Golf Events from the Weekend 30th August 2015

Well it was another amazing weekend on the Major Professional Golf Tours from around the world and this week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup headed to the State of New Jersey for the first event of four in the FedEx Cup Playoffs Series and it was The Barclays and was played on the Plainfield CC, Edison, New Jersey. Only the top 125 players on the final regular 2014/15 FedEx Cup season points standing list were eligible to compete. It carried a huge prize purse of US $8,250,000 for the taking. Hunter Mahan (USA) was the defending champion and was keen for back to back titles. All the big name players were also there including Jason Day (Australia), Jordan Spieth (USA), Bubba Watson (USA), Justin Rose (England) and Dustin Johnson (USA) to name a few. But Rory McILroy (NIR) chose not to play giving his ankle more time to heal. Danny Lee (NZL) was the only New Zealand Golfer in the field that had qualified for the playoffs and was also competing. And it was the golfer by the name of Jason Day (Australia) who scored rounds of 68-2, 68-2, 63-7 and a brilliant final round of 62-8 for a 72 hole total of 261-19 and he won by a huge margin of six shots for his fourth win of the season and the sixth of his USPGA Tour career to date so far. Jason Day (Australia) won US$1,485,000 for the win and remained in second position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $7,551,205 earned from the seventeen events he has played to date this season so far. Jordan Spieth (USA) still leads that list with US $10,399,715 earned from the twenty two events he has played to date this season so far. Jason Day (Australia) also earned 2000 FedEx Cup Playoff Points for his efforts and moved to number one position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Playoff Points standings list with 4,459 points earned from the seventeen events he has played to date this season so far and he is 290 points ahead of Jordan Spieth (USA) who is in second position with 4,169 points earned from the twenty two events he has played to date this season so far. From the seventeen events Jason Day (Australia) has played to date this season so far he has made fifteen cuts and achieved nine top ten finishes which includes the win this past week and also his wins at the Farmers Insurance Open in February, the RBC Canadian Open in July, and his maiden Major Championship two weeks ago at the 96th PGA Championship. He will be extremely happy with his four rounds this week that were all in the mid to low 60s especially his final round 62-8 which was blemish free and the low round of the day by two shots and the equal low round of the tournament!!

 

Jason Day (Australia) plays a second shot during the final round

Jason Day (Australia) played a brilliant final round of 62-8 which was blemish free and included a front nine of 31-3 which included birdies on the par four, second hole, par four, fourth hole and par four, seventh hole and made the turn at minus fourteen and was leading by three shots. Henrik Stenson (Sweden) went out in 32-2 and made the turn at minus eleven and was three shots behind the leader. 

Jason Day (Australia) played holes ten to fourteen in three under par which included birdies on the par four, tenth hole, par four, eleventh hole and par three, fourteenth hole and he moved to minus seventeen and was still leading by three shots. Henrik Stenson (Sweden) played holes ten to fourteen in three under par which included birdies on the par four, tenth hole, par four, thirteenth hole and par four, fourteenth hole and moved to minus fourteen and was still three shots behind the leader.

Jason Day (Australia) played holes fifteen to seventeen in one under par which included birding the par four, fifteenth hole and he moved to minus eighteen and was now leading by  five shots heading to the par four, seventy second hole. Henrik Stenson (Sweden) played holes fifteen to seventeen in one over par and it included a disappointing bogey on the par five, sixteenth hole and he fell back to minus thirteen and was five shots behind the leader heading to the par four, seventy second hole.  

Henrik Stenson (Sweden) who was playing in a couple of groups ahead of the final group tried to drive the short par four, seventy second hole and landed his ball just short of the green. He chipped on and was unable to hole the putt and had to settle for his par four and finished the seventy two holes on minus thirteen to finished six shots behind the winner. 

Jason Day (Australia) now stood on the par four, seventy second hole and knew he had already won the tournament barring a disaster. But he chose to go over the trees rather than hit a short iron and layup. He hit a very good drive that flew easy over the trees and landed in the rough just short of the green. He played a very good chip shot that rolled down to within ten feet of the cup and got a loud ovation from the surrounding gallery!! Then he calmed his nerve and rolled the putt right in the centre of the cup just as he had done all week for his birdie three!! He scored an awesome back nine of 31-5 and finished the 72 holes at minus nineteen to win by an amazing six shots!! He got a huge hug and high five from his Caddie, Mentor and Coach, Colin Swatton!! Then his young son Dash came running on to the green to see his Dad and he gave him a hug and kiss while his wife, Ellie looked on!! He bent down to Dash’s height to see him and kissed him!!

 

Jason Day (Australia) pumps his fist after holing the winning putt!!

He then was interviewed by CBS Sports on course commentator, David Feherty and he said to Jason Day (Australia) “I will come down to you, yeah (because Jason Day (Australia) had bent down to the same height as his son Dash), Jason, Dash (His Son) Ellie (His, Wife) is here. I know that um this has been a realisation of a dream of yours since you have been a little boy maybe just a little older than Dash, are you the player you want to be now?” Jason replied “Ah, I am just trying to improve each and every week, but it has been a special summer for me, and it’s not over. Ah, to play the way I did over the weekend here was fantastic um you know I owe a lot of thanks to a lot of people around the world but you know today was just Amazing display of golf. Good to have this Guy here (Dash his son) and my Wife, Ellie”.  Then David said “You know this is our last golf show of the year from CBS Sports so from all of us thank you and from everyone who has watched Thank you for the show”.  Then Jason replied “Thanks mate, I appreciate what CBS has done for us on the PGA Tour and ah I am just excited right and now and I am ecstatic, I got off to a good start in the playoffs and I am looking forward to next week”. Then David said to Jason “Congratulations” and Jason replied “Thanks Mate, Cheers”. 

 

Dash Day (Who is Jason Day's (Australia) son) rakes the bunker after his Father won!!

Jason Day (Australia) made one eagle and twenty one birdies this week against four bogeys which was similar to how he played two weeks ago when he won his Maiden Major Championship at the 96th PGA Championship. In his last four starts on the USPGA Tour he has won three times including his last two!! Jason Day (Australia) (born 12 November 1987) is an Australian professional golfer and USPGA Tour member. He won his first major tournament at the 2015 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits, scoring a record 20 strokes under par. Jason Day (Australia) first broke into the world's top ten in June 2011, rising to world number nine after his runner-up finish at the U.S. Open Championship. In February 2014, Jason Day (Australia) won his first WGC title, the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship. Jason Day (Australia) would go on to win his first major at the 2015 PGA Championship and rise to number three in the world rankings. Jason Day (Australia) was born in Beaudesert, Queensland. His father, Alvin, was an Irish Australian and his mother Dening was born in the Philippines and moved to Australia in the early 1980s. He has two siblings, Yanna and Kim. His father took him to Beaudesert Golf Club and enrolled him as a junior member just past his sixth birthday. He was allowed to play six holes a day as a junior. At the age of eight his family moved to Rockhampton and during this period he began to win events in the surrounding districts. Alvin Day died of stomach cancer when Jason was twelve. Jason Day's (Australia) mother sent him to school at Kooralbyn, a 30-minute drive south of Beaudesert. Kooralbyn International School had a golf course attached. Later he went to Hills International College where they have a Golf Academy at the behest of his coach, Col Swatton, who had moved there when Kooralbyn school closed down. Jason Day (Australia) borrowed a book about Tiger Woods (USA) from his roommate and it inspired him to improve his golf by practising in the early morning, at lunch-time and in the evening. He used the book's reports of Woods' scores as his benchmark for improvement and as a reachable standard. His first big win was at the age of 13 in a 2000 Australian Masters junior event on the Gold Coast where he won with scores of 87, 78, 76 and 76.

 

Jason Day (Australia) walks off the seventy second green a Champion and high fives some of the Gallery!!

As an amateur, Jason Day (Australia) was twice awarded the Australian Junior Order of Merit. He finished seventh and was the leading amateur at the Queensland Open. Jason Day (Australia) won the Australian Boys' Amateur in 2004. His amateur success extended to the United States where he won the Boys 15–17 division at the 2004 Callaway World Junior Championship and was runner-up in the 2005 Porter Cup. He was a member of the Golf Australia National Squad. His Amateur wins include: 2003 Adina Watches Junior Tournament, 2004 Queensland Amateur, Australian Boys' Amateur, New Zealand Under 19 Championship, Callaway World Junior Championship (Boys 15–17), Adina Watches Junior Tournament, 2006 Australian Amateur Stroke Play, Master of the Amateurs and the Queensland Amateur. 

Jason Day (Australia) turned professional in July 2006 after winning the Green Jacket at the NEC Master of the Amateurs, signing with TaylorMade and Adidas and immediately began playing USPGA Tour events, principally through sponsors' exemptions. He made the cut in five of his first six USPGA Tour events as a pro with a best finish of eleventh at the Reno-Tahoe Open and with official winnings of over US $160,000. He entered USPGA Tour qualifying, or Q-School. Placed in the second of three rounds, he tied for first in his section of the second round, advancing to the Q-School finals. However, in the six-round finals he played poorly, shooting fifteen shots higher than the score needed to qualify. Accordingly, he failed to earn his 2007 USPGA Tour card but earned conditional status on the Nationwide Tour for 2007. Jason Day (Australia) won his first Nationwide Tour event in July 2007 at the Legend Financial Group Classic, becoming the youngest man to win on any of the USPGA Tour's three tours. The win jumped him to eighth on the Nationwide Tour's money list. He ended up finishing fifth on the money list to earn his USPGA Tour card for 2008. He had a mediocre season, but had conditional status for 2009. A second-place finish at the Puerto Rico Open helped Jason Day (Australia) retain his card for 2010 and he finished 69th in the money list.

In May 2010, he became the youngest Australian to win a USPGA Tour event, winning the HP Byron Nelson Championship. Jason Day (Australia) gained entry into his first ever major championship at the 2010 Open Championship after Greg Norman withdrew.  Jason Day (Australia) went on to make the cut and finished in a tie for sixtieth place. In August 2010, Jason Day (Australia) made his first appearance at the PGA Championship where a 66 on Saturday helped him to finish seven-under-par for the tournament and earn his first top-10 in a major. This run of form continued during the FedEx Cup playoff season where Jason Day (Australia) enjoyed top-five finishes at the first two playoff events to qualify for the season ending Tour Championship. He would go on to finish tied for seventeenth at East Lake Golf Club and ended the 2010 season ranked twenty first on the USPGA Tour money list. At the 2011 Masters Tournament, Jason Day (Australia) birdied the last two holes, but came up two strokes short of eventual winner Charl Schwartzel (RSA). Jason Day (Australia) tied for second with Adam Scott (Australia) and at minus twelve set the Masters record for the lowest score by a first time participant. This was Jason Day's (Australia) best performance in a major championship and throughout the final round Jason Day (Australia) was tied for the lead on a number of occasions before eventually finishing in a tie for second after Charl Schwartzel (RSA) made four consecutive birdies to win the tournament.  

In June 2011, Jason Day (Australia) participated at Congressional for the 2011 U.S. Open, his maiden appearance in a U.S Open Championship. Following his successful run at the Masters Tournament, Jason Day (Australia) achieved consecutive second-place finishes in the majors, this time finishing alone in second, some eight strokes behind runaway leader Rory McIlroy (NIR). He shot the equal lowest round of the week on Saturday, a 65, to jump up the leader board into a tie for third after round three. On Sunday, although he did not challenge for the lead, he was the best of the rest of the field as the Open was dominated by wire-to-wire winner Rory McIlroy (NIR). As a result of his major performances, Jason Day (Australia) moved into the Official World Golf Ranking top-10 for the first time in his career at ninth. Despite not winning a tournament during 2011, Jason Day (Australia) ended the season ranked ninth on the USPGA Tour money list. Jason Day (Australia) contended in a major once again at the 2013 Masters Tournament when he shot rounds of 70 and 68 to take a one shot lead over Fred Couples (USA) going to the weekend. In the third round, Jason Day (Australia) was tied for the lead through 16 holes but bogeyed the last two holes to shoot a 73 and finish two shots behind Brandt Snedeker (USA) and Ángel Cabrera (Argentina). During the final round, Jason Day (Australia) got off to a quick start by going birdie-eagle to take a one shot lead. Jason Day (Australia) would later go on to birdie 13, 14, and 15 to take a one shot lead with three holes to play. However, he bogeyed 16 and 17 and just missed a birdie putt at 18 that would have tied the lead. He shot a 70 and finished two shots back in third place behind Adam Scott (Australia), and Angel Cabrera (Argentina). Jason Day (Australia) finished as a runner-up for the third time in a major championship at the 2013 U.S. Open Championship at Merion Golf Club. He finished in a tie for second alongside Phil Mickelson (USA), two strokes behind Justin Rose (England). Jason Day (Australia) tied the lead with a birdie at the 10th but bogeys at 11, 14, and 18 would prevent him from winning his first major championship. It was the second time in his career, Jason Day (Australia) had finished as a runner-up at the 2011 U.S. Open Championship, and Jason Day (Australia) is also the only player in 2013 to hold a lead on the back nine Sunday at both majors. He also tied for the lowest cumulative score in all four majors in 2013, with fellow Aussie Adam Scott (Australia) at +2.

 

Dash Day (Jason Day's Son) on the left, Jason Day (Australia) in the middle and Ellie Day (His wife) on the right pose with the Barclays Trophy he won!!

In February 2014, Jason Day (Australia) won his first World Golf Championship event, the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, after a final in which Victor Dubuisson (France) won the last two holes to tie, then twice scrambled halves after missing greens at the extra holes before Jason Day (Australia) finally secured victory. The win lifted Jason Day (Australia) to fourth in the world rankings. In February 2015, Jason Day (Australia) won his third USPGA Tour event and his seventh title as a pro, winning the Farmers Insurance Open with a score of 279 (−9) after prevailing in a four-way playoff over Harris English (USA), J.B. Holmes (USA) and Scott Stallings (USA). He won at the second hole with a par while J.B.Holmes (USA) made bogey, after Harris English (USA) and Scott Stallings (USA) were eliminated at the first hole. The victory lifted Jason Day (Australia) back to fourth in the Official World Golf Ranking. During the second round of the 2015 U.S. Open Championship, Jason Day (Australia) collapsed on his 18th hole, the ninth hole on the course, having started the day on the tenth. He was very slow to get back up and was shaking and wobbly. It was later revealed that this was due to vertigo, a diagnosis Jason Day (Australia) had received from his doctor a month prior. However, the very next day, when he wasn't even sure if he would play, Jason Day (Australia) ended the third round tied for the lead. He would finish the tournament tied for ninth. At the 2015 Open Championship at St Andrews, Jason Day (Australia) entered the final round as one of the 54-hole co-leaders and shot a bogey free 70 to finish at 14-under-par and one stroke outside of the playoff. He had a putt on the 72nd hole for birdie to join the playoff but could not convert. However the tie for fourth represented Jason Day's (Australia) best finish at the Open Championship to date and was the sixth time he had finished in the top five of a major without yet winning one. The following week at the RBC Canadian Open in Oakville, Canada, Jason Day (Australia) outlasted Bubba Watson (USA) and hometown favourite David Hearn (Canada) to win the tournament, his second tour victory of the season and fourth overall. He made birdies on the last three holes in the final round to take a one stroke victory. At the next major championship, and the final one of the season, the 2015 PGA Championship, Jason Day (Australia) went on to play a five-under-par final round and prevent Jordan Spieth (USA) from winning a third major championship that season. Jason Day (USA) is the first player to finish at 20-under-par in a major. And as I mentioned above he won this past week for his sixth USPGA Tour Event of his career to date so far and he are all six from his first to the most recent: 2010 HP Byron Nelson Championship; 2014 WGC – Accenture Match Play Championship; 2015 Farmers Insurance; 2015 RBC Canadian Open; 2015 PGA Championship (Maiden Major Championship) and 2015 The Barclays. He has also achieved ten top ten finishes in Major Championships to date so far with his best finish winning the 2015 PGA Championship. He has also achieved four top ten finishes in WGC – Events with his best finish to date so far winning the 2014 Cadillac Match Play Championship. He has also played in the 2011 and 2013 Presidents Cup representing Team International against Team USA and also won the 2013 World Cup for Australia with Adam Scott (Australia). Jason Day (Australia) married Ellie Harvey, born in Lucas, Ohio, in 2009. The couple live in Westerville, Ohio. The couple has one son, Dash, born in 2012. The couple are expecting their second child in October 2015. In November 2013, eight of Jason Day's (Australia) relatives in the Philippines, including his grandmother, died during Typhoon Haiyan. Let’s hope Jason Day (Australia) can have more wins in the weeks ahead and maybe even win the 2014/15 FedEx Cup and with this win at the Barclays this past week he is now on top of the FedEx Cup Playoffs Points list standings with three events remaining!! And with a win at the Deutsche Bank Championship next week and Jordan Spieth (USA) finishing fourth or worse and Rory McILroy (NIR) finishing tied second of worse he would overtake Rory McILroy (NIR) as World Number One for the first time in his career!! And later this year he will hopefully lead Team International to their first win in the Presidents Cup over Team USA since 1998 when the 2015 event is played in South Korea in early October. I wish Jason Day (Australia) every continuing success for the remaining 2015 part of the 2014/15 UPGA Tour season and final three FedEx Cup Playoff Series events. 

Coming in solo second position at 267-13 after 72 holes was Henrik Stenson (Sweden); he earned US $891,000 for his efforts and moved to twenty first position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $3,039,070 earned from the thirteen events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 1200 FedEx Cup Playoff Points for his efforts and moved to fourth position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Playoff Points list standings with 2,152 points earned from the thirteen events he has played to date this season so far. From the thirteen events he has played to date this season so far he has made every cut and has achieved five 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 and final rounds that were both 66-4s!! And I feel he will be happy with this finish because no matter what he did Jason Day (Australia) was just far too good for the field this week. He could be a dark horse to win the 2015 FedEx Cup having won it before in 2013!! And he has been one of the most consistent players on the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season to date so far having not missed a cut in the thirteen events he has played in to date so far. Henrik Stenson (Sweden) (born 5 April 1976) is a Swedish professional golfer who plays both on the USPGA and European Tours. He has spent over 100 weeks ranked in the World top ten and his career high ranking of second is the best by any Swedish golfer. In July 2013, Henrik Stenson (Sweden) finished runner-up at the 2013 Open Championship. That year he also moved up to third in the Official World Golf Ranking, and he won the USPGA Tour's FedEx Cup and the European Tour's Race to Dubai, thus becoming the first player to win both, and to do so in the same season, a "historic double". Henrik Stenson (Sweden) described his feat as a "double-double" because in the process of winning these two seasonal points crowns, he also won the season finales of both tours.  Henrik Stenson (Sweden) married fellow Swede Emma Löfgren in Dubai ten years after meeting her at the University of South Carolina. In July 2007, his wife gave birth to the couple's first child, a daughter named Lisa. In 2010, the couple had their second child, a son named Karl. They live in Lake Nona Golf & Country Club in Orlando, Florida. In 2014, Henrik Stenson (Sweden) announced that he had invested in PGA Sweden National, his first venture in golf course ownership. He has won four events to date on the USPGA Tour so far and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2007 WGC – Accenture Match Play Championship, 2009 The PLAYERS Championship; 2013 Deutsche Bank Championship and 2013 Tour Championship. He has also won nine events on the European Tour with the most recent being the 2014 DP World Tour Championship, Dubai. He has also achieved nine top ten finishes in Major Championships to date so far with his best finish coming at the 2013 Open Championship and I feel he will become the first Swedish Golfer to win a Major Championship in the next few years!! He is has achieved six top ten finishes in WGC – Events which includes his maiden win at the 2007 Cadillac Match Play Championship. Let’s hope he can keep this form up for the final three FedEx Cup Playoff Events in the next four weeks!! I wish him all the best for the remaining events in the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup Playoff Series. 

Coming in solo third position at 269-11 after 72 holes was Bubba Watson (USA); he won US $561,000 for his efforts and remained in third position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $6,313,185 earned from the sixteen events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 760 FedEx Cup Playoffs Points for his efforts and remained in third position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Playoffs Points list standings with 3,167 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 fourteen cuts and achieved eight top ten finishes which includes the one this week and his win at the WGC – HSBC Champions in November and the Travelers Championship in June. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially his 65-5 in the first round that saw him tied for the lead!! But he will be disappointed with his front nine 36+2 in the final round that cost him his chance of winning!! But he must be one of the favourites to take out the 2015 FedEx Cup with three events remaining? And with his long hitting he would be one of the favourites to win the Deutsche Bank Championship next week. Bubba Watson (USA) has won eight USPGA Tour events in his career to date so far and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2010 Travelers Championship; 2011 Farmers Insurance Open; 2011 Zurich Classic of New Orleans; 2012 Masters Tournament (Maiden Major Championship); 2014 Northern Trust Open; 2014 Masters Tournament (Second Major Championship), 2014 WGC – HSBC Champions and the 2015 Travelers Championship. Gerry Lester "Bubba" Watson, Jr. (USA) (born November 5, 1978) is an American professional golfer who plays on the USPGA Tour. One of the few left-handed golfers on tour, he is a multiple major champion, having won the Masters Tournament in 2012 and 2014. In February 2015, Bubba Watson (USA) reached a career-high second place in the Official World Golf Ranking. Bubba Watson (USA) is among the longest drivers on the USPGA Tour; in 2007 he had an average drive of 315.2 yards (288.2 m) and can hit a ball over 350 yards (320 m), capable of generating a ball speed up to 194 mph (312 km/h).  Bubba Watson has also achieved four top ten finishes in Major Championships which include his two wins at the 2012 and 2014 Masters Tournament. He has also achieved eight top ten finishes in WGC – Events which includes his win at the 2014 WGC – HSBC Champions. He has also played on the last three U.S. Ryder Cup Teams in 2010, 2012 and 2014 and the 2011 winning U.S. Presidents Cup Team. Let’s hope he can continue this form on for the rest of the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season and the FedEx Cup Playoff Series in the last three events. 

Rounding out the top for five in tied for fourth position at 270-10 after 54 holes was Zac Blair (USA); he earned US $363,000 for his efforts and moved to seventy seventh position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,207,936 earned from the thirty two events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 490 FedEx Cup Playoffs Points for his efforts and moved to forty fifth position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Playoff Points list standings with 1,028 points earned from the thirty two events he has played to date this season so far. From the thirty two events he has played to date this season so far he has made eighteen cuts and achieved two top ten finishes which includes the one this week. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially his final round 66-4!! And he was the biggest mover this week in the FedEx Cup Playoff Series moving up sixty one places from 106th position to forty fifth and played his way into the second FedEx Cup Playoff Series event at Deutsche Bank Championship next week and properly the third FedEx Cup Playoff Series event at the BMW Championship in three weeks time and if he plays well in the next few two events he could even make it to the final playoff event at the TOUR Championship by Coca – Cola!! Zac Blair (USA) (born August 20, 1990) is an American professional golfer who plays on the USPGA Tour. Zac Blair (USA) was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. He was on the Brigham Young University's golf team from 2009 to 2013. He was an All-American in 2012 and won four college events. His father, James, played golf at Brigham Young University from 1974 to 1977. Zac Blair (USA) also won the 2011 Pacific Northwest Amateur. Zac Blair (USA) competed in the 2013 Web.com Tour Qualifying School as an amateur, reaching Final Stage and earning limited status on the Web.com Tour. After turning professional, Zac Blair (USA) began playing on the USPGA Tour Latinoamérica in March 2014. He played in seven events, making the cut six times and finishing in the top-10 three times. He played eight events on the Web.com Tour, making seven cuts including a tied for second finish at the Price Cutter Charity Championship and qualifying for the Web.com Tour Finals. After missing the cut in the first three events, he finished second at the Web.com Tour Championship and earned his USPGA Tour card for the 2014–15 season. On the USPGA Tour, his best finish was this week at the Barclays which was tied for fourth and next best is a tied for sixth position at the 2015 Sony Open in Hawaii. He has played in one major, the 2014 U.S. Open, where he placed tied for fortieth position. Let’s hope he can keep this form up for the remaining 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season and FedEx Cup Playoffs Series events. I wish him all the best for the remaining 2015 part of the 2015 USPGA Tour season and FedEx Cup Playoff Series events.

The final player to tie for fourth position was Zach Johnson (USA); he also earned US $363,000 for his efforts and moved to seventh position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $4,314,187 earned from the twenty two events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 490 FedEx Cup Playoffs Points for his efforts and moved to fifth position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Playoffs Series Points list standings with 2,049 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 nine top ten finishes which includes the one this week and his win at the 144th Open Championship in July. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially his 65-5 in the second round which was blemish free!! But will be slightly disappointed with his final round 69-1 which he only scored 34 even par on the front nine after starting off with two bogeys. But he has moved himself into great position to challenge for the 2015 FedEx Cup with three FedEx Cup Playoff Series events remaining. And it wouldn’t surprise me at all if he is the one holding the FedEx Cup aloft after all is said and done. Zachary Harris Johnson (USA) (born February 24, 1976) is an American professional golfer who has twelve victories on the USPGA Tour, including two major championships, the 2007 Masters and the 2015 Open Championship. He has won twelve events to date so far on the USPGA Tour and here they are 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 in Major Championships which includes the two wins I mentioned. He has also achieved seven top ten finishes in WGC – Events with his best finish being solo third at the 2006 Cadillac Match Play Championship. He has also represented Team USA in the 2007, 2009 and 2013 Presidents Cup which Team USA won all of them and he has also played on the 2006, 2010, 2012 and 2014 USA Ryder Cup Teams. Let’s hope he can continue this form throughout the FedEx Cup Playoff Series and I wish him every continuing success for the remaining 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour Season and FedEx Cup Playoff Series. 

The only New Zealand golfer in the field was Danny Lee (NZL) who scored rounds of 66-4  in the first round which was excellent round and was blemish free and saw him only one shot back of the leaders and it included a very good front nine of 32-2 with birdies on the par four, second hole and par four, seventh hole then he scored a very good back nine of  34-2 which included birdies on the par five, twelfth hole, par four, eighteenth hole. Then he scored a poor second round of 71+1 and it included a poor front nine of 35+1 which included a lone birdie on the par three, third hole but had a poor bogeys on the par four, fourth hole and par four, fifth hole and then he scored an average back nine of 36 even par with birdies coming on the par five, twelfth hole and par five, sixteenth hole and poor bogeys coming on the par three, fourteenth hole and par four, seventeenth hole and a poor third round of 71+1 which included a poor front nine of 35+1 with his lone birdie coming on the par four, seventh hole but he had poor bogeys on the par three, third hole and par four, ninth hole then he scored an average back nine of 36 even par with birdies on the par four, tenth hole and par five, sixteenth hole and poor bogeys coming on the par four, thirteenth hole and par four, eighteenth hole and an average final round of 70 even par which included a poor front nine of 35+1 with his lone poor bogey coming on the par four, fourth hole then he played a good back nine of 35-1 which included birdies on the par three, eleventh hole and par four, fifteenth hole but he had a poor bogey on the par four, eighteenth hole for a 72 hole total of 278-2 and he finished in tied for thirtieth position. Danny Lee (NZL) earned US $46,933.33 for his efforts and moved to sixteenth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $3,280,330 earned from the thirty three events he has played to date this season so far (And it is the first time in his USPGA Tour career he has surpassed the US $3,000,000 mark in single season earnings!!). Danny Lee (NZL) also earned 148 FedEx Cup points for his efforts and remained in tenth position on the current FedEx Cup Points standings list with 1,709 points earned from the thirty three events he has played to date this season so far. From the thirty three events Danny Lee (NZL) has played to date this season so far he has made twenty one cuts and withdrawn from one event and achieved seven top ten finishes which includes the one three weeks at the WGC – Bridgestone Invitational and the one four weeks ago at the Quicken Loans National and mid July at the John Deere Classic and his maiden win in early July at the Greenbrier Classic and in May at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial and the one in mid March at the Valspar Championship and also his tied for third finish at the OHL Classic at Mayakoba in mid November last year. He will be happy with his first his first round 66-4!! But he will be disappointed with his second round, third and final rounds that were all in the low 70s!! And it prevented him from achieving another top ten finishes!! But over the past eight weeks he has moved his golf career up a huge notch and I look for him to keep on improving 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 and he has a very busy time in the next few weeks with the final three FedEx Cup Playoff events and he must be a dark horse to win the FedEx Cup now!! And he looks a certainty for selection in the 2015 International Presidents Cup Team that will play against Team USA for the Presidents Cup in South Korea in October whether he will make it automatically or get a captain pick selection. 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 so far and now he has got his maiden USPGA Tour victory at the Greenbrier Classic in July. 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 fifty third (which is a career high) and he now gets guaranteed starts in the next Major Championship (which is the 80th Masters Tournament in April 2016) and if he can reach the top fifty at the end of 2015 on the Official World Golf Rankings he will be exempt for the other three Major Championships in 2016 as well. He will also represent New Zealand at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2016 on his current form. He is also 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 80th Masters Tournament in April next year?). 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 and the remaining three FedEx Cup Playoff Series events. 

The most fortunate player this week was Jason Kokrak (USA) and he was 100th on the 2014/15 FedEx Cup Playoffs Series Points list standings after the Barclays which was the first event in the FedEx Cup Playoff Series with 614 points earned from the twenty seven events he has played in to date so far this season and he will advance to Deutsche Bank Championship next week which is the second event in the FedEx Cup Playoff Series and he was one point ahead of Nick Taylor (Canada) who was the least fortunate player this week who finished in 101st position on the FedEx Cup Playoffs Points list standings after the Barclays with 613 points earned from the twenty eight events he played in this season and his 2014/15 FedEx Cup Playoffs Series season is now over!! But his 2015/16 USPGA Tour card is secure. 

Next week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup Playoff Series heads to the State of Massachusetts for the second event of four in the 2014/15 FedEx Cup Playoff Series and is Deutsche Bank Championship and it is played on the TPC Boston, Norton, Massachusetts and only the top 100 players on the FedEx Cup Playoff Series Points list standings after the first playoff event which was the Barclays are eligible to compete. It carries a huge prize purse of US $8,250,000 for the taking. Chris Kirk (USA) is the defending champion and will be keen to defend his title. Danny Lee (NZL) is the only New Zealand golfer in the field and will also be keen to have another top ten finish and increase his chances of winning the FedEx Cup!! Also many of the top players in the world will be playing as well including Jordan Spieth (USA), Jason Day (Australia) and Rory McILroy (NIR) to name a few. It starts on Friday 4th September because it finishes on Labour Day Monday which is a holiday in America. I will report back who won the trophy next week. 

So to the Top 5 on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list standings this week and coming in at Number One Position for another spell and the 94th week of his career in total is Rory McILroy (NIR) fresh off his solo seventeenth position at the 97th PGA Championship two weeks ago and his tied for ninth position at the 115th U.S. Open Championship ten weeks ago with 12.36 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Two is Jordan Spieth (USA) who is fresh off his missed cut at the Barclays this past week and also his solo second position at the 97th PGA Championship two weeks ago with 12.22 Official World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Three is Jason Day (Australia) who is fresh off his win this past week at the Barclays and his maiden Major Championship win two weeks ago at the 97th PGA Championship with 10.99 Official World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Four is Bubba Watson (USA) who is fresh off his solo third position this past week at the Barclays and also his tied for twenty first position at the 97th PGA Championship two weeks ago with 8.84 Official World Ranking Points and rounding out the top five on the Official World Ranking Points list standings this week is Justin Rose (England) who is fresh off his tied for sixteenth position at the Barclays this past week and also solo fourth position two weeks ago at the 97th PGA Championship with 7.22 Official World Ranking Points. Danny Lee (NZL) this week is in his twentieth fourth week of another spell of being the highest ranked New Zealand Golfer in the world after his tied for thirtieth position at the Barclays this past week. This week he gains one place and rises to fifty third position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list standings with 2.43 Official Golf World Ranking Points. 

Remember if your grips are worn get them replaced!!

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