Golf Events from the Weekend 24th January 2016

Well it was another brilliant weekend on the Major Professional Golf Tours from around the world and this week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup headed to the USA mainland for the first time in 2016 and was in the State of California for the start of the West Coast Swing (which has five events in it) and the first one was CareerBuilder Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation and it was played on the PGA WEST TPC Stadium Course, La Quinta, California. It carried a huge prize purse of US $5,800,000 for the taking. Bill Haas (USA) was the defending Champion and was keen to defend his title. Tim Wilkinson (NZL) got a start as well. And it was the golfer by the name of Jason Dufner (USA) who scored rounds of 64-8, 65-7, 64-8 and a final round of 70-2 for a seventy two hole total of 263-25 but he was tied on that score by David Lingmerth (Sweden) who scored rounds of 68-4, 68-4, 62-10 and a final round of 65-7 for a seventy two hole of 263-25 as well. So those two players headed back to the par four, eighteenth hole for the first playoff hole. 

Jason Dufner (USA) tees off during the final round

So to the first playoff hole which was the par four, eighteenth hole. The players were greeted on the tee by the USPGA Tour Official who explained all the holes that were going to be used in the playoff and both players choose a number from the Sponsors hand. David Lingmerth (Sweden) choose number one from the hand and teed off first. He hit a poor drive and it landed in the right hand rough. Jason Dufner (USA) choose number two and teed off second and hit a poor drive with his three wood that landed in the right hand fairway bunker and would force him to lay up short of the green. Jason Dufner (USA) played his second shot first with a lofted wedge from the fairway bunker and laid it up within a 100 yards of the green in fairway. He couldn’t go for the green because the lip was too high and he now knew he would have to get down in two shots for his par to have any chance of extending the playoff to a second hole with David Lingmerth (Sweden). David Lingmerth (Sweden) played his second shot next from the right hand rough. He struck a good seven iron that landed on the front of the green and rolled past the pin to come to rest twenty past the pin and a good chance to make his birdie. Jason Dufner (USA) played his third shot next from just over 100 yards and he struck a very good wedge shot into ten feet of the pin with an uphill putt for his par that he knew he would have to hole to have any chance of staying alive. David Lingmerth (Sweden) now putted for his birdie and the win from twenty feet and he struck a very good putt under the circumstances that took the left to right break and came up two feet short of the cup and he tapped in for his par four and put all the pressure back on Jason Dufner (USA). Jason Dufner (USA) now calmed his nerve and he put a very good stroke on his ten foot par putt and rolled it into the centre of the cup for his par and he extended the playoff to a second hole which was the par four, eighteenth hole again. 

Jason Dufner (USA) plays a chip shot during the playoff

So to the second playoff hole and this was the par four, eighteenth hole again. David Lingmerth (Sweden) teed off first again and hit his drive well to the right and into the right hand rough similar to the first playoff hole. Jason Dufner (USA) teed off next and again he put too much fade on it and it landed in the right rough just ahead of David Lingmerth’s (Sweden) golf ball. David Lingmerth (Sweden) played his second shot first and just like the first time he tried to fade it in slightly from left to right with his short iron but this time it didn’t fade enough and actually hooked and caught the rocks on the left and bounced hard left into the water hazard on the left and he left the door wide open for Jason Dufner (USA) to walk through. Jason Dufner (USA) played his second shot next and he knew now if he could just put his ball somewhere on the green and two putt the title was his. He played an excellent shot under the circumstances with his short iron that landed short right of the green and bounced to the left and rolled up onto the green leaving about twenty five feet for his birdie and the pressure was put right back on David Lingmerth (Sweden) now. David Lingmerth (Sweden) dropped his ball and played his fourth shot chip from about sixty five yards and hit a good shot that landed short of the green and rolled up to twelfth feet short of the flag stick. Now Jason Dufner (USA) knew if he two putted the title was his. Jason Dufner (USA) putted from twenty five feet for his birdie and stuck an aggressive putt and it missed on the left hand side and came to rest four feet past the cup. Now David Lingmerth (Sweden) knew if he holed his twelfth foot bogey putt he could put the pressure straight back onto Jason Dufner (USA) and maybe force the playoff to a third hole. David Lingmerth (Sweden) hit a good putt but it didn’t quite take the right to left break like he thought and it came to rest two feet past the cup and he marked it but he knew he wouldn’t have to putt again as Jason Dufner (USA) now have two putts to win the title. Jason Dufner (USA) calmed his nerve and rolled the four foot par putt right into the centre of the cup for the win!! David Lingmerth (Sweden) shook his hand to acknowledge his win. Then Jason Dufner (USA) got a high five and hug from his caddie!! 

Jason Dufner (USA) acknowledges the crowd after holing the winning putt!!

Then he was interviewed by golf channel on course reporter, Steve Stands and he said to Jason Dufner (USA) “Jason it is your first victory out here on the PGA Tour since the 2013 PGA Championship, how would describe just how difficult it is to win on the world’s grandest stage?” and Jason Dufner (USA) replied “You know it is pretty tough, um there is great players out here every week playing great golf courses, this is the best tour in the world, so for me to win this week, I feel like I was one of the best players in the world this week, so um it is not easy but it feels good when you do it, that is for sure!!”. Then golf channel on course reporter, Steve Stands said to Jason Dufner (USA) “One of the best shots we saw all week happened with you in regulation on seventeen (In the final round) we are going to show everyone what you did there (on TV), and what was going through you mind when you looked down on the ball there before you struck it?” and Jason Dufner (USA) replied “Yeah, you know I thought it was in the water, got a great break, sometimes those things happen, you need those to happen to win, you know I hit a pretty poor shot, but when I looked at it I had a pretty clean lie, it was kind of like you see at the Open Championship, it was on some hard pan, I kind of leaned the shaft a little bit with the face open, and tried to hit one you know that you kind of get a lot of grip, it was grabbing and I thought it was going to sneak in there for a minute, but ah you know those tap ins for par are easy, and I had a good look here on eighteen, but I am fortunate to be in this position and happy to be playing good golf”.  Then golf channel on course reporter, Steve Stands said to Jason Dufner (USA) “You’re a guy that seems so cool on the outside considering all the pressure you are playing with, what is going on inside when you are trying to get a win here?” and Jason Dufner (USA) replied “Yeah, it was tough today, you know I didn’t play as good on the front nine as I would of liked, I thought I played pretty good on the back nine, David (Lingmerth (Sweden)) put a run at which somebody was properly going to do today, um but I am proud of myself for hanging in there, and staying positive and you know giving my chance on the last couple of holes, and that nice par on the first playoff hole that was big for me and if I miss that putt I am going home a loser today!!”  Then golf channel on course reporter, Steve Stands said to Jason Dufner (USA) “Congratulations!!” And Jason Dufner (USA) replied “Thanks”. 

Jason Dufner (USA) earned US $1,044,000 for win and moved to eighth position on the current 2015/16 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,380,025 earned from the six events he has played to date this season so far. Kevin Kisner (USA) still leads that list with US $2,350,032 earned from the six events he has played today this season so far. Jason Dufner (USA) earned 500 FedEx Cup Points for the win and moved to eighth position on the current 2015/16 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 700 points earned from the six events he has played to date this season so far and he is 373 points behind the current leader of that list who is Kevin Kisner (USA) who has earned 1,073 points from the six events he has played to date this season so far. From the six events Jason Dufner (USA) has played to date this season so far he has made five cuts and achieved three top ten finishes which includes the win this week. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all under par especially his first round 64-8 which was blemish free and his second round 65-7 and his third round 64-8 that included a front nine of 29-7!! And he will be happy with his final round 70-2 under the circumstances of carrying the 54 hole lead into it and also happy with the two pars he made on the first two playoff holes to win the title. And of course the great break he got on the par three, seventy first hole where his ball landed in the sand near the rocks and he was still able to get up and down for his par!! He made thirty birdies this week against five bogeys. And this win will give him some real confidence moving forward. 

Jason Dufner (USA) on the left kisses the Career Builder Challenge Trophy he won with former US President, Bill Clinton watching on from the right!!

Jason Christopher Dufner (USA) (born March 24, 1977) is an American professional golfer who currently plays on the USPGA Tour where he is a four-time winner. He has won one Major Championship, the 2013 PGA Championship. He was also runner-up in the 2011 PGA Championship, losing a playoff to Keegan Bradley (USA). Jason Dufner (USA) was ranked in the top ten in the Official World Golf Ranking for fifty weeks; his career-high ranking is sixth in September 2012. Jason Dufner (USA) was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He moved to the Washington, D.C. area when he was eleven years old, and then to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, when he was fourteen. It was there that he started playing golf, and played for St. Thomas Aquinas High School during his sophomore, junior and senior years. Jason Dufner (USA) was a walk – on at Auburn University, where he won three times in his college career and was an Honorable Mention All-American in 1997. He graduated from Auburn in 2000 with a degree in economics. In 1998, Jason Dufner (USA) played in the finals of the U.S. Amateur Public Links at Torrey Pines, falling to Trevor Immelman (RSA), 3 and 2. 

In his early career, Jason Dufner (USA) struggled to hold down a place on the USPGA Tour. He was a member of the USPGA Tour in 2004 and the Nationwide Tour (now Web.com Tour) in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2006. Jason Dufner (USA) won two events during his time on the Nationwide Tour (now Web.com Tour), the BUY.COM Wichita Open in 2001 and the LaSalle Bank Open in 2006. He finished in eighth place on the Nationwide Tour (Now Web.com) money list in 2006 to earn his USPGA Tour card for 2007. He finished 127th in the FedEx Cup standings in 2007, and failed to qualify at the USPGA Tour Q-School, where he finished tied for 149th position. He retained conditional status for the 2008 USPGA Tour season, and then finished tied for eleventh at the Q-School that year to earn his card for 2009. He has been a member of the USPGA Tour every year since. In 2009, Jason Dufner (USA) finished in the top-10 on six occasions; including a third-place finish at the RBC Canadian Open, and a runner up place at the Deutsche Bank Championship, part of the FedEx Cup playoffs. As a result, Jason Dufner (USA) went on to finish the year eleventh in the FedEx Cup standings and thirty third on the year's money list. Jason Dufner (USA) had a less successful 2010 season, recording only two top-10 finishes. However, his best finish of the year came in a Major Championship, at the 2010 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits. He finished in a tie for fifth place, two strokes short of the playoff. This was the best result to date Jason Dufner (USA) had recorded in a Major Championship. He was eliminated in the third FedEx Cup playoff event and did not qualify for The Tour Championship.

Early in 2011, Jason Dufner (USA) had a chance to win his first USPGA Tour title at the Waste Management Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale when he finished tied for the lead at 18-under-par after 72 holes, before eventually losing in a playoff to Mark Wilson (USA). Mark Wilson (USA) made a birdie on the second extra hole and the best Jason Dufner (USA) could manage there was a par. He also had a good finish in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans where a final-round 66 boosted him to a tie for third place. Jason Dufner (USA) earned entry into the 2011 U.S. Open Championship after Anders Hansen (Denmark) withdrew; previously during a qualifying tournament in Georgia, Jason Dufner (USA) had lost in a playoff to Russell Henley (USA). He also played in the 2011 Open Championship as a result of Tiger Woods (USA) pulling out due to injury. He missed the cut in both the U.S. Open and the Open Championship. At the 2011 PGA Championship in Atlanta, Jason Dufner (USA) was in contention to win his first major and maiden USPGA Tour title, when he entered the final round in the last group and tied for the lead with Brendan Steele (USA) at seven under par. Jason Dufner  (USA) completed the front nine in 33, two under par, while playing partner Brendan Steele (USA) dropped four shots early on and fell out of contention. Jason Dufner (USA) held the lead for most of the final round and was bogey-free through 14 holes. After his nearest challenger, Keegan Bradley (USA), made triple bogey on the fifteenth, Jason Dufner (USA) had a five-stroke advantage with four holes to play. Jason Dufner (USA) then hit his tee shot on 15 into the water hazard right of the green on the par three. He got up and down from the drop zone to make bogey, but followed this with bogeys at sixteenth and seventeenth. Meanwhile, Kevin Bradley (USA) scored back-to-back birdies on sixteenth and seventeenth to take the clubhouse lead at eight under, wiping out Jason Dufner's (USA) advantage. Jason Dufner (USA) parred the eighteenth and the two American players went into a three-hole aggregate playoff. On the first playoff hole, both players hit their approach shots to sixteenth within a few feet. Keegan Bradley (USA) made his birdie putt, while Jason Dufner (USA) missed his birdie, allowing Keegan Bradley (USA) to take a one-stroke advantage to the seventeenth. Both players found the green from the tee, and while Keegen Bradley (USA) two-putted for his par, Jason Dufner (USA) knocked his first putt well past the hole, and three-putted the green to fall two strokes behind with one to play. At the last hole, Keegan Bradley's (USA) second shot cleared the water by a few yards; Jason Dufner (USA) then followed with a shot on the same line and made his birdie putt. Keegan Bradley (USA) only needed to two-putt for the championship, which he did. This was Jason Dufner's (USA) best major finish, winning US $865,000 of the purse, with both of his career high finishes in Majors Championships coming at the PGA Championship. With his second-place finish, he rose to thirty eighth in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR).  

Jason Dufner (USA) continued his good form in 2012 by sharing the 36-hole lead at the Masters Tournament, but faded on the weekend to finish tied for twenty fourth. Three weeks later at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, Jason Dufner (USA) won for the first time on the USPGA Tour in his 164th start when he defeated Ernie Els (USA) on the second hole of a sudden death playoff. He entered the final round with a two stroke advantage and shot a 70 to finish at 19 under par, a tournament total record, which Ernie Els (RSA) also equalled. At the first playoff hole, the eighteenth, Ernie Els (RSA) had a chance to clinch victory with a six-foot putt, but pushed it out to the right. Replaying the eighteenth again, Jason Dufner (USA) found the green in two and when Ernie Els (USA) couldn't get up and down from 100 yards short of the green, Jason Dufner (USA) sealed the win with a two putt. Jason Dufner (USA) moved into the world's top twenty as a result of his first victory. Three weeks later Jason Dufner (USA) chalked up his second victory with a win at the HP Byron Nelson Championship by one stroke over Dicky Pride (USA), who was seeking his first win since 1994. Jason Dufner (USA) began the final round with the fifty four-hole lead, but suffered setbacks when he bogeyed two and three to surrender the lead. He recovered with birdies at four, five and seven, but remained behind playing partner JJ Henry (USA) until the seventeenth when JJ Henry (USA) made double bogey. Now tied for the lead with Dicky Pride (USA), the clubhouse leader, after 71 holes, Jason Dufner (USA) sank a twenty five -foot birdie putt on the seventy second hole for the outright victory. The win elevated Jason Dufner (USA) to fourteenth in the OWGR and first in the FedEx Cup standings. Jason Dufner (USA) became only the second multiple winner on the USPGA Tour in 2012, alongside Hunter Mahan (USA). In May 2012, Jason Dufner (USA) had an opportunity to win his third USPGA Tour title of the year at the Colonial, where he was leading after 36 and 54 holes respectively before being beaten by one stroke by former Masters champion Zach Johnson (USA). The second-place finish, however, catapulted Jason Dufner (USA) to eighth place in the Official World Golf Ranking, a career best ranking at the time. Jason Dufner's (USA) excellent season continued at the 2012 U.S. Open Championship where he finished in a tie for fourth place, two strokes behind winner Webb Simpson (USA). This is his best finish to date in the U.S. Open Championship. Jason Dufner (USA) qualified for his first Ryder Cup team in 2012, finishing with a record of 3–1 in the three day matches, including a 2-up win over Peter Hanson (Sweden) in the singles competition.

In January 2013, Jason Dufner (USA) stated an interest in taking up a membership with the European Tour. In June 2013, Jason Dufner (USA) finished fourth at the U.S. Open Championship at Merion Golf Club, the second year in a row finishing fourth at the tournament. Jason Dufner (USA) entered the final round at +8, but birdied five of the first 14 holes to pull to +3 overall. However, he triple-bogeyed the par four, fifteenth hole to move back to +6. After a birdie at sixteenth, Jason Dufner (USA) scored par on holes seventeenth and eighteenth to finish the tournament at +5, four shots behind the leader, Justin Rose (England).  At the USPGA Championship in August, Jason Dufner (USA) won his maiden Major Championship with a two-stroke victory at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York. After beginning the tournament with a two-under round of 68, Jason Dufner (USA) tied the record for all-time lowest round in a Major Championship and broke the course record at Oak Hill Country Club by shooting a seven-under-par 63 in the second round. He carded five birdies and an eagle, the latter achieved when he holed out from 105 yards on the par four, second hole. Jason Dufner (USA) had the chance to finish with a 62 and the outright lowest round in a Major Championship, but he left his twelve foot putt for birdie at the eighteenth hole short. The record-breaking round took Jason Dufner (USA) into a two-shot lead going into the weekend. In round three, Jason Dufner (USA) shot a one-over round of 71 to fall out of the lead, one stroke behind Jim Furyk (USA). That marked the second time in three years that Jason Dufner (USA) was in the final group of the PGA Championship on Sunday. In the final round, Jason Dufner (USA) started well by making a birdie at the fourth hole, which took him into a share of the lead alongside Jim Furyk (USA). Further birdies at the fifth and eighth holes, allied with Jim Furyk (USA) bogeying the ninth, opened up a two-stroke advantage for Jason Dufner (USA) entering the back nine. He missed a birdie putt on the tenth which would have moved him three strokes ahead and then holed a short putt on the eleventh which almost lipped out for par. Having turned into a two-man race, both Jason Dufner (USA) and Jim Furyk (USA) made four straight pars between the twelfth and fifteenth holes. On the sixteenth, Jason Dufner (USA) stiffed his approach to within eighteen inches, but Jim Furyk (USA) holed a lengthy birdie putt to stay in touch. After both players bogeyed the seventeenth, Jason Dufner (USA) held a two-stroke lead going up the final hole. Both players found the rough with their drives and approach shots and after Jim Furyk (USA) could only manage a bogey, Jason Dufner (USA) lagged his par putt down to the hole to tap in, finishing ten under par for the tournament and a two-stroke victory. Jason Dufner (USA) moved back inside the top ten, at eighteenth in the rankings, after the victory.

Without a win since the 2013 US PGA Championship,Jason Dufner (USA) secured his first title for two-and-a-half years at the 2016 CareerBuilder Challenge in Partnership with the Clinton Foundation at PGA West (Which I mentioned above). He defeated Swede David Lingmerth (Sweden) in a play-off after they both finished four shots clear of the field on 25-under-par. On May 5, 2012, Jason Dufner (USA) married his girlfriend Amanda Boyd, whom he had met in 2009 through mutual friends at Auburn. They were divorced in early 2015. Jason Dufner's (USA) laid-back mannerisms have led to the term "Dufnering," which specifically refers to a slumped sitting position with an expressionless face. The term originated in March 2013 after a photo went public of Jason Dufner (USA) slumping without expression while visiting a youth center in Irving Texas. Afterward, Keegan Bradley (USA) and several other professional golfers good-naturedly mocked Jason Dufner (USA) through Twitter and other social media, and "Dufnering" rapidly became a popular phenomenon. Jason Dufner (USA) founded Jason Dufner's Charitable Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in Auburn, Alabama, committed to ending child hunger in Lee County, Alabama.

He has won four USPGA Tour events to date so far in his career and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2012 Zurich Classic of New Orleans; 2012 HP Bryon Nelson Championship; 2013 PGA Championship and the 2016 CareerBuilder Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation. He has achieved five top ten finishes in Major Championships to date so far with his best being his maiden Major Championship win at the 2013 PGA Championship. He has also achieved six top ten finishes in WGC – Events with his best to date coming in the 2012 WGC – HSBC Champions. He also represented Team USA in the 2012 Ryder Cup against Team Europe and also represented Team USA in the 2013 Presidents Cup against Team International which Team USA won. Let’s hope he can keep this form up for the rest of the 2016 part of the 2015/16 USPGA Tour season. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2016 part of the 2015/16 USPGA Tour season and FedEx Cup. 

Coming in solo second position at 263-25 after seventy two holes and losing on the second playoff hole (which I mentioned above) was David Lingmerth (Sweden); he earned US $626,400 for his efforts and moved to fifteenth position on the current 2015/16 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $992,016 earned from the six events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 300 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to thirteenth position on the current 2015/16 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 469 points earned from the six events he has played to date this season so far. From the six events he has played to date this season so far he has made six cuts and achieved one top ten finish that came this past week. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially his 62-10 in the third round which was blemish free and the equal low round of the day and the tournament and also his final round 65-7 which was also blemish free and the equal low round of the day!! But he will be disappointed that he wasn’t able to convert his birdie putt on the first playoff hole and his second shot that went in the water on the second playoff hole and making double bogey which handed the tournament to Jason Dunfer (USA). But he still had a brilliant week with making one eagle, twenty six birdies and three bogeys!! And this will give him lots of confidence moving forward. David Lingmerth (Sweden) (born 22 July 1987) is a Swedish professional golfer who plays on the USPGA Tour. David Lingmerth (Sweden) played college golf at the University of West Florida (one year) and the University of Arkansas (three years) where he was a two-time All-American. He won one event at West Florida and another at Arkansas. David Lingmerth (Sweden) played on the Web.com Tour during the 2011 season. He had some success with two third-place finishes and five top-10s but missed out on earning his USPGA Tour card by two spots on the season-ending money list, finishing twenty seventh; the top twenty five advanced to the USPGA Tour. He also played the USPGA Tour Qualifying school in a move to try and earn playing privileges, but finished way down the field outside the top 100.

David Lingmerth (Sweden) continued on the Web.com Tour in 2012 and after losing a playoff earlier in the year, he won his first event on the tour at the Neediest Kids Championship in October, finishing a stroke ahead of Casey Wittenberg (USA). David Lingmerth (Sweden) ended the season ranked tenth on the money list, which earned him his USPGA Tour card for the 2013 season. In only his second career start on the USPGA Tour, David Lingmerth (Sweden) finished as a joint runner-up at the Humana Challenge after losing in a three-man playoff. He shot a 10-under-par round of 62 in the final round to get into the playoff alongside Brian Gay (USA) and Charles Howell III (USA). He was eliminated at the first extra hole after finding the water with his second shot to the par five, eighteenth hole. David Lingmerth (Sweden) also led the 2013 Players Championship in the third round, finishing tied for second, two strokes behind Tiger Woods (USA). He finished his rookie season in seventy fifth place, to retain his card for 2014. In 2014 however, he finished the season in 134th place, resulting in a visit to the Web.com Tour Finals. There he finished in eighth place, earning a return to the USPGA Tour. David Lingmerth (Sweden) earned his first USPGA Tour win at the 2015 Memorial Tournament. At the 2015 Quicken Loans National, David Lingmerth (Sweden) finished solo third with a final round 69, four shots behind the winner, Troy Merritt (USA). In January 2016, David Lingmerth (Sweden) lost in a sudden-death playoff to Jason Dufner (USA) at the CareerBuilder Challenge (As I mentioned above). This was the second time that David Lingmerth (Sweden) had lost in a playoff at the event, following his runner up finish to Brian Gay (USA) in 2013. He lost on the second extra hole after hooking his second shot into the water at the eighteenth and had earlier had a putt for the victory from twenty feet on the first playoff hole. Despite this, the result moved David Lingmerth (Sweden) into the top fifty in the world rankings. His uncle, Goran Lingmerth, played for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League. His best finish today in a Major Championship is tied for twelfth at the 2015 PGA Championship. Let’s hope he can continue this great form on in the next few weeks. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2016 part of the 2015/16 USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup.

Rounding out the top five in tied for third position at 267-21 after seventy two holes was Andrew Loupe (USA); he earned US $301,600 for his efforts and moved to twenty sixth position on the current 2015/16 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $536,771 from the six events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 145 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to twenty eighth position on the current 2015/16 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 246 points earned from the six events he has played to date this season so far. From the six events he has played to date this season so far he has made three cuts and achieved three top ten finishes which includes the one this past week. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially his third round 67-5!! This finish will give him a lot of confidence moving forward in the next few tournaments. Andrew Gravolet Loupe (USA) (born November 22, 1988) is an American professional golfer who plays on the USPGA Tour. Andrew Loupe (USA) was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where he attended Episcopal High School. He was a member of the school's golf team and won the Louisiana Junior Amateur Championship in 2005. He was also a two-time all-state guard in basketball and was named The Advocate High School Athlete of the Year as a junior in 2006. He played college golf at LSU and was a two-time All-American. Andrew Loupe (USA) turned pro in 2011 and spent most of the next two seasons on the NGA Pro Golf Tour. He played his first USPGA Tour event in 2011 when he qualified for the Zurich Classic of New Orleans; he went on to miss the cut. He played on the Web.com Tour in 2013, finishing seventieth in the standings: he ranked second in driving distance with an average of 315.2 yards. He finished tied for sixth at the season-ending Web.com Tour Championship: this gave him a ranking of twenty third in the Finals rankings (excluding regular season Top 25) to earn his 2013/14 USPGA Tour card. Andrew Loupe (USA) missed his first five cuts to start the 2014 season before shooting an eight-under-par 63 at Monterey Peninsula to take the first-round lead at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. He went on to finish tied for twenty seventh. After a tied for twelfth in his next tournament, the Puerto Rico Open, he shot an opening-round 67 to lead the Valero Texas Open en route to a tied for fourth finish. He finished the 2014 season in 137th place to earn conditional status for the 2015 season; he competed in the 2014 Web.com Tour Finals but was unable to improve his category. In 2015, he finished 198th in the FedEx standings, but a win in one of the Web.com Tour Finals events earned him a return to the USPGA Tour for the 2015/16 season. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2016 part of the 2015/16 USPGA Tour season and FedEx Cup.

Also tied for third position was Phil Mickelson (USA); he too earned US $301,600 for his efforts and moved to fifty fifth position on the current 2015/16 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $301,600 earned from the one event has played to date this season so far. He also earned 145 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to seventy third position on the current 2015/16 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 145 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 in the 60s especially his 65-7 in the second round and his third round 66-6 which was blemish free and his final round 68-4 which was blemish free also!! And it was great to see him have such a good week in his first event of the season after changing coaches to Andrew Getson late last year. This finish will give him a huge confidence boost that he is on the right track with his swing now!! Philip Alfred Mickelson (USA) (born June 16, 1970) is an American professional golfer. He has won forty two events on the USPGA Tour, including five Major Championships: three Masters Tournament titles (2004, 2006, 2010), a PGA Championship (2005), and an Open Championship (2013). Phil Mickelson (USA) is one of sixteen golfers in the history of the sport to win at least three of the four professional majors. The only major that has eluded him is the U.S. Open Championship. Phil Mickelson (USA) has finished runner-up in the U.S. Open Championship a record six times. Phil Mickelson (USA) has spent over 700 weeks in the top-10 of the Official World Golf Ranking, has reached a career-high world ranking of second several times and has a lifetime exemption on the USPGA Tour. Phil Mickelson (USA) is nicknamed "Lefty" for his left-handed swing, even though he is otherwise right-handed. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in May 2012. As I mentioned above he has won forty two USPGA Tour events with his most recent being the 2013 Open Championship. As well as his five wins in professional Major Championships he has also recorded thirty two other top ten finishes to date so far. He has also won two WGC – Events with his most recent being the 2009 WGC – HSBC Champions and has also recorded thirteen top ten finishes to date so far. He has also played on every Presidents Cup Team for Team USA verse Team International since the competition began in 1994: 1994 (winners), 1996 (winners), 1998, 2000 (winners), 2003 (tie), 2005 (winners), 2007 (winners), 2009 (winners), 2011 (winners), 2013 (winners), 2015 (winners). And he has played on ten Ryder Cup Team’s for Team USA against Team Europe: 1995, 1997, 1999 (winners), 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008 (winners), 2010, 2012, 2014. Let’s hope he can win the 2016 US Open Championship at Oakmont Country Club in June to complete the career Grand Slam? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2016 part of the 2015/16 USPGA Tour season and FedEx Cup. 

The final player to tie for third position was Kevin Na (USA); he too earned US $301,600 for his efforts and moved to third position on the current 2015/16 USPGA Tour Money list with US $1,797,273 earned from the six events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 145 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to third position on the current 2015/16 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 817 points earned from the six events he has played to date this season so far. From the six events he has played to date this season so far he has made six cuts and achieved four top ten finishes which includes the one this past week. He will be happy with his second, third and final rounds that were all in the 60s especially his 66-6 in the second round which was blemish free and also his amazing 62-10 in the third round that was blemish free and the equal low round of the day and the tournament. But he will be just content with his third round 71-1 which prevented him from challenging for the title. But he has made a brilliant start to the 2015/16 USPGA Tour season and he must be due to win his second USPGA Tour event soon. Kevin Sangwook Na (USA) (born September 15, 1983) is a Korean American professional golfer currently playing on the USPGA Tour. Born in Seoul, South Korea, Kevin Na (USA) emigrated with his family to the United States when he was eight years old, settling in southern California. He left Diamond Bar High School after his junior year to play professional golf at age seventeen. Kevin Na (USA) has played on the Asian Tour (with a win at the 2002 Volvo Masters of Asia), European Tour and USPGA Tour. Kevin Na (USA) got his USPGA Tour card for the 2004 season. He finished third at the Southern Farm Bureau Classic and fourth at the Honda Classic. In 2005 he finished second at the FBR Open and Chrysler Classic of Tucson. He missed six months with a hand injury in 2006. In his first start back, a rehab start on the Nationwide Tour (now Web.com Tour), he won the Mark Christopher Charity Classic. Kevin Na (USA) played on the USPGA Tour in 2007 via a medical extension, and finished fourth at the Verizon Heritage. In 2008 he was fourth at the FBR Open and Sony Open in Hawaii. He finished third at the 2009 Players Championship and the FBR Open, fifth at the Sony Open in Hawaii, Mayakoba Golf Classic and Reno-Tahoe Open. With nine top-10 finishes and 14 top-25 finishes, he ranked in nineteenth place on the money list, securing his entry to the Masters Tournament and the U.S. Open Championship in 2010 for the first time. In the 2010 season, Kevin Na (USA) finished second at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and third at the BMW Championship. He placed thirty seventh in season earnings.

In February 2011, Kevin Na (USA) was in contention to win his first USPGA Tour title at the Northern Trust Open. He entered the final round in a tie for second at minus nine, one stroke behind Aaron Baddeley (Australia). However a run of four bogeys in the first ten holes ended Kevin Na's (USA) chances of victory. He would eventually fight back on the back nine and a vital birdie on the par-five, seventeenth sealed a third-place finish, behind eventual winner Aaron Baddeley (Australia) and Vijay Singh (Fiji). On April 14, 2011, Kevin Na (USA) played the worst ever par four hole on the USPGA Tour since the tour began recording hole-by-hole scores in 1983, making a sixteen on the ninth hole at the Valero Texas Open. Kevin Na (USA) needed extra shots after an unplayable lie from his tee shot and was then given a two-stroke penalty after his ball hit a tree and rebounded back onto him. It was initially scored as a 15 but changed to 16 on review. Kevin Na (USA) ended up shooting an eight-over-par round of 80, which saw him shoot four-under for his other seventeen holes. In August 2011, Kevin Na (USA) finished tenth at the PGA Championship with a 72-69-70-67 score card. He also finished fifth at the Bob Hope Classic and Wells Fargo Championship. On October 1, 2011, Kevin Na (USA) apparently whiffed his tee shot on the par four,  fifteenth hole in the third round of the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open at TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas, missing high and to the outside of the ball. Tour officials, though, ruled Kevin Na (USA) was not intending to hit the ball and did not count the swing as a stroke, and Kevin Na (USA) finished with a 5-under 66 to remain tied for the tournament lead. The following day, Kevin Na (USA) earned his first USPGA Tour victory at the 211th attempt, having been on tour for eight years. He shot a final round 65 with birdies at 15, 16 and 17 to win by two strokes from Nick Watney (USA) and earn US $792,000 in prize money. Kevin Na (USA) also broke the tournament scoring record of twenty one under par when he finished the week at twenty three under par. This victory earned Kevin Na (USA) a two-year exemption on tour.  He ranked thirtieth in season earnings. During the 2012 USPGA Tour season, Kevin Na (USA) finished fourth at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, fifth at the Phoenix Open and AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, seventh at the Players Championship and twelfth at Masters Tournament. A back injury limited Kevin Na (USA) to eight starts in early 2013. After rehabbing, he made a comeback in October in his first USPGA Tour start since April with a third-place finish at the Frys.com Open. Kevin Na (USA) was given eighteen starts on a medical extension, but needed only seven to remain on the USPGA Tour. In 2014 he finished second at the Memorial Tournament and Valspar Championship, third at the Frys.com Open, fourth at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, ninth at The Barclays and twelfth at the U.S. Open. He finished twentieth in season earnings. Kevin Na (USA) lost in a sudden-death playoff to Emiliano Grillo (Argentina) at the 2015/16 USPGA Tour season opening Frys.com Open. After both players finished at 15-under-par, Emiliano Grillo (Argentina) won the event with a birdie on the second extra hole. Kevin Na (USA) hit his second shot to the par-five eighteenth off-line and was trapped behind a tree, which resulted in a bogey. This allowed Emiliano Grillo (Argentina) to two-putt out for the victory. Kevin Na (USA) is now 0 for 3 in USPGA Tour sudden-death playoffs. Kevin Na (USA) is a naturalized American citizen, and lives in Las Vegas, Nevada. Let’s hope he can finally get that second USPGA Tour win in the 2016 part of the 2015/16 USPGA Tour season because it is long overdue. And I feel you could say although he has had lots of top five finishes in his career he could be classed as under achieved so far with only the one win to date on the USPGA Tour. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2016 part of the 2015/16 USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup.

Tim Wilkinson (NZL) who recently regained his 2015/16 USPGA Tour card at the Web.com Tour Finals was the other New Zealand Golfer in the field and he scored a good first round of  69-3 which included a good front nine of 34-1 with birdies coming on the par five, fourth hole and par five, seventh hole and a poor lone bogey coming on the par three, third hole and a good back nine of 34-2 with birdies on the par four, tenth hole, par five, eleventh hole, par four, fourteenth hole and par five, fifteenth hole but he had a shocking double bogey on the par four, sixteenth hole and a very good second round of 67-5 which included a good front nine of 35-1 which included birdies on the par four, second hole, par three, fourth hole and par five, eighth hole but he had poor bogeys on the par three, sixth hole and par four, seventh hole and then he scored a brilliant back nine of 32-4 with birdies on the par four, tenth hole, par five, eleventh hole, par four, twelfth hole and par five, sixteenth hole and a very good third round of 69-3 which was blemish free and included a good front nine of 35-1 with a lone birdie coming on the par five, sixth hole and then a very good back nine of 34-2 with birdies coming on the par five, thirteenth hole and par four, eighteenth hole and he scored a poor final round of 74+2 which included a poor front nine of 37+1 which included a poor lone bogey on the par four, first hole and then he scored a poor back nine of  37+1 with birdies coming on the par four, fourteenth hole and par three, seventeenth hole and a poor lone bogey on the par four, eighteenth hole and a shocking double bogey on the par three, thirteenth hole for a seventy two hole total of  279-9 and he finished in tied for sixty second position and he earned US $12,354 for his efforts. He moved to 135th position on the current 2015/16 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $97,127 earned from the five events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned eight FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 105th position on the current 2015/16 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 104 points earned from the five events he has played in to date so far. From the five events he has played to date this season so far he has made five cuts and achieved no top ten finishes. He will be happy with his first, second and third rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially his second round that was 67-5!! But disappointed with his final round 74+2!! And if he had done another mid 60s round he could have finished inside the top twenty and won a lot more money. But it is good to see him make all five cuts in his five events of the 2015/16 USPGA Tour season. Let’s hope he can continue this form on in the early 2016 part of 2015/16 USPGA Tour season. His next event will likely be the Farmers Insurance Open next week. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2016 part of the 2015/16 USPGA Tour season. 

Next week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup remain in the State of California for the Farmers Insurance Open (which is the second of five events in the west coast swing) and it is played on the Torrey Pines GC (South), San Diego, California. It carries a huge prize purse of US $6,500,000 for the taking. Jason Day (Australia) is the defending champion and will be keen to defend his title. Danny Lee (NZL) will gain a start if he chooses to play and Tim Wilkinson (NZL) will be hopeful for a start. It starts on Thursday 28th January and 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 coming in at Number One Position for the eighteenth week of his career is Jordan Spieth (USA) who is fresh off  his tied for fifth position this past week at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship and also his win two weeks ago at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions with 11.97 Official World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Two is Jason Day (Australia) who is fresh off his tied for tenth position two weeks ago at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions and also being part of the 2015 Team Internationals Presidents Cup narrow loss to Team USA fifteen weeks ago in South Korea with 10.38 Official World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Three is Rory McILroy (NIR) who is fresh off his tied for third position this past week at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship and also his  win nine weeks ago at the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai and the Race to Dubai title for a third time in his career with 10.30 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Four is Rickie Fowler (USA) who is fresh off his win at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship this past week and also his solo fifth position at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions two weeks ago with 7.87 Official World Ranking Points and rounding out the top five on the Official World Ranking Points list standings this week is Bubba Watson (USA) who is fresh off his tied for tenth position two weeks ago at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions and also his tied for fifteenth position at the Thailand Golf Championship six weeks ago with 7.48 Official World Ranking Points. Danny Lee (NZL) this week is in his fortieth fifth week of another spell of being the highest ranked New Zealand Golfer in the world after finishing in tied for thirty third position at the Sony Open in Hawaii one week ago. This week he drops three places and falls to fortieth sixth position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list standings with 2.59 Official Golf World Ranking Points.

Remember to always play the course to the conditions that are presented to you for that day!!

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