Well it was another brilliant weekend on the Major
Professional Golf Tours from around the world and this week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup headed to
Irving, Texas for the second event in the second and final Texas Swing for the
season and it was the AT&T Bryon Nelson which is named after the late
Legendary Lord Byron Nelson who grew up in this area and this was his home
course and he has a bronze statue to remember him by as players walk to the
first tee. It was played on the TPC Four Seasons Resort, Irving, Texas.
It carried a large prize purse of US $7,100,000 for the taking. The course had
also been the wettest it had been in years because of all the rain that had
struck the State of Texas in the past week. Brendon Todd (USA) was the
defending champion and was keen to defend his title. Danny Lee (NZL), Tim
Wilkinson (NZL) and Steven Alker (NZL) all gained starts as well. And it was
the golfer by the name of Steven Bowditch (Australia) who scored rounds of 62-8,
68-1 (The par four fourteenth hole was reduced to a 104-yard par three because
of overnight rains for the final three rounds), 65-4 and a final round of 64-5
for a 72 hole total of 259-18 and he won by four shots for his second USPGA
Tour win of his career to date so far and he became only the seventh player to
win this tournament wire to wire. He earned US $1,278,000 for his efforts and
moved to twentieth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list
standings with US $2,206,578 earned from the nineteen events he has played to
date this season so far. Jordan Spieth (USA) still leads that list with US $5,704,238
earned from the fifteen events he has played to date this season so far. Steven
Bowditch (Australia) also earned 500 FedEx Cup points for the win and moved to sixteenth
position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 1,011 points
earned from the nineteen events he has played to date this season so far and he
is 1,355 points behind the current leader of that list who is Jordan Spieth
(USA) who has earned 2,366 points from the fifteen events he has played to date
this season so far. From the nineteen events Steven Bowditch (Australia) has
played to date this season so far he has made nine cuts and achieved two top
ten finishes which includes the win this past week. He will be happy with his
four rounds this week that were all under par especially his first round 62-8
that was blemish free and the low round of the day by two shots and saw him
leading by two shots after round one and was also the equal low round of the
week!! He will also be happy with his 65-4 in the third round and his 64-5 in
the final round that included a back nine of 30-4!!
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| Steven Bowditch (Australia) tees off during the final round |
Steven Bowditch
(Australia) played an excellent final round under the circumstances of carrying
a two shot lead into the final round. He scored 64-5 which included a front
nine of 34-1 with birdies on the par four, first hole, par four, sixth hole and
par four, eighth hole but he had poor bogeys on the par four, third hole and
par three, fifth hole and made the turn at minus fourteen and was leading by
one shot. Charley Hoffman (USA) went out in 36+1 and made the turn at minus
nine and was five shots behind the leader. Scott Pinckney (USA) went out in 35
even par and made the turn at minus eleven and was three shots behind the
leader. Jimmy Walker (USA) went out in 33-2 and made the turn at minus thirteen
and was one shot behind the leader.
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| Steven Bowditch (USA) plays a second shot during the final round |
Steven Bowditch
(Australia) played holes ten to fourteen in two under par and that included making
birdies on the par four, eleventh hole and par four, twelfth hole and moved to
minus sixteen and was now leading by four shots. Charley Hoffman (USA) played
holes ten to fourteen in three under par and that included making three
straight birdies from holes ten to twelve and he moved to minus twelve and was
now only four shots behind the leader. Scott Pinckney (USA) played holes ten to
fourteen in one under par and that included making birdie on the par four,
eleventh hole and he moved to minus twelve but was now four shots behind the
leader. Jimmy Walker (USA) played holes ten to fourteen in two over par and
that included making poor bogeys on the par four, eleventh hole and par four,
twelve hole and he fell back to minus eleven and was now five shots behind the
leader.
Steven Bowditch
(Australia) played holes fifteen to seventeen in two under par and that
included birding the par five, sixteenth hole where he had a fine up and down
from the left hand rough and par three, seventeenth hole where he holed a
fifteen footer for his birdie and he moved to minus eighteen and was still
leading by four shots heading to the par four, seventy second tee. Charley
Hoffman (USA) played holes fifteen to seventeen in two under par and that
included birding the par four, fifteenth hole and par five, sixteenth hole and
he moved to minus fourteen and was four shots behind the leader heading to the
par four, seventy second tee. Scott Pinckney (USA) played holes fifteen to
seventeen in one under par and that included birding the par four, fifteenth
hole where he chipped in and he moved to minus thirteen and was five shots
behind the leader heading to the par four, seventy second tee. Jimmy Walker
(USA) played holes fifteen to seventeen in three under par which included
making an excellent eagle on the par five, sixteenth hole where he chipped in
from just short of the green and very good birdie three on the par three,
seventeenth hole and he moved to minus fourteen and was four shots behind the
leader heading to the par four, seventy second tee.
Charley Hoffman
(USA) who was playing in the group in front of the final group made a
disappointing par at the par four, seventy hole and finished the seventy two
holes at minus fourteen and was four shots behind the winner. Jimmy Walker
(USA) who was playing in the group in front of the final group with Charley
Hoffman (USA) made a disappointing par on the par four, seventy second hole and
finished the 72 holes at minus fourteen and was four shots behind the winner.
Scott Pinckney (USA) who was playing in the final group with Steven Bowditch
(Australia) birdied the par four, seventy second hole and finished the 72 holes
at minus fourteen and was four shots behind the winner. Steven Bowditch
(Australia) now stood on the par four, seventy second tee with a four shot lead
and knew the tournament was virtually his. Sir Nick Faldo who is CBS Sports
Golf Analyst said “He should just hit one of his long irons or purposely make
sure he fades his driver to avoid the water hazard on the left of fairway”. But
Steven Bowditch (Australia) did exactly the opposite and took the line straight
over the water hazard and hit a brilliant drive that flew well over 300 yards
in the air and landed right in the centre of the fairway only leaving him a
wedge shot of 100 yards to the green. He struck a good wedge shot for his
second shot that landed pin high on the green and spun back to the front fringe
and he now knew he had won the tournament as he walked up to the green and
could saviour the moment and this was the same green that he and his wife,
Amanda were married on September 2011. And his wife, Amanda was in the gallery
watching as well. He calmed his nerve and putted for birdie from just off the
green he put a good stroke on it and it all but went in the hole and finished
an inch from the cup. He marked his ball in respect of his playing partners
because it is always tradition for the champion to have the final putt in the
tournament. Then he tapped in his inch putt for his par four and played the
back nine in 30-4.
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| Steven Bowditch (Australia) pumps his fist after holing the winning putt!! |
He finished the 72
holes on minus eighteen to win by four shots. He pumped his fist in the air to
celebrate!! Then he high fived his caddie, Brent Wallace and his wife, Amanda
came onto the seventy second green to
give him a hug and kiss to celebrate with him!! Then CBS Sports on Course
Reporter, David Feherty interviewed him and Steven Bowditch (Australia) said
“This is a special place for himself and his wife Amanda because they had their
wedding photos on the eighteenth green in September 2011 on this very green and
now he gets to take some more photos with the trophy!! And he also said he was
so happy to get his second win on the USPGA Tour on this very course!!”
Steven Bowditch (Australia)
(born 8 June 1983) is an Australian professional golfer who currently plays on
the USPGA Tour and the PGA Tour of Australasia. Steven Bowditch (Australia) was
born in Newcastle, New South Wales. He had a distinguished amateur career,
which includes medalist honours at the 2001 Australian Amateur. Steven Bowditch
(Australia) plays on the PGA Tour of Australasia and previously played on its
developmental Von Nida Tour. He also plays in the United States, where he has
alternated between the USPGA Tour and the Nationwide Tour (Now Web.com) for varied success.
He won the 2005 Jacob's Creek Open Championship,
co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour of Australasia and the Nationwide Tour (Now
Web.com), on the way to finishing fourth on the Nationwide Tour's money list.
This earned Steven Bowditch (Australia) USPGA Tour card for the first time in
2006. He played in 22 events, but only made two cuts in his debut season and
returned to the Nationwide Tour in 2007.
Steven Bowditch (Australia) won for the second time on the Nationwide Tour in
2010, at the Soboba Golf Classic. He finished
the year seventeenth on the money list and earned his 2011 USPGA Tour card. His
second full season on the USPGA Tour was a greater success, where he played in twenty
eight events and made fifteen cuts, including six top-25 finishes. On 30 March
2014, Steven Bowditch (Australia) won his maiden title on the USPGA Tour, at
the Valero Texas Open. He won by a single stroke over Will MacKenzie (USA) and Daniel Summerhays
(USA), despite shooting a final four-over-par round of 76, which was the highest
round shot by a winner on tour since 2004. The victory came in his 110th tour
level start. The win qualified Steven Bowditch (Australia) to play in the Masters
Tournament and the PGA Championship for the first time in his career. And this very week (as I
mentioned above) he won his second USPGA Tour event at the AT&T Byron
Nelson. Steven Bowditch (Australia) has long had a battle with severe depression and is a spokesman for beyondblue, an Australian non-profit organisation promoting awareness
of depression and related mental disorders. It was great to see him play so
well this week after some poor recent from and he should gain a lot of
confidence out of this win moving forward. His full playing status is now
secured until the end of the 2016/17 season. And it is good to see his life is
back on track now. Let’s hope he can continue this form for the remaining 2015
part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. I wish him all the best for the rest of
the 2015 part of 2014/15 USPGA Tour season.
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| Steven Bowditch (Australia) on the left and his wife, Amanda on the right pose with the AT&T Byron Nelson Trophy he won!! |
Coming in tied for
second position at 263-14 after 72 holes was Charley Hoffman (USA); he earned US
$530,133.34 for his efforts and moved to sixth position on the current 2014/15
USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $3,049,871 earned from the nineteen
events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 208 FedEx Cup
points for his efforts and moved to fourth position on the current 2014/15
FedEx Cup Points list standings with 1,390 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 fifteen cuts and achieved
five top ten finishes which includes the one this week and his win at the OHL
Classic at Mayakoba in mid November last year. He will be happy with his four
rounds this week that were all under par especially his second and final rounds
which were both 65-4s and his third round which was 64-5!! And both his back
nines in the third and final rounds were 29-5s!! But he will be disappointed
with his final round front nine which was 36+1. He is having a very consistent
season and he must be due for his fourth USPGA Tour win very soon? Charley
Hoffman (USA) played well in his rookie season on tour. He made 21 of 29 cuts
and recorded five top-10s and 10 top-25s. He finished tied for 46th at the 2006
U.S. Open Championship, his first major. His best finish came at the Frys.com
Open where he finished tied for fifth. Charley Hoffman (USA) earned US
$1,115,193 and finished 82nd on the money list. Charley Hoffman (USA) won his
first event of the 2007 season at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic in January.
This victory lifted Charley Hoffman (USA) into the top 100 of the Official
World Golf Rankings. Charley Hoffman (USA) won his first USPGA tour event by
defeating John Rollins (USA) after he birdied the first hole in a playoff.
Charley Hoffman (USA) has been playing the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2006
season. The rest of 2007 was mediocre for Charley Hoffman (USA) though, on the
year he made 18 of 30 cuts and recorded two top-10s and 7 top-25s. He earned US
$1,689,366 and finished 50th on the money list and the FedEx Cup standings. He
finished tied for 35th in his first Open Championship and missed the cut in his
first USPGA Championship. He also finished tied for seventh at the Deutsche
Bank Players Championship of Europe on the European Tour. Charley Hoffman (USA)
made 19 of 29 cuts in 2008 and recorded three top-10 finishes and 6 top-25
finishes. His best finish came at the Shell Houston Open where he finished tied
for 6th. He had his least successful year on tour, earning US $945,702 and
finishing 110th on the money list. The following year, Charley Hoffman (USA)
almost picked up his second win on USPGA Tour at the FBR Open in 2009 but he
lost in a playoff to Kenny Perry (USA). Charley Hoffman (USA) recorded four
top-10s and 11 top-25s in the 2009 season and finished a career high 41st on
the money list. Charley Hoffman (USA) won his second USPGA Tour event at the
2010 Deutsche Bank Championship in Boston. This victory helped Charley Hoffman
(USA) to finish 25th on the money list, the first time he finished inside the
top 30. Charley Hoffman (USA) came close to his third USPGA Tour win at the
2011 Valero Texas Open finishing tied for second with Kevin Chappell (USA)
behind tour rookie Brendan Steele (USA). Charley Hoffman (USA) best finish in
2012 was tied for second at the Travelers Championship, one stroke behind Marc
Leishman (Australia). Charley Hoffman's (USA) best 2013 finish was a tied for
third at the Valero Texas Open. He also recorded his maiden top ten finish in a
Major Championship in the Masters Tournament in April when he finished tied for
ninth. And as I mentioned before his third win came last year on November 16,
2014 at the OHL Classic at Mayakoba. He shot rounds of 66-68-67-66 for a
17-under one-shot victory over Shawn Stefani (USA) and earned US $1.098
million. Let’s hope he can keep this fine form up for the remaining events in
the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season and perhaps win his fourth USPGA
Tour event. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour
season.
The final player to tie for second position was Jimmy Walker (USA); he two earned US $530,133.34 for his efforts and moved to second position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $4,102,257 earned from the fifteen events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 208 FedEx Cup points for his efforts and remained in second position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 1,904 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 fourteen cuts and achieved six top ten finishes which includes the one here this week and his two wins with the first one coming at the Sony Open in Hawaii in January and his second one coming at the Valero Texas Open in late March. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all under par especially his first round 64-6!! But will be disappointed with his missed short putts in the final round that kept him from making a serious charge at Steve Bowditch (Australia) for the title. It was great to see him have another high finish because his last four starts after winning the Valero Texas Open in late March have been mediocre with having three finishes outside the top thirty and a missed cut. Jimmy Walker (USA) won his maiden USPGA Tour event at the 2013 Frys.com Open, after nine years and 188 PGA Tour starts. He won by two strokes over Vijay Singh (Fiji) after shooting 62-66 over the weekend. The win gave him an exemption into the Hyundai Tournament of Champions, and earned him his first trip to The Masters Tournament and a USPGA Tour card until the end of 2016. Jimmy Walker (USA) also entered the world's top 50 for the first time. Jimmy Walker (USA) opened up 2014 finishing tied for 21st at his first visit to the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. The following week in January 2014, he earned his second USPGA Tour win at the Sony Open in Hawaii. He birdied four of the final six holes and shot a final round 63 to win by one stroke over Chris Kirk (USA). Five weeks later, in early February 2014, Jimmy Walker (USA) won the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro – Am by one stroke over Dustin Johnson (USA) and Jim Renner (USA). He had a six-stroke advantage going into the final round, but shot a two-over-par 74 on Sunday and needed to hole a five-foot par putt on the 18th for the victory. This was his third victory of the 2014 season in just eight starts, after previously going 187 events without a victory. With his win, Jimmy Walker (USA) became the leader on the 2014 money list, FedEx Cup standings, and Ryder Cup points standings. He also raised his Official World Golf Ranking to 24th. A tied for eighth finish at the 2014 Masters Tournament raised his ranking to 19th, and ensured him an invitation into the 2015 tournament. He went on to post top-ten finishes at two other majors, a tied for ninth at the 2014 U.S. Open Championship, and a tied for seventh at the 2014 PGA Championship. His highly successful season earned him a spot on the 2014 Ryder Cup, another personal first. Jimmy Walker (USA) went as high as 17th in the Official World Golf ranking during the 2014 season and now is at a career high tenth after his win at the 2015 Valero Texas Open. With three wins he had in 2014, Jimmy Walker (USA) with his fifth win at the Valero Texas Open is now fully exempt until the 2017-2018 USPGA Tour season. Here are his five wins to date so far on the USPGA Tour from the first to the most recent: 2013 Frys.com Open; 2014 Sony Open in Hawaii; 2014 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro – Am; 2015 Sony Open in Hawaii and the 2015 Valero Texas Open. He also in 2014 represented the U.S. Team in the Ryder Cup against Team Europe in Scotland and this year he is a certainty for making the U.S. Presidents Cup Team that will play the International Team in South Korea in early October. He also in the 2014 season achieved three top ten finishes in the four Major Championships with his best being a tied for seventh at the PGA Championship. Let’s hope he can now win some even bigger tournaments like the WGC – Events and even his maiden Major Championship in the 2015. I wish him every continuing success for the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season.
Coming in solo fifth position at 264-13 after 72 holes was Zach Johnson (USA); he earned US $284,000 for his efforts and moved to thirty second position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,563,930 earned from the fifteen events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 110 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to forty ninth position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 659 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 eleven cuts and achieved five 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 final round 63-6 which was the equal low round of the day!! Zachary Harris Johnson (USA) (born February 24, 1976) is an American professional golfer who has eleven victories on the USPGA Tour, including one Major Championship, the 2007 Masters Tournament. Here are his eleven wins from the first to the most recent: 2004 BellSouth Classic; 2007 Masters Tournament (Maiden Major Championship); 2007 AT&T Classic; 2008 Valero Texas Open; 2009 Sony Open in Hawaii; 2009 Valero Texas Open; 2010 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial; 2012 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial; 2012 John Deere Classic; 2013 BMW Championship and 2014 Hyundai Tournament of Champions. He has also achieved seven top ten finishes to date so far in Major Championships which includes his maiden Major Championship win at the 2007 Masters Tournament. He has also achieved seven top ten finishes in WGC – Events with his best to date so far being solo third at the 2006 Cadillac Match Play. He has also represented Team USA at four Ryder Cup Matches against Team Europe that included the 2006, 2010, 2012 and 2014. And also played on the USA Presidents Cup Team in 2007, 2009 and 2013 against Team International which he was on the winning team every time!! I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season and hope he can achieve his twelfth win.
Rounding out the top seven in tied for sixth position at 265-12 after 72 holes was Jon Curran (USA); he earned US $246,725 for his efforts and moved to seventy fifth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $864,955 earned from the nineteen events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 95 FedEx Cup points for his efforts and moved to eighty sixth position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 440 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 ten cuts and achieved four 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 63-6 which was the equal low round of the day!! Jonathan Curran (USA) (born February 17, 1987) is an American professional golfer. Jon Curran (USA) was born in Hopkinton, Massachusetts. He played college golf at Vanderbilt University. Jon Curran (USA) turned professional in 2009. He played on the NGA Pro Golf Tour in 2013, winning one event and topping the money list. Jon Curran (USA) began playing on the Web.com Tour in 2014 and won his third event of the year, the Brasil Champions. He finished 13th in the 2014 Web.com Tour Top 25, to earn his USPGA Tour card for the 2014–15 season. Jon Curran's (USA) best USPGA Tour finish is a playoff loss at the 2015 Puerto Rico Open, where he lost to the golfer he beat while on the Web.com Tour, Alex Čejka (Germany). He is having a brilliant rookie season on the USPGA Tour and I wish him every continuing success for the remaining events in the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season.
The final player to tie for sixth position was Brandt Snedeker (USA); he too earned US $246,725 for his efforts and remained in eighth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $2,811,110 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 eighth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list with 1,250 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 fourteen cuts and achieved six top ten finishes which includes the one this week and his win at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro – Am in February. He will be happy with his second, third and final rounds that were all under par especially his third and final rounds that were both consecutive 64-5s!! But he will be disappointed with his first round 71+1 that put him well behind the eight ball from the start. It was great to see Brandt Snedeker (USA) have back to back top ten finishes. Brandt Newell Snedeker (USA) (born December 8, 1980) is an American professional golfer who plays on the USPGA Tour. He won the 2012 FedEx Cup with a victory in the season-ending Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club. After this victory, he moved into the top ten of the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time in his career. In February 2013, after winning the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, he moved to a career high of number four in the world. Brandt Snedeker (USA) has won seven events on the USPGA Tour to date so far is his career and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2007 Wyndham Championship; 2011 The Heritage; 2012 Farmers Insurance Open; 2012 Tour Championship; 2013 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro – Am; 2013 RBC Canadian Open and the 2015 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro – Am. He also has achieved six top ten finishes in Major Championships that includes his equal best finishes being tied for third at the 2008 Masters Tournament and 2012 Open Championship. He has also represented Team USA in the 2012 Ryder Cup Team and 2013 winning Presidents Cup Team. Let’s hope he can win his eighth event on the USPGA tour in the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season and perhaps it could be one of the three remaining Major Championships? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season.
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| Danny Lee (NZL) on the left chats with World Number Two, Jordan Spieth (USA) on the right who were paired together in the final round!! |
The best of the New
Zealand Golfers in the field was Danny Lee (NZL) and he scored rounds of 67-3
in the first round which was very good in moderate winds and it included a very
good front nine of 33-2 where he bogeyed the par four, sixth hole but had an
awesome eagle on the par five, seventh hole and birdied the par three, fifth
hole. He scored a good back nine of 34-1
which included an amazing hole in one on the difficult par three, seventeenth
hole and a birdie on the par four, eleventh hole but poor bogeys on the par
four, tenth and par four fifteenth holes, then he scored a good 69 even par
(The par four fourteenth hole was reduced to a 104-yard par three because of
overnight rains) in the second round which included an good front nine of 35
even par with his lone birdie coming on the par four, fourth hole and he his
lone bogey came on the par three, second hole and he played a good back nine of
34 even par with making nine straight pars. Then he scored a very good third
round of 66-3 (The par four fourteenth hole was reduced to a 104-yard par three
because of overnight rains) that included an average front nine of 35 even par with his lone birdie on the par five,
seventh hole and his lone bogey on the par four, first hole and then he scored
a excellent back nine of 31-3 with birdies on the par four, eleventh hole, par
three, seventeenth hole and par four, eighteenth hole and a good final round of
69 even par (The par four fourteenth hole was reduced to a 104-yard par three
because of overnight rains) which he played with the world number two, Jordan
Speith (USA) and it included a poor front nine of 37+2 which included a brilliant eagle on the
par five, seventh hole and his lone birdie came on the par four, first hole but
he made poor bogeys on the par three, second hole, par four, fourth hole and
par three, fifth hole and he made a shocking double bogey on the par four,
third hole and he played a solid back nine of 32-2 which included four birdies in a row from
the from par three, fourteenth hole, par four, fifteenth hole, par five,
sixteenth hole and par three, seventeenth hole but had a shocking double bogey
on the driveable par four, eleventh hole for a 72 hole total of 271-6 to finish
in tied for tied for thirty fourth position. He earned US $36,636 for his
efforts and moved to fiftieth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money
list standings with US $1,221,687 earned from the twenty three events he has
played to date this season so far (And it is the first time in his USPGA Tour
career he has surpassed the US $1,000,000 mark in single season earnings!!). He
also earned thirty five FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to fifty
first position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 640
points earned from the twenty three events he has played to date this season so
far. From the twenty three events he has played to date this season so far he has
made fourteen cuts and withdrawn from one event and achieved three top ten
finishes which includes the one last week at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at
Colonial and 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 four rounds this week that were all in the 60s
especially his 67-3 in the first round that saw him make a hole in one on the
par three, seventeenth hole and his 66-3 in the third round. But he will be
just content with his second and final rounds that were both 69 even par and
his final round was a real mixed bag which saw him make one eagle, five
birdies, three bogeys and two double bogeys. But he took a liking to the par
five, seventh hole and par three, seventeenth hole playing them at a total of
nine under par for the week. This is proving to be his career season to date so
far in his young USPGA Tour career and his maiden USPGA Tour win can’t be too
far away? 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 Steve Alker (NZL) and he scored rounds of 69-1 in
the first round which was good and included a front nine of 35 even par with a
lone birdie on the par three, second hole but had a poor bogey on the par four,
sixth hole and a good back nine of 34-1 with
birdies on the par four, tenth hole, par four, seventeenth hole and par four,
eighteenth hole but had poor bogeys on the par three, twelfth hole and par
four, fifteenth hole and an average second round of 71+2 (The par four fourteenth
hole was reduced to a 104-yard par three because of overnight rains) which
included an poor front nine of 36+1 with his lone birdie coming on the par four,
ninth hole and he had poor bogeys on the par five, seventh hole and par four,
eighth hole then he scored a poor back nine of 35+1 with his lone bogey coming
on the par three, fourteen hole for a 36 hole total of 140+1 and he missed the
cut by two shots. He moved to 190th position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour
Money list standings with US $98,558 earned from the thirteenth events he has
played to date this season so far. He moved to 183rd position on the current
2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 96 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 four cuts and achieved no top
ten finishes. He will be happy with his first round 69-1 but disappointed with
his second round 71+2!! 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.
The next best New
Zealand golfer in the field was Tim Wilkinson (NZL) and he scored a poor first
round of 72+2 with scoring a front nine
of 36+1 with his bogeys coming on the par four, third hole and par four, sixth
hole and his lone birdie came on the par four, eighth hole and then he scored a
poor back nine of 36+1 where he birdied
the par four, tenth hole and par four, eleventh hole but made poor bogeys on
the par four, twelfth hole, par four, fourteen hole and par three, seventeenth
hole!! Then he scored a good second round of
68-1 (The par four fourteenth hole was reduced to a 104-yard par three
because of overnight rains) which included a front nine of 33-2 with a birdies
on the par four, fourth hole, par three, fifth hole and par four, eighth hole
and his lone bogey came on the par three, second hole and then he scored a poor
back nine of 35+1 with his lone birdie coming on the par four, eighteenth hole and
he bogeyed the par three, thirteenth hole and par four, fifteenth hole for a 36
hole total of 140+1 to miss the 36 hole cut by two shots. He moved to 191st position
on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $97,294 earned
from the nineteen events he has played to date this season so far. He moved to 181st
position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 98 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 five
cuts and achieved no top ten finishes. He will be happy with his second round
68-1 but disappointed with his first round 72+2!! In the last fourteen events
he has played on the USPGA Tour he has only made two cuts. 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 heads to the State of Ohio for the Memorial Tournament
presented by Nationwide and it is played on the Muirfield Village
GC, Dublin, Ohio. It is hosted by the legendary Jack Nicklaus (USA) and
this is the area where he grew up and learnt the game. He also brought this
piece of land and designed the Muirfield Village GC on it and named it after
the Famous Muirfield course in Scotland that he won his first Open Championship
on in 1966. He also Honours a famous golfer every year that has done something
special in the game and this year’s honouree is six time Major Champion, Sir
Nick Faldo (England). It carries a huge prize purse of US $6,200,000 for the
taking. Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) is the defending champion and will be keen for
back to back titles. Danny Lee (NZL), Tim Wilkinson (NZL) and Steven Alker
(NZL) will be hopeful to gain starts as well. It starts on Thursday 4th June. I
will report back who 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 fortieth third week of his fifth spell of his career and for the 83rd
week of his career in total is Rory McILroy (NIR) fresh off his missed cut at
the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open Hosted by the Rory Foundation this past week and
one week ago he missed cut at the BMW PGA Championship with 12.99 Official Golf
World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Two is Jordan Spieth (USA) who is
fresh off his tied for thirtieth position at the AT&T Byron Nelson this
past week and one week ago he tied for second position at the Crowne Plaza
Invitational at Colonial with 9.06 Official World Ranking Points; coming in at
Number Three is Bubba Watson (USA) who is fresh off his tied for forty second
position at the Players Championship three weeks ago and also his tied for
seventeenth position at the WGC – Cadillac Match Play four weeks ago with 6.88
Official World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Four is Henrik Stenson
(Sweden) who is fresh off his tie for fifty eighth position two weeks ago at
the Wells Fargo Championship and three weeks ago tied for seventeenth position
at the Players Championship with 6.78 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 missed cut at the Wells Fargo
Championship two weeks ago and his tie for fifty sixth position at the Players
Championship three weeks ago with 6.73 Official World Ranking Points. Danny Lee
(NZL) this week is in his eleventh week of another spell of being the highest
ranked New Zealand Golfer in the world after he finished in tied for thirty
fourth position at the AT&T Byron Nelson this past week on the USPGA Tour.
This week he gains ten places and rose to 151st position on the Official World
Golf Rankings Points list standings with 1.10 Official Golf World Ranking
Points.
Remember
concentration and logical thinking is the key to playing great golf!!
Source: Pgatour.com,
Official World Golf Rankings, wikipedia.org, Google search engine,
europeantour.com, golfchannel.com
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