Golf Events from the Weekend 13th December 2015

Well in was another awesome weekend on the Major Professional golf tours around the world and this week it was the finale event on the 2015 Ladies European Tour season and the tour travelled to Dubai for Omega Dubai Ladies Masters and it was played on the Emirates Golf Club, U.A.E. It carried a large prize purse of EP € 500,000 for the taking which was one of the largest of the season. Shanshan Feng (China) was the defending champion and was keen to defend her title having already wrapped up the money title for 2015. Cathryn Bristow (NZL) was the only New Zealand golfer in the field. And it was the golfer by the name of Shanshan Feng (China) who scored rounds of 67-5, 67-5, 67-5 and a final round of 66-6 for a seventy two hole total of 267-21 to win by an amazing twelve shots to defend her title she won in 2014 and she has won this tournament three of the last four years with the other win coming in 2012 also it was her fifth Ladies European Tour win of her career to date so far (And she was the only golfer in the field to score all four rounds in the 60s). She earned € 75,000.00 for the win and won the 2015 Ladies European Tour Order of Merit with € 399,213.41 earned from the six events she played in. Melissa Reid (England) was second on that list with € 249,150.57 earned from the fourteen events she played in. Shanshan Feng (China) will be over the moon with her four rounds this week that were all in the mid 60s (And she was the only golfer in the field to score all four rounds in the 60s) especially her final round of 66-6 that was blemish free!! She displayed why she is currently ranked world number six on the Official Ladies World Golf Rankings.

Shanshan Feng (China) played a great final under the circumstances of carrying a huge fifty four hole lead into the final round. She scored 66-6 which included a front nine of 32-3 which included birdies on the par four, second hole, par five, third hole and par four, fifth hole and made turn at minus eighteen and was leading by eight shots. Thidapa Suwannapura (Thailand) went out in 35 even par and made the turn at minus ten and was eight shots behind the leader. Melissa Reid (England) went out in 36+1 and made the turn at minus four and was fourteen shots behind the leader. 

Shanshan Feng (China) played holes ten to fourteen in two under par which included birding the par five, thirteenth hole and par four, fourteenth hole and she moved to minus twenty and was now leading by ten shots. Thidapa Suwannapura (Thailand) played holes ten to fourteen in even par which included a birdie on the par four, fourteenth hole and a bogey on the par four, twelfth hole and remained at minus ten and was now ten shots behind the leader. Melissa Reid (England) played holes ten to fourteen in two under par which included birdies on the par five, tenth hole and par five, thirteenth hole and move to minus six and was still fourteen shots behind the leader. 

 

Shanshan Feng (China) tees off on the sixteenth tee

Shanshan Feng (China) played holes fifteen to seventeen in even par which included making three straight pars and she remained at minus twenty heading to the par five, seventy second hole and was now leading by eleven shots. Thidapa Suwannapura (Thailand) played holes fifteen to seventeen in one over par which included a bogey on the par four, seventeenth hole and she fell back to minus nine and was now eleven shots behind the leader heading to the par five, seventy second hole. Melissa Reid (England) played holes fifteen to seventeen in two under par and it included birdies on the par three, fifteenth hole and par four, seventeenth hole and she moved to minus eight and was now only twelve shots behind the leader heading to the par five, seventy second hole. 

Melissa Reid (England) who was playing a couple of groups ahead of the final group made a solid par at the par five, seventy second hole and finished the seventy two holes at minus eight to finish thirteen shots behind the winner. Thidapa Suwannapura (Thailand) who was playing in the final group with Shanshan Feng (China) made a solid par on the par five, seventy second hole and finished the seventy two holes at minus nine and finished twelve shots behind the winner. Shanshan Feng (China) stood on the par five, seventy second tee with a huge eleven shot lead and she made a brilliant birdie to cap off her amazing week and she scored 34-3 on her back nine and finished the seventy two holes at minus twenty one to win by a whooping twelve shots!! She got a huge hug from her caddie and a standing ovation from the surrounding gallery!! Then she was presented the trophy by Ladies European Tour Official!! 

 

Shanshan Feng (China) acknowledges the gallery after holing the winning putt!!

Shanshan Feng (China) then said “She was delighted to win this tournament for a third time and the Ladies European Tour Order of Merit for 2015!!” She also said “I will be back to try for a third title next year for sure”. Shanshan Feng (China) (Chinese: 冯珊珊; pinyin: Féng Shān Shān; born 5 August 1989) is a Chinese professional golfer who plays on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour. She is the first player from China to become a member of the LPGA Tour, which she joined in 2008. Shanshan Feng (China) has four victories on the tour, including the 2010 LPGA Championship, a Major title, in which she shot a bogey-free 67 in the final round to win by two strokes. She is the first player from China to win an LPGA Major Championship, as well as the first player from mainland China (male or female) to win a major championship. Her best finish in sixteen previous majors was a tie for twenty second at the 2012 Kraft Nabisco Championship. With the victory, she moved from tenth to fifth in the Women’s World Golf Rankings. 

 

Shanshan Feng (China) poses with the cheque she won for winning the 2015 Order of Merit!!

Shanshan Feng (China) was born in Guangzhou and started playing golf at age ten at the urging of her father, who worked at the golf association in their hometown. While still an amateur, Shanshan Feng (China) tied for ninth at the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament in December 2007 to earn a spot on the LPGA Tour in 2008. She has won fifteen tournaments in her career to date so far including four on the LPGA Tour and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2012 Wegmans LPGA Championship; 2013 Reignwood LPGA Classic; 2013 CME Group Titleholders and the 2014 Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia. She has also won five times on the LPGA Japan Golf Tour to date so far and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2011 Meiji Cup; 2011 Miyagi TV Cup Dunlop Ladies Open; 2012 Yonex Ladies; 2012 Meiji Cup and 2012 Japan Women’s Open Golf Championship. She also has won five times to date so far on the Ladies European Tour and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2012 World Ladies Championship (Individual Event); 2012 Omega Dubai Ladies Masters; 2014 Omega Dubai Ladies Masters; 2014 Buick Invitational and 2015 Omega Dubai Ladies Masters as I mentioned above. She also won the 2012 World Ladies Championship (team event with Liying Ye (China)). She has also achieved ten top ten finishes in Major Championships in her career to date so far with her best winning the 2012 Wegmans LPGA Championship (Maiden Major Championship). She has been in the top ten in the Women’s World Golf Rankings since 2012. Let’s hope she can continue this form in the 2016 LPGA Tour season when it recommences in January and perhaps win her second Major Championship? I wish her all the best for the 2016 season.  

 

Shanshan Feng (China) holds a loft the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters Trophy she won!!

Coming in solo second position at 279-9 after seventy two holes was Thidapa Suwannapura (Thailand); she earned € 45,000.00 for her efforts and finished in eighteenth position on the final 2015 Ladies European Tour Order of Merit with € 85,322.48 earned from six events she played in this season. She will be happy with her first and third rounds that were both in the 60s especially her 65-7 in the third round!! But she will be mad with her second and final rounds that were both in the low 70s. Thidapa Suwannapura (Thailand) (born 20 November 1992) is a Thai female professional golfer. A Ramkhamhaeng University graduate, she qualified for the Honda LPGA Thailand as an amateur in 2006, 2008 and 2010. She was the winner of the 2008 Hong Kong Ladies Amateur, the 2009 Srixon Junior International by Jack Newton, in Australia, and also won the 2010 Malaysia Amateur Open, the 2010 Honda Junior Masters, and the 2010 Riverwoods Junior Championship, in the Netherlands. She turned professional in 2011. Thidapa Suwannapura (Thailand) finished eighth at the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open in the 2013 season and won the Hero Women’s Indian Open in November 2013 by three strokes, winning US $45,000. On the 2013 LPGA Tour she made 14 cuts out of 21 events. I wish her all the best for the 2016 season.  

Coming in solo third position at 280-8 after seventy two holes was Melissa Reid (England); she earned € 30,000.00 for her efforts and finished in second position on the final 2015 Ladies European Tour Order of Merit with € 249,150.57 earned from the fourteen events she played in. She will be happy with her second, third and final rounds that were all under par especially her second round 66-6!! But she will be angry with her first round 75+3 that put her too far behind the eight ball to be a serious threat to win. Melissa Rose Reid (England) (born 19 September 1987) is an English professional golfer who plays on the Ladies European Tour. Melissa Reid (England) was born in Derby, England. As an amateur she won several events including the 2004 and 2005 English Girls' Championship, the 2006 and 2007 Helen Holm Trophy, the 2007 St Rule Trophy, and the 2007 British Amateur Strokeplay Championship. She played on the Great Britain and Ireland team in the 2006 Curtis Cup. Melissa Reid (England) was the low amateur at the 2007 Women’s British Open with a tied for sixteenth finish. Melissa Reid (England) failed to earn her card at the 2007 LET Qualifying School in Italy but turned professional in late 2007 and began playing on the Ladies European Tour in 2008 on sponsor invitations. A third-place finish at the Australian Open in early February allowed her to stay in the top twenty on the money list and gain entrance into LET events for the rest of the season. She placed twelfth on the money list in 2008 and was named LET Rookie of the Year. Melissa Reid's (England) first LET victory came in 2010 at the Turkish Airlines Ladies Open. She followed that up with two wins in 2011 and was a member of the 2011 Solheim Cup team, securing a spot on the European team as the leader in the LET rankings. In May 2012 Melissa Reid's (England) mother, Joy, was killed in an automobile crash near Munich while travelling to see her daughter compete in a Ladies European Tour event. Melissa Reid (England) quickly returned to golf but her performance declined rapidly in the ensuing years. In September 2015, Melissa Reid (England) told ESPN that her life "was a mess ... I wasn't coping, I was rebelling. I was spending time with people who partied. I was hitting the self-destruct button. I was with a lot of people, but I was lonely." She has won five events in her career to date so far and they have all come of the Ladies European Tour with her most recent being the 2015 Turkish Airlines Ladies Open. She has achieved one top ten finish in Major Championships to date so far that came at the 2015 Women’s British Open where she tied for ninth position. She has also represented Team Europe in the 2011 and 2015 Solheim Cups against Team USA which Team USA won in dramatic fashion in 2015!! I wish her all the best for the 2016 Ladies European Tour season.

Coming in tied for fourth position at 281-7 after seventy two holes was Pornanong Phatlum (Thailand); she earned € 18,666.67 for her efforts but because she isn’t a current member of the 2015 Ladies European Tour she doesn’t get a final 2015 Ladies European Tour Order of Merit ranking. She will be happy with her second and final rounds that were both in the 60s especially her 68-4 in the second round!! But will be just content with her first and third rounds that were both in the low 70s. Pornanong Phatlum (Thailand) (born 4 December 1989) is a Thai female professional golfer playing on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour. She has won nine Ladies Asian Golf Tour wins to date so far and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2006 Hong Kong Ladies Masters (As an Amateur); 2008 Thailand Asian Open; 2008 DLF Women’s Indian Open; 2009 DLF Women’s Indian Open; 2011 Hitachi Ladies Classic; 2012 Hero Women’s Indian Open; 2013 Hitachi Ladies Classic; 2014 Hitachi Ladies Classic and 2015 Hitachi Ladies Classic. She has also won two Ladies European Tour events to date so far and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2012 Hero Women’s Indian Open and 2013 Omega Dubai Ladies Masters. She also won the 2012 HSBC Brazil Cup (unofficial LPGA Tour event). She has achieved one top ten finish to date so far in Major Championships and that came at the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open Championship where she tied for seventh position. I wish all the best for the 2016 LPGA Tour season.

Also tied for fourth position was Jade Schaeffer (France); she too earned € 18,666.67 for her efforts and finished in thirty eighth position on the final 2015 Ladies European Tour Order of Merit with € 42,260.75 earned from the twelve events she played in this season. She will be happy with her four rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially her 69-3 in the first round!! Jade Schaeffer (France) (Born, 1st July 1986) is a French golf professional. She lives in Paris. Jade Schaeffer (France) turn professional in November 2006 and plays on the Ladies European Tour. She has won two events on the Ladies European Tour with her first coming at the 2009 Hypovereins Bank Ladies German Open and the second came at the 2011 Prague Golf Masters. Let’s hope she can continue on this good form in the 2016 Ladies European Tour season. 

Also tied for fourth position was Caroline Masson (Germany); she too earned € 18,666.67 for her efforts but because she isn’t a current member of the 2015 Ladies European Tour she doesn’t get a final 2015 Ladies European Tour Order of Merit ranking. She will be happy with her first, third and final rounds that were all under par especially her 67-5 in the third round!! But she will be angry with her 75+3 in the second round. Caroline Masson (Germany) (born 14 May 1989) is a German professional golfer, currently playing on the Ladies European Tour (LET). Born and raised in Gladbeck in North Rhine – Westphalia, Caroline Masson (Germany) had a decorated amateur golf career. She competed for Germany in the 2006 Espirito Santo Trophy (World Amateur Team Championship) and won the German Stroke Play Championship. She also represented Europe in the 2005 and 2007 Junior Solhiem Cup. In 2008, she advanced to match play at the British Ladies Amateur, won the German Match Play Championship and the German Ladies International and was selected to represent Germany at the 2008 Espirito Santo Trophy. After graduating from secondary school in Gladbeck in 2008, Caroline Masson (Germany) accepted a golf scholarship to Oklahoma State University and played one year for the Cowgirls in 2008-2009 before turning pro in December 2009. In late 2009, Caroline Masson (Germany) entered the four-round LET Final Qualifying School as an amateur at La Manga, Spain. After earning medalist honors on 21 December, she turned professional immediately and joined the LET on 1 January 2010. Caroline Masson (Germany) made 14 of 16 cuts on the LET in 2010, but missed the cut by ten strokes in her first Major Championship, the 2010 Women’s British Open at Royal Birkdale. In her second major, the 2011 Women’s British Open at Carnoustie, she led after the second and third rounds. Paired with defending and eventual champion Yani Tseng (Taiwan) in the final round, Caroline Masson (Germany) carded a 78 (+6) to finish tied for fifth, seven shots back. Caroline Masson (Germany) won her first LET event at the 2012 South African Women’s Open, winning by one stroke over Lee-Anne Pace (RSA) and Danielle Montgomery (RSA). Caroline Masson (Germany) finished tied for eleventh at the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament to earn her LPGA Tour card for 2013. She has achieved one top ten finish in a Major Championship to date so far which came in the 2011 Women’s British Open where she tied for fifth position. She has also played in the Solheim Cup twice in her career to date so far representing Team Europe against Team USA in 2013 and 2015 (Which Team Europe won in 2013). I wish her all the best for the 2016 season on both the LPGA Tour and Ladies European Tour. 

Rounding out the top seven in solo seventh position at 282-6 after seventy two holes was Nontaya Srisawang (Thailand); she earned € 14,000.00 for her efforts and finished in twentieth position on the final 2015 Ladies European Tour Order of Merit with € 82,630.17 earned from the seven events she played in. She will be happy with her second, third and final rounds that were all in the 60s especially her 68-4 in the final round!! But disappointed with her first round 75+3. Let’s hope she can carry this good form into the 2016 Ladies European Tour season. I wish her all the best for the 2016 Ladies European Tour season. 

The only New Zealand golfer in the field was Cathryn Bristow (NZL), who scored rounds of 74+2 and 77+5 for a 36 hole total of 151+7 and missed the cut by three shots. Her final position on the 2015 Ladies European Order of Merit was sixty ninth with € 21,166.40 earned from the fifteen events she played in this season. She will be content with her first round 74+2 but mad with her second round 77+5. She will be looking to have a better 2016 Ladies European Tour season. 

The Ladies European Tour season now takes a break till February 2016 when it starts the brand new season in Australia.  

So to the Top 5 on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list standings this week and coming in at Number One Position for the twelfth week of his career is Jordan Spieth (USA) who is fresh off  his solo fourth position at the Hero World Challenge one week ago and also his tied for second position at the Emirates Australian Open two weeks ago with 11.85 Official World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Two is Jason Day (Australia) who is fresh off being part of the 2015 Team Internationals Presidents Cup narrow loss to Team USA nine weeks ago in South Korea and also his tied for tenth position at the Tour Championship by Coca – Cola eleven weeks ago with 11.29 Official World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Three is Rory McILroy (NIR) who is fresh off his win three weeks ago at the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai and the Race to Dubai title for a third time in his career and also his tied for eleventh position at the WGC – HSBC Champions five weeks ago with 11.19 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Four is Bubba Watson (USA) who is fresh off his tied for fifteenth position at the Thailand Golf Championship this past week and also his win one week ago at the Hero World Challenge with 8.26 Official World Ranking Points and rounding out the top five on the Official World Ranking Points list standings this week is Henrik Stenson (Sweden) who is fresh off his solo second position at the Nedbank Golf Challenge one week ago and also his tied for fifty ninth position at the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai three weeks ago with 7.57 Official World Ranking Points. Danny Lee (NZL) this week is in his thirty ninth week of another spell of being the highest ranked New Zealand Golfer in the world after finishing in tied for seventh position at the Franklin Templeton Shootout this past week with his partner Retief Goosen (RSA). This week he slips two places and falls to fortieth ninth position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list standings with 2.67 Official Golf World Ranking Points.

Remember when playing in the wind you must be patient!!

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