Well it was another brilliant weekend on the Major
Professional Golf Tours from around the world and this week the European Tour
and Race to Dubai commenced its 2016 season with the season opening event and
it was in South Africa for the Alfred Dunhill Championship and was played on
the Leopard Creek CC, Malelane, South Africa. It carried a huge prize purse of €1,500,000
for the taking. Branden Grace (RSA) was the defending champion and was keen to
defend his title. And it was the Golfer by the name of Charl Schwartzel (RSA)
who scored rounds of 66-6, 67-5, 70-2 and a final round of 70-2 for a seventy
two hole total of 273-15 and he won by four shots for his tenth European Tour
International Schedule victory of his career!! He earned € 237,750 for the
win and moved to the top of the current 2016 Race to Dubai Money list standings
with 237,750 points earned from the one event he has played to date this season
so far. Gregory Bourdy (France) is second on that list with 172,500 points
earned from the one event he has played to date this season so far. From the
one event Charl Schwartzel (RSA) has played to date this season so far he has
made one cut and achieved one top ten finish which was the win this past week. He
will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all under par especially
his first round 66-6 and his second round 67-5 that really set down the
platform for this win!! And it was great to see him get a victory after his
fine showing last week at the DP WORLD TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP, DUBAI where he tied
for fourth position!!
Charl Schwartzel (RSA) played a steady final round
of 70-2 under the circumstances of carrying the 54 hole lead into the final
round. It included a poor front nine of 36+1 with his lone birdie coming on the
par four, sixth hole and he had poor bogeys on the par four, third hole and par
four, eight hole and he made the turn at minus twelve and was leading by two
shots. Gregory Bourdy (France) went out in 34-1 and made the turn at minus
eight and was four shots behind the leader. Benjamin Herbert (France) went out
in 35 even par and made the turn at minus ten and was two shots behind the
leader. Sebastien Gros (France) went out in 37+2 and made the turn at minus
eight and was four shots behind the leader.
Charl Schwartzel (RSA) played holes ten to
fourteenth in three under par and that included birdies on the par four,
eleventh hole, par five, thirteenth hole and par four, fourteenth hole and he
moved to minus fifteen and was now leading by four shots. Gregory Bourdy
(France) played holes ten to fourteen in one under par and it included birdies
on the par four, eleventh hole and par five, thirteenth hole but he had poor
lone bogey on the par four, fourteenth hole and he moved to minus nine but was
now six shots behind the leader. Benjamin Herbert (France) played holes ten to
fourteen in one under par and that included a lone birdie on the par four,
eleventh hole and he moved to minus eleven and was now four shots behind the
leader. Sebastien Gros (France) played holes ten to fourteen in one under par
with birdies on the par four, eleventh hole and par five, thirteenth hole but
he bogeyed the par four, fourteenth hole and he moved to minus nine and was now
six shots behind the leader.
Charl Schwartzel (RSA) played holes fifteen to
seventeen in even par and that included making three straight pars and in a row
and he remained a minus fifteen and was still leading by four shots with just
the par five, seventy second hole to play. Gregory Bourdy (France) played holes
fifteen to seventeen in two under par and that included birdies on the par
five, fifteenth hole and par three, sixteenth hole and he moved to minus eleven
and was now only four shots behind the leader heading to the par five, seventy
second hole. Benjamin Herbert (France) played holes fifteen to seventeen in even
par that included making three straight pars and he remained at minus eleven
and was still four shots behind the leader heading to the par five, seventy
second hole. Sebastien Gros (France) played holes fifteen to seventeen in one
over par which included a bogey on the par three, sixteenth hole and he fell
back to minus eight and was now seven shots behind the leader heading to the
par five, seventy second hole.
Sebastien Gros (France) made a solid birdie on the
par five, seventy second hole and finished the seventy two holes at minus nine
and finished six shots behind the winner. Benjamin Herbert (France) made a
disappointing bogey six on the par five, seventy second hole and finished the
seventy two holes at minus ten and was five shots behind the winner. Gregory
Bourdy (France) made a solid par on the par five, seventy second hole and
finished the seventy two holes at minus eleven and was four shots behind the
winner. Charl Schwartzel (RSA) made a solid par five on the par five, seventy
second hole and finished the seventy two holes on minus fifteen to win by four
shots!! He scored 34-3 on his back nine!! He got a huge hug from his caddie,
Glen!! Then he signed Batman’s Cape as he walked off the green!! Then he got a
hug and kiss from his wife, Rosalind!! Then his fellow South African
Professionals sprayed him with champagne!!
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| Charl Schwartzel (RSA) raises his arms in the air to celebrate his win!! |
Then he was interviewed by the on course reporter,
Dale Hayes and he asked Charl Schwartzel (RSA) “I will ask Mrs Rupert
representing Dunhill to present the trophy, after four wins in the Alfred
Dunhill Championship you must be used to picking up this trophy, fifteen under
par and the Alfred Dunhill Champions for 2015, Charl Schwartzel (RSA), Charl we
are not going to make you hold that for long we will let you put that down, a
completely different day today, you came out on the golf course and you looked
much happier for some reason” And Charl Schwartzel (RSA) replied “I was
definitely more comfortable today than
yesterday, I had a lot of demons to fight, Um I don’t know with um with
I was chatting with Louis Oosthuizen (USA) last night and a few other
professional and hearing about all the bad shots and things that they had done
wrong, and man I was struggling out there too, and I was swearing at Louis on
Number fourteen when, He was telling me about his out of bounds and I was
saying I am not going out of bounds!!” Then on course reporter, Dale Hayes
asked Charl Schwartzel (RSA) “But then on the back nine there your tee shot on
number eleven was brilliant, it ran back there in a very bad lie, but a
wonderful chip shot!!” And Charl Schwartzel (RSA) replied “Yeah, I think it um
turned on the back nine, I felt like I seemed a lot more comfortable today, and
are my chipping, chipping was really fantastic, ah on the weekend, I hit a
great chip and that sort of got it going, made birdie on eleven, thirteen and
fourteen, I knew I was going to have at least shoot two or three under on the
back nine, to at least have a chance of winning, and I am very happy how it
worked out” Then on course reporter, Dale Hayes said to Charl Schwartzel (RSA)
“Your tenth win on the European Tour and your fourth win of this particular
championship and that is a the record!!”
And Charl Schwartzel (RSA) replied “Yeah, I mean I wish we could play
some Majors Here!!(Laughing!!), it would be great” Then on course reporter,
Dale Hayes said to Charl Schwartzel (RSA) “You know I think if you talk to Mr
Rupert nicely it could be arranged”.
And Charl Schwartzel (RSA) replied “I hope so it is definitely my favourite
place, love coming here and the golf course, I think with all the drought
that’s been going he won’t say it but again it was in very good condition very
good condition, and it was an honour playing in it!!” Then on course reporter,
Dale Hayes said to Charl Schwartzel (RSA) “Well congratulations to 2015
champion of the Alfred Dunhill Championship, Charl Schwartzel (RSA) fifteen
under par!!”
It was his tenth European Tour International
Schedule victory in his 280th European Tour event. He moves to 237,750 points
in The Race to Dubai and goes to the top after the first event. He could move
back into the top 35 of the Official World Golf Ranking from 50th. It was his
first European Tour victory since the 2014 Alfred Dunhill Championship. This is
a gap of one year and 363 days. In that time has played 32 European Tour
events. This victory beats his best previous European Tour finish since his
victory in the 2014 Alfred Dunhill Championship of second in the 2015 South
African Open Championship hosted by the City of Ekurhuleni, when he lost a
play-off to Andy Sullivan (England). This is his fourth victory in the Alfred
Dunhill Championship. His last three European Tour triumphs have all come in
this event, the 2013, 2014 and 2016 editions.
This victory means that six of his last seven
European Tour victories have come on home soil, dating back to the 2010 Africa
Open. (The only European Tour success not to come in South Africa since 2010
was the 2011 Masters Tournament). He has now won seven of his ten European Tour
titles in South Africa. He has now won the Alfred Dunhill Championship in the
2005, 2013, 2014 and 2016 seasons. He becomes the eighth different player in
European Tour history to win the same official event four or more times. They
are: Tiger Woods (USA) (eight times - WGC – Bridgestone Invitational and seven
times - WGC – Cadillac Championship, he also won the US PGA Championship four
times),Tom Watson (USA) and Bernhard Langer (Germany) (five times – Open
Championship and German Open respectively. (Bernhard Langer (Germany) also won
the German Masters four times) and four times for Seve Ballesteros (Spain) (Alstom
Open de France), Sir Nick Faldo (England) (PGA Championship), Mark McNulty
(Zimbabwe) (German Open), Miguel Angel Jiménez (Spain) (UBS Hong Kong Open) and
Charl Schwartzel (RSA) (Alfred Dunhill Championship). (Tiger Woods (USA) won
the first of his four Masters Tournament titles in 1997 before the event became
part of The European Tour. Ernie Els (RSA) won seven World Match Play titles
but only two were considered official).
He becomes only the third player to win four or more
official European Tour events on the same course. They are: Tiger Woods (USA) (eight
times at Firestone Country Club – WGC – Bridgestone Invitational), Miguel Angel
Jiménez (Spain) (four times – Hong Kong Golf Club – UBS Hong Kong Open) and
Charl Schwartzel (RSA) (four times – Leopard Creek Country Club – Alfred
Dunhill Championship). This seventh win on home soil sees him move to the top
of the list for most European Tour victories in co-sanctioned events with the
Sunshine Tour. He moves above Ernie Els (RSA), who has six. Also is the most
number of European Tour wins by a South African on home soil. He becomes only
the third South African to win ten or more European Tour titles, following
Ernie Els (RSA) (28) and Retief Goosen (RSA) (14). He becomes the youngest
South African to reach ten victories, aged 31, beating the previous record of
Ernie Els (RSA), who was 32. It was his fourth victory comes in his 13th
appearance in the Alfred Dunhill Championship. All four of his victories have
come in just eleven appearances in the Alfred Dunhill Championship, all at
Leopard Creek Country Club. (Apart from his four triumphs he has been second
four times). He has now won €1,292,498 in his eleven appearances at Leopard
Creek Country Club. He is now a total of 122 under par for his eleven
appearances in the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek. From his 42
rounds in the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek he has now been at
par or better in 39 of them. The third of his four wins where he has led going
into the final round. He led by ten in 2013, two in 2014 and three in 2016. It
was the fourth consecutive South African winner of the Alfred Dunhill Championship.
They are: Garth Mulroy (RSA) (2011 – Nov 11), Charl Schwartzel (RSA) (2013,
2014 and 2016) and Branden Grace (RSA) (2015). (The event was not part of the
2012 European Tour Schedule). He was the eighth South African victory in the
Alfred Dunhill Championship. They are: Charl Schwartzel (RSA) (2005, 2013, 2014
and 2016), Ernie Els (RSA) (2006), Richard Sterne (RSA) (2009), Garth Mulroy
(RSA) (2011 – Nov 11) and Branden Grace (RSA) (2015). It was the 132nd South
African victory in European Tour history. This victory extends South Africa’s
record of consecutive winning years on The European Tour to 26, dating back to
the 1991 season. This victory is the 39th South African victory in European
Tour events co-sanctioned with the Sunshine Tour. (Since 1995 this event is the
67th between The European and Sunshine Tour). And finally it was his 13th win
as a professional and eighth in his homeland overall.
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| Charl Schwartzel (RSA) poses with the Alfred Dunhill Championship trophy he won!! |
Charl Adriaan Schwartzel
(RSA) (/ˈʃɑrl ˈʃwɔrtsəl/; born 31 August 1984) is a South African professional golfer
who plays on the USPGA Tour, European Tour, and the Sunshine Tour. He has won
one major title, the Masters in 2011. Charl Schwartzel's (RSA) highest world
ranking has been number six, after finishing in a tie for fourth at the
WGC-Cadillac Championship in 2012. Born in Johannesburg, Charl Schwartzel (RSA)
had a dominant junior amateur career in South Africa, and won some amateur
events in other countries including the 2002 Indian Amateur and English Open
Stroke Play Championships. He played for South Africa in the 2002 Eisenhower
Trophy. Charl Schwartzel (RSA) turned professional at the age of eighteen and
following the path of many other leading South African players, he qualified
for the European Tour late that year. He was the second youngest South African
golfer to do so after Dale Hayes (RSA). He earned enough money to retain his
European Tour card in both 2003 and 2004. In the 2005 season he won the Dunhill
Championship, a leading tournament in South Africa that is co-sanctioned by the
European Tour, and claimed first place on the Sunshine Tour's Order of Merit.
In 2005 he finished 52nd on the European Tour's Order of Merit, and in 2005-06
he again topped the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit. His win at the season-ending
Vodacom Tour Championship took him into the top 100 in the Official World Golf
Rankings for the first time. His form continued to improve in 2006 and he
finished the season placed 18th on the Order of Merit and reached as high as
55th in the World Rankings.
He took first place on the Sunshine Tour Order of
Merit for the third consecutive year in 2007, and won the Open de España in
April, beating Jyoti Randhawa (India) by one stroke, after an eagle at the
543-yard (497 m) par-5 16th hole, and moved into the world top
40. Charl Schwartzel (RSA) has played in the Gary Player Invitational several
times to help Gary Player (RSA) raise funds for various children's charities.
In 2008, he once again achieved success on the European Tour, by securing
victory at the Madrid Masters. After a winless 2009 season, Charl Schwartzel (RSA)
started 2010 by winning two consecutive tournaments on the European Tour, both
held in his native South Africa, and re-entered the top 50 of the Official
World Golf Rankings. He finished the season ranked 8th on the Order of Merit. For
2011, Charl Schwartzel (RSA) joined the USPGA Tour. On 16 January 2011, Charl
Schwartzel (RSA) retained his Joburg Open title winning by four shots. Charl Schwartzel
(RSA) won the Masters Tournament in 2011 by two strokes to become the third
South African winner of the event (after Gary Player (RSA) and Trevor Immelman
(RSA). He won exactly 50 years after Gary Player (RSA) became the first
international Masters champion in 1961. In the final round, Charl Schwartzel (RSA)
overcame a four stroke deficit with a round of 66, two strokes ahead of
runners-up Adam Scott (Australia) and Jason Day (Australia). Charl Schwartzel
(RSA) started his final round on Sunday by chipping in from off the green at
the first hole for birdie and then holed his second shot from the middle of the
fairway at the third for eagle. This wiped out the four stroke lead of Rory
McIlroy (NIR), but then Charl Schwartzel (RSA) bogeyed the fourth hole to drop
one behind. For the rest of the round he maintained this score, until he
reached the last four holes where he holed clutch putts to finish with four
consecutive birdies, a feat unprecedented in the Masters' 75 years history. It
put him back in the lead and he ultimately won the Green Jacket and his first
major championship. After the tournament, Charl Schwartzel (RSA) moved up to eleventh
from twenty ninth in the Official World Golf Rankings.
Coming in solo second position at 277-11 after seventy two holes was Gregory Bourdy (France); he earned € 172,500 for his efforts and moved to second position on the current 2016 Race to Dubai Money list standings with 172,500 points earned from the one event he has played to date this season so far. From the one event he has played to date this season so far he has made one cut and achieved one top ten finish that came this past week. He will be happy with his third and final rounds that were both in the 60s especially his 67-5 in the third round that was blemish free and included four consecutive birdies to finish his round!! But will be just content with his first and second rounds that were both in the low 70s. And his triple bogey six on the par three, seventh hole in the final round really cost him his chance of winning!! But he will be happy he has got his 2016 season off to such a great start. Grégory Bourdy (France) (born 25 April 1982) is a French professional golfer who competes on the European Tour. Grégory Bourdy (France) was born in Bordeaux. He turned professional in 2003. His cousin Nicolas Beaufils (France) is also a professional golfer, who has played on the Challenge Tour. Grégory Bourdy (France) has played on the European Tour full-time since 2005, having previously competed on the second-tier Challenge Tour. Grégory Bourdy (France) won his first European Tour event on 28 October 2007 at the Mallorca Classic. That win helped him to finish 39th on the European Tour's Order of Merit list, the first time he had broken the top 100. He has been the highest ranked French golfer on the Official World Golf Rankings. Grégory Bourdy (France) also has three victories on the Alps Tour, one of Europe's third-tier development tours, between 2003 and 2005, and won the South African PGA Championship on the Sunshine Tour in 2006. Grégory Bourdy (France) was also a member of the French team who finished in second place at the 2002 Eisenhower Trophy. In November 2009, Grégory Bourdy (France) held off the challenge of Rory McIlroy (NIR) to win the UBS Hong Kong Open by two strokes. At the Lyoness Open in June 2015, Grégory Bourdy (France) held a two stroke advantage going into the final round, having led from day one. However in the final round he shot a six-over-par 78 that included five bogeys and a double bogey to finish in a tie for sixth. He has won four events to date so far on the European Tour with his most recent being the 2013 ISPS Handa Wales Open. He is yet to achieve a top ten finish in a Major Championship with his best to date being tied for thirty ninth at the 2008 Open Championship. He has also represented France in the World Cup in 2008, 2011 and 2013. And he has also represented Continental Europe in the 2013 Seve Trophy which they were the winners!! Let’s hope he can keep this form up for the rest of the 2016 European Tour season and Race to Dubai. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2016 European Tour season and Race to Dubai.
Coming in solo third position at 278-10 after seventy two holes was Benjamin Herbert (France); he earned € 103,800 for his efforts and moved to third position on the current 2016 Race to Dubai Money list standings with 103,800 points earned from the one event he has played to date this season so far. From the one event he has played to date this season so far he has made one cut and achieved one top ten finish that came this past week. He will be happy with his first and third rounds that were both 68-4s!! But just content with his second and final rounds that were both in the low 70s. But it was a great way to begin his 2016 European Tour season. Benjamin Hebert (France) (born 19 February 1987) is a French professional golfer. Benjamin Hebert (France) was born in Brive, France. His parents are Jean-Luc, a former pentathlete, and Françoise, a former swimmer, both of whom now work as teachers. He also has one sister, Audrey. Benjamin Hebert (France) spent some of his childhood in Tahiti, from age 14 to 18, before graduating from high school in 2005. Benjamin Hebert (France) enjoyed a successful amateur career. He spent three years on the French national team, the highlight being representing his country at the 2008 Eisenhower Trophy. He won a number of individual tournaments, the most notable being the European Amateur in 2007, which gained him entry to the following year's Open Championship. He also represented Europe in the St Andrews Trophy. Benjamin Hebert (France) turned professional in 2009. He enjoyed immediate success on the Challenge Tour, recording a third-place finish in the Piemonte Open after receiving a special invite. He recorded his first professional victory on the third-level Alps Tour later in the summer, before earning a card for the European Tour at qualifying school at the end of the year. However, he struggled to settle at this level, making twelve cuts but not recording a single top-twenty finish, and he failed to retain his card. In July 2011, Benjamin Hebert (France) won his first tournament on the Challenge Tour at the Credit Suisse Challenge. He followed up with a second win a week later at the English Challenge. He won his third tournament of the year, the Rolex Trophy, in August to earn a promotion to the European Tour. On the European Tour in 2012, Benjamin Hebert (France) finished in the top-10 once, tied for sixth at the Lyoness Open and finished 195th on the Race to Dubai, losing his tour card. He played on the Challenge Tour in 2013 and 2014. In 2014, he won his fourth Challenge Tour event in August at the Norwegian Challenge; he soon followed this up with his second win of the 2014 season in September at the Open Blue Green Côtes d'Armor Bretagne. In the final event of the 2014 season at the Dubai Festival City Challenge Tour Grand Final, he secured his third Challenge Tour win of the season and sixth career win on the tour. In doing so Benjamin Hebert (France) finished second in the Challenge Tour Rankings behind Andrew Johnston (England), which earned him European Tour card for 2015 and became the first player to have three Challenge Tour wins in two separate seasons. He had a very good 2015 European Tour season finishing in sixty fifth position on the final 2015 Race to Dubai Money list standings with 585,427 points earned from the thirty events he played in. Let’s hope he can continue this form in the weeks ahead and perhaps win his maiden European Tour event in the 2016 season? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2016 European Season and Race to Dubai.
Coming in solo fourth position at 279-9 after seventy two holes was Sebastien Gros (France); he earned € 73,650 for his efforts and moved to fourth position on the current 2016 Race to Dubai Points standings list with 73,650 points earned from the one event he has played to date this season so far. From the one event he has played to date this season so far he has made one cut and achieved one top ten finish that was the one this week. He will be happy with his first three rounds that were all at par and under par especially his 63-9 in the third round which was blemish free and the low round of the day and the tournament!! But he will be disappointed with his final round 73+1 which included double bogeys on the par four, third hole and par four, fourth hole!! But he came back well with playing the next fourteen holes in three under par which included five birdies!! And it was good to see him have such a good start to the 2016 European Tour season in his maiden event as a full European Tour member. Sébastien Gros (France) (born 8 November 1989) is a French professional golfer. Sébastien Gros (France) was born in Villeurbanne, France. He turned professional in 2011 and played on the Alps Tour. He won on the Alps Tour in 2012 and 2013. He began playing on the Challenge Tour and Asian Tour in 2014. At the end of 2014, he played all three stages of the European Tour Qualifying School: he finished 32nd, just missing out on a place on the main tour, but earned a place on the Challenge Tour for 2015.He won his first Challenge Tour event in 2015 at the Najeti Open in Saint-Omer, France and he won his second event at the Kazakhstan Open and finished in second position on the final Challenge Tour Money list to gain his full 2016 European Tour card. Let’s hope he can keep this form up in the next few events he plays in and maybe achieve his maiden European Tour win in the 2016 European Tour season. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2016 European Tour season and Race to Dubai.
Rounding out the top seven in tied for fifth position at 280-8 after seventy two holes was Matt Ford (England); he earned € 53,100 for his efforts and moved to tied for fifth position on the current 2016 Race to Dubai Points list standings with 53,100 points earned from the one event he has played to date this season so far. From the one event he has played to date this season so far he has made one cut and achieved one top ten finish that came this past week. He will be happy with his first, third and final rounds that were all under par especially his 67-5 in the third round which saw him score 32-5 on the back nine!! But he will be disappointed with his second round 74+2. Matt Ford (England) (born 19 April 1978) is an English professional golfer. He currently plays on the European Tour after years of playing on the Challenge Tour. His best result is a second place finish at the 2015 Africa Open. And it was great to see he managed to keep his European Tour card for the 2016 season in the last tournament of the 2015 European Tour regular season where he tied for seventh at the 2015 UBS Hong Kong Open and he finished in 105th position on the final 2015 Race to Dubai Points list standings to keep his card by the skin of his teeth!! Let’s hope he can have more high finishes in the weeks ahead. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2016 European Tour season and Race to Dubai.
Also tied for fifth position was Thomas Linard (France); he too earned € 53,100 for his efforts and moved to tied for fifth position on the current 2016 Race to Dubai Points list standings with 53,100 points earned from the one event he has played to date this season so far. From the one event he has played to date this season so far he has made one cut and achieved one top ten finish that came this past week. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all at par and under par especially his 67-5 in the third round which included a back nine 32-5!! And it was a great start to his first event on the European Tour as a member. He qualified for the 2016 European Tour by finishing in ninth position on the final 2015 Challenge Tour rankings!! Thomas Linard (France) (born 24 March 1988) is a French professional golfer. In 2013 Thomas Linard (France) finished seventh in the Alps Tour Order of Merit to earn promotion to the Challenge Tour. He picked up his first Challenge Tour win in June 2014 at the D+D Real Czech Challenge. Let’s hope he can keep this form up in the events to come and achieve more top ten finishes. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2016 European Tour season and Race to Dubai.
The final player to tie for fifth position was Joost Luiten (Netherlands); he too earned € 53,100 for his efforts and moved to tied for fifth position on the current 2016 Race to Dubai Points list standings with 53,100 points earned from the one event he has played to date this season so far. From the one event he has played to date this season so far he has made one cut and achieved one top ten finish that came this past week. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all at par and under par especially his 68-4 in the first round!! And also his back nine 32-5 in the second round!! And it was great to see him have a top ten finish to start the 2016 European Tour season. Willibrordus Adrianus Maria "Joost" Luiten (Netherlands) (born 7 January 1986) is a Dutch professional golfer who plays on the European Tour. Joost Luiten (Netherlands) was born in Bleiswijk. He is currently a member of the European Tour. After a failed bid for a tour card at Qualifying School he started his professional career on the EPD Tour where he claimed second place twice in just four starts. Because he was not in possession of a tour card Joost Luiten (Netherlands) was solely dependent on invites to play on the Challenge Tour. He received one for the Tusker Kenya Open where he birdied the 72nd hole for a share of tenth place. This was enough to earn himself a start in the next tournament where he finished third. On his way to show how to make perfect use of a single invite Joost Luiten (Netherland) went on to win in France, his third start of the season. In his first six events of 2007, he won two of them. On his way to winning the Vodafone Challenge he shot a 61 (-11) in the final round, the lowest final round total by a tournament winner. After finishing sixth in the 2007 Challenge Tour rankings he received a European Tour card for 2008 and claimed two top 10 spots before injury curtailed his season. Joost Luiten (Netherlands) was a member of the 2006 Dutch team that won the Eisenhower Trophy after he played his last five holes in six under par.
Joost Luiten (Netherlands) finished second at the KLM Open, a European Tour event, in 2007 and has been the highest ranked Dutch golfer in the Official World Golf Rankings. In January 2008 he reached the top 100 in the rankings. Joost Luiten's (Netherlands) 2009 season was hampered by a wrist injury that kept him out more than a year and he played the start of 2010 on a minor medical exemption. He regained his European Tour card for the rest of 2010 and finished the season 28th on the Order of Merit. In November 2011, Joost Luiten (Netherlands) won his first tournament on the European Tour with a victory in the Iskandar Johor Open in Malaysia, which also gave him his highest world ranking position to that point, at 66. He finished in the top 30 of the Order of Merit for the second consecutive year, ranked 24th. Joost Luiten (Netherlands) won for the second time on the European Tour in June 2013 at the Lyoness Open in Austria. He took a three stroke advantage into the final round and shot a one-under-par 71 to finish two ahead of Thomas Bjørn (Denmark). He became only the second player from the Netherlands to record multiple European Tour victories, after Robert-Jan Derksen (Netherlands). In 2014, Joost Luiten (Netherlands) won the Wales Open and finished third at the Volvo Golf Champions, sixth at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, fourth at the Open de España, third at the Lyoness Open and third at the Volvo World Match Play Championship. By 24 November, he reached 28th in the Official World Golf Ranking, a high point so far. He also played in the United States, finishing 13th at the WGC-Cadillac Championship and 26th at the Masters Tournament and PGA Championship. He has won four European Tour events to date so far with his most recent being the 2014 ISPS Handa Wales Open. He is yet to record a top ten finish in a Major Championship with his best finish to date being tied for twenty first in the 2012 PGA Championship. He also represented The Netherlands in the 2011 World Cup of Golf. He also represented Continental Europe in the 2013 Seve Trophy which they were the winners. And he has also represented Europe in the 2014 EurAsia Cup. Let’s hope he can continue on this form for the events he plays in the coming weeks. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2016 European Tour and Race to Dubai.
Next week the European Tour and Race to Dubai heads
to Queensland, Australia for the Australian PGA Championship and it is played
on the RACV Royal Pines Resort, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. It is a co –
sanctioned event with the PGA Tour of Australasia and carries a large prize
purse of A$1,750,000 for the taking. All the top players from the PGA Tour of
Australasia will be there along with some top players from the European Tour.
Greg Chalmers (Australia) is the defending champion and will be keen to defend
his title. There will also be many of New Zealand’s top professionals in the
field as well. It starts on Thursday 3rd December. I will report back who won
the Joe Kirkwood Cup 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 the tenth week of
his career is Jordan Spieth (USA) who is fresh off his tied for second position at the Emirates
Australian Open this past week and his tied for seventh position at the WGC –
HSBC Champions three weeks ago with 11.92 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 seven weeks ago
in South Korea and also his tied for tenth position at the Tour Championship by
Coca – Cola nine weeks ago with 11.61 Official World Ranking Points; coming in
at Number Three is Rory McILroy (NIR) who is fresh off his win one week 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 three weeks ago with 11.35 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming
in at Number Four is Bubba Watson (USA) who is fresh off his solo third
position at the Mitsui Sumitomo VISA Taiheiyo Masters two weeks ago and also
his tied for thirty fifth position at the WGC – HSBC Champions three weeks ago
with 7.49 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 twenty second position at the DP World Tour
Championship, Dubai one week ago and also his tied for seventh position at the
BMW Masters two weeks ago with 7.36 Official World Ranking Points. Danny Lee
(NZL) this week is in his thirty seventh week of another spell of being the
highest ranked New Zealand Golfer in the world after finishing in tied for
ninth position at the Dunlop Phoenix on the Japan Golf Tour one week ago. This
week he gains one place and rises to fortieth second position on the Official
World Golf Rankings Points list standings with 2.73 Official Golf World Ranking
Points.
Remember the first tee shot counts as much as the
last putt holed!!
Source: Pgatour.com, Official World Golf Rankings, wikipedia.org,
Google search engine, europeantour.com, golfchannel.com
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