Well it was another amazing week on the Major
Professional Golf Tours from around the world and this 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 headed to Scotland for the 144th Open Championship which was
the third Major Championship of the 2015 season. This year it was being stage
at the home of golf at the St. Andrews GC (Old Course), Fife, Scotland.
It carried a huge prize purse of £6,300,000 for the taking. All the top players
in the world were there including Jordan Spieth (USA) who was looking for the
third leg of the Calendar Grand Slam having already won the Masters Tournament
in April at Augusta National in Georgia and the 115th U.S. Open Championship in
June at Chambers Bay in Washington State as well as Bubba Watson (USA), Dustin
Johnson (USA), Adam Scott (Australia), Rickie Fowler (USA), Zach Johnson (USA)
and Ernie Els (RSA) to name a few. But the defending champion and four time
Major Winner, Rory McILroy (NIR) has had to withdraw because of a severe ankle
injury he suffered recently while playing a friendly game of soccer with his
mates so there was a new Champion Golfer of the year to be crowned!! Ryan Fox
(NZL) who qualified through a sectional qualifier in Scotland and Danny Lee
(NZL) who qualified by winning the Greenbrier Classic two weeks ago on the
USPGA Tour were the only New Zealand golfers in the field.
On the afternoon of
Wednesday 15th July all the living past champions of the Open Championship who
wanted to play, played in the Champion Golfers’ Challenge and they were put
into teams of four with seven teams and played holes one, two, seventeen and
eighteen holes with the best score counting from each of the four players on
each hole. Some of the famous Open Champions of yester year to play were Tom
Weiskopf (USA), Sir Bob Charles (NZL), five time Open Champion, Tom Watson
(USA), five time Open Champion, Peter Thomson (Australia), three time Open
Champion, Gary Player (RSA), Tony Jacklin (England), three time Open Champion,
Sir Nick Faldo (England) and two time Open Champion, Arnold Palmer (USA) to
name a few and it was the team Captained by Arnold Palmer (USA) Captain, Darren
Clarke (NIR), Paul Lawrie (Scotland), Bill Rogers (USA) who scored (3 under)
for the four holes along with three of the other teams but because they had the
highest average age they were declared the winners of the Challenge. The other
teams on the same score were Tom Weiskopf (USA) Captain, Mark O’Meara (USA),
Tiger Woods (USA), Nick Price (Zimbabwe) (3 under). Peter Thomson (Australia)
Captain, Ben Curtis (USA), Ernie Els (RSA), Phil Mickelson (USA) (3 under) and Tony
Jacklin (England) Captain, John Daly (USA), Sir Nick Faldo (England) Captain, Tom
Lehman (USA) (3 under).
The first round was
played on Thursday 16th July in moderate winds in the morning that increased to
strong in afternoon with conditions overcast and very cool and the odd shower
coming through and the first round leader was Dustin Johnson (USA) who scored
65-7. One shot back on 66-6 were Jason Day (Australia), Retief Goosen (RSA),
Zach Johnson (USA), Paul Lawrie (Scotland), Robert Streb (USA) and Danny
Willett (England). Two shots back on 67-5 were Kevin Na (USA), Jordan Niebrugge
(USA) (Amateur), Louis Oosthuizen (RSA), Charl Schwartzel (RSA) and Jordan
Spieth (USA). Three shots back on 68-4 were Luke Donald (England), David Howell
(England), Matt Jones (USA), Greg Owen (England) and Marc Warren (Scotland).
Four shots back on 69-3 were Paul Dunne (amateur) (Ireland), Tommy Fleetwood
(England), Branden Grace (RSA), Anirban Lahiri (India), Romain Langasque
(France) (Amateur) and David Lingmerth (Sweden). Five shots back on 70-2 were Thomas
Bjorn (Denmark), Steven Bowditch (Australia), Paul Casey (England), Greg
Chalmers (Australia), Stewart Cink (USA), Sergio Garcia (Spain), Tryrell Hatton
(England), Rikard Karlberg (England), Paul Kinnear (England) (Amateur), Marc
Leishman (Australia), Alexander Levy (France), Phil Mickelson (USA), Oliver
Schniederjans (USA) (Amateur), Adam Scott (Australia), Marcel Siem (Germany),
Webb Simpson (USA) and Anthony Wall (England). Notable players six shots back
on 71-1 were John Daly (USA), Ernie Els (RSA), Harris English (USA), Ross
Fisher (England), Martin Kaymer (Germany), Matt Kuchar (USA), Sandy Lyle
(Scotland), Justin Rose (England), Bubba Watson (USA) and Lee Westwood
(England). Notable players seven shots back on 72 even par were David Duval
(USA), Rickie Fowler (USA), Ryan Fox (NZL), Padraig Harrington (Ireland),
Hunter Mahan (USA), Hideki Matsuyama (Japan), Mark O’Meara (USA), Carl
Pettersson (Sweden), Patrick Reed (USA), Jimmy Walker (USA) and Gary Woodland
(USA).
The second round was
played on Friday 17th July and Saturday 18th July in a mixed of conditions
which started with a three hour rain delay due to a torrential down poor then
it fined up only to see the clouds roll back in late in the day making the
temperature drop below ten degrees Celsius with winds that were moderate to
strong all day and the delay on early Friday morning meant that forty two
players had to come back Saturday morning to complete their rounds at 7am and
they had only been playing half an hour when play was suspended again this time
for strong winds that were blow balls on greens!! Play finally resumed at 6pm
on Saturday Evening and Dustin Johnson (USA) scored a good second round 69-3 to
go with his brilliant first round 65-7 for a 36 hole total of 134-10 and he led
by one shot. One shot back on 135-9 after 36 holes was Danny Willett (England).
Two shots back on 136-8 after 36 holes was Paul Lawrie (Scotland). Three shots
back on 137-7 after 36 holes was Jason Day (Australia), Zach Johnson (USA),
Adam Scott (Australia), who scored a blemish free second round of 67-5, Robert
Streb (USA), Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) and Marc Warren (Scotland). Four shots back
on 138-6 after 36 holes were Luke Donald (England), Paul Dunne (Ireland)
(Amateur), Retief Goosen (RSA), and Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) who also scored
the equal low round of the day. Five shots back on 139-5 after 36 holes were
Steven Bowditch (Australia), Charl Schwartzel (RSA), Sergio Garcia (Spain), Anirban
Lahiri (India), Geoff Ogilvy (Australia), Justin Rose (England) and Jordan
Spieth (USA). Six shots back on 140-4 after 36 holes were Russell Henley (USA)
who scored the equal low second round of the day which was 66-6, Jordan Niebrugge
(USA) (Amateur), Webb Simpson (USA), Jimmy Walker (USA) and Romain Langasque
(France) (Amateur). Notable players seven shots back on 141-3 after 36 holes
were Ryan Fox (NZL) who scored a brilliant 69-3 in the second round to go with
his first round 72 even par, Paul Casey (England), Branden Grace (RSA), Padraig
Harrington (Ireland), Matt Jones (Australia), Martin Kaymer (Germany) and David
Lingmerth (Sweden). Notable players eight shots back on 142-2 after 36 holes
were Phil Mickelson (USA), Kevin Na (USA), Brett Rumford (Australia), Cameron
Tringale (USA) and Gary Woodland (USA). Notable players on 143-1 after 36 holes
were Jamie Donaldson (Wales), Harris English (USA), Rickie Fowler (USA),
Thongchai Jaidee (Thailand), Marc Leishman (Australia), Francesco Molinari
(Italy) and Henrik Stenson (Sweden). Notable players to make the cut right on
the number at 144 even par were Rafael Cabrera – Bello (Spain), Graham Delaet
(Canada), Jason Dufner (USA), Ernie Els (RSA), Ross Fisher (USA), Jim Furyk
(USA), Billy Horschel (USA), Matt Kuchar (USA), Bernhard Langer (Germany) who
is fifty seven years old, Hunter Mahan (USA), Graeme McDowell (NIR), Mark
O’Meara (USA) who is fifty eight years old, and Bernd Wiesberger (Austria). The
cut fell at 144 even par with eighty golfers making it. Notable players to miss
the 36 hole cut by a single shot on 145+1 were John Daly (USA), Victor
Dubuisson (France), Tommy Fleetwood (England), Brian Harman (USA), Pablo
Larrazabal (Spain), Shane Lowry (Ireland) and Carl Pettersson (Sweden). Notable
players to miss the 36 hole cut by two shots at 146+2 were Byeong – Hun An
(South Korea), Jonas Blixt (Sweden), Stephen Gallacher (Scotland), Joost Luiten
(Netherlands) and Brandt Snedeker (USA). Notable players to miss the 36 hole
cut by three shots at 147+3 were Keegan Bradley (USA), George Coetzee (RSA),
Danny Lee (NZL), Sandy Lyle (Scotland) and Ryan Moore (USA). Notable players to
miss the 36 hole cut by four shots at 148+4 were James Hahn (USA), Miguel Angel
Jimenez (Spain), Tom Lehman (USA) who is fifty six years old and Romain Wattel
(France). Notable players to miss the 36 hole cut by five shots at 149+5 were
Daniel Berger (USA), Thomas Bjorn (Denmark), Bill Haas (USA), Morgan Hoffmann
(USA), Tiger Woods (USA) and Edoardo Molinari (Italy). Notable players to miss
the 36 hole cut by six shots at 150+6 were Tom Gillis (USA), Charley Hoffman
(USA), Justin Leonard (USA), Wen – Chong Liang (China) and Kevin Streelman
(USA). Notable players to miss the 36 hole cut by seven shots at 151+7 were
Matt Every (USA), Tiger Woods (USA) and Todd Hamilton (USA). Notable player to
miss the 36 hole cut by eight shots at 152+8 was Rod Pampling (Australia).
Notable player to miss the 36 hole cut by nine shots at 154+10 was Sir Nick
Faldo (England) who turned fifty eight on Saturday 18th July. Notable player to
miss the 36 hole cut by eleven shots at 155+11 was Mark Calcavecchia (USA) who
is now fifty five years old. And the player to miss the cut by twelve shots at
156+12 and playing in his final Open Championship at age sixty five was five
time champion and equal most winner on the Open Championship after the first
world war with five wins was Tom Watson (USA) who got a standing ovation from
the surrounding gallery as he walked up the par four, eighteenth hole and over
the Swilcan Bridge where he was photographed by the surrounding Media!!
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| Tom Watson (USA) says farewell to the Open Championship on Friday Evening standing on the Swilcan Bridge!! |
The third round was
played on Sunday 19th July (Due to the second round taking two days to complete
because of bad weather) in sunny conditions at first but became showery
throughout the day with winds very calm at first but increased to moderate and
strong later in the day and Jason Day (Australia) scored a very good third
round of 67-5 which was blemish free to go with his first round 66-6 which was
also blemish free and his second round 71-1 for a 54 hole total of 204-12 and
he shared the 54 hole lead with Paul Dunne (Ireland) (Amateur) who scored a
brilliant blemish free 66-6 to go along with his first round 69-3 and his
second round 69-3 for 54 hole total of
204-12 also and the final player tied for the 54 hole lead was the 2010 Open
Champion, Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) who won on this very course at St. Andrews
when the Open Championship was last staged here and he scored a very good third
round of 67-5 to go along with his first round 67-5 and his second round 70-2
for a 54 hole total of 204-12 also. One shot back on 205-11 after 54 holes was Jordan
Spieth (USA) who is attempting to become the first golfer to win the first three Major Championships in a calendar
year since the legendary Ben Hogan (USA) sixty two years ago and he scored a
brilliant third round 66-6 to put himself back in contention for the final
round. Two shots back on 206-10 after 54 holes was two time Open Champion,
Padraig Harrington (Ireland) who scored a brilliant blemish free 65-7 in the
third round. Three shots back on 207-9 after 54 holes were Sergio Garcia
(Spain), Retief Goosen (RSA), Zach Johnson (USA), Marc Leishman (Australia) who
scored the lowest round of day and the tournament so far which was 64-8 and the
round was also blemish free!! Jordan Niebrugge (USA) (Amateur), Justin Rose
(England), Adam Scott (Australia), Robert Streb (USA) and Danny Willett
(England). Four shots back on 208-8 after 54 holes were Steven Bowditch
(Australia), Eddie Pepperell (England) and Charl Schwartzel (RSA). Five shots
back on 209-7 after 54 holes were Stewart Cink (USA), Rickie Fowler (USA),
Dustin Johnson (USA) (who was the 36 hole leader), Hideki Matsuyama (Japan),
Ryan Palmer (USA), Patrick Reed (USA), Anthony Wall (England) and Marc Warren
(Scotland). Six shots back on 210-6 after 54 holes were Greg Chalmers
(Australia), Ashley Chesters (England) (Amateur), Jim Furyk (USA), Matt Jones
(Australia), Brooks Koepka (USA), Anirban Lahiri (India) and Paul Lawrie
(Scotland). Notable players seven shots back on 211-5 after 54 holes were Luke
Donald (England), Jason Dufner (USA), David Duval (USA), Martin Kaymer
(Germany), Hunter Mahan (USA), Geoff Ogilvy (Australia), Webb Simpson (USA), Andy
Sullivan (England) and Jimmy Walker (USA). Notable players eight shots back at
212-4 after 54 holes were Graham Delaet (Canada), Harris English (USA), Russell
Henley (USA), Phil Mickelson (USA), Kevin Na (USA), Greg Owen (England) and
John Senden (Australia). Notable players nine shots back at 213-3 after 54
holes were two time Open Champion, Ernie Els (RSA), Thongchai Jaidee
(Thailand), Brett Rumford (Australia), Lee Westwood (England) and Gary Woodland
(USA). Notable players ten shots back on 214-2 after 54 holes were Jamie
Donaldson (Wales), Branden Grace (RSA), David Howell (England), Matt Kuchar
(USA), Graeme McDowell (NIR) and Henrik Stenson (Sweden). Notable player’s
eleven shots back on 215-1 after 54 holes were Billy Horschel (USA), Mark
O’Meara (USA), Cameron Tringale (USA) and Bernd Wiesberger (Austria). Notable player’s
twelve shots back on 216 even par after 54 holes were Paul Casey (England),
Ross Fisher (England) and Francesco Molinari (Italy). Notable players thirteen
shots back at 217+1 after 54 holes were Ryan Fox (NZL) and Bernhard Langer
(Germany) who is fifty seven years old.
The final round was
played on Monday 20th July (Due to the second round taking two days to complete
because of bad weather) in cold conditions
with scattered showers throughout the day that got worse late afternoon with
winds light to moderate at the start and increased to very strong late
afternoon but calmed down during the playoff holes. And it was the golfer by
the name of Zach Johnson (USA) who scored rounds of 66-6, 71-1, 70-2 and 66-6
for a 72 hole total of 273-15 after 72 holes but he was tied on the score by
Marc Leishman (Australia) who scored rounds of 70-2, 73+1, 64-8 and 66-6 for a
72 hole total of 273-15 also and Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) scored rounds of 67-5,
70-2, 67-5 and a final round of 69-3 for a 72 hole total of 273-15 also. So as
per the R & A playoff rules those three players headed back to the par
four, first tee for a four hole Aggregate Playoff. The holes that the Aggregate
Playoff would be played on were the par four, first hole, par four, second hole,
par four, seventeenth hole and par four, eighteenth hole. The player with the
lowest score for those holes would be declared the winner of the 144th Open
Championship. The R & A official had three numbers in a hat for the three
players to chose from and Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) chose first and drew number
one and he teed off first and struck his mid iron tee shot down the centre of
the fairway leaving him in great shape to attack the pin with his second shot.
Marc Leishman (Australia) drew number two from the hat and teed off second and
hit his tee shot right down the centre of the fairway but got very unlucky
because his ball rolled into a divot hole and it would make his wedge shot to
the green very difficult. Zach Johnson (USA) drew number three from the hat and
teed off last and hit a good mid iron in the fairway leaving a just a wedge
shot to the green just like the other two players. They were all laying up
because of the Swilcan Burn that runs around the front of the first green. Louis
Oosthuizen (RSA) played his second shot first with his short wedge and it came
to rest twenty feet past the pin. Marc Leishman (Australia) played his second
shot second with his short wedge and because of the divot lie he had he made
sure he cleared the Swilcan Burn and landed his ball way past the pin and it
came to rest about thirty five feet from the cup. Zach Johnson (USA) played his
second shot last with his wedge and it came to rest fifteen feet from the flag
stick. Marc Leishman (Australia) putted for his birdie first from thirty five
feet and came up eight feet short leaving a difficult putt for his par four.
Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) putted for his birdie from twenty feet and it went in
the cup for his three and he moved to one under par. Zach Johnson (USA) putt
for his birdie three from fifteen feet and he put a bold stroke on it and it
fell right in the centre of the cup and he moved to one under par. Marc Leishman (Australia) putt for his par
from eight feet and it lipped out so he tapped in for his bogey five. So after
the par four, first hole Zach Johnson (USA) and Louis Oosthuizen were leading
on minus one and Marc Leishman (Australia) was two shots back at one over.
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| The gallery around the eighteenth hole in the Grand Stands watch the four hole Aggregate Playoff |
So to the par four,
second hole which was the second hole in the four hole Aggregate Playoff. Louis
Oosthuizen (RSA) teed off first and struck a very good drive right down the
centre of the fairway. Zach Johnson (USA) teed off second and he too struck his
drive right down the centre of the fairway. Marc Leishman (Australia) teed off
third and he too struck his drive down the centre of the fairway. Louis
Oosthuizen (RSA) hit his short wedge into within fifteen feet of the pin and
would have a good chance at making another birdie. Zach Johnson (USA) hit his
second as well into within fifteen feet of the flag stick and he too would have
another chance of making birdie. Marc Leishman (RSA) his wedge shot into thirty
feet from the flag stick. Marc Leishman (Australia) putted for his birdie first
from thirty feet and hit a very good putt that just missed on the right hand
side and he tapped in for his par four and remained at one over after two holes
of the four hole Aggregate Playoff. Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) putted for his
birdie from fifteen feet and it all but went in the cup just breaking to the
left at the hole and he tapped in for his par four and remained one under after
two holes of the four hole Aggregate Playoff. Zach Johnson (USA) putted for his
birdie from fifteen feet and rolled it right in the centre of the cup for his
birdie three and moved to minus two after two holes of the four hole Aggregate
Playoff. So Zach Johnson (USA) was now leading by one shot after two holes of
the four hole Aggregate Playoff on two under par. Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) was on
one under par one shot behind the leader and Marc Leishman (Australia) was one
over and three shots behind the leader.
So to the third
playoff hole of the four hole Aggregate Playoff which was the par four,
seventeenth hole. Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) teed off first and struck his tee shot
well and he took the line right over the Old Course Hotel and it landed right
in the centre of the fairway. Zach Johnson (USA) teed off next and stuck his
drive very well taking the line right over the Old Course Hotel and drew it
back to the centre of the fairway. Marc Leishman (Australia) teed off next and
he too took the line right over the Old Course Hotel and it landed right in the
centre of the fairway. Marc Leishman (Australia) brought his mid iron second
shot in from right to left to avoid the road hole bunker and his ball landed on
the front right of the green and almost got it onto the right tier but it rolled
back down leaving a tricky putt for his birdie three from about forty feet. Zach
Johnson (USA) played a very poor second shot with his mid iron that he pulled
along way left and would mean he would have to hit over the road hole bunker to
get to the green. Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) played his second shot with his mid
iron and he too brought it in from right to left and it too almost got it onto
the right tier but it rolled back down leaving a tricky putt for his birdie three
from about forty five feet. Zach Johnson
(USA) played his difficult chip shot over the Road Hole Bunker and it had too
much over spin on it and rolled through the green into the rough at the back of
the green leaving a difficult chip shot to get up and down. Marc Leishman
(Australia) putted for his birdie from forty five feet and left it nine feet
short of the cup. Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) putted for his birdie from forty five
feet and he left it seven feet short of the cup. Zach Johnson (USA) played a
good chip from the rough at the back of the green that nearly went in the hole
for his par four and his ball came to rest five feet from the cup. Marc
Leishman (Australia) putted his nine foot par putt and missed and tapped in for
his bogey five and fell to two over after three holes of the four hole
Aggregate Playoff. Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) now had a great chance to draw back
level with Zach Johnson (USA) if he could hole his seven foot putt for his par
but it just wasn’t hit hard enough to hold its line on the right to left
breaking putt and he tapped in for his bogey five and fell to even par after
three holes of the four hole Aggregate Playoff. Zach Johnson (USA) easily
tapped in his five foot par putt for his bogey and fell back to minus one after
three holes of the four hole Aggregate Playoff. So Zach Johnson (USA) was still
leading by one shot after three holes of the four hole Aggregate Playoff on one
under par. Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) was on even par one shot behind the leader
and Marc Leishman (Australia) was two over and three shots behind the
leader.
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| Zach Johnson (USA) tees off in the playoff on the Par four, Seventeenth tee (Road Hole) |
So to the fourth and
final hole of the four hole Aggregate Playoff which was the par four,
eighteenth hole. Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) teed off first and struck his tee shot
right down the centre of the fairway and in great position to attack the pin.
Zach Johnson (USA) teed off next and struck a good tee shot that landed in the
middle of the fairway. Marc Leishman (Australia) teed off last and struck a
good tee shot that landed in the centre of the fairway. Zach Johnson (USA)
played his second shot first knowing that if he could get it in there close he
could really put the pressure back on Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) because he would
need to make a birdie to force a playoff. He struck a very good wedge that flew
right over the pin and landed twenty five feet past and spun back to fifteen
feet. Marc Leishman (Australia) played next and he knew there was no chance of
winning the Open Championship now because he was three shots behind Zach
Johnson (USA) and even if he holed out for eagle two it would still not be
enough. His short wedge just caught the top of the false front and rolled back
down to the valley of sin. Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) played his second shot third
and he hit a very good wedge that landed twenty feet past the pin and rolled
back to twelve feet from the cup and a putt he would have to hole to force a
sudden death playoff. Marc Leishman (Australia) putted from the valley of sin
for his birdie and rolled it up to within a foot of the cup and tapped in for
his par four and finished the four hole Aggregate Playoff at two over par and
was three shots behind the winner, Zach Johnson (USA). Zach Johnson (USA) now
stood over a fifteen foot birdie putt to win the 144th Open Championship. He
calmed his nerve and put a good stroke on it but it just broke to the right and
he tapped in for his par four and finished the four hole Aggregate Playoff at
minus one. Now Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) knew what he had to do and that was to
hole his twelve foot birdie putt to force the Sudden Death Playoff back down
the par four, eighteenth hole. He put a very good stroke on it but it just
didn’t take the left to right break like he thought it would and missed on the
left hand side and he tapped in for his par four and finished the four hole Aggregate
Playoff at even par to lose to Zach Johnson (USA) by a single stroke!!
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| Zach Johnson (USA) walks over the Famous Swilcan Bridge in the Playoff |
So Zach Johnson
(USA) had now been crowned the 144th Open Championship winner and the Champion
Golfer of the Year for 2015!! He got a hand shake and hug from Louis Oosthuizen
(RSA) and Marc Leishman (Australia) and both of their caddies as well. Then he
got a hug and high five from his long time caddie, Damon Green and his wife,
Kim gave him a huge hug and kiss as he walked off the eighteenth green!! And
his good friend, Jordan Spieth (USA) who had just missed out on the playoff and
a chance at the third leg of the Calendar Gram Slam gave him a hug to celebrate
the win with him!! Zach Johnson (USA) was then interviewed by the BBC reporter
and told him "I feel blessed to be the champion," "I feel
honoured to be part of the history of this game and to don my name on that
trophy (Claret Jug), especially with the names before me. Humbling and surreal
are two words that come to mind. I am fairly speechless right now. I can't play
any better than what I did. I had a lull on Friday and Saturday but nothing
significant, but stayed in it and waited for the opportunities and made a
few." "I can't describe the magnitude as to what he (Jordan Spieth
(USA)) was going through because I've never been in that position
certainly," and Zach Johnson (USA), who moves from 25th to 12th in the
Official World Golf Ranking also said "We haven't really seen that with
the exception of Tiger Woods (USA), truthfully he could be sitting here. But to
have a champion like Jordan Spieth (USA) take the time on eighteenth to give me
best wishes speaks volumes as to what he is. He's a phenomenal talent, and I'm
telling you right now, he's a better person than he is a golfer."
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| Zach Johnson (USA) pumps his fist in celebration after holing the winning putt to win the Open Championship!! |
Zach Johnson (USA)
then received the Claret Jug in the official trophy presentation for becoming
the champion Golfer of the year for 2015 and winning the 144th Open
Championship from all the R & A Officials!! He gave an awesome acceptance
speech and praised his Christian faith for keep him so calm during the final
round. Then he walked around the huge gallery standing sharing the Claret Jug
and his Open Championship win with everyone and the Media took photos of him
with it!!
Zach Johnson (USA)
earned US $1,794,690 for the win and moved to sixth position on the current
2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $3,883,687 earned from the
nineteen events he has played to date this season so far. Jordan Spieth (USA)
still leads that list with US $9,170,215 earned from the nineteen events he has
played to date this season so far. Zach Johnson (USA) also earned 600 FedEx Cup
points for his efforts and moved to sixth position on the current 2014/15 FedEx
Cup Points standings list with 1,522 points earned from the nineteen events he
has played to date this season so far and he is 2,241 points behind the current
leader of that list who is Jordan Spieth (USA) who has earned 3,763 points from
the nineteen events he has played to date this season so far. From nineteen
events he has played to date this season so far he has made fifteen cuts and
achieved eight 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
66-6 in the first round and his 66-6 in the final round which was blemish free
and also the equal low round of the day!! And he will be very pleased how he
played the four hole Aggregate Playoff one under par to win the 144th Open
Championship!!
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| Zach Johnson (USA) facing us and Jordan Spieth (USA) who is his good friend embrace to celebrate his Open Championship win!! |
It was his second
European Tour International Schedule victory in his 75th European Tour event.
He could move to just outside the top ten in the Official World Golf Ranking
from 25th. It was first European Tour International Schedule victory since
the 2007 Masters Tournament. This is a gap of eight years and 103 days between
European Tour victories. This victory beats his previous best 2015 European
Tour performance of tied ninth at the Masters Tournament. It was his second
Major Championship victory and comes in his 45th Major Championship appearance.
This victory comes in his 12th appearance in The Open Championship. This
victory beats his previous best Open Championship performance of tied sixth in
2013. This victory is his eighth top ten performance of his Major Championship
career. It is the third successive American victory in the 2015 Major
Championships. They are: Jordan Spieth (USA) (Masters Tournament and U.S. Open
Championship) and Zach Johnson (USA) (The 144th Open Championship). It is the
80th different player to record multiple Major Championship victories.
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| Zach Johnson (USA) kisses the Claret Jug he won in front of the Famous Old Course, St. Andrews, Club House!! |
Since 1964 he joins
Tony Lema (USA) (1964), Jack Nicklaus (USA) (1970 and 1978), John Daly (USA) (1995)
and Tiger Woods (USA) (2000 and 2005) as American players to win the Open
Championship at St Andrews. He becomes the second consecutive American victory
on The European Tour, following Rickie Fowler (Aberdeen Asset Management
Scottish Open). He becomes the 13th player to win the Masters Tournament and
Open Championship. He becomes the 203rd American victory in European Tour history.
He becomes the fifth American victory on the 2015 European Tour. They are:
Dustin Johnson (USA) (WGC – Cadillac Championship), Jordan Spieth (USA)
(Masters Tournament and U.S. Open Championship), Rickie Fowler (USA) (Aberdeen
Asset Management Scottish Open) and Zach Johnson (USA) (The 144th Open
Championship). He played in 34 Major Championships between his two victories,
including The 2015 Open Championship. He gains an exemption into The Open
Championship until the age of 60. He gains a five year exemption into the U.S.
Open Championship and US PGA Championship. He gains a place in the 2015 WGC –
Bridgestone Invitational and 2015 PGA Grand Slam of Golf. He wins in the first
St Andrews play-off since John Daly (USA) beat Costantino Rocca (Italy) in
1995. And finally wins the first three man play-off since Paul Lawrie
(Scotland) beat Justin Leonard (USA) and Jean Van de Velde (France) in 1999.
Zach Johnson (USA) turned professional in 1998 and played on the developmental tour circuit, including the now-defunct Prairie Golf Tour, the Buy.com Tour (later the Nationwide Tour and Web.com Tour), and the Hooters Tour, where he won the final three regular-season events in 2001. In 2003, he topped the money list on the Nationwide Tour with then record earnings of US $494,882, earning an automatic promotion to the USPGA Tour. Zach Johnson (USA) won his first USPGA Tour event at the 2004 BellSouth Classic outside of Atlanta when he finished one stroke ahead of Mark Hensby (USA). In 2006, Zach Johnson (USA) recorded a number of impressive results including two runner-up places and finishing third at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship. As a result of this, he qualified for the U.S. Ryder Cup team for the first time in 2006, finishing ninth on the U.S. points list. On April 8, 2007, Zach Johnson (USA) won his first major title at the Masters Tournament in Augusta by a margin of two strokes over Tiger Woods (USA), Retief Goosen (RSA), and Rory Sabbatini (RSA). Zach Johnson's (USA) score of 289 (+1) tied Sam Snead (USA) (1954) and Jack Burke Jr. (USA) (1956) for the highest winning score at the Masters Tournament. His victory took him from #56 to #15 in the world rankings; he was the first outside the top 50 in the world rankings to win the Masters Tournament in the history of the rankings. After winning, he mentioned his Christian faith and thanked God, saying: "This being Easter, I cannot help but believe my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ was walking with me. I owe this to Him."
Six weeks after winning the Masters Tournament, Zach Johnson (USA) won for the third time on tour at the 2007 AT&T Classic in a playoff over Ryuji Imada (Japan). Following the win, Zach Johnson (USA) moved to thirteenth in the world rankings. His next USPGA Tour victory, and first outside the state of Georgia, came at the 2008 Valero Texas Open, where he finished with rounds of 62 and 64 over the weekend to finish two strokes ahead of a chasing pack of players. Zach Johnson (USA) won the Sony Open in Hawaii in January 2009 for his fifth victory on the USPGA Tour, and successfully defended his title at the Valero Texas Open in May with a playoff victory over James Driscoll (USA). With a third-round 60, Zach Johnson (USA) became the first player to shoot 60 twice on the USPGA Tour, having done so previously at the 2007 Tour Championship. The win was Zach Johnson's (USA) sixth on tour. Other highlights in 2009 include a tie for second place at the John Deere Classic and a solo third place finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He finished the season ranked a career best fourth on the money list.
 |
| Another photo of Zach Johnson (USA) posing with the Claret Jug he won!! |
In 2013, Zach Johnson (USA), in defence of his John Deere Classic title, lost in a three-man sudden-death playoff to Jordan Spieth (USA) at the fifth extra hole, after he bogeyed the final hole of regulation play with a one shot lead. In the playoff, all three players, Zach Johnson (USA), Jordan Spieth (USA) and David Hearn (Canada), had chances to win with Zach Johnson's (USA) coming at the second extra hole, but he failed to convert the putt. Jordan Spieth (USA) won with par at the fifth extra hole after Zach Johnson (USA) hit his second shot into the water and could only make bogey. The following week, Zach Johnson (USA) opened up the 2013 Open Championship at Muirfield, with a five-under-par round of 66 to hold the lead by one stroke over Rafael Cabrera-Bello (Spain) and Mark O'Meara (USA). He finished the tournament in a tie for sixth place. He continued solid play for the rest of the summer, finishing in the top-10 in six of the next seven tournaments he would enter, including an eighth place finish at the PGA Championship, making it back to back top-10 finishes at major events. In September, Zach Johnson (USA) captured the BMW Championship for his tenth career victory and first FedEx Cup victory of his career. In December 2013, Zach Johnson (USA) attained a playoff victory over Tiger Woods (USA) at the Northwestern Mutual World Challenge. This win moved him into the top ten of the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time in his career. Zach Johnson (USA) captured his eleventh career victory in January 2014 with a win at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. With the win, Zach Johnson (USA) moved up to a career high seventh in the Official World Golf Ranking. At the 2014 U.S. Open, Zach Johnson (USA) had a hole in one on the 172 yard par-3 9th hole. It was the 44th hole in one in U.S. Open Championship history, and just the second at Pinehurst No. 2. On July 20, 2015 (As I mentioned above), Zach Johnson (USA) beat Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) and Marc Leishman (Australia) in a 4-hole playoff to win the Open Championship at St Andrews for his Twelfth USPGA Tour win and second major. He became only the sixth golfer to win majors at Augusta and St. Andrews, the others being Sam Snead (USA), Jack Nicklaus (USA), Nick Faldo (England), Seve Ballesteros (Spain), and Tiger Woods (USA). Zach Johnson (USA) is one of only two players (the other being Phil Mickelson (USA)) to have twice shot a round of 60 on the USPGA Tour. Zach Johnson (USA) and his wife, the former Kim Barclay, were members of First Baptist Church in Orland. Zach Johnson (USA) was raised a Catholic, but joined his wife's church prior to their marriage in 2003. They have two sons, Will and Wyatt, and one daughter, Abby Jane. They lived in Lake Mary, Florida and now reside in St. Simons, Georgia. The Zach Johnson Foundation is dedicated to helping children and their families in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. One program created by Zach Johnson (USA) and his wife Kim helped to raise US $700,000 for community agencies serving children in need. He has stated: "This Foundation will fulfill a dream of mine and Kim's to give back to Cedar Rapids in a long-lasting, meaningful way."
Zach Johnson (USA) has twelve victories on the USPGA Tour, including Two Major Championships, with the first one coming at the 2007 Masters Tournament and the second come at the 2015 Open Championship. Here are his twelve 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, 2014 Hyundai Tournament of Champions and 2015 Open Championship (Second Major Championship). He has also achieved eight top ten finishes to date so far in Major Championships which includes his maiden Major Championship win at the 2007 Masters Tournament and his second Major Championship win at the 2015 Open Championship. 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!! This win at the 144th Open Championship this past week lift Zach Johnson (USA) career up a notch and will give him renewed confidence. It also puts him in the Double Major Championship winners club!! 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 thirteenth win.
Rounding out the top three in tied for second position at 273-15 after 72 holes and losing by three shots in the four hole Aggregate Playoff was Marc Leishman (Australia); he earned US $837,261.90 for his efforts and moved to fortieth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,694,767 earned from the nineteen events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 270 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to forty sixth position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 817 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 thirteen cuts and achieved four top ten finishes which includes the one this week. He will be happy with his third and final rounds that were in the mid to low 60s and his third round 64-8 was blemish free and the low round of the day and also his final round 66-6 was also the equal low round of the day!! But he will be just content with his first round 70-2 and his second round 73+1 and will be angry that he missed his par putt on the par four, sixteenth hole in the final round and also that he wasn’t able to birdie the par four, eighteenth hole!! He will also be angry with how he played in the four hole Aggregate Playoff with being two over par for the four holes!! But he can take a lot of confidence out of this week moving forward and I look for him to contend in future Major Championships to come. Marc Leishman (Australia) (born 24 October 1983) is an Australian professional golfer who currently plays on the USPGA Tour. In 2009 he won the Rookie of the Year award on the USPGA Tour. He was the first Australian to win the award. Marc Leishman (Australia) was born in Warrnambool, Victoria. He had a very successful amateur career in Australia, winning many junior tournaments. He won the Warrnambool Club Championship as a 13-year-old while playing in the same group as his father. In 2001 he won the Victorian Junior Masters, the South Australian Junior Masters and was the Victorian Boys champion. He turned professional in 2005. He played on the Von Nida Tour in 2006, winning two tournaments and topping the order of merit. In 2007, he played his rookie season on the Nationwide Tour (Now Web.com Tour) finishing 92nd on the money list. He won his maiden title on the Nationwide Tour (Now Web.com Tour) in 2008 at the WNB Golf Classic by a record-equalling (with Chris Smith (USA)) eleven shots. He finished the year nineteenth on the money list to earn his USPGA Tour card for the 2009 season.
Marc Leishman (USA) was voted the Rookie of the Year in 2009 after recording three top-10 finishes, which included a runner-up finish behind Tiger Woods (USA) at the BMW Championship, the third of the four FedEx Cup playoff events. Marc Leishman (Australia) subsequently qualified for the season ending Tour Championship. He ended the year 53rd on the money list. He recorded his second runner-up finish of his USPGA Tour career at the Farmers Insurance Open in 2010. He finished inside the top 100 on the money list in both 2010 and 2011. He reached the BMW Championship in both seasons. Marc Leishman (Australia) won his first tournament after 96 starts on the USPGA Tour in June 2012 at the Travelers Championship, coming from six strokes back of the 54 hole leaders to win by a stroke. He shot a final round of 62, which included eight birdies and no bogeys to match his career best round and second best comeback in the tournament's history. He became the second Australian to win the event after Greg Norman (Australia) in 1995. At the 2013 Masters Tournament, Marc Leishman (Australia) was the co-leader after the opening round, alongside Sergio García (Spain), as he shot a six under total of 66. He maintained his challenge over the second and third rounds to go into the final day two strokes behind the leaders. He finished tied for fourth with Tiger Woods (USA), four shots off the lead. After coming close to missing the cut in the 2015 Open Championship at St Andrews, Marc Leishman's (Australia) third round of 64 and final round of 66 left him in a tie for first place with Zach Johnson (USA) and Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) after 72 holes. In the resulting four-hole playoff, bogies at the first and third holes put Marc Leishman (Australia) out of contention but his tie for second place gave him his best performance in a major to date. Marc Leishman (Australia) is married to Audrey and they have two children. They live in Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA. On 31 March 2015, Audrey admitted herself to hospital suffering from acute respiratory distress syndrome. Marc Leishman (Australia) returned from preparations for the 2015 Masters Tournament to be with her. She was put in an induced coma, and toxic shock began to affect her organs. She was given a 5% chance of recovery. In mid-April, she had recovered enough to return home, and Marc Leishman (Australia) resumed the Tour in New Orleans. He has also achieved two other top ten finishes in a Major Championships at the 2014 Open Championship where he tied for fifth position and his tied for second position at the 2015 Open Championship. He has also achieved three top ten finishes in WGC – Events with his best being solo third at the 2014 Bridgestone Invitational. And he also represented Team International at the 2013 Presidents Cup against Team USA. Let’s hope he can have more top ten finishes in the coming weeks and winning his second USPGA Tour very soon. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season.
The final player to tie for second position was Louis Oosthuizen (RSA); he too earned US $837,261.90 for his efforts and moved to sixteenth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $2,893,979 earned from the fifteen events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 270 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to twenty eighth position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 1,022 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 ten cuts and achieved six top ten finishes which includes the one this week. He will be happy with his first, third and final rounds that were all in the 60s especially his first and third rounds that were both 67-5s!! But he will be just content with his second round 70-2 and his even par score in the four hole Aggregate Playoff to lose to Zach Johnson (USA) by a single stroke, especially his missed putts for par and birdie on the par four, seventeenth hole and par four, eighteenth hole and if he had holed them both he could of been holding the Claret Jug for the second time in his career. But his performance in the last two Major Championships have just been awesome with tying for second at Chambers Bay in the 115th U.S. Open Championship and the tie for second this past week at the 144th Open Championship. I feel he has to be one of the favourites heading into the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits next month. Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) born 19 October 1982) is a South African professional golfer who won the 2010 Open Championship and was runner-up in the 2012 Masters Tournament the 2015 U.S. Open Championship, and the 2015 Open Championship. His highest placing on the Official World Golf Ranking is fourth which he achieved in January 2013. Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) was born in Mossel Bay, South Africa. His early career was supported financially for three years by the foundation of fellow South African golfer Ernie Els (RSA). He won numerous amateur titles before turning professional in 2002 at the age of nineteen. He has won five professional tournaments on the Sunshine Tour: the 2004 Vodacom Origins of Golf Tour event at Arabella, the 2007 Dimension Data Pro-Am and Platinum Classic, and the Telkom PGA Championship twice, in 2007 and 2008. He played on the European Challenge Tour in 2003 and has been a member of the European Tour since 2004. In 2009, he finished 31st on the Race to Dubai. On 10 September 2012 he reached the top 10 of the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time in his career. In March 2010, he won his first European Tour event at the Open de Andalucia de Golf. He also won the 2010 Masters Tournament Par 3 Contest.
Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) entered the 2010 Open Championship at St Andrews ranked 54th in the Official World Golf Ranking, and only having made one cut in eight major championship appearances. He shot a 65 on the first day, placing him in second place, behind a 63 shot by Rory McIlroy (NIR). Louis Oosthuizen's (RSA) 67 on Friday was the low round of the day and gave him a lead that he would not relinquish throughout the final two rounds. His two-day total of 132 tied the record for the lowest 36-hole score in an Open Championship at St Andrews. A 69 on Saturday placed Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) at 15-under-par, and four shots clear of second-place Paul Casey (England) with one round to play. On Sunday, Paul Casey (England) closed the gap to three shots on the 8th hole, before Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) drove the 9th green and made a long putt for eagle. On the 12th hole, Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) made birdie, while Paul Casey (England) hit his drive into a gorse bush, and wound up making triple bogey to give Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) an eight-shot lead. In the end, Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) shot 71 on Sunday, and 16-under-par 272 for the championship, to win by seven strokes. His 272 was the second lowest in St Andrews history. Paul Casey (England) eventually finished third with Lee Westwood (England) taking second. Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) became the fourth man from South Africa to win the Claret Jug – following Bobby Locke (RSA), Gary Player (RSA), and Ernie Els (RSA) – and moved to 15th in the Official World Golf Ranking, leapfrogging fellow South African Retief Goosen (RSA) in 16th position. Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) claims his exemplary focus during the tournament, which enabled him to win by a wide margin, was due to a red spot marked on his glove. He would look at that spot as the beginning of his pre-shot routine and use it to help him remain focused before and during his swing. Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) had consulted Karl Morris, a Manchester-based sports psychologist, prior to the event for ways in which he could improve his concentration.
Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) finished the 2010 season in tenth place on the Race to Dubai, posting three further top-10s after his major win. In January 2011, he claimed his third European Tour title and his sixth in his home country, winning the Africa Open in a playoff. In 2012, Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) successfully defended his title at the Africa Open with a two stroke victory over Tjaart van der Walt (RSA). His success was helped by a second round 62, which took Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) to the top of the leaderboard at the halfway stage and from there he held on for victory. Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) was runner-up at the 2012 Masters Tournament. In the final round, he scored an albatross on the second hole of Augusta National Golf Club. This was only the fourth ever albatross in Masters Tournament history, and the first to be televised, as well as the first ever on that hole. Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) took the outright lead of the tournament with this exceptional shot, and maintained the lead until caught on the sixteenth hole, by Bubba Watson (USA). He was eventually defeated by Bubba Watson (RSA) on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff. The following week he won his fifth European Tour title at the Maybank Malaysian Open. In the second event of the 2012 PGA Tour FedEx Cup Playoffs, the Deutsche Bank Championship, Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) held the 54-hole lead by three strokes and came close to his first victory on US soil, finishing second to Rory McIlroy (NIR) by one shot. On 10 September 2012, he reached the top ten of the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time in his career. He finished the season ranked third on the Race to Dubai. On 13 January 2013, he won the Volvo Golf Champions, shooting a six-under-par 66 final round to win the title by one stroke. In January 2014, he retained the Volvo Golf Champions title by one shot over Branden Grace (RSA).
He has won one USPGA Tour event to date so far in his career and it came at the 2010 Open Championship (Which was his maiden Major Championship win) at St Andrews, Scotland. He has also achieved four other top ten finishes in Major Championships with a second place in the 2012 Masters Tournament when he lost in a playoff to Bubba Watson (USA) on the second playoff hole, tied for ninth at the 2011 U.S. Open Championship and the tied for second at the 2015 U.S. Open Championship and tied for second at the 2015 Open Championship as I mentioned before. He also has achieved seven wins on the European Tour to date so far in his career which he is also a member of and his last win came at the 2014 Volvo Golf Champions. He has also achieved six top ten finishes in WGC Events with his best finish being solo fourth at the 2012 Bridgestone Invitational. Let’s hope he can have more top ten finishes in the weeks ahead on the USPGA Tour and achieve his second win of his USPGA Tour career. 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) who was coming off his tied for third position at the John Deere Classic last week scored rounds of 73+1 in the first round which was average in strong winds and it included a average front nine of 36 even par where he birdied the par five, fifth hole and par four, sixth hole but had poor bogeys on the par four, second hole and par four, fourth hole. He scored an average back nine of 37+1 which included a lone birdie on the par three, eleventh hole but had poor bogeys on the par four, fifteenth hole and par four, seventeenth hole. Then he scored a poor second round of 74+2 and it included a good front nine of 35-1 which included a lone birdie on the par four, seventh hole and then he scored a shocking back nine of 39+3 with his lone birdie coming on the par four, eighteenth hole but he made a poor bogey on the par four, seventeenth hole which is known as the road hole and a shocking triple bogey seven on the par four, sixteenth hole!! for a 36 hole total of 147+3 and he missed the cut by three shots which was poor after the brilliant effort coming off his maiden win at the Greenbrier Classic two weeks ago and tying for third at the John Deere Classic last week. Danny Lee (NZL) moved to eighteenth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $2,741,522 earned from the twenty nine 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 $2,000,000 mark in single season earnings!!). Danny Lee (NZL) moved to thirteenth position on the current FedEx Cup Points standings list with 1,342 points earned from the twenty nine events he has played to date this season so far. From the twenty nine events Danny Lee (NZL) has played to date this season so far he has made seventeen cuts and withdrawn from one event and achieved five top ten finishes which includes the one this week and his maiden win one week ago at the Greenbrier Classic and seven weeks ago 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 disappointed with his first and second rounds this week that were both in the mid to low 70s especially his 74+2 in the second round because he played his first fifteen holes of that round in one under par and was right on the cut line but he played the last three holes in three over par to miss the cut by three shots!! But over the past three weeks he has moved his golf career up a huge notch and I look for him to keep on improving and this was after all his maiden Open Championship so he will gain some valuable experience for it and I look for him to have more top ten finishes in the events he plays on the USPGA Tour in the next few weeks.
Danny Jin-Myung Lee (NZL) (born 24 July 1990) is a professional golfer from Rotorua, New Zealand. Danny Lee (NZL) was born in South Korea and emigrated to New Zealand at the age of eight. His name in Hangul is 이진명. He became a naturalized New Zealander on 2 September 2008 at Rotorua, where he attended Rotorua Boys' High School. Danny Lee (NZL) turned professional after the 2009 Masters Tournament, forfeiting his guaranteed entry into the 2009 U.S. Open and the 2009 British Open as the 2008 U.S. Amateur champion. In April, Danny Lee (NZL) signed a two-year endorsement contract with Callaway Golf, to use Callaway clubs, balls, and signage on his clothes. The company has not released how much his contract is worth, but sources say it is for US$1 million per year. Danny Lee (NZL) was allowed to use seven sponsor exemptions during the USPGA Tour season, and gained three other starts courtesy of his U.S. Amateur and Johnnie Walker Classic titles. Danny Lee (NZL) entered the new season in 2012 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, 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 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. introduced me to Steve. Steve is a simple guy who is teaching me how to practice with better routine and how to trust my own game and not think too much. In 2013 Danny Lee (NZL) played on the Web.com Tour, finishing fifteenth on the regular season money list to regain his USPGA Tour card for 2014. 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). And as I mentioned before 2014/15 USPGA Tour season has been Danny Lee’s (NZL) career best season to date and now he has got his maiden USPGA Tour victory I feel his game is only going to go from strength to strength with the renewed confidence it will bring to him. His Official World Golf Ranking has now moved to sixty ninth and he now gets guaranteed starts in the next three Major Championships and is exempt on the USPGA Tour till the end of the 2016/17 USPGA Tour season. I look for his second USPGA Tour win to come in the next few years and for him to achieve some top ten finishes in Major Championships (Perhaps at the PGA Championship next month?). The future looks very bright for Danny Lee (NZL) moving forward. I wish him all the best for the remaining part of 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season.
The next best New Zealand Golfer in the field and playing in his maiden Open Championship was Ryan Fox (NZL) and he scored a good first round of 72 even par and it included a good front nine of 35-1 with birdies on the par four, first hole, par five, fifth hole and par three, eighth hole but had poor bogeys on the par four, third hole and par four, fourth hole and he scored a average back nine of 37+1 with birdies coming on the par four, tenth hole and par four, twelfth hole but had poor bogeys on the par five, fourteenth hole, par four, fifteenth hole and par four, seventeenth hole and he scored a brilliant second round of 69-3 that took two days to complete and included a average front nine of 37+1 where he bogeyed the par three, eighth hole and a brilliant back nine of 32-4 with an amazing eagle on the par five, fourteenth hole and birdies on the par four, sixteenth hole and par four, eighteenth hole and a shocking third round of 76+4 which included a shocking front nine of 40+4 which included poor bogeys on the par four, fourth hole and par four, sixth hole and a terrible double bogey six on the par four, second hole and he scored a good back nine of 36 even par with birdies on the par four, tenth hole and par four, eighteenth hole but had poor bogeys on the par four, sixteenth hole and par four, seventeenth hole and a brilliant final round of 67-5 which included a very good front nine of 33-3 with birdies on the par four, first hole, par four, second hole and par four, ninth hole and he scored a very good back nine of 34-2 with birdies on the par four, tenth hole, par four, thirteenth hole and par four, eighteenth hole with his lone bogey coming on the par four, sixteenth hole for a 72 hole total of 284-4 and he finished in tied for forty ninth position. He earned US $28,054 for his efforts but because he isn’t a current member of the USPGA Tour he doesn’t get a Money list or FedEx Cup ranking. From the one event he has played to date on the USPGA Tour this season so far he has made one cut and achieved no top ten finishes. He will be happy with his first, second and final rounds that were all at par and under par especially his 69-3 in the second round that included a brilliant 32-4 on the back nine and his 67-5 in the final round where he made six birdies!! But he will be disappointed with his 76+4 in the third round especially his 40+4 on the front nine!! He will gain a lot of confidence moving forward with this result this past week.
Tiger Woods (USA)
who was playing in his eighth tournament of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season in
his first round scored a shocking 76+4 and included a shocking front nine
of 40+4 with bogeys on the par four,
first hole, par four, second hole, par five, fifth hole and par four, seventh
hole. Then he played the back nine in 36 even par which was good and included a
lone birdie on the par five, fourteenth hole but he had a poor bogey on the par
four, tenth hole and it was after his two week layoff to work on his game since
the Greenbrier Classic in earlier July. Then he came out in the second round
and scored 75+3 which was shocking and included a shocking front nine of 38+2
with bogeys coming on the par four, fourth hole and par four, sixth hole and he
scored a poor back nine of 37+1 which
included birdies on the par four, tenth hole and par four, sixteenth hole but
he had poor bogeys on the par four, thirteenth hole, par five, fourteenth hole
and par four, fifteenth hole for a 36 hole total of 151+7 and he missed the cut
by seven shots!! He moved to 180th position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour
Money list standings with US $225,198 earned from the eight events he has
played in to date this season so far. He moved to 195th position on the current
2014/15 FedEx Cup Points standings list with 95 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 four cuts, withdrawn from one event
and achieved no top ten finishes. He will be really discouraged by his first
round 76+4 and his second round 75+3 after he had come off his best ball
striking round of the season two weeks ago at the Greenbrier Classic when he
scored a blemish free 67-3 in the final round. At least he will be happy that
his back held up to complete 36 holes and the last six events he has played on
the USPGA Tour his back has felt great!! and I feel more made cuts and top ten
finishes are not too far way for him if he can find away to hit his drives in
the fairway and just play more consistent golf on the whole!! His next start
will likely be at the Quicken Loans National that he hosts which is in two
weeks time. I wish him all the best for
the rest of the 2015 part of 2014/15 USPGA Tour season.
Next week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup heads north of the boarder to Canada
for the RBC Canadian Open and it is played on the Glen Abbey GC, Oakville,
Ontario, Canada (which has hosted the tournament many times in the past).
It carries a large prize purse of US $5,800,000 for the taking. Tim
Clark (RSA) is the defending champion and will be keen to defend his title. Tim
Wilkinson (NZL) and Steven Alker (NZL) will likely gain starts as well. It
starts on Thursday 23rd July 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 fiftieth week of his fifth
spell of his career and for the 90th week of his career in total is Rory
McILroy (NIR) fresh off his tied for ninth position at the 115th U.S. Open
Championship four weeks ago and his missed cut at the Dubai Duty Free Irish
Open Hosted by the Rory Foundation seven weeks ago with 12.60 Official Golf
World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Two is Jordan Spieth (USA) who is
fresh off his tied for fourth position at the 144th Open Championship this past
week and his win at the John Deere Classic one week ago with 11.66 Official
World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Three is Bubba Watson (USA) who is
fresh off his missed cut at the 144th Open Championship this past week and his
tied for thirteenth position at the Greenbrier Classic two weeks ago with 7.09
Official World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Four is Dustin Johnson (USA)
who is fresh off his tied for forty ninth position at the 144th Open
Championship this past week and his tied for second position at the 115th U.S.
Open Championship four weeks ago with 6.60 Official World Ranking Points and rounding
out the top five on the Official Golf World Ranking Points list standings this
week is Justin Rose (England) who is fresh off his tied for sixth position at
the 144th Open Championship this past week and his solo 74th position at the
Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open two weeks ago with 6.50 Official World
Ranking Points. Danny Lee (NZL) this week is in his eighteenth week of another
spell of being the highest ranked New Zealand Golfer in the world after his missed
the cut this past week at the 144th Open Championship. This week he remains in
69th position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list standings with 2.02
Official Golf World Ranking Points.
Remember the most important shot in a game 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
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