golf Ranking. Just two days
later, captain Fred Couples (USA) selected Jordan Spieth (USA) for the United
States squad in the 2013 Presidents Cup. On September 27, 2013, Jordan Spieth (USA)
was named USPGA Tour Rookie of the Year. He ended the 2013 season tenth on the USPGA
Tour money list, and ranked twenty second in the world, after beginning the
year 810th with no status.
Jordan Spieth (USA) in 2014 made his debut at the Masters Tournament and
shared the 54 hole lead with Bubba Watson (USA). During the final round, Jordan
Spieth (USA) at one point was the standalone leader by two strokes and, had he
held on, would have become the youngest Masters Tournament champion in history
(Tiger Woods (USA) holds the record at 21 years of age), but Bubba Watson (USA)
retook the lead heading into the back
nine and never relinquished it. Jordan Spieth (USA) finished in a tie for
second with Jonas Blixt (Sweden). Jordan Spieth (USA) thus became the youngest
runner-up in Masters Tournament history and subsequently moved into the world's
top ten. Jordan Spieth (USA) also ended the tournament having shot no worse
than an even-par (72) in any of his rounds. In November, Jordan Spieth (USA) won
his second tournament as a professional at the Emirates Australian Open on the PGA
Tour of Australasia; in the final round he shot a course-record 63 to win the
title by six strokes. A week later Jordan Spieth (USA) completed back-to-back
victories, winning the Hero World Challenge in Florida. He won the tournament
wire-to-wire and in doing so set a new tournament scoring record of
26-under-par. On March 15, Jordan Spieth (USA) won the Valspar Championship in
a three-way playoff with Patrick Reed (USA) and Sean O’Hair (USA). He secured
his victory on the third extra hole by sinking a twenty eight foot birdie putt.
And with this tied for second position this past week at the Shell Houston Open
kept him in a career high position of fourth in the latest Official World Golf
Rankings for the second week running. Still at the tender age of twenty one
years old his future looks very bright and I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he
wins his maiden Major Championship in the next few years and perhaps it will
happen at the Masters Tournament next week. I wish him all the best for the
remaining events for the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season.
The final player to tie for second position was Johnson Wagner (USA); he
too earned US $580,000.00 for
his efforts and moved to fifty ninth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour
Money list standings with US $696,396 earned from the eight events he
has played to date this season so far. He also earned 245 FedEx Cup Points for
his efforts and moved to eighty first position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup
Points list standings with 308 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 five 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 in the 60s especially his third round 66-6 which was the equal low round of
the day his first round 69-3 and his second round 68-4 that were bogey free and
he was only one of two players to score all four rounds in the 60s. And his
first fifty two holes in this tournament he didn’t drop a single shot. But he
will be a little disappointed with how he played the second playoff hole three
putting for his bogey five and handing the tournament to J.B. Holmes (USA). But
he will be very pleased with how he holed the thirty five foot putt on the 72nd
green for his birdie three to get to minus sixteen and force his way into the
playoff!! He had been really struggling with his golf prior to this event and
was only playing in this tournament because he had been granted a sponsor’s
invite by the Tournament director because he won this tournament in 2008. Johnson
Wagner (USA) is currently a member of the USPGA Tour. He was a member of the
Nationwide Tour from 2003 to 2006. He earned his USPGA Tour card for the 2007
season by finishing second on the money list in the Nationwide Tour in 2006. In
2008 Johnson Wagner (USA) gained his first USPGA Tour victory at the Shell
Houston Open. The win earned him an invitation to the Masters Tournament and a
two-year Tour exemption. In 2010, Johnson Wagner (USA) finished 126th on the USPGA
Tour after a rally at the season finale fell short, just missing full Tour
privileges. He was described as "delighted" because he started the
week 153rd on the money list. Johnson Wagner's (USA) improved position meant
avoiding the second stage of USPGA Tour Q - School and retaining conditional
status on the USPGA Tour rather than having to play out of the past champions
category. On February 27, 2011, he won the Mayakoba Golf Classic at Riviera
Maya - Cancun in a playoff over Spencer Levin (USA) with par on the first hole
and regained his Tour card through 2013. It was the first time since 2000 that
a golfer (Robert Allenby) finished 126th on the Tour and won the following
season. Johnson Wagner (USA) won the first full-field event of 2012, the Sony
Open in Hawaii, and extended his Tour privileges through 2014. He also moved
into the Top 100 in the OWGR for the first time in his career, moving from 198
to 92. Johnson Wagner (USA) had a disappointing 2014 season on the USPGA Tour
and finished 150th on the FedEx Cup points list (the last position to retain
any USPGA Tour status), leaving him conditionally exempt for the 2014–15
season. Having lost his full playing privileges, Johnson Wagner (USA) earned
entry as a sponsor exemption for the 2015 Shell Houston Open. As I mentioned
above Johnson Wagner (USA) lost in a sudden-death playoff to J.B. Holmes (USA)
on the second extra hole. This moved Johnson Wagner (USA) from 180th in the
FedEx Cup standings to 81st. Let’s hope Johnson Wagner (USA) can have more top
ten finishes in the coming weeks with getting a guaranteed start at the RBC
Heritage courtesy of the top ten finish here this past week. 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 fifth
position at 275-13 after 72 holes was Keegan Bradley (USA); he earned US
$231,825 for his efforts and moved to fifty fourth position on the current
2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $751,507 earned from the nine
events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 96 FedEx Cup
Points for his efforts and moved to sixth eighth position on the current
2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 360 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 two top
ten finishes which includes the one this week. He will be happy with his four rounds
this week that were all under par especially his second round 66-6 which was
blemish free. This finish will give him a lot of confidence heading into the
first Major Championship of the year at the Masters Tournament next week. Keegan
Bradley (USA) has won three events to date on the USPGA Tour to date so far and
here they are from the first to the most recent: 2011 HP Byron Nelson
Championship, 2011 PGA Championship (Maiden Major Championship) and the 2012
WGC – Bridgestone Invitational. He has also achieved two other top ten finishes
in Major Championships which came in the 2012 PGA Championship where he tied
for third position and the 2014 U. S. Open Championship where he tied for
fourth position. And he has performed very well in WGC – Events with already
achieving five top ten finishes which includes the win I mentioned earlier.
Keegan Bradley (USA) became only the third player after Francis Ouimet (USA) (1913)
and Ben Curtis (USA) (2003) to win a major in his first attempt, and was the
first golfer to win a major with a long putter. He also became the seventh
consecutive first-time major winner and the first American major champion since
Phil Mickelson (USA) won the 2010 Masters Tournament. With the
victory, Keegan Bradley (USA) moved from number 108 to number 29 in the Official
World Golf Ranking. In December, he was named the PGA Tour
Rookie of the year. Keegan Bradley (USA) qualified for the 2012 Ryder Cup,
marking his first appearance in any cup competition. Let’s hope he can win his
fourth 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 2014/15 USPGA Tour season.
Also tied for fifth position was Brendon de Jonge
(Zimbabwe); he too earned US $231,825 for his efforts and moved to twenty eight
position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,160,584
earned from the fourteen events he has played to date this season so far. He
also earned 96 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to twenty first
position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 685 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 eleven
cuts and achieved three top ten finishes which includes the one this week. He
will be happy with his second, third and final rounds that were all in the 60s
especially his second and final rounds that were both 67-5s and also blemish
free!! But he will be mad with his first round 73+1 that put him too far behind
the eight ball to seriously contend for the title. Brendon de Jonge (Zimbabwe) played on the Nationwide Tour from
2004 to 2006 and 2008. He earned his 2007 USPGA Tour card at Qualifying School.
He finished 155th on the money list in 2007, losing his tour card. In 2008 he
finished second on the Nationwide Tour money list and earned his 2009 USPGA
Tour card. He did this by winning the Xerox Classic and recording a runner up
finish and three third place finishes. He won the 2008 Nationwide Tour Player
of the Year. Brendon De Jonge (Zimbabwe) finished 139th on the money list in
2009, which initially gave him conditional status for 2010. He earned a full
tour card through USPGA Tour Qualifying School. In 2010 Brendon De Jonge (Zimbabwe)
had his most successful year to date, with 7 top ten finishes taking him to
34th on the money list. He has gone very close to winning on the USPGA Tour in
recent years but has yet to achieve the elusive maiden win. Perhaps it will
happen in the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season? I wish him all the
best for the rest of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season and FedEx Cup.
Also tied for fifth
position was Charles Howell III (USA); he too earned US
$231,825 for his efforts and moved to forty second position on the current
2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $913,142 earned from the
fifteen events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 96
FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to fortieth position on the current
2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 481 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 thirteen cuts and achieved three
top ten finishes which includes the one this week. He will be happy with his
four rounds this week that were all under par especially his first round 66-6
which was blemish. Charles Howell
III (USA) has won twice on the USPGA Tour to date so far in his career with his
first win coming in the 2002 Michelob Championship at Kingsmill and the second
came at the 2007 Nissan Open in a playoff over Phil Mickelson (USA). He seems
to have well under achieved throughout his USPGA Tour career to date so far
because he had a star Amateur career winning the 2000 Haskins Award honouring
the most outstanding collegiate golfer in the United States. I feel a lot of
golf experts would of thought he would of won ten times on the USPGA Tour and
have a couple of Major Championships by now with over fourteen years on tour to
date so far. But he has only one top ten finish to his name in Major
Championships and that came at the 2003 PGA Championship where he tied for
tenth position. But he has represented the Team USA in the 2003 and 2007
Presidents Cup. At age 35 he is right in the prime of his career and perhaps in
the next five years he will have some more wins? But what really must
disappoint the Augusta Native is that he has failed to qualify for the Masters
Tournament next week in his hometown for the second straight year!! Let’s hope
he can have more top ten finishes in the weeks ahead and perhaps his third win?
I wish him all the best for the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season.
The final player to
tie for fifth position was Cameron Tringale (USA); he too earned US
$231,825 for his efforts and moved to seventy fifth position on the current
2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $571,079 earned from the thirteen
events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 96 FedEx Cup
Points for his efforts and moved to sixty second position on the current 2014/15
FedEx Cup Points list standings with 380 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 one top ten
finish that came this past week. He will be happy with his four rounds this
week that were all under par especially his first and final rounds that were
both 68-4s. And he must be really excited with his good form because he gets to
make his first appearance in the Masters Tournament at Augusta National GC next
week!! 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
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.
The best New Zealand
Golfer in the field was Danny Lee (NZL) and he scored rounds of 75+3 in the
first round which was poor, then he scored brilliant 66-6 in the second round
for a 36 hole total of 141-3 and missed the cut by a single shot. He moved to forty
five position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US
$836,052 earned from the seventeen events he has played to date this season so
far. He also moved to forty ninth position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup
Points list standings with 430 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 nine 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 angry with his first round 75+3 when he was even par after sixteen
holes and finished bogey, double bogey but he will be very happy with his
second round 66-6 but will be rueing the par four, sixth hole where he made a
double bogey six!! This finish will slightly dent Danny Lee’s (NZL) confidence
going forward missing the cut here and last week withdrawing from the Valero
Texas Open after he had just come off two prosperous weeks prior with a top
twenty finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard last
week and his second top ten finish of the season three weeks ago at the Valspar
Championship. Let’s hope he can have some more top ten finishes in the coming
weeks and perhaps achieve his maiden USPGA Tour win in the 2015 part of the
2014/15 USPGA Tour season. Danny Lee (NZL) has been playing the USPGA Tour on
and off fulltime since the 2012 season. Danny Lee (NZL) entered the 2012 USPGA
Tour season with USPGA Tour and European Tour cards. He said he was still keen
to play a two-tour schedule, however his main focus would be on America. He
made only 13 cuts in 26 events on the USPGA Tour and lost his tour card. He did
not play on the European Tour. After striking up a successful partnership late
in the Nationwide Tour season, Danny Lee (NZL) said he would have Australian,
Graeme Courts, a former long-time caddy of Loren Roberts (USA), working for him
on the USPGA Tour. K.J. Choi (South Korea) introduced Danny Lee (NZL) to
another Australian, Steve Bann, as a potential coach. "I am close with
K.J. Choi (South Korea) and he said I was thinking too much about my
swing," Danny Lee (NZL) said. "I was always working on something and
I am too technical sometimes so K.J. Choi (South Korea) introduced me to Steve.
Steve is a simple guy who is teaching me how to practise with better routine
and how to trust my own game and not think too much. Danny Lee (NZL) played on
the Web.com Tour in 2013, finishing 15th on the regular season money list to
regain his USPGA Tour card for 2014/15 Season. His best finish was second at
the Rex Hospital Open. In 2014 on the back of six straight missed cuts, Danny Lee
(USA) adopted a claw putting grip for the Puerto Rico Open in March. He
credited the change of putting style for yielding him an instant result; a
runner-up finish, two shots behind winner Chesson Hadley (USA). I wish him all
the best for the rest of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season.
The next best New
Zealand golfer in the field was Tim Wilkinson (NZL) and he scored a shocking
first round of 76+4. Then another shocking second round of 77+5 for a 36 hole
total of 153+9 and he missed the cut by thirteen shots. He currently lies in
190th position on the current 2014/15
USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $80,303 earned from the fourteen events
he has played to date this season so far. He also is currently in 179th
position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 78 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 four
cuts and achieved no top ten finishes. He will be really angry with his two
rounds this week that were both in the high 70s. In the last nine 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 and the European Tour and Race to Dubai head to Augusta,
Georgia for the first Major Championship of the 2015 season and it is the
Masters Tournament and it is played on Augusta National
GC, Augusta, Georgia. It carries a huge prize purse of US $9,000,000
for the taking. It has an Elite Field of around 100 of the world’s best golfers
that is made up of all the past USPGA Tour winners from this last year’s
Masters Tournament to the week before this years in full FedEx Cup strength
events. Plus the top 50 on the Official Golf World Rankings the week before and
there are various other ways you can qualify as well. It also invites the
current British Amateur and U.S. Amateur Champion and runner ups to play as
well. And all the current living past Champions are allowed to compete as well.
Rory McILroy (NIR) is going for the career Grand Slam and his fifth Major
Championship win. Tiger Woods (USA) is likely to compete as well. Bubba Watson
(USA) is the defending Champion and will be keen to win his third green jacket
in the space of four years. It starts on Thursday 9th April and I will report
back who won the Green Jacket 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 fifth week of his fifth spell of his career and for the 75th
week of his career in total is Rory McILroy (NIR) fresh off his tied for
eleventh position two weeks ago at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by
MasterCard and four weeks ago he tied for ninth position at the WGC – Cadillac
Championship with 11.07 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number
Two is Henrik Stenson (Sweden) who is fresh off his solo second position two
weeks ago at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard and three
weeks ago he finished in solo fourth position at the Valspar Championship with
7.66 Official World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Three is Bubba Watson
(USA) who is fresh off his solo third position four weeks ago at the WGC –
Cadillac Championship and six weeks ago he tied for fourteen position at the
Northern Trust Open with 7.45 Official World Ranking Points; coming in at
Number Four is Jordan Spieth (USA) who is fresh off his tied for second
position this past week at the Shell Houston Open and also his solo second
position at the Valero Texas Open one week ago with 7.32 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 tie for
seventeenth position at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard two
weeks ago and four weeks ago he tied for thirty first position at the WGC –
Cadillac Championship with 6.39 Official World Ranking Points. Danny Lee (NZL)
this week is in his third week of another spell of being the highest ranked New
Zealand Golfer in the world after he missed the cut this past week in the Shell
Houston Open on the USPGA Tour. This week he rises one place and moves to 192nd
position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list standings with 0.91
Official Golf World Ranking Points.
Remember straight
and short is better than long and wild!!
Source: Pgatour.com,
Official World Golf Rankings, wikipedia.org, Google search engine,
europeantour.com, golfchannel.com
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