Golf Events from the Weekend 1st April 2012

Well it was another exciting weekend on the Professional Golf Tours around the world. First I will start with the European Tour and Race to Dubai. This week it headed to Italy for the   Sicilian Open which was played on the Verdura Golf & Spa Resort, Sicily, Italy. And it was the Golfer by the name of Thorbjørn Olesen (Denmark) that scored rounds of 68-4, 69-3, 67-5 and a final round of 69-3 for a 72 hole total of 273-15. He won by 1 stroke for his Maiden win. He won € 166,660.00 for his efforts and moved to 18th position on the Race to Dubai Money list with €288,021 earned from the 7 events he has played to date this year so far. Rory McILroy (NIR) still leads that list with €1,324,366 earned from the 4 events he has played to date this year so far.

Thorbjorn Olesen (Denmark) in action during the final round of the Sicilian Open

It was his first European Tour International Schedule victory in his 42nd European Tour event. He moves to just outside the top 100 in the Official World Golf Ranking, from 154th. This victory beats his previous best European Tour finishes of tied second in the 2011 Alfred Dunhill Championship (Dec 10), 2011 BMW Italian Open presented by CartaSi and 2011 Alstom Open de France. He becomes the fourth first-time winner of the 2012 European Tour International Schedule. They would be: Branden Grace (RSA) (Joburg Open), Jbe' Kruger (RSA) (Avantha Masters), Julien Quesne (France) (Open de Andalucía Costa del Sol) and Thorbjørn Olesen (Denmark) (Sicilian Open). Thorbjørn Olesen (Denmark) led by three shots going into the final round. This represents the first time he has led a European Tour event after 54 holes. (He did lead after 36 holes in the 2012 Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship).

At the tender age of 22 years and 102 days becomes the youngest winner on the 2012 European Tour International Schedule to date.  This victory continues his excellent 2012 season. It would be his third top ten finish from his first seven events he has played so far this year. He was tied sixth in the Avantha Masters and tied eighth in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship and first in the Sicilian Open. He becomes the first Dane to win on The European Tour since Thomas Björn (Denmark) at the 2011 Omega European Masters. Aged just 22 years and 102 days becomes the youngest Dane to win in European Tour history.

He becomes the 26th Danish player to win in European Tour history. He becomes the eighth different Dane to win on The European Tour. This victory extends Denmark's number of consecutive winning years on The European Tour to eight, dating back to the 2005 season.

Thorbjorn Olesen (Denmark) holding the Sicilian Open Trophy he won

He gains a European Tour exemption until the end of 2013. He gains a place in the 2013 Volvo Golf Champions. He becomes the eighth former Challenge Tour player to win on the 2012 European Tour. He would follow: Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) (Africa Open), Branden Grace (RSA) (Joburg Open and Volvo Golf Champions), Robert Rock (England) (Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship), Rafael Cabrera-Bello (Spain) (Omega Dubai Desert Classic), Justin Rose (England)  (WGC - Cadillac Championship), Julien Quesne (France) (Open de Andalucía Costa del Sol) and Michael Hoey (NIR) (Trophée Hassan II). He becomes the 293rd European Tour victory by a former Challenge Tour player. He becomes the 124th different former Challenge Tour player to win on The European Tour. And finally it is his third victory as a professional.

He played an awesome final round of 69-3 which included a front nine of 33-3 with birdies on the Par 4, 2nd hole, Par 5, 4th hole, Par 4, 6th hole, Par 5, 7th hole and Par 4, 9th hole. But he had poor bogies on the Par 4, 1st hole and Par 4, 5th hole. He played a steady back nine of 36 even par which included a lone birdie on Par 5, 14th hole, but had a poor bogey on the Par 4, 13th hole. This win should give Thorbjørn Olesen (Denmark) a lot of confidence and now he looks like certain to finish in the Top 60 players on the final Race to Dubai Money list and gain his place in the season ending DP World Tour Championship, Dubai which is the finale to the Race to Dubai in late November. I wish him every success for the remaining of the 2012 European Tour season.

Coming in solo 2nd position with a 72 hole total of 274-14 and the low final round score of 64-8 was the English Professional, Chris Wood (England). In tied for 3rd position at 276-12 after 72 holes were Soren Kjeldsen (Denmark) and Nicolas Colsaerts (Belgium). In solo 5th position at 277-11 after 72 holes was Jose Manuel Lara (Spain). In tied for 6th position at 278-10 after 72 holes was Anthony Wall (England), Shane Lowry (Ireland) and Andrew Parr (Canada). Rounding out the top 10 in tied for 9th position on 279-9 after 72 holes were Alvaro Velasco (Spain) and Tano Goya (Argentina).

Next week the European Tour and Race to Dubai head to America for the first Major of the year which is the 76th Masters Tournament and it is being played at the Augusta National GC, Georgia, USA. It has a large Prize Purse of $US 8,000,000 for the taking. Charl Schwartzel (RSA) is the defending Champion and will be looking to become the 4th Golfer in the history of the Masters Tournament to win back to back titles. It starts on Thursday 5th April and I will report back who won the Green Jacket next week.

The second tournament I am reporting on this week was on the USPGA Tour and was part on the FedEx Cup. It was the Shell Houston Open and was played on the Redstone GC Tournament Course, Humble, Texas. And it was Hunter Mahan (USA) that scored rounds of 69-3, 67-5, 65-7 and a final round of 71-1 for a 72 hole total of 272-16 and won by 1 stroke. He won $US 1,080,000.00 for the win and now moves to Number One position on the USPGA Tour Money list with $US 2,937,240 earned from the 7 events he has played to date this year so far. He also gained 500 FedEx Cup points and moved to Number One position on the FedEx Cup points list with 1,314 points earned from the 7 events he has played to date this year so far. He is 258 points ahead of Johnson Wagner (USA) who is in second position with 1,056 points earned from the 10 events he has played to date this year so far.

Hunter Mahan (USA) in action during the final round of the Shell Houston Open

Hunter Mahan (USA) earned his 5th USPGA Tour victory in 240th career start at the age of 29 years, 10 months and 14 days. The other four wins were 2007 Travelers Championship, 2010 Waste Management Phoenix Open, World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational and 2012 World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship. He extends his fully-exempt status through the end of the 2016 season. He becomes the fourth U.S.-born winner of the Shell Houston Open in the last five years. Prior to that stretch, International-born players had won the event seven of nine times between 1999 and 2007. Hunter Mahan (USA) becomes the first multiple winner of the season. He recorded his third top 10 (1-WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, 1-Shell Houston Open, T6-Farmers Insurance Open). He posts the sixth win by a player in his 20s this season. And finally his five career wins ties the record for most by players currently in their 20s. Here’s the list of players with three or more wins: Hunter Mahan, Dustin Johnson (5), Bill Haas (4), Sean O’Hair (4), Anthony Kim (3). He played a solid final round of 71-1 in the difficult conditions with scoring 35-1 on the front nine with the one birdie coming on the Par 3, 9th hole. He played the back nine in 36 even par with his lone birdie coming on the Par 4, 10th hole, but he made a silly bogey on the Par 3, 14th hole.



Hunter Mahan (USA) holding the Shell Houston Open Trophy he won

I feel he is really starting to find his feet on the USPGA Tour now and a Major Championship win is not that far away for him now. Maybe it will come at the 76th Masters Tournament this coming week? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2012 season on the USPGA Tour.

Coming in solo 2nd at 273-15 after 72 holes was Carl Pettersson (Sweden). Coming in solo 3rd position on 274-14 after 72 holes was Louis Oosthuizen (RSA), he will be disappointed though because he had the 54 hole lead on -17 but 41+5 on his front nine of the final round meant he had fallen well of the pace. It was good to see him fight back though with 3 birdies in the last 7 holes. In tied for 4th position at 276-12 after 72 holes were Jeff Overton (USA), 2011 PGA Champion, Keegan Bradley (USA) the world’s best left hander Phil Mickelson (USA) and Brian Davis (England). Rounding out the top 10 in tied for 8th position on 277-11 was the promising young Professional Golfer, Bud Cauley (USA), Cameron Tringale (USA), J. B. Holmes (USA) who had his best finish since undergoing Brain Surgery earlier this year, and James Driscoll (USA).

The only New Zealand Golfer in the field was Danny Lee (NZL), and he scored rounds of 69-3, 68-4, 72 even par and a final round of 74+2 for a 72 hole total of 283-5 to tie for 36th position. It was his 2nd best finish on the USPGA Tour this year with his best being the tied for 25th at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in February. He won $US 27,650.00 for his efforts and moves to 150th position on the USPGA Tour Money list with $US 98,542 earned from the 9 events he has played to date so far this year so far. He also has earned 89 FedEx Cup points from the 9 events he has played in to date this year so far and that places him in 144th position on the current FedEx Cup points list; he is 1,225 points behind the current leader, Hunter Mahan (USA). It was good to see Danny Lee (NZL) make a decent pay cheque and I feel a top 10 finish is within his reach in the months to come.

Next week on the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup is the first Major Championship of the year which is the 76th Masters Tournament and it is being played at the Augusta National GC, Georgia, USA. It has a large Prize Purse of $US 8,000,000 for the taking. Charl Schwartzel (RSA) is the defending Champion and will be looking to become the 4th Golfer in the history of the Masters Tournament to win back to back titles. It starts on Thursday 5th April and I will report back who won the Green Jacket next week.

The final tournament I am reporting on this week was on the PGA Tour of Australasia and was the Inaugural NZ PGA Pro – Am Championship and it was played at the Hills Golf Course, New Zealand. And it was the Golfer by the name of Michael Hendry (NZL) that scored rounds of 69-3, 68-4, 67-5 and a final round of 68-4 for a 72 hole total of 272-16 and won by 2 strokes. He won $AU 61, 917.12 for his efforts and that moves him to the Top of the Current 2012 PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit list with $AU 72,852.12 earned from the 3 events he has played to date this year so far.

Michael Hendry (NZL) holding the NZPGA Pro - Am Championship Trophy he won

He played a steady final round of 68-4, and was leading by 3 strokes with 3 holes to play before he teed off on the tricky par 3, 16th hole. He missed judged his tee shot and it landed in the hazard short of the green. He tried to play out of the hazard instead of taking a drop and when all was said and done he holed out for a quadruple bogey 7. But he showed great courage to come back and birdie the Par 5, 17th hole. He came to the 72 hole all tied up with the Australian Golfer, Andrew Martin (Australia). He made a solid par on the difficult par 4, 18th hole and when Andrew Martin (Australia) had a poor last hole, he knew he had won his first ever NZ PGA Championship. This win should give Michael Hendry (NZL) a lot of confidence and with lots of One Asia Tour Events coming up in the next few months; I wouldn’t be surprised if he won one of them as well. I wish him all the best and continuing success in the 2012 season.

Coming in tied for 2nd position on 274-14 after 72 holes were Mark Brown (NZL) and Andrew Martin (Australia). Coming in solo 4th position on 275-13 after 72 holes was Ryan Fox (NZL). Coming in solo 5th position on 276-12 after 72 holes was Jin Jeong (South Korea); he scored the low round of the tournament in the 2nd round with a 62-10. Coming in tied for 6th position at 277-11 after 72 holes were Adam Crawford (Australia), Brendan Jones (Australia) and Nick Cullen (Australia); and rounding out the top 10 in tied for 9th position at 278-10 after 72 holes were Paul Sheehan (Australia), Josh Younger (Australia) and Brody Ninyette (Australia). Other New Zealand Golfers to make the cut were Mark Purser (NZL) on 281-7 after 72 holes and tied for 17th position. Mahal Pearce (NZL) on 283-5 after 72 holes and tied for 25th position. David Klein (NZL) on 284-4 after 72 holes and tied for 30th position. David Smail (NZL) on 285-3 after 72 holes and tied for 34th position. Anthony Doyle (NZL) on 286-2 after 72 holes and tied for 38th position. Gareth Paddison (NZL) on 289+1 after 72 holes and tied for 47th position. Richard Lee (NZL) on 290+2 after 72 holes and tied for 49th position. Sven Puymbroeck (NZL) also on 290+2 after 72 holes and tied for 49th position. And the final New Zealand Player to make the cut was Pieter Zwart (NZL) on 301 +13 after 72 holes and was in solo 62nd position.

The PGA Tour of Australasia now takes a break for the winter and returns in the spring for the Perth International Golf Championship which is being played at the Lake Karrinyup Country Club and it starts on Thursday 18th October. It is a brand new tournament which is co – sanctioned with European Tour and carries a prize purse of $US 2,000,000. I will report back who won the trophy once the result is known.

Now to the Top 5 on the Official World Golf Rankings this week and coming at Number One for the 43rd week in his Career and the 3rd straight week of his 2nd spell at Number One Golfer in the World is Luke Donald (England) with 9.70 Official World Golf Ranking Points; coming in 2nd position with 9.59 Official World Golf Ranking Points is Rory McILroy (NIR); coming in 3rd position with 7.76 Official World Golf Ranking Points is Lee Westwood (England); coming in 4th position with 5.75 Official World Golf Ranking Points is Hunter Mahan (USA) fresh of his Shell Houston Open win and rounding out the top 5 is Steve Stricker (USA) with 5.67 Official World Golf Ranking Points. Tiger Woods (USA) this week slips one place to be at 7th position on the Official World Golf Ranking Points list. He now has 5.53 Official World Golf Ranking Points. Danny Lee (NZL) is still the highest ranked New Zealand Golfer in the World. This week he moves up 5 places to be at 160th position on the Official World Golf Ranking Points list with 1.08 Official World Golf Rankings Points on the list.

Remember to keep hitting the ball long and straight and make all your Putts!!

Source: pgatour.com, europeantour.com, pga.org.au

Golf Events from the Weekend 25th March 2012

Well it was another great weekend on the Professional Golf Tours from around the world. First I will start with the Tavistock Cup that was played on Monday (19th March) and Tuesday (20th March). It was played on the Lake Nona Golf & Country Club, Orlando, Florida. It is the only World Golf and Country Club Championship of its kind in the world. And has generated more than $7 million for charity in its nine-year history. The format was Twosomes on the Monday and Tuesday they played that everyone’s score counted.  When all was said and done it was Team Lake Nona that returned a two day total of 41 under par and won by 2 strokes over Team Isleworth. Team Lake Nona was represent by Ben Curtis (USA), Ross Fisher (England), Retief Goosen (RSA), Peter Hanson (Sweden), Graeme McDowell (NIR) and Gary Woodland (USA). Best individual score on the 2nd day was returned by 5 golfers who were Ross Fisher (England) Team Lake Nona 67-5, Robert Allenby (Australia) Team Isleworth 67-5, Retief Goosen (RSA) Team Lake Nona 67-5, Thomas Bjorn (Denmark) Team Queenwood 67-5 and Ernie Els (RSA) Team Albany 67-5. It was another great tournament and the next year will be the 10th Anniversary which will be an even bigger tournament.

Tiger Woods (USA) in action at the Tavistock Cup

So to the second Tournament I am reporting on this week and it was on the European Tour and part of the Race to Dubai. It was the Trophée Hassan II and was played on the Golf du Palais Royal, Agadir, Morocco. And it was the Golfer by the name of Michael Hoey (NIR) that scored rounds of 74+2, 67-5, 65-7 and a final round of 65-7 for a 72 hole total of 271-17 and won by 3 strokes. He won € 250,000.00 for the win and that moves him to 14 position on the Race to Dubai Money list with €316,798 earned from the 6 events he has played in to date this year so far. Rory McILroy (NIR) still leads that list with €1,324,366 earned from the 4 events he has played in to date this year so far.

It was Michael Hoey (NIR) fourth European Tour International Schedule victory in his 151st European Tour event. He moved to around 70th from 98th in the Official World Golf Ranking. It was his second consecutive season with a European Tour victory, following the 2011 Madeira Islands Open and 2011 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. This victory beats his previous best 2012 performance of tied 12th in the Commercialbank Qatar Masters presented by Dolphin Energy. It was his third European Tour win in his last 25 European Tour events, dating back to the 2011 Madeira Islands Open. He began the final round two shots behind the leaders. This equals the largest 54 hole comeback by a winner since the event became part of The European Tour. He would match the figure of Rhys Davies in 2010.

It is the first Northern Irish victory of the 2012 European Tour season. He becomes the first player from Northern Ireland to win the Trophée Hassan II. This victory comes in his third appearance in the event and beats his previous best performance of tied 19th in 2011. It was the 44th Northern Irish win in European Tour history. It was his 7th win as a professional. He extends his European Tour exemption until the end of 2014. He gains a place in the 2013 Volvo Golf Champions. He moves over €2 million in European Tour Official Career Earnings. He becomes the seventh former Challenge Tour player to win on the 2012 European Tour. They are: Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) (Africa Open), Branden Grace (RSA) (Joburg Open and Volvo Golf Champions), Robert Rock (England) (Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship), Rafael Cabrera-Bello (Spain) (Omega Dubai Desert Classic), Justin Rose (England) (WGC – Cadillac Championship), Julien Quesne (France) (Open de Andalucía Costa del Sol) and Michael Hoey (NIR)  (Trophée Hassan II). And finally becomes the 292nd European Tour victory by a former Challenge Tour player.

Michael Hoey (NIR) holing the winning putt to win the Open de Andalucia Costa del Sol

It was just a great final round that Michael Hoey (NIR) played. He scored 65-7 that included a front nine of 31-5 with birdies on the Par 3, 2nd hole, then he scored 4 consecutive birdies in a row from holes 5 -8 with birding the Par 5, 5th hole, Par 4, 6th hole, Par 4, 7th hole and Par 3, 8th hole. He scored a back nine of 33-3 that included birdies on the Par 3, 14th hole, Par 5, 15th hole and Par 5, 17th hole. He had his lone bogey of the round on the Par 5, 10th hole. He is continuing on the great play of Northern Ireland Golfers of late with Graeme McDowell (NIR) and Rory McILroy (NIR) having huge success over that past few years. I hope he continues this form in the months to come and maybe even contends in the Majors if he qualifies?

Coming in solo 2nd position on 274-14 after 72 holes was Damien McGrane (Ireland). Coming in tied for 3rd position on 275-13 after 72 holes were Jamie Donaldson (Wales), Robert Coles (England) and Philip Price (Wales). Coming in tied for 6th position at 276-12 after 72 holes were Edoardo Molinari (Italy), Keith Horne (RSA), Matteo Manassero (Italy). And rounding out the Top 10 in tied for 9th position at 277-11 after 72 holes were Ignaico Garrido (Spain), Hennie Otto (RSA), Pablo Larrazabal (Spain), James Kingston (RSA) and Jose Manuel Lara (Spain).

Michael Campbell (NZL) was the only New Zealander in the field. He scored rounds of 81+9 and 71-1 for a 36 hole total of 152+8 and missed the cut by 8 strokes. It was another disappointing performance by him. But he can gain some confidence from his one under par second round. He has now missed five cuts from the five events he has played this year so far. I hope he can rediscover the form he displayed in the 2005 season soon? I wish him all the best for his future in Golf.

Next week the European Tour and Race to Dubai head to Italy for the Sicilian Open and it is being played at the Verdura Golf & Spa Resort, Sicily, Italy. It has a prize purse of €1,000,000 for the taking. Raphael Jacquelin (France) is the defending Champion and will be looking for back to back titles. It starts on Thursday 29th March. I will report back who took the trophy home next week.

The final event I am reporting on this week was on the USPGA Tour and was part of the FedEx Cup and was the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard and it was played on the Bay Hill Club & Lodge, Orlando, Florida. And it was the Golfer called Tiger Woods (USA) that finally won his first tournament on the USPGA Tour in nearly two years and a half years. He scored rounds of 69-3, 65-7, 71-1 and a final round of 70-2 for a 72 hole total of 275-13. He won in very convincing fashion by 5 strokes. It was his 72nd win on the USPGA Tour and now he is only one win behind who some say was the Greatest Player that ever lived, Jack Nicklaus (USA). And he is 10 wins behind the All Time USPGA Tour winner, Sam Snead (USA). Both of those players I mentioned have long retired. I feel he has a good chance of overtaking Sam Snead’s (USA) all time record of 82 wins in the next few years. He won $US 1,080,000.00 for the win and that moved him to 8th position on the USPGA Tour Money list with $US 1,779,000 earned from the 5 events he has played to date so far this year. Rory McILroy (NIR) still leads that list with $US 2,392,000 earned from the 3 events he has played to date this year so far. He also earns 500 FedEx Cup points for the win and that moves Tiger Woods (USA) to 7th position on the FedEx Cup points list with 846 points earned from the from the 5 events he has played to date this year so far. He is 171 points behind the current FedEx Cup points leader, Johnson Wagner (USA) who has earned 1,017 FedEx Cup points from the 9 events he has played to date this year so far.

Tiger Woods (USA) Acknowledges the crowd after winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard

It was a great win by Tiger Woods (USA) who played a steady final round of 70-2 that included a front nine of 33-3 with birdies on the Par 4, 3rd hole, Par 5, 4th hole, Par 5, 6th hole and Par 4, 8th hole with his lone bogey coming at the Par 3, 2nd hole. He played an average back nine in very challenging conditions; he scored 37+1 with his only bogey coming at the Par 3, 14th hole. It was great to see Tiger Woods (USA) a winner on the USPGA Tour again after all he has been through in the last few years. Listed below are all the tournaments he has won in his USPGA Tour Career to date: 1996 Las Vegas Invitational, Walt Disney World/Oldsmobile Classic.1997 Mercedes Championships, Masters Tournament, GTE Byron Nelson Golf Classic, Motorola Western Open.1998 BellSouth Classic.1999 Buick Invitational, Memorial Tournament, Motorola Western Open, PGA Championship, World Golf Championships-NEC Invitational, National Car Rental Golf Classic/Disney, THE TOUR Championship, World Golf Championships-American Express Championship. 2000 Mercedes Championships, AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, Bay Hill Invitational, Memorial Tournament, U.S. Open Championship, British Open Championship, PGA Championship, World Golf Championships-NEC Invitational, Bell Canadian Open. 2001 Bay Hill Invitational, THE PLAYERS Championship, Masters Tournament, Memorial Tournament,World Golf Championships-NEC Invitational. 2002 Bay Hill Invitational presented by Cooper Tires, Masters Tournament,U.S. Open Championship,  Buick Open, World Golf Championships-American Express Championship. 2003 Buick Invitational, World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship, Bay Hill Invitational presented by Cooper Tires, 100th Western Open presented by Golf Digest, World Golf Championships-American Express Championship.2004 World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship.2005 Buick Invitational, Ford Championship at Doral,  Masters Tournament, British Open Championship,World Golf Championships-NEC Invitational,World Golf Championships-American Express Championship. 2006 Buick Invitational, Ford Championship at Doral, British Open Championship, Buick Open, PGA Championship, World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, Deutsche Bank Championship, World Golf Championships-American Express Championship.2007 Buick Invitational, World Golf Championships-CA Championship, Wachovia Championship,  World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, PGA Championship, BMW Championship, THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola. 2008 Buick Invitational,  World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship, Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard, U.S. Open Championship. 2009 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard,  the Memorial Tournament, AT&T National, Buick Open, World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational,  BMW Championship. 2012 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard. 

Tiger Woods (USA) holding the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard Trophy he won

I feel everything he has been practising in recent months is starting to come together for him now and he will be a threat at the Master Tournament which is the first Major of the year in two weeks time. Let’s hope he can win his 15th Major Championship their as he has won the Master Tournament on 4 Occasions previously. I wish Tiger Woods (USA) every success in the future Tournaments he plays.

Coming in solo 2nd position with a 72 hole total of 280-8 was the US Open Champion of 2010, Graeme McDowell (NIR). Coming in solo 3rd Position with a 72 hole total of 282-6 was the English Professional, Ian Poulter (England). Rounding out the top 10 in tied for 4th Position at 283-5 after 72 holes were Ryan Moore (USA), Brian Davis (England), the long hitting, Bubba Watson (USA), the young up and coming Professional, Bud Cauley (USA), Kevin Na (USA), 2012 Sony Open in Hawaii Winner, Johnson Wagner (USA) and the 3 time Major Winner, Ernie Els (RSA).

Next week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup head to Houston for the Shell Houston Open and it is being played at the Redstone GC Tournament Course, Humble, Texas. It has a large prize purse of $US 6,000,000 for the taking and Phil Mickelson (USA) is the defending Champion and will be keen to defend his title. It starts on Thursday 29th March and I will report back who won the trophy next week.

Now to the top 5 on the Official World Rankings this week. Coming in at Number One for the second straight week and the 42nd time in his career is Luke Donald (England) with 9.87 Official World Ranking Points; Coming in Number Two is Rory McILroy (NIR) with 9.72 Official World Ranking Points; Coming in Number Three is Lee Westwood (England) with 8.02 Official World Ranking Points; Coming in Number Four is Martin Kaymer (Germany) with 5.76 Official World Ranking Points and rounding out the top 5 is Steve Stricker (USA) with 5.71 Official World Ranking Points. Tiger Woods (USA) this week moves up 12 places to be at 6th position on the Official World Golf Ranking Points list after his win at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard. He now has 5.59 Official World Golf Ranking Points. Danny Lee (NZL) is still the highest ranked New Zealand Golfer in the World. This week he remains in 165th position on the Official World Golf Ranking Points list with 1.06 Official World Golf Rankings Points on the list.

Remember when playing on freshly cored greens they will take less break and be slightly slower.

Source: pgatour.com, europeantour.com

Golf Events from the Weekend 18th March 2012

Well it was another brilliant weekend on Major Professional Golf Tours from around the world. First I will start with the European Tour and Race to Dubai. This week it had its first tournament of 2012 in mainland Europe and was the Open de Andalucia Costa del Sol and was played on the Aloha GC, Andalucia, Spain. And it was the Golfer by the name of Julien Quesne (France) that scored rounds of 68-4, 72 even, 67-5 and a final round of 64-8 for a 72 hole total of 271-17 after 72 holes and he won his Maiden European Tour Event by 2 strokes. He earned € 166,660.00 for the win. He moves to 24th position on the Race to Dubai Money list with € 204,945 earned from the 4 events he has played in to date this year so far. Rory McILroy (NIR) still leads that list with €1,324,366 earned from the 4 events he has played in so far this year.

Julien Quesne (France) celebrates after holing the the winning putt!!

It was Julien Quesne (France) first European Tour International Schedule victory in his 47th European Tour event. He moves to around 180th in the Official World Golf Rankings from 322nd. This victory beats his previous best European Tour performance of tied 16th in the 2010 Madrid Masters. Julien Quesne (France) becomes the 400th different winner in European Tour history. He becomes the third first-time winner of the 2012 European Tour International Schedule. They are: Branden Grace (RSA) (Joburg Open), Jbe’ Kruger (RSA) (Avantha Masters) and Julien Quesne (France) (Open de Andalucía Costa del Sol). He graduated from the 2011 European Challenge Tour Rankings. He is the first 2011 graduate to win on The European Tour in 2012. He becomes the first Challenge Tour graduate to win on The European Tour since Lee Slattery at the 2011 Bankia Madrid Masters. This victory beats his previous best 2012 European Tour performance of tied 17th at the Avantha Masters. He becomes the second Frenchman to win the Open de Andalucía Costa del Sol and second at Aloha Golf Club, following Thomas Levet (France) in 2008.

His three shot final round wining comeback equals the largest of the 2012 European Tour to date this year, matching Justin Rose (England) at the WGC – Cadillac Championship. His final round of 64 (-8) is the lowest final round by a winner in the history of the tournament, beating the 66 (-6) of Vijay Singh (Fiji) in 1992. His final round of 64 (-8) is the lowest final round by a winner of the 2012 season to date, beating the 65 (-7) of Paul Lawrie (Scotland) at the Commercialbank Qatar Masters presented by Dolphin Energy. His win is the first French victory of the 2012 season and first on The European Tour since Thomas Levet (France) at the 2011 ALSTOM Open de France. His win becomes the 26th French victory in European Tour history. He became the 11th different French winner in European Tour history. He gains a place in the 2012 WGC – HSBC Champions and 2013 Volvo Golf Champions. He gains his biggest European Tour prize of €166,660. He gains a European Tour exemption until the end of 2013.

He became the sixth former Challenge Tour player to win on the 2012 European Tour. He would follow: Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) (Africa Open), Branden Grace (RSA) (Joburg Open and Volvo Golf Champions), Robert Rock (England) (Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship), Rafael Cabrera-Bello (Spain) (Omega Dubai Desert Classic) and Justin Rose (England) (WGC – Cadillac Championship). He becomes the 291st European Tour victory by a former Challenge Tour player. He becomes the 123rd different former Challenge Tour player to win on The European Tour. He becomes the 24th different Challenge Tour graduate to win on The European Tour the year after graduation. And finally he gains his seventh victory as a professional.

Julien Quesne (France) kisses the Open de Andalucia Costa del Sol Trophy he won

Julien Quesne (France) played an awesome final round with scoring 64-8 which was the lowest final round by 3 strokes. It included a front nine of 32-4 with birdies on the Par 5, first hole, Par 5, fifth hole, Par 3, eighth hole and Par 4, ninth hole. He scored 32-4 on the back nine as well with birdies on the Par 4, fourteenth, Par 4, fifteenth, Par 5, Sixteenth and the Par 4, Eighteeth. I hope Julien Quesne (France) continues on the great form for the rest of 2012 European Tour Season and Maybe win another tournament.

Coming in at Solo 2nd position with a 72 hole total of 273-15 was Matteo Manassero (Italy). Coming in at solo 3rd position at 274-14 after was the 54 hole leader, Eduardo De La Riva (Spain). Coming in at Solo 4th position at 275-13 after 72 holes was David Lynn (England). Coming in tied for 5th position at 276-12 after 72 holes were Raphael Jacquelin (France) and Hennie Otto (RSA). Rounding out the top 10 in tied for 7th position at 277-11 after 72 holes were Jaco Van Zyl (RSA), Shane Lowry (USA),  Mark Foster (England) and Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spain).

Michael Campbell (NZL) was the only New Zealander in the field. He scored rounds of 75+3 and 72 even par for a 36 hole total of 147+3 and missed the 36 hole by 3 strokes. He is just having a shocking season with not making a cut in the 4 events he has played in. It is ashame to see a former US Open Championship Winner struggle so badly. But I wish him all the best with his Golf Career and hope he has some success in the near future.

Next week the European Tour and Race to Dubai head to Morocco for the Trophee Hassan II and it is being played on the Golf du Palais Royal, Agadir, Morocco. It has a good prize purse of €1,500,000 up for grabs. David Horsey (England) is the defending Champion and will be looking for back to back titles. It starts on Thursday 22nd March and I will report back who took home the trophy next week.

Now to the final event I am reporting on this week and it is on the USPGA Tour and is part of the FedEx Cup and was the Transitions Championship, it was played at the Innisbrook Resort - Copperhead, Palm Harbor, Florida. Luke Donald (England) scored rounds of 67-4, 68-3, 70-1 and a final round of 66-5 for a 72 hole total of 271-13 but he was tied on that score by Jim Furyk (USA) who scored rounds of 66-5, 70-1, 66-5 and a final round of 69-2 for a 72 hole total of 271-13 also. Sang – Moon Bae (South Korea) scored rounds of 69-2, 66-5, 68-3 and a final round of 68-3 for a 72 hole total of also 271-13. The final player to tied on 271-13 after 72 holes was Robert Garrigus (USA) who scored rounds of 67-4, 72+1, 68-3 and a final round of 64-7 for a 72 hole total of 271-13.

So those four players headed back to the 18th hole for the first playoff hole. They all put their tee shots in play. Luke Donald (England) was perhaps in the worst position off the tee in the rough on the right hand side of the fairway. But he played the best 2nd shot with a 7 iron in to 8 feet underneath the cup. Robert Garrigus (USA) who hit the longest drive of the four players then hit a brilliant wedge shot into within 4feet of the cup but it spun away to rest 10 feet from the cup. Sang – Moon Bae (South Korea) and Jim Furyk (USA) both landed their balls on the green but over 20 feet to the right of the cup. They both missed their birdie putts. Robert Garrigus (USA) putted for his birdie but just missed on the left hand side. That left Luke Donald (England) with his 8 foot birdie putt to win the Transitions Championship. He steadied himself and struck a nice putt that caught the left hand side of the cup and fell in. He pumped his fist in the air as he won the Transitions Championship and regained the Number One World Ranking after losing it to Rory McILroy (NIR) Two Weeks ago.

Luke Donald (England) pumps his fist in the air after winning!!

Luke Donald (England) won $US 990,000.00 for the win and moved to 14th on the USPGA Tour Money list with $US 1,309,916 earned from the 4 events he has played to date this year so far. Rory McILroy (NIR) still leads that list with $US 2,392,000 earned from 3 events he has played to date this year so far. Luke Donald (England) also earned 500 FedEx Cup points for the win and has 637 FedEx Cup points that places him in 14th position on the FedEx Cup points from the 4 events he has played to date this year so far. He is 380 points behind Johnson Wagner (USA) who leads that list with 1,017 points earned from the 9 events he has played to date this year so far.



Luke Donald (England) poses with the Transitions Championship Trophy he won



Luke Donald (England) will be very happy with this win and I wouldn’t be surprised if he wins the first major of the year which is the Masters Tournament in 3 weeks time. He showed his real guts and determination after Rory McILroy (NIR) took his Number Ranking off him, to come straight back and win on the USPGA Tour for the 5th time in his Career. He had previously won the 2002 Southern Farm Bureau Classic, 2006 The Honda Classic, 2011 World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship and 2011 Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Classic. I hope Luke Donald (England) keeps up this form throughout the 2012 USPGA Tour Season. I wish him every success in the future.

Coming in tied for 5th position at 272-12 after 72 holes were Scott Piercy (USA), Jeff Overton (USA), Ernie Els (RSA) and Ken Duke (USA). In solo 9th position at 273-11 after 72 holes was Bo Van Pelt (USA). Rounding out the Top 10 in tied for 10th position at 274-10 after 72 holes were Matt Kuchar (USA), Webb Simpson (USA), Kevin Streelman (USA) and Jason Dufner (USA).

Next week the USPGA Tour has the last leg of the Florida Swing which is the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard and it is being played at the Bay Hill Club & Lodge, Orlando, Florida. It has a huge prize purse of $US 6,000,000 for the taking. Martin Laird (Scotland) is the defending Champion and will be looking for Back to Back titles. It starts on Thursday 22nd March and I will report back who won the trophy next week.

Now to the top 5 on the Official World Golf Rankings this week, and regaining his Number One Ranking after losing it for Two Weeks to Rory McILroy (NIR) is the new Number One Golfer in the World, Luke Donald (England) with 10.03 Official World Golf Ranking Points and it is the 41st week he has been Number One Golfer in The World. Coming in Number Two on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list is Rory McILroy (NIR) with 9.85 Official World Golf Ranking Points; Coming in Number three on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list is Lee Westwood (England) with 8.16 Official World Golf Ranking Points; Coming in Number four on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list is Martin Kaymer (Germany) with 5.87 Official World Golf Ranking Points and rounding out the top 5 on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list is Steve Stricker (USA) with  5.81 Official World Golf Ranking Points. Tiger Woods (USA) this week remains in 18th position on the Official World Golf Ranking Points list with 4.26 Official World Golf Ranking Points. Danny Lee (NZL) is still the highest ranked New Zealand Golfer in the World. This week he gains 2 places to be at 165th position on the Official World Golf Ranking Points list with 1.07 Official World Golf Rankings Points on the list.

Remember when playing into strong head winds take 1 or 2 more clubs, put the ball back further in your stance and swing easy to control your ball flight.

Source: pgatour.com, europeantour.com

Golf Events from the Weekend 11th March 2012

Well it was another exciting weekend on the Professional Golf Tours from around the world. First I will start with the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup which was combined with the European Tour and Race to Dubai this week for the 2nd World Golf Championship Event of the 2012 season. It was the WGC – Cadillac Championship and was played at the TPC Blue Monster at Doral, Miami, Florida. And it was the Golfer by the name of Justin Rose (England) that scored rounds of 69-3, 64-8, 69-3 and a final round of 70-2 for a 72 hole total of 272-16 and won by 1 stroke.

Justin Rose (England) acknowlegdes the crowd after winning

He won $US 1,400,000.00 for the win and moves to 6th position on the USPGA Tour Money list with $US 1,814,450 earned from the 5 events he has played in to date this year so far. Rory McILroy (NIR) leads that list with $US 2,392,000 earned from the 3 events he has played in to date this year so far. Justin Rose (England) also gained 550 FedEx Cup points and moves to 8th position on the FedEx Cup points list with 768 points earned from the 5 events he has played in to date this year. He is 247 points behind the current leader who is Rory McIlroy (NIR). He has 1,015 points from the 3 events he has played in to date this year so far.

Justin Rose (England) holding the WGC- Cadillac Championship Trophy he won

He is also moves into 2nd Position on the European Tour’s, Race to Dubai Money list with €1,082,236 earned from the 2 events he has played to date this year so far. Rory McILroy (NIR) leads that list as well with €1,324,366 earned from the 4 events he has played to date this year so far. He played a great final round in the difficult conditions with scoring a 70-2. He played a steady front nine of 35-1 which included birdies on the Par 5, first hole and Par 3, fourth hole. He made a poor bogey on the Par 4, sixth hole. He played a steady back nine as well scoring 35-1 which included birdies on the Par 5, tenth hole and Par 4, fourteen hole but made a poor bogey on the very difficult Par 4, eighteen hole. It was his fourth win on the USPGA Tour having previously won the 2010 the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance, 2010 AT&T National and the 2011 BMW Championship. 

It was his fifth European Tour International Schedule victory in his 210th European Tour event. It moved Justin Rose (England) to seventh in the Official World Golf Ranking. It was his first European Tour victory since the 2007 Volvo Masters. It was his first victory in a WGC event in his 21st WGC appearance. This victory beat his previous best WGC performance of tied second in the 2007 WGC – Bridgestone Invitational. This victory came in his sixth appearance in the WGC – Cadillac Championship. This victory beats his previous best performance in the WGC – Cadillac Championship of tied 15th in 2008. His three shot final round winning comeback is the largest in the history of the WGC – Cadillac Championship, beating the two shots of Tiger Woods (USA) in 2005 and Nick Watney (USA) in 2011.

He becomes the first European to win the WGC – Cadillac Championship. He becomes the third Englishman to win a WGC event, following Ian Poulter (England) (2010 WGC – Accenture Match Play Championship) and Luke Donald (England) (2011 WGC – Accenture Match Play Championship). It became the fifth win by a player from the United Kingdom in a WGC event. They are: Darren Clarke (NIR) (2000 WGC – Accenture Match Play Championship and 2003 WGC – Bridgestone Invitational), Ian Poulter (England) (2010 WGC – Accenture Match Play Championship), Luke Donald (England) (2011 WGC – Accenture Match Play Championship) and Justin Rose (England) (2012 WGC – Cadillac Championship). This victory continued European Tour Members wonderful run of recent form in WGC events. They would now have won six of the last ten, dating back to the 2010 WGC – Accenture Match Play Championship. He becomes the tenth different European Tour Member to win a WGC event. Justin Rose (England) becomes the 22nd different player to win a WGC event, since they began in 1999. It was the 273rd English victory in European Tour history. It was his tenth win as a professional worldwide.

He earned his largest European Tour prize of €1,048,139. He moves over €8 million in European Tour Official Career Earnings. He becomes the fifth former European Challenge Tour player to win on The European Tour in 2012. He follows: Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) (Africa Open), Branden Grace (RSA) (Joburg Open, Volvo Golf Champions), Robert Rock (England) (Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship) and Rafael Cabrera-Bello (Spain) (Omega Dubai Desert Classic). He becomes the fourth former Challenge Tour player to win a WGC event. He follows, Henrik Stenson (Sweden) (2007 WGC – Accenture Match Play Championship), Ian Poulter (England) (2010 WGC – Accenture Match Play Championship) and Martin Kaymer (Germany) (2011 WGC – HSBC Champions). And finally becomes the 290th former Challenge Tour player to win on The European Tour.

I feel this win should do great things for the Confidence of Justin Rose (England) and he could well go on and win a Major Championship this year. Perhaps it will come at the Masters Tournament next Month? Hope he continues on his great form for the rest of 2012.

Coming in solo 2nd was the 54 hole leader, Bubba Watson (USA) but unfortunately he scored a final round of 74+2 and had a 72 hole total of 273-15. He won $US 845,000.00 for his efforts and now moves to10th position on the USPGA Tour Money list with $1,474,567 earned from the 6 events he has played to date this year. He also moves to 12th position on the FedEx Cup Points list with 625 points earned from the 6 events he has played in to date this year. He is 390 points behind the current leader who is Rory McIlroy (NIR). Bubba Watson (USA) had a chance to get into a playoff with a 12 foot birdie on the 72nd hole. He hit a good putt but he just missed on the left hand side. I hope he can continue the good form into the first Major of the year which is the Master Tournament.

Coming in tied for 3rd position at 274-14 after 72 holes was the World Number One Golfer, Rory McILroy (NIR). He is now Number on the Race to Dubai Money list with €1,324,366 earned from the 4 events he has played on the European Tour to date this year. He also leads the USPGA Tour Money list with $US 2,392,000 earned from the 3 events he has played in to date this year so far. And he also leads the FedEx Cup points list with 1,015 points earned from the 3 events he has played in to date this year so far. And he is the Number One Golf in the World for the 2nd week in a row. I suggest a second Major isn’t that far away for him?

In tied for 4th position at 275-13 after 72 holes were the Current Masters Tournament Champion, Charl Schwartzel (RSA) and Peter Hanson (Sweden). Tied for 6th Position at 272-12 after 72 holes was John Senden (Australia) and the Former World Number Golfer, Luke Donald (England). Rounding out the Top 10 in tied for 8th position on 277-11 after 72 holes were Bo Van Pelt (USA), Steve Stricker (USA), Matt Kuchar (USA) and Keegan Bradley (USA). Tiger Woods (USA) had to withdraw mid way through his final round due to injury.

The other event I am reporting on this week was for the USPGA Tour players that didn’t qualify for the WGC – Cadillac Championship. It was the Puerto Rico Open presented by seepuertorico.com and was played on the Trump International GC - Puerto Rico, Rio Grande, Puerto. And it was George McNeill (USA) who scored rounds of 66-6, 70-2, 67-5 and a final round of 69-3 for a 72 hole total of 272-16 after 72 holes and he won by 2 strokes. He won $US 630,000.00 for the win and moves to 18th position on the USPGA Tour Money list with $US 761,068 earned from the 7 events he has played to date this year. He also gained 250 FedEx Cup Points and he now is in 19th position on the FedEx Cup points list with 377 points earned from the 7 events has played to date this year. He is 638 points behind the current leader who is Rory McILroy (NIR).

It was George McNeill (USA) second win on the USPGA Tour having won the 2007 Frys.com Open benefiting Shriners Hospitals for Children. He played a steady final round under the circumstances scoring 69-3. He scored a front nine of 35-1 with birdies on the Par 4, 3rd hole, Par 4, 4th hole and Par 3, 8th hole. But he had poor bogies on the Par 5, 5th hole and Par 3, 6th hole. He played a very good back nine of 34-2 with birdies on the final 3 holes which were the Par 3, 16th hole, Par 4, 17th hole and Par 5, 18th hole. His lone bogey on the back nine came at the Par 3, 11th hole. With this win George McNeill (USA) is now exempt to the end of the 2014 USPGA Tour season. I feel it will give him the confidence he needs to have a great 2012 USPGA Tour season. I wish him all the best for the remaining events in the season.

George McNeill (USA) in action during the final round

Coming in solo 2nd at 274-14 after 72 holes was Ryo Ishikawa (Japan); it was his best ever finish in a USPGA Tour event. Coming in tied for 3rd position at 275-13 after 72 holes were Boo Weekley (USA) and Hendrik Stenson (Sweden). Coming in tied for 5th position at 276-12 after 72 holes were Scott Brown (USA) and Matt Jones (Australia). Coming in at tied for 7th position at 277-11 after 72 holes were Daniel Summerhays (USA) and Kevin Stadler (USA). And rounding out the top 10 in tied for 9th position at 278-10 after 72 holes were Brandt Jobe (USA), Blake Adams (USA) and Graham De laet (Canada).

Best New Zealand Golfer in the field was Danny Lee (NZL), he score rounds of 70-2, 70-2, 71-1 and a poor final round of 75+3 for a 72 hole total of 286-2 and finished in tied for 48th position. He won $US 8,484.00 for his efforts and moves to 163rd position on the USPGA Tour Money list with $US 70,892 earned from the 8 events he has played to date this year so far. He also has earned 56 FedEx Cup Points that places him in 156th position on the current FedEx Cup points list from the 8 events he has played to date this year so far. I sure this isn’t the start he was hoping for in his rookie season on the USPGA Tour. I hope he has some better results soon. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2012 USPGA Tour season.

Next week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup stay in Florida for the Transitions Championship and it is being played at the Innisbrook Resort - Copperhead, Palm Harbor, Florida. It has a large Prize Purse of $US 5,500,000 for the taking. Long hitting, Gary Woodland (USA) is the defending Champion and will be looking to defend his title. It starts on Thursday 15th March and I will report back who won the trophy next week.

Now to the top 5 on the Official World Golf Rankings this week, coming in as the Number One Golfer in the World for the 2nd week running is Rory McILroy (NIR) with 9.78 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in 2nd position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list is Luke Donald (England) with 9.09 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in 3rd position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list is Lee Westwood (England) with 8.12 Official World Golf Rankings Points; coming in 4th position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list is Martin Kaymer (Germany) with 5.88 Official World Golf Rankings Points and rounding on the top 5 Golfers in the world is Steve Stricker (USA) with 5.76 Official World Golf Rankings Points. Tiger Woods (USA) this week moves down two places to be at 18th position on the Official World Golf Ranking Points list with 4.33 Official World Golf Ranking Points. Danny Lee (NZL) is still the highest ranked New Zealand Golfer in the World. This week he slips two places to be at 167th position on the Official World Golf Ranking Points list with 1.09 Official World Golf Rankings Points on the list.

So until next week remember keep hitting Fairways and Greens and make all your Putts!!

Source: pgatour.com, europeantour.com

Golf Events from the Weekend 4th March 2012

Well again it was another exciting weekend on the Professional Golf Tours around the world. First I will start with the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup. This week it was in Florida for the Honda Classic. It was played on the Jack Nicklaus designed course at the PGA National Champion Course, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. And the Golfer by the name of Rory McILroy (NIR) scored rounds of 66-4, 67-3, 66-4 and a final round of 69-1 for a 72 hole total of 268-12 after 72 holes and won by 2 strokes. It was his 3rd win on the USPGA Tour having previously won the 2010 Wells Fargo Championship and the 2011 U.S. Open. He won $US 1,026,000.00 for the win and moves to 2nd position on the USPGA Tour Money list with $US 1,876,000 earned from the 2 events he has played to date this year so far. Kyle Stanley (USA) still leads that list with $US 1,938,515 earned from the 7 events he has played to date this year so far. Rory McILroy (NIR) also gained 500 FedEx Cup points for the win and moves to 4th position on the FedEx Cup Points list with 815 points earned from 2 events he has played to date this year so far. He is 120 points behind Kyle Stanley (USA) who leads that list on 935 points he has earned from the 7 events he has played to date this year so far.

Rory McILroy (NIR) pumps his fist in celebration after winning the Honda Classic

It was a steady final round by Rory McIlroy (NIR) who scored 69-1. He scored 34-1 on the front nine with his lone birdie coming at the Par 4, 8th hole. He scored 35 even on the back nine and his lone birdie came on the Par 4, 13th hole. It came just after Tiger Woods (USA) had scored 62-8 and posted -10 after 72 holes. His lone bogey came at the Par 4, 12th hole where he miss hit his 2nd shot and was unable to get up and down. He knew with 5 holes to play all he had to do was par in and the Tournament and Number 1 World Ranking was his. He got a great up and down on the Par 4, 14th hole where he got up and down from thick rough at the back right of the green. He got another great up and down from the bunker on the Par 3, 15th hole. On the Par 4, 16th hole he hit the green in 2 shots and made an easy 2 putt. So now he had a 2 stroke lead with two holes left to play. He hit his ball in the back left bunker on the Par 3, 17th hole but hit a brilliant bunker shot to within 4 feet of the hole and made the par putt. He came to the Par 5, 72nd hole and knew that a bogey would be good enough for the win. He hit a huge drive right down the centre of the fairway, Laid up with his 2nd shot and hit his wedge 3rd shot within 20 feet of the cup. He rolled his birdie putt 3 feet past the hole. But he easily holed the 3 footer for par and the win.

Rory McILroy (NIR) holding the Honda Classic Trophy he won and pointing one finger up because he is the New Number 1 Golfer in the World.

Rory McILroy (NIR) has now had a second place and a win from his 2 starts on the USPGA Tour this year. And he has gained the Number One World Ranking from Luke Donald (England) who held it for 40 Straight weeks. He is amazingly only 22 years old and is the second youngest player ever to gain the Number One Ranking in the World. The youngest player was of course Tiger Woods (USA).He must fancy his chances to win his 2nd Major this year? Perhaps it will come at the first major of the year which is Masters Tournament where he led after 54 holes last year only to score a shocking round of 80 in his final round. I wish him all the best on the USPGA Tour for the remaining events in 2012.

Coming in tied for 2nd at 280-10 after 72 holes was Tiger Woods (USA) he had his career low round of 62-8 which included a front nine of 31-4. He eagled the Par 5, 3rd hole, and had birdies on the Par 3, 5th and Par 3, 7th holes. He scored 31-4 on the back nine as well with an eagle on the Par 5, 18th hole to end his round in spectacular fashion and he also had excellent birdies on the very difficult par 4, 11th hole and the Par 3, 17th hole. This finish will give Tiger Woods (USA) a lot of confidence and a win on the USPGA Tour can’t be very far away for him. He moves to 18th position on the USPGA Tour Money List with $US 699,000 earned from the 3 events he has played to date this year so far. He also moves to 17th Position on the FedEx Cup points list with 346 points earned from the 3 events he has played to date this year so far. He is 589 points behind the current leader who is Kyle Stanley (USA). The other player to tie for 2nd was Tom Gillis (USA) who had his career best finish on the USPGA Tour. He is well on his way to keeping his card for 2013 USPGA Tour Season with $US 523,450 earned from the 6 events he has played.

In solo 4th place on 272-8 after 72 holes was Lee Westwood (England), he scored an excellent final round of 63-7. Coming in tied for 5th at 273-7 after 72 holes were the Current Masters Tournament Champion, Charl Schwartzel (RSA) and Justin Rose (England). Coming in tied for 7th at 274-6 after 72 holes were Rickie Fowler (USA) and Dicky Pride (USA). And rounding out the top 10 in tied for 9th position at 275-5 after 72 holes were Chris Stroud (USA), Kevin Stadler (USA) and Graeme McDowell (NIR).

Next week on the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup there are two tournaments. The first one is the second World Golf Championships event of the year which is the WGC – Cadillac Championship and it is being played at the TPC Blue Monster at Doral, Miami, Florida. It has a huge prize purse of $US 8,500,000 for the taking. Nick Watney (USA) is the defending Champion and will be looking for back to back titles. It starts on Thursday 8th March and I will report back who won the trophy next week. The second event is for the players that haven’t qualified for the WGC – Cadillac Championship. It is the Puerto Rico Open presented by seepuerto.com and is being played at the Trump International GC - Puerto Rico, Rio Grande, Puerto Rico. It has a smaller prize purse of $US 3,500,000 for the taking. Michael Bradley (USA) is the defending Champion and will be looking for back to back titles. It starts on Thursday 8th March. I will report back who won the Trophy next week.

The final event I am reporting on this week is on the Nationwide Tour and was the Panama Claro Championship and it was played on the Panama GC, Panama City, Panama. And it was the Golfer by the name of Edward Loar (USA) that scored rounds of 66-4, 68-2, 68-2 and a final round of 74+4 for a 72 hole total of 276-4 and he won by 1 stroke. It was his Maiden Nationwide Tour win and he won $US 99,000.00 for the win which moves him to 2nd position on the Nationwide Tour Money list with $US 99,000.00 earned from the 1 event he has played in to date this year. Skip Kendall (USA) leads that list with $US 112,111 earned from the 2 events he has played in so far this year. Edward Loar (USA) is actually fully exempt on the USPGA Tour in 2012 having finished tied for 18th position in the 2011 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament. But he was unable to get a start in the Honda Classic so he chose to play this tournament which was a wise move.

Edward Loar (USA) in action during the final round

He played a shaky final round but it was good enough to hold on for the Victory. He scored 74+4 that included a front nine of 39+4 with a lone birdie on the Par 5, 4th hole. But he made poor bogeys at the Par 4, 4th hole and Par 3, 6th hole. And a shocking Triple Bogey on the Par 4, 7th hole. He steadied himself on the back nine to score 35 even par with a birdie on the Par 4, 16th hole and a lone bogey on the Par 3, 13th hole. I feel this win will give him confidence to go back to the USPGA Tour and really compete well. I wish Edward Loar (USA) all the best for the rest of 2012 on both the Nationwide Tour and USPGA Tour.

Coming in tied for 2nd Position at 277-3 after 72 holes were Cameron Percy (Australia), Ryan Armour (USA), Luke List (USA) and Brain Smock (USA). In solo 6th position at 279-1 after 72 holes was Justin Bolli (USA). Coming in tied for 7th at 280 even par after 72 holes were Peter Lonard (Australia) and Brad Fritsch (Canada). And rounding out the top 10 in tied for 9th position at 281+1 after 72 holes were Mike Lavery (USA), Darren Stiles (USA), Aaron Goldberg (USA), B. J. Staten (USA), Steve LeBurn (USA), Tim Wilkinson (NZL) the only New Zealander to make the cut scored rounds of 68-2, 68-2, 73+3 and 72+2 for a 72 hole total of 281+1. He won $US 11,550.00 for his weeks work and moved to tied for 24th position on the Nationwide Tour Money List with $US 13,545 earned from the 2 events he has played in to date this year. Skip Kendall (USA) still leads that list with $US 112,111 earned from the 2 events he has played to date this year. I wish Tim Wilkinson (NZL) continuing success on the Nationwide Tour in 2012. Also tied for 9th were David Lingmerth (Sweden), Shawn Stefani (USA), Derek Fathauer (USA) and Justin Hicks (USA).

The Other New Zealanders in the field that missed the halfway cut were Steve Alker (NZL) who scored rounds of 72+2 and 73+3 for a 36 hole total of 145+5 and missed the 36 hole cut by one stroke.

Next week the Nationwide Tour heads to Chile for the Chiles Classic presented by Pacific Rubiales and it is being played at the Prince of Wales Country Club, Santiago, Chile. It has a good prize purse of $US 600,000 for the taking. It is a brand new tournament so there is no defending Champion. It starts on Thursday 8th March and I will report back who won the trophy next week.

So to the Top 5 on the Official World Golf Rankings this week. Coming in at Number One for the for the first time ever in his career and fresh of his Honda Classic win is Rory McILroy (NIR) with 9.29 Official World Ranking Points. Coming in at Number Two is Luke Donald (England) with 8.97 Official World Ranking Points. Coming in at Number Three is Lee Westwood (England) with 8.19 Official World Ranking Points. Coming in at Number Four is Martin Kaymer (Germany) with 6.02 Official World Ranking Points and rounding out the top 5 is Steve Stricker (USA) with 5.71 Official World Ranking Points. Tiger Woods (USA) this week moves up five places to be at 16th position on the Official World Golf Ranking Points list with 4.40 Official World Golf Ranking Points. Danny Lee (NZL) is still the highest ranked New Zealand Golfer in the World. This week he slips 3 places to be at 165th position on the Official World Golf Ranking Points list with 1.10 Official World Golf Rankings Points on the list.

Remember a good preshot routine will have you having your scores much lower.

Source: europeantour.com, pgatour.com

Golf Events from the Weekend 26th February 2012

It was another great weekend on the Professional Golf Tours from around the world. First I will start with the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup and the European Tour and Race to Dubai. This week the event was Co – Sanctioned with both tours and was the first World Golf Championship of 4 for the year. It was the WGC – Accenture World Match Play Championship and was played on the Ritz-Carlton GC, Dove Mountain, Marana, Arizona, USA. And it was the Golfer by the name of Hunter Mahan (USA) that won the 18 hole final over Rory McILroy (NIR) 2&1. After halving the first 5 holes, Hunter Mahan (USA) won the Par 3, 6th hole with a birdie to go 1up, the Par 4, 7th hole with a bogey to go 2up and the Par 5, 8th hole with a Par to go 3up after 8 holes. He turned 3up over Rory McILroy (NIR) after 9 holes.

Hunter Mahan (USA) birdied the Par 4, 10th hole to go 4up on Rory McILroy (NIR). Rory McILroy (NIR) won the Par 5, 11th hole with an eagle to a Hunter Mahan (USA) birdie and he was back to only 3up. They halved the next two holes so Hunter Mahan (USA) was now 3up with 5 holes to play. Rory McILroy (NIR) then birdied the Par 4, 14th hole to get back to 2down. They both birdied the Short Par 4, 15th hole so Hunter Mahan (USA) remained 2 up with 3 holes to play. The halved the short Par 3, 16th hole in Par 3’s so Hunter Mahan (USA) was now 2up with 2 holes to play. The both hit good drives down the long Par 4, 17th hole. They both hit their 2nd shots on the green. Rory McILroy (NIR) putted first and was unable to make his long birdie putt. Hunter Mahan (USA) rolled his birdie putt up stone dead and he had won the WGC – Accenture Match play Championship 2 & 1.

Hunter Mahan (USA) in action during the Final

Hunter Mahan (USA) won $US 1,400,000.00 for the win and is now in 4th position on the USPGA Tour Money list with $US 1,760,840 earned from the 4 events he has played to date this year so far. Kyle Stanley (USA) still leads that list with $US 1,938,515 earned from the 6 events he has played to date this year so far. Hunter Mahan (USA) also gained 550 FedEx Cup Points and is now in 6th position on the FedEx Cup Points list with 742 points earned from the 4 events he has played in to date this year so far. He is 193 points behind the current FedEx Cup Points leader who is Kyle Stanley (USA) who has earned 935 FedEx Cup Points from the 6 events he has played so far to date this year.

It was his 4th USPGA Tour victory as he had previously won the 2007 Travelers Championship, 2010 Waste Management Phoenix Open and the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational. It was Hunter Mahan (USA) second European Tour International Schedule victory in his 43rd European Tour event. His first European Tour International Schedule victory since the 2010 WGC – Bridgestone Invitational. Hunter Mahan (USA) becomes only the sixth player to win multiple WGC events. He would follow: Tiger Woods (USA) (16), Geoff Ogilvy (Australia) (three) and two each for Darren Clarke (NIR), Ernie Els (RSA) and Phil Mickelson (USA). His second WGC victory came in his 14th WGC appearance. His first victory in the WGC – Accenture Match Play Championship came in his fifth appearance. This victory beats his previous best performance in the WGC – Accenture Match Play Championship of tied ninth in 2011.

He became the sixth different American to win the WGC- Accenture Match Play Championship. He follows: Jeff Maggert (USA) (1999), Steve Stricker (USA) (2001), Kevin Sutherland (USA) (2002), Tiger Woods (USA) (2003, 04, 08) and David Toms (USA) (2005). Hunter Mahan (USA) becomes the first American to win a WGC event since Nick Watney (2011 WGC – Cadillac Championship). He became the first American to win on The European Tour International Schedule since Keegan Bradley (2011 US PGA Championship).And finally this win was the 123rd American victory in European Tour history.

Hunter Mahan (USA) kisses the Walter Hagan Trophy he won

With only being at the tender age of 29 he has many years of good golf ahead of him and the next thing I expect him to win is a Major Championship. Maybe it will be the first major of 2012 which is Masters Tournament. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2012 season. For Rory McILroy (NIR) it will be disappointing to finish runner up. He won € 644,036.98 for his efforts and he moves to the Number One Position on the Race to Dubai Money List with €938,052 earned from the 3 events he has played to date this year so far. I feel it won’t be long before he gains the Number One ranking in the world. In the Consolation Match for 3rd place Mark Wilson (USA) defeated Lee Westwood (England) 1up. The real Surprise for me in the whole tournament was the World Number One ranked golfer, Luke Donald (England) losing to Ernie Els (RSA) 5&4 in the first round.

 The other event on the USPGA Tour was Mayakoba Golf Classic and it was played on the El Camaleon, Riviera Maya, Mexico and it was the Golfer by the name of John Huh (USA) that scored rounds of 67-4, 70-1, 71 even par and a final round of 63-8 for a 72 hole total of 271-13 but he was tied on that score by Robert Allenby (Australia) who scored rounds 69-2, 67-4, 70-1 and a final round of 65-6 for a 72 hole total of 271-13 also. So those two players headed back to the Par 4, 18th hole which was the first playoff hole where they both made Par’s. So they head to the second playoff hole which was the Par 3, 10th hole where they both made par’s. So they headed to the third playoff hole which was the Par 4, 18th hole again and they both made par’s. So they headed to the fourth playoff hole which was Par 3, 10th hole and again they both made Par’s. So they headed to the fifth playoff hole which was the Par 4, 18th hole and they both made Par’s. So they headed to the sixth playoff hole which was the Par 3, 10th hole and they both made Par’s. So they headed to the 7th playoff hole which was the Par 4, 18th hole and again they both made Par’s. Finally they head to the 8th playoff hole which was the Par 3, 10th hole for the 4th time and this time John Huh (USA) made a Par 3 to a Robert Allenby (Australia) bogey 4.

John Huh (USA) celebrates with his Caddie after winning the Mayakoba Golf Classic

So John Huh (USA) won his Maiden USPGA Tour event with the Mayakoba Golf Classic win and it must have been one of the longest USPGA Tour Playoffs in the History of the USPGA Tour? He won $US 666,000.00 for the win and moves to 9th position on the USPGA Tour Money list with $US 1,047,132 earned from the 5 events he has played in. He also gains 250 FedEx Cup points and moves to 12th position on the FedEx Cup Points Leaders list with 458 points earned from the 5 events he has played in to date this year so far. He is 477 points behind the current FedEx Points leader who is Kyle Stanley (USA). It is amazing to think that the only reason he has a 2012 USPGA Tour card is because he finished tied for 27th position at the 2011 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament. It must be one of the best starts by a Rookie in recent years on the USPGA Tour? John Huh (USA) now is exempt on the USPGA Tour until the end of the 2014 on the USPGA Tour. I hope John Huh (USA) can just keep getting better and continue to improve. I wish him all the best for rest of the 2012 USPGA Tour season.

For Robert Allenby (Australia) it was another close shave. And he still hasn’t won since 2001 at the Marconi Pennsylvania Classic. He is just too good of a player to have not of won on the USPGA Tour for 11 years. I feel a win is not very away from happening for him. It just shows me how hard it really is to get a Victory on the USPGA Tour.

Coming in tied for 3rd position at 273-11 after 72 holes were Matt Every (USA) and Colt Knost (USA). In tied for 5th place at 274-10 after 72 holes were Dicky Pride (USA), Alejandro Canizares (Spain), Daniel Summerhays (USA) and Chris Stroud (USA). And rounding out the top 10 in tied for 9th position at 276-8 after 72 holes were J.J. Henry (USA), Michael Allen (USA) and Will Claxton (USA).

Danny Lee (NZL) was the only New Zealand Golfer in the field. After scoring a fighting round of 73+2 in the first round he found himself +8 after 12 holes in the second round and decided to withdraw for no apparent reason. Danny Lee (NZL) is starting to find out the harsh reality of playing Professional Golf at the highest level. He has now only made 2 cuts in the 7 events he has entered. I’m sure Danny Lee (NZL) will eventually find his feet on the USPGA Tour but for now I feel he needs to settle down and regroup. He has won $US 62,408 in the 7 events he has played to date this year so far and that places him in 142nd position on the USPGA Tour Money list. He is also in 140th position on the FedEx Cup Points list with 47 FedEx Cup Points earned from the 7 events he has played to date this year so far. He is 888 points behind the Current Leader who is Kyle Stanley (USA). I wish Danny Lee (NZL) all the best for the rest of the USPGA Tour events he plays in 2012.

Next week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup heads to Florida for The Honda Classic and it is being played at the Jack Nicklaus designed PGA National Champion Course, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. It has a large prize purse of $US 5,700,000 for the taking. Rory Sabbatini (RSA) is the defending Champion and will be keen to defend his title. It starts on Thursday 1st March and I will report back who won the trophy next week.

So to the top 5 players on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list this week and for the 40th week in a row Luke Donald (England) is in Number One position with 9.13 Official Golf World Ranking Points, Coming in 2nd on the Official World Golf Rankings is Rory McILroy (NIR) with 8.60 Official World Golf Ranking Points, Coming in 3rd on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list is Lee Westwood (England) with 8.17 Official World Golf Ranking Points, Coming in 4th on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list is Martin Kaymer (Germany) with 6.02 Official World Golf Ranking Points and rounding out the top 5 is Steve Stricker (USA) with  5.80 Official World Golf Ranking Points. Tiger Woods (USA) this week slips one further place to be at 21st position on the Official World Golf Ranking Points list with 3.83 Official World Golf Ranking Points. Danny Lee (NZL) is still the highest ranked New Zealand Golfer in the World. This week he slips 1 place to be at 162nd position on the Official World Golf Ranking Points list with 1.12 Official World Golf Rankings Points on the list.

Remember when you are playing into strong winds take one more club and swing easy.

Source: pgatour.com, europeantour.com