Well it was another amazing weekend on the Major
Professional Golf Tours from around the world and this week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup headed to the
State of West Virginia for the Greenbrier Classic and it was played on the Old
White TPC, White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. It carried a huge
prize purse of US $6,700,000 for the taking. Angel Cabrera (Argentina) was the
defending Champion and was keen to defend his title. Tiger Woods (USA) played
as well in his seventh appearance of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. Danny Lee
(NZL), Tim Wilkinson (NZL) and Steven Alker (NZL) all gained starts as well.
And it was the golfer by the name of Danny Lee (NZL) who scored rounds of 63-7
in the first round which was brilliant in light winds with light rain falling and
was blemish free and placed him only one shot off the lead and it included a
good front nine of 32-2 where he birdied the par four, fourth hole and par
four, ninth hole. He scored a excellent back nine of 31-5 which included
birdies on the par five, twelfth hole, par four, fourteen hole, par three,
fifteenth hole, par four, sixteenth hole and par three, eighteenth hole. Then
he scored a good second round of 69-1 that included a good front nine of 33-1
which included birdies on the par four, first hole and par four, ninth hole but
he had a poor bogey on the par four, second hole and then he scored a good back
nine of 36 even par with nine straight pars in a row!! Then he scored a very good
third round of 68-2 which included a good front nine of 33-1 with birdies
coming on the par four, first hole, par three, third hole, par four, fifth hole
and par four, sixth hole but he had poor bogeys on the par four, second hole,
par four, seventh hole and par four, ninth hole and scored a good back nine
of 35-1 which included birdies on the
par five, twelfth hole, par four, fourteenth hole and par three, eighteenth
hole but he had poor bogeys on the par four, thirteenth hole and par four,
sixteenth hole and a excellent final round of
67-3 which included a good front nine of 33-1 with birdies on the par four,
sixth hole and par three, eighth hole but he had a poor bogey on the par four, seventh
hole and he scored an excellent back nine of 34-2 with birdies on the par four,
thirteenth hole and par five, seventeenth hole for a 72 hole total of 267-13
but he was tied on that score by David Hearn (Canada) who scored rounds of
68-2, 64-6, 68-2 and a final round of 67-3 for a 72 hole total of 267-13 also.
Kevin Kisner (USA) scored rounds of 67-3, 69-1, 67-3 and a final round of 64-6
for a 72 hole total of 267-13 also and the last player to tied on that score
was Robert Streb (USA) who scored rounds of 68-2, 67-3, 67-3 and a final round
of 65-5 for a 72 hole total of 267-13.
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| Danny Lee (NZL) plays an iron shot during the final round |
So those four
players headed back to the par three, eighteenth tee for the first playoff hole
and were met there by the Greenbrier Resort Owner and host of the tournament,
American Billionaire, Jim Justice and his Daughter, Jill who carried four
numbers in a hat for the players to choose from to determine the playing order.
Robert Streb (USA) chose one from the hat and teed off first. He was very
aggressive with his mid iron tee shot and it flew the green and landed in the
rough at the back leaving him an extremely difficult chip shot to get up and
down. Danny Lee (NZL) drew number two from the hat and teed off second and he
played a very good shot with his mid iron that landed over the ridge in the
middle of the green and it came to rest about seventeen feet below the flag
stick in virtually the same place he landed his tee shot about half an hour
earlier in regulation play. So he would have a great chance at holing that same
putt now. Kevin Kisner (USA) drew number three from the hat and teed off third
and he two played an very aggressive tee shot with his mid iron that air mailed
the green right over the flag stick but landed in the terribly thick rough at
the back of the green!! David Hearn (Canada) drew number four from the hat and
teed off fourth. He struck his mid iron very well with a slight fade on it and
it too landed in a very similar place on the green to about sixteen feet from
the flag stick pin high where he was twenty minutes earlier in regulation play.
Kevin Kisner (USA) played his second shot chip from the thick rough at the back
of the green and in his first attempt to get it out he went straight underneath
it, then he played his third shot and he went straight underneath it again!! He
made contact with his fourth shot and it hit the green and rolled out to come
to rest fifteen feet past the pin and he knew his chances of winning had
disappeared!! Robert Streb (USA) played his second shot chip next and he had no
green to work with and hit a good chip under the circumstances that landed just
on the green and wasn’t far away from going in the hole but rolled out to six
feet past the pin and he marked his ball knowing he would have to hole that
putt to go to the second playoff hole if he got the chance. Danny Lee (NZL) now
lined up his seventeen foot left to right breaking putt for his birdie two and
knew if he holed it he might of just of won his maiden USPGA Tour event of his career.
He put an excellent roll on it and it rolled right into the centre of the cup
for his birdie two!! He punched the air in celebration!! But would now have to
watch David Hearn (Canada) putt his birdie putt to see if the playoff was going
to be extended to a second hole. Kevin Kisner (USA) and Robert Streb (USA)
could now pick up their ball markers as they had been eliminated from the
playoff. David Hearn (Canada) now putted
his must make birdie putt from sixteen feet and it was on virtually the same
line as he had in regulation play. He put a very aggressive stroke on it and it
took the right to left break to perfection and rolled right into the back of
the cup for his birdie two!! So both Danny Lee (NZL) and David Hearn (Canada) both
headed to the par five, seventeenth hole for the second playoff hole.
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| Danny Lee (NZL) pumps his fist in the air after holing the birdie putt on the first playoff hole!! |
So to the second
playoff hole which was the par five, seventeenth hole. Danny Lee (NZL) teed of
first and hit a very poor tee shot that hooked badly but he got a lucky break
because he was so far left but he had a clear shot for his second. David Hearn
(Canada) teed off second and he too hooked his drive left but he wasn’t so
lucky and found the trees on the left. I feel the reason why both players
missed left was because of the water hazard that runs up the right hand side of
the fairway. David Hearn (Canada) played his second shot next and he had a mid
iron to punch hook it underneath the trees. He played a good shot under the
circumstances but he struck it slightly too hard and it got caught in the face
of one of the fairway bunkers. Sir Nick Faldo (England) who is CBS Sports golf
Analyst said “That is a bad mistake to make when he could have hit the ball
with less force to keep it in the fairway and his chances of winning have now
decreased”. Danny Lee (NZL) now played his second shot with his mid iron and hit
a very good layup shot into the middle of the fairway leaving just under 200
yards to the green on the 600 yard par five. David Hearn (Canada) played his
third shot next and discussed it with his caddie whether he should try and go
for the green or layup to 100 yards from the green and try to get up and down
for his par five. He decided laying up was his best option and hit a good shot from
the difficult uphill lie on the face of the bunker in the rough and it came to
rest 115 yards from the green in the fairway. Danny Lee (NZL) played his third
shot next and he knew if he could put it on the green and two putt there was a
good chance he would be the champion. He hit a good mid iron that landed on the
front of the green leaving him over fifty feet for his birdie and it was a very
hard putt to two putt. Daivd Hearn (Canada) played his fourth shot next from
115 yards and he knew if he landed it ten yards short of the pin it would roll
back to where near Danny Lee’s (NZL) ball is was. So he took the aggressive
line and choose to land his wedge at the back of the green and hope it spun
back towards the flag stick next to the pin. He hit it well but it landed on
the back of the green and just missed spinning back and caught the fringe on
the down slope and rolled right down the slope leaving a very difficult up and
down for his bogey six. Danny Lee (NZL) walking up to the green with his caddie
must have now thought there was no way he could not win. Danny Lee (NZL) was
the first to play his fourth shot which was his putt from over fifty feet. He
hit an awesome lag putt that rolled up too within three feet from the cup and
he marked it knowing that barring a miracle putt from off green from David
Hearn (Canada) the title was his. David Hearn (Canada) putted his putt for par
up the fringe slope and on to the green and it came to rest six feet to the
right of the cup. He sank the six footer for his bogey six and then the
tournament rested in Danny Lee (NZL) hands. Danny Lee (NZL) calmed his nerve
and stroked his three foot putt right into the centre of the cup for his par!!
He pumped his fist in the air in celebration!! He then got a huge high five and
hug from his caddie!! Then he was interviewed by CBS Sports on course
commentator and swing analyst, Peter Kostis and he told him “WOW, I don’t
really know what to say, I have been working so hard for this moment to happen
and I am so happy!!” Later when he was in the winner’s press conference he said
“This year the Presidents Cup is being staged in my birth Country of South
Korea and I am desperate to make the International Team and I feel this win
today I achieved will go a long way to achieving that Goal”. He also said “This
makes all the years on the practice range where I worked very hard worthwhile,
and he also thanked his new coach who he started working with earlier this year
for getting him to understand his golf swing better because he always used to
complicate it too much”.
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| Danny Lee (NZL) acknowledges the crowd after winning on the second playoff hole!! |
Danny Lee (NZL)
earned US $1,206,000 for the win and moved to eighteenth position on the
current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $2,468,922 earned from
the twenty seven 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!!). Jordan Spieth (USA) still leads that list with US
$7,863,838 earned from the seventeen events he has played to date this season
so far. Danny Lee (NZL) also earned 500 FedEx Cup Points for the win and moved
to fifteen position on the current FedEx Cup Points standings list with 1,180
points earned from the twenty seven events he has played to date this season so
far and he is 1,948 points behind the current leader of that list who is Jordan
Spieth (USA) who has earned 3,128 points from the seventeen events he has
played to date this season so far. From the twenty seven events Danny Lee (NZL)
has played to date this season so far he has made sixteen cuts and withdrawn
from one event and achieved four top ten finishes which includes the maiden win
this week and six 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
extremely pleased with his four rounds this week that were all in the 60s
especially his first round 63-7 which was blemish free and his back nine in the
final round that was 34-2!! And also how he played the two playoff holes one
under par to win!! Through this win at The Greenbrier Classic he gains one of
the four spots on offer to play in the 144th Open Championship (Third Major
Championship of 2015) in two weeks time at St. Andrews in Scotland (The four
highest finishers inside the top twelve and ties who were not already exempt
for the Open Championship gained spots). It was Danny Lee (NZL) first USPGA
Tour win in his ninety eight start of his career. And he became the eighth New
Zealand Professional Golfer to win on the USPGA Tour and the thirteenth win in
total. And here there are from the first to the most recent: 1974 - Sir Bob Charles
(NZL) won the last of his six PGA Tour titles at the Greater Greensboro Open.
He also won PGA tournaments twice in 1963, including the Open Championship, and
in 1965, 1967 and in 1968. 1976 - John
Lister (NZL) won the Ed McMahon-Jaycees Quad Cities Open by two shots. 1993 - Grant Waite (NZL)
nabs his sole victory on the world's toughest tour at the Kemper Open. 1997 - Frank Nobilo (NZL)
also wins Greater Greensboro. It's his only PGA Tour win. 2002 - Phil Tataurangi
(NZL) wins his only PGA Tour title at the Invensys Classic. 2002 - Craig Perks (NZL) only
won once on the PGA Tour, but it was a good one, the Players' Championship. 2005 - Michael Campbell
has 15 professional wins, his one PGA Tour title was as big as they come,
though, the 2005 US Open. 2015 – Danny Lee (NZL) at the Greenbrier Classic with
many more expected.
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| Danny Lee (NZL) lifts up the very heavy Greenbrier Classic trophy he won!! |
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. His goal was to
earn US $537,958 which would have given him temporary membership and allowed
him to receive an unlimited amount of invitations. That figure is
the amount earned by the player who finished 150th on the 2008 money list.
Danny Lee (NZL) made six out of eleven USPGA Tour cuts after turning pro, with
two top-25 finishes. He tied for 13th at the HP Byron Nelson Championship in
May, and improved on his best finish in a USPGA Tour event by finishing in a
tie for seventh at the AT&T National in July. That top ten finish earned
Danny Lee (NZL) a spot in the following week's John Deere Classic, meaning he
did not have to use one of his two remaining sponsor exemptions. The
money from his tied for seventh finish put him US $187,904 away from earning
temporary status on tour. Danny Lee (NZL) missed the cut by two strokes at the
John Deere Classic after bogeying the last two holes of his second round. Danny
Lee (NZL) missed the cut again three weeks later at the Buick Open.
In August, Danny Lee
(NZL) became the youngest player to play in a World Golf Championship event
when he played the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. He finished tied for fifty
first at the event. He made the cut but did not finish at the Wyndham
Championship two weeks later. He used his last sponsor exemption of the season
to play in that tournament and did not earn enough money on tour to earn his
card for 2010. Danny Lee (NZL) then switched his focus to the European Tour, as
well as playing selected events in Asia. He made his maiden appearance as a
professional in Europe at the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles where
he finished tied for tenth. As a drawcard for the Korea Open and the
Coca-Cola Tokai Classic in Japan, he played the first two rounds of both events
with fellow teen prodigy Ryo Ishikawa (Japan). Danny Lee (NZL) entered the USPGA
Tour's qualifying school at the first stage level, beginning his campaign in
McKinney, Texas on 20 October. Needing to finish in roughly the top third of
the field, rounds of 72-78-69-76 saw him fall well short of advancing to the
second stage. After arriving back in Asia for the Singapore Open, Danny Lee (NZL)
cited swing changes, illness and cold weather as reasons for his disappointing
performance in Texas, and confirmed an intention to play mainly on the European
Tour in 2010. He also announced he had signed Korean-born Suckki Jang, an
affiliate of Hank Haney, as his new coach. He then played the WGC-HSBC
Champions, the Hong Kong Open, and represented New Zealand with David Smail
(NZL) at the Omega Mission Hills World Cup, all with limited success.
Danny Lee (NZL) made a poor start to the 2010 season, making just two cuts
in his first nine events on the European Tour. On the eve of the BMW PGA
Championship in May, Danny Lee (NZL) announced a new partnership with English
caddy Peter Coleman, and a new coach, Bill Choung. "I finally feel that I
am in the right position with my swing and that has got me really
excited," Danny Lee (NZL) said. However, after receiving a sponsor's
invite to play the RBC Canadian Open in July, Danny Lee (NZL) stated he was now
without a swing coach. He added that he had been through several coaches since
turning professional and had perhaps become too technical with his mechanics,
and was now trying to focus more on playing than tweaking his swing. Danny Lee
(NZL) eventually finished the Race to Dubai in 159th place, making 10 out of 20
cuts with a best finish of tied for twenty first at the BMW International Open
in June. Late in the year, he successfully negotiated the first two stages of
USPGA Tour qualifying school in California. At the final stage in Florida,
Danny Lee (NZL) shot rounds of 74-72-69-65-72-74 to finish tied for sixty
fourth. His placing earned him full Nationwide Tour (Now Web.com) playing
rights, allowing him to plan a 35-event, two-tour itinerary for 2011.Danny Lee (NZL) began a noticeable return to form a couple of months into the new year 2011. A tie for seventh in the Chitimacha Louisiana Open was followed by a strong showing for 54 holes at the Malaysian Open, eventually being disqualified for signing an incorrect final round scorecard (denying him a tie for 17th). The next week he tied for second at the Volvo China Open, four shots behind winner Nicolas Colsaerts (Belgium). In May, a tie for fifth in the Stadion Classic at UGA was followed by an outright third at the BMW Charity Pro-Am, lifting him to tenth on the Nationwide Tour's money list. In June he injured his left wrist during an Open Championship qualifier, forcing his withdrawal and a four-week break from competition. Diagnosed as tendonitis, he worked with his caddy in American events, Jeff Belen, on grip and swing adjustments. By early September he had posted three further Nationwide Tour top-10 finishes, including a tie for second at the Cox Classic. In early October Danny Lee (NZL) won the WNB Golf Classic in Texas, beating Harris English (USA) in a playoff. The US $94,500 first prize lifted him to fourth on the money list, assuring him of a place inside the final money list's top 25, those being the players who gain USPGA Tour cards for the following season. "It feels great to win again," Danny Lee (NZL) said. "I haven't won a tournament since I won the 2009 Johnnie Walker Classic and it's a great feeling. It's not easy to win and I worked really hard with my uncle and my coach (Bill Choung) for this. I'm really happy it worked." Danny Lee (NZL) credited the switch to a belly putter in this event as beneficial, and came after pulling out of the previous week's event after 27 holes citing his wrist injury. Danny Lee (NZL) finished sixth on tour with earnings of US $326,100, making 13 of 18 cuts with nine top-10s. He had the season's lowest scoring average of 68.98.
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| Another photo of Danny Lee (NZL) posing with the Greenbrier Classic Trophy he won!! |
Coming in tied for second at 267-13 and losing on the on the second playoff hole was David Hearn (Canada); he earned US $500,266.67 for his efforts and moved to fifty eighth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,331,514 earned from the twenty three events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 208 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to sixty first position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 697 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 achieved three top ten finishes which includes the one this past week. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially his second round 64-6 which was the equal low round of the day and his first round 68-2 which was blemish free!! He will be also happy with his birdie on the first playoff hole to extend the playoff to a second hole!! But he will be disappointed with his bogey at the second playoff that cost him his chance of winning his maiden USPGA Tour event. But will be happy he gained one of the four spots that were available for the four top players not already exempt for the 144th Open Championship that finished inside the top twelve and ties. David Hearn (Canada) (born June 17, 1979) is a Canadian professional golfer who plays on the USPGA Tour. He has also played on the Nationwide Tour, Canadian Tour and the Asian Tour. David Hearn (Canada) was born in Brampton, Ontario. He attended the University of Wyoming, where he played on the golf team. He was a member of the winning Canadian team at the 2001 Four Nations Cup tournament, and played out of the Brantford Golf and Country Club as an amateur. David Hearn (Canada) turned professional late in 2001. He was named the Canadian Tour Rookie of the Year in 2002. In the 2008 U.S. Open Championship, he missed the cut by two strokes. David Hearn (Canada) made his first cut in a major championship at the 2013 U.S. Open, finishing tied for 21st. In June 2013, David Hearn (Canada) finished in a tie for second at the John Deere Classic, after losing in a three-man playoff, which also included Zach Johnson (USA), to Jordan Spieth (USA). After all three players had pared the first and second extra holes, David Hearn (Canada) had two opportunities at the third and fourth extra holes to seal the win, but could not hole either of the makeable putts. The playoff ended at the fifth extra hole when Jordan Spieth (Canada) made par to David Hearn (Canada) and Zach Johnson's (USA) bogeys. This was David Hearn's (Canada) best finish to date on the USPGA Tour and this past week also at the Greenbrier Classic, beating his previous tie for fifth at the 2011 Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. Let’s hope David Hearn (Canada) can have more top ten finishes in the weeks ahead and perhaps achieve his maiden USPGA Tour win this season? I wish him all the best for the rest of 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season.
Also tied for second position at 267-13 after 72 holes and losing on the first playoff hole was Kevin Kisner (USA); he too earned US $500,266.67 for his efforts and moved to eighth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $3,080,899 earned from the twenty two events he has played to date this season so far (He has won the most money to date of players that are yet to win on the 2014/15 USPGA Tour schedule). He also earned 208 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to eleventh position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 1,351 points earned from the twenty two events he has played to date this season so far. From the twenty two events he has played to date this season so far he has made sixteen cuts and achieved six top ten finishes that includes the one this week. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially his final round 64-6 and his first round 67-3 that was blemish free!! He will be disappointed with his first playoff hole where he over shot the green and took three chip shots to reach the green!! He must be wondering when he finally is going to get his maiden USPGA Tour event win having been in three playoffs already this year with the first being at RBC Heritage were he lost a playoff to Jim Furyk (USA) on the second playoff hole, the second where he lost to Rickie Fowler (USA) on the fourth playoff hole at the PLAYERS Championship and the one this past week at the Greenbrier Classic. Kevin Kisner (USA) (born February 15, 1984) is an American professional golfer. Kevin Kisner (USA) was born in Aiken, South Carolina. He played college golf at the University of Georgia and was a member of their 2005 NCAA Division I Championship team along with Chris Kirk (USA), Richard Scott (USA) and Brendon Todd (USA). After graduating in 2006, he turned professional. Kevin Kisner (USA) played on the mini-tours (NGA Hooters Tour and Tarheel Tour) and from 2007 to 2009, winning three times. He also played in six Nationwide Tour events in 2009. He played the Nationwide Tour full-time in 2010, winning once at the Mylan Classic. He finished the year eleventh on the money list and earned his 2011 USPGA Tour card. Kevin Kisner (USA) failed to earn enough money on the USPGA Tour in 2011 to retain his card (181st on money list), but finished tied for eleventh at qualifying school to earn his card for 2012. He again failed to retain his card, finishing 167th on the money list, and missed earning a card in qualifying school by one stroke. He returned to (the now renamed) Web.com Tour in 2013 and won the Chile Classic in March. He finished thirteen on the 2013 Web.com Tour regular season money list to earn his 2014 USPGA Tour card. His best finish on the USPGA Tour is a second place at the 2015 RBC Heritage and tied for second at the 2015 Players Championship after losing on the fourth hole of a playoff to Rickie Fowler (USA) and 2015 Greenbrier Classic after losing on the first playoff hole. Let’s hope he can have more top ten finishes in the weeks ahead and perhaps win his maiden USPGA Tour event in the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season.
The final player to tie for second position at 267-13 after 72 holes and losing on the first playoff hole was Robert Streb (USA); he too earned US $500,266.67 for his efforts and moved to eleventh position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $2,860,385 earned from the twenty two events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 208 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to seventh position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 1,416 points earned from the twenty two events he has played to date this season so far. From the twenty two events he has played to date this season so far he has made seventeen cuts and achieved seven top ten finishes which includes the one this past week and his maiden win at the McGladrey Classic in October last year. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all in the mid to high 60s especially his 67-3 in the second round that was blemish free and his 65-5 in the final round especially his 32-4 on the back nine when he had to putt with his fifty six degree wedge because he threw his putter at his golf bag when walking off the ninth green and the head fell off!! But he will be disappointed with how he played the first playoff hole to get eliminated. He is having a very good season and must be due for his second USPGA Tour win very soon? Robert Streb (USA) was born in Chickasha, Oklahoma. He played college golf at Kansas State University. He graduated in 2009 and turned professional. Robert Streb (USA) played on the NGA Pro Golf Tour in 2010 and 2011 and the Web.com Tour in 2012. He won his first event on the Web.com Tour at the Mylan Classic in September. He finished 7th on the 2012 money list to earn his USPGA Tour card for 2013. In his first USPGA Tour season, Robert Streb (USA) finished 126th in the FedEx Cup standings, one spot short of the playoffs and fully exempt status for 2014. He recovered the next season to finish 71st in the FedEx Cup. Robert Streb (USA) earned his maiden USPGA Tour win at the 2014 McGladrey Classic. Let’s hope this finish gives him the confidence to keep on improving and perhaps win his second event in the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season as well? I wish him all the best for the rest of 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season and FedEx Cup.
Rounding out the top five in solo fifth position at 268-12 after 72 holes was Russell Henley (USA); he earned US $268,000 for his efforts and moved to thirty sixth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,704,182 earned from the eighteen events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 110 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to thirty ninth position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 824 points earned from the eighteen events he has played to date this season so far. From the eighteen events he has played to date this season so far he has made fifteen cuts and achieved four top ten finishes which includes the one this past week. He will be happy with his second, third and final rounds that were all in the mid to low 60s especially his 66-4 in the second round which was blemish free and his 63-7 in the final round which was the low round of the day!! But he will be disappointed with his 70 even par in the first round that left him too much ground to catch up to give him a chance to win. This finish will do his confidence the world of good because he had just missed his previous two cuts. But he is having a very good season and I am sure his third USPGA Tour win isn’t that far off. Russell Henley (USA) made his professional debut at the Nationwide Tour's Soboda Golf Classic in September 2011. A year later, he won the Chiquita Classic, defeating Patrick Cantlay (USA) and Morgan Hoffmann (USA) in a playoff. In October 2012, he won his second title of the year at the Winn – Dixie Jacksonville Open. On the 72nd hole, he made 25-foot putt for birdie to force playoff against B.J. Staten (USA). He made par on the first playoff hole to earn the win. He graduated from the Web.com Tour (as the Nationwide Tour would later be named), to the USPGA Tour, by finishing third on the money list in 2012. Russell Henley (USA) became the first USPGA Tour rookie to win his debut in 12 years with a record-setting performance at the 2013 Sony Open in Hawaii. He finished at 24-under-par, 256, breaking by four shots the Sony Open scoring record. It was the second-lowest score for a 72-hole tournament in USPGA Tour history, two shots behind Tommy Armour III (USA) at the Valero Texas Open in 2003. The win gave Russell Henley (USA) an invitation to the 2013 Masters Tournament and the PGA Championship. On March 2, 2014, Russell Henley (USA) won his second USPGA Tour title at the Honda Classic. In difficult conditions on Sunday, Russell Henley (USA) shot a two-over-par round of 72 to make it into a four-man playoff with Russell Knox (Scotland), Rory McILroy (NIR) and Ryan Palmer (USA). At the first playoff hole, the par-five 18th, Russell Henley (USA) was the only one of the four players to find the green in two. Russell Knox (Scotland), Rory McIlroy (NIR) and Ryan Palmer (USA) all failed to get down in two, leaving Russell Henley (USA) to hole from three feet for victory. He climbed into the world's top 50 as a result of this win and qualified for the 2014 Masters Tournament. Let’s hope he can continue this form for the rest of the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season.
The next best New
Zealand golfer in the field was Steve Alker (NZL) and he scored rounds of 67-3
in the first round which was very good and included a poor front nine of 35+1
with a lone bogey on the par three, eighth hole, then he scored a excellent
back nine of 32-4 with birdies on the
par four, tenth hole, par five, twelfth hole, par four, fourteenth hole and par
five, seventeenth hole and he scored a shocking second round of 75+5 which
included a poor front nine of 36+2 with
his lone birdie coming on the par four, fourth hole and he had poor bogeys on
the par four, second hole, par four, sixth hole and par three, eighth hole and he
scored a shocking back nine of 39+3 with his lone birdie coming on the par
three, eighteenth hole but he had a disastrous quadruple bogey eight on the par
four, sixteenth hole for a 36 hole total of 142+2 and he missed the cut by four
shots. He remained in 185th position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money
list standings with US $166,532 earned from the sixteen events he has played to
date this season so far. He moved to 177th position on the current 2014/15
FedEx Cup Points list standings with 151 points earned from the sixteen events
he has played to date this season so far. From the sixteen events he has played
to date this season so far he has made six cuts and achieved no top ten
finishes. He will be happy with his first round 67-3!! But disappointed with
his second round 75+5 and it ruined his chances of making the cut!! He will
lose some confidence out of this finish because he made his last two
consecutive cuts!! 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 shocking
first round of 75+5 with scoring a very poor front nine of 35+1 with his birdies
coming on the par four, second hole and par four, ninth hole but he had a poor
bogey on the par four, first hole and a terrible double bogey on the par three,
eighth hole and then he scored a shocking back nine of 40+4 with his lone birdie
coming on the par five, twelfth hole and he made poor bogeys on the par four, eleventh
hole, par three, fifteenth hole and par four, sixteenth hole and a terrible
double bogey on the par four, thirteenth hole. Then he scored a good second
round of 70 even par which included a poor front nine of 35+1 with his lone
birdie coming on the par four, ninth hole but he had poor bogeys on the par
four, second hole and par three, eighth hole and then he scored a good back
nine of 35-1 with birdies coming on the
par four, tenth hole, par four, fourteenth hole and par three, eighteenth hole
and he had poor bogeys on the par four, eleventh hole and par four, sixteenth
hole for a 36 hole total of 145+5 to miss the cut by seven shots. He moved to 198th
position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US
$114,111 earned from the twenty two 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 120 points earned from the twenty two events he has played to
date this season so far. From the twenty two events he has played to date this
season so far he has made six cuts and achieved no top ten finishes. He will be
mad with his first 75+5 which really made it hard for him to make the cut but he
will be content with his second round 70 even par in much tougher conditions
and can take some confidence from it moving forward. In the last seventeen
events he has played on the USPGA Tour he has only made three cuts and that
includes missing his last two. Let’s hope he can make some more cuts in the
remaining part of the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season and have some
top ten finishes as well.
Tiger Woods (USA)
who was playing in his seventh tournament of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season in
his first round scored 66-4 which was a very good round and was his best round of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season to date
so far (in lowest score but equal low under par round that equals his 68-4 in
the third round of the Masters Tournament in April) and included a very good
front nine of 32-2 with birdies on the par four, second hole, par four, seventh
hole, par three, eighth hole and par four ninth hole but he had a shocking
double bogey on par four, sixth hole. Then he played the back nine in 34-2 which
was very good and included birdies on the par four, twelfth hole, par three,
fifteenth hole and par four, sixteenth hole but he had a poor bogey on the par five,
seventeenth hole and it was after his two week layoff to work on his game since
the 115th U.S. Open Championship in mid June. Then he came out in the second
round and scored 69-1 which was good and included a good front nine of 33-1 with
his lone birdie coming on the par four, second hole and he scored a good back
nine of 36 even par which included birdies on the par five, twelfth hole, par
four, fourteenth hole and par three, eighteenth hole but he had poor bogeys on
the par four, eleventh hole, par four, thirteenth hole and par four, sixteenth
hole. And a poor third round of 71+1 which included a good front nine of 33-1
with birdies on the par four, second hole and par four, seventh hole but had
his lone bogey on the par three, eighth hole and then he scored a poor back
nine of 38+2 with birdies coming on the par four, tenth hole and par three,
fifteenth hole but he had poor bogeys on the par four, thirteenth hole and par
five, seventeenth hole and a terrible double bogey six on the par four,
eleventh hole and a very good final round of 67-3 which was blemish free and
included a front nine 32-2 with birdies coming on the par four, fourth hole and
par four, sixth hole and he scored a good back nine of 35-1 with his lone
birdie coming on the par five, twelfth hole for a 72 hole total of 273-7 and he
finished in tied for thirty second position!! He earned US $37,922 for his
efforts and moved to 175th position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money
list standings with US $225,198 earned from the seven events he has played in
to date this season so far. He earned thirty seven FedEx Cup points for his
efforts and moved to 191st position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points
standings list with 95 points earned from the seven events he has played to
date this season so far. From the seven events he has played to date this
season so far he has made four cuts, withdrawn from one event and achieved no
top ten finishes. He will be really encouraged by his first, second and final
rounds this week that were all in the mid 60s especially his first round 66-4
and his final round 67-3 which was blemish free but he will be slightly
disappointed with his third round 71+1 that ruined his chance of a top ten
finish or even a win. At least he will be happy that his back held up to
complete 72 holes 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
144th Open Championship at St. Andrews 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 to the State of Illinois for the John Deere Classic
and it is played on the TPC Deere Run, Silvis, Illinois. It carries a
smaller prize purse of US $4,700,000 for the taking. Brian Harman (USA) is the
defending champion and will be keen to defend his title. Also it is the last
chance for players that aren’t already exempt for the Open Championship (which
is the third Major Championship of 2015 and is played the following week) to
qualify for it if they finish inside the top twelve and are one of the top three
players not already exempt for the Open Championship. Tim Wilkinson (NZL),
Danny Lee (NZL) (He has already qualified for the Open Championship with his
win at the Greenbrier Classic) and Steven Alker (NZL) should all gain starts as
well and it will be a great chance for them to have a high finish and maybe
even qualify for the Open Championship because most of the top players on the
USPGA Tour with be in the UK preparing for the Open Championship except the
number two player in the world, Jordan Spieth (USA) who is staying loyal to the
John Deere Classic sponsors and playing in the event he won as his maiden USPGA
Tour event in 2013 when he was given a sponsor’s exemption which gave him full
membership on the USPGA Tour and launched his career. It starts on Thursday 9th
July. 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 fortieth eighth week of his
fifth spell of his career and for the 88th week of his career in total is Rory
McILroy (NIR) fresh off his tied for ninth position at the 115th U.S. Open
Championship two weeks ago and his missed cut at the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open
Hosted by the Rory Foundation five weeks ago with 12.70 Official Golf World
Ranking Points; coming in at Number Two is Jordan Spieth (USA) who is fresh off
his win at the 115th U.S. Open Championship two weeks ago and his tied for
third position at the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance four
weeks ago with 10.85 Official World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Three
is Bubba Watson (USA) who is fresh off his win one week ago at the Travelers
Championship and his missed cut at the 115th U.S. Open Championship two weeks
ago with 7.34 Official World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Four is Dustin
Johnson (USA) who is fresh off his tied for second position at the 115th U.S.
Open Championship two weeks ago and his withdrawal at the FedEx. St Jude
Classic during the first round three weeks ago with 6.76 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 tied for forty
second position at the 115th U.S. Open Championship two weeks ago and his tied
for fifth position at the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide four
weeks ago with 6.54 Official World Ranking Points. Danny Lee (NZL) this week is
in his sixteenth week of another spell of being the highest ranked New Zealand
Golfer in the world after he won his maiden USPGA Tour event this past week at
the Greenbrier Classic. This week he moves up eighty places and rises to 78th
position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list standings with 1.84
Official Golf World Ranking Points.
Remember the more you play, the luckier you get!!
Source: Pgatour.com,
Official World Golf Rankings, wikipedia.org, Google search engine,
europeantour.com, golfchannel.com
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