Golf Events from the Weekend 2nd February 2014

It was another exciting weekend on the Major Professional Golf Tours from around the world and this week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup headed to Arizona for the Waste Management Phoenix Open and it was played on the TPC Scottsdale, Scottsdale, Arizona. And it was the golfer by the name of Kevin Stadler (USA) who scored rounds of 65-6, 68-3, 67-4 and a final round of 68-3 for a 72 hole total of 268-16 and he won by a single stroke for his maiden USPGA Tour win of his career. He earned US $1,116,000.00 for the win and moved to eighth position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,492,698 earned from the six events he has played to date this season so far. Jimmy Walker (USA) still leads that list with US $2,417,833 earned from the seven events he has played to date this season so far. Kevin Stadler (USA) also got 500 FedEx Cup Points for the win and moved to seventh position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 713 points earned from the six events he has played to date this season so far, he is 520 points behind the current leader of the FedEx Cup who is Jimmy Walker (USA) who has earned 1,233 points from the seven events he has played to date this season so far. From the six events Kevin Stadler (USA) has played to date this season so far he has made six cuts and achieved two top ten finishes that includes the win here.

Kevin Stadler (USA) played a good final round under the circumstances of playing in the final group and having a lot of pressure on him because he had never won on the USPGA Tour prior to today. He scored 68-3 that included a front nine of 31-4 that included birdies on the Par four, first hole, par four, second hole, par five, third hole and par four, ninth hole and he made the turn at minus 17 and was leading by one shot. Graham Delaet (Canada) scored 33-2 on his front nine and made the turn at minus 11 and was six shots behind the leader. Bubba Watson (USA) scored 34-1 on his front nine and made the turn at minus 16 and was one shot behind the leader. Hunter Mahan (USA) scored 34-1 on his front nine and made the turn at minus 12 and was five shots behind the leader.

Kevin Stadler (USA) played holes ten to 14 in two over par and fell back to minus 15 and was now one shot behind the leader. Graham Delaet (Canada) played holes ten to 14 in three under par and moved to minus 14 and was now only two shots behind the leader. Bubba Watson (USA) played holes ten to 14 in even par and remained at minus 16 but was now leading by two shots. Hunter Mahan (USA) played holes ten to 14 in one under par and moved to minus 13 and was now three shots behind the leader.

Kevin Stadler (USA) in action during the final round

Kevin Stadler (USA) played holes 15 to 17 in one under par and moved to minus 16 and was now tied for the lead heading to the Par four, 72nd hole. Graham Delaet (Canada) played holes 15 to 17 in even par and fell back to minus 14 but was still two shots behind the leader heading to the Par four, 72nd hole. Bubba Watson (USA) played holes 15 to 17 in even par and remained at minus 16 and was now tied for the lead heading to the Par four, 72nd hole. Hunter Mahan (USA) played holes 15 to 17 in one under par and moved to minus 14 and now was only two shots off the lead heading to the Par four, 72nd hole.

Hunter Mahan (USA) who was playing a couple of groups ahead of the final group made a solid par at the par four 72nd hole and finished the 72 holes on minus 14 and was two shots behind the winner. Graham Delaet (Canada) playing in the group ahead of the final pairing hit a brilliant second shot into the par four, 72nd hole with his short wedge and it came to rest five feet underneath the flag stick. He easily tapped that putt in for his birdie three and he finished the 72 holes on minus 15 and was one shot behind the winner. Bubba Watson (USA) who was playing in the final group hit his drive in the right rough at the par four, 72nd hole and was left with a difficult second shot with his short wedge from a lie that saw his ball buried in the deep rough. He immediately yelled out “Fore” as he struck it knowing it was going to fly the green and go into the rough and the gallery at the back of the green. He was now faced with a very difficult chip up a steep slope and didn’t have very much green to play with. He chose to play a bump and run shot and it hit the Television cables and skipped up the slope nicely. It rolled onto the green and came to rest five feet below the cup. Knowing he would have to hole the five footer to force a playoff with Kevin Stadler (USA) he calmed his nerve but put a very weak stroke on the ball and it just missed on the left hand side and he had to settle for his bogey five. He finished the 72 holes on minus 15 and was one shot behind the winner.

Kevin Stadler (USA) poses with the Waste Management Phoenix Open Trophy he won!!

Kevin Stadler (USA) also playing in the final group hit his best drive of the day on the par four, 72nd hole and it landed right in the centre of the fairway. He struck his short wedge shot very well and it landed 15 feet behind the flag stick. He now knew if he could sink the 15 foot putt for his birdie three he would win his maiden USPGA Tour event. He struck a good putt and it just missed on the right hand side of the cup and came to rest two feet from the cup. He easily tapped in for his par four and finished the 72 holes on minus 16 to win by a single shot. He got a huge high five from his caddie!! Kevin is the son of the famous Craig Stadler (USA) who won the 1982 Masters Tournament (Only Major Championship) along with 12 other USPGA Tour events. This maiden USPGA Tour win came in Kevin Stadler’s (USA) 239th PGA Tour start and would ensure him of his first Masters Tournament invitation in the second week of April later this year. Craig and Kevin Stadler (USA) will be the first father-son duo to play at Augusta in the same tournament. Kevin Stadler (USA) openly admits he has got a bad case of the yips with his putting and the long broom stick putter has saved his professional golf career. I wonder how he is going to get on when the new rules on banning that type of putter come in to effect on first of January 2016? Kevin Stadler (USA) has been playing on the USPGA Tour fulltime for the past six seasons and has now finally achieved his maiden USPGA Tour win. Last year in the 2013 USPGA Tour season he earned US $1,281,177 from the twenty five events he played in with making 17 cuts and achieving three top ten finishes with his best result being tied for third position at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am and he finished in 68th position on the final 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 USPGA Tour season.

Coming in tied for second position at 269-15 after 72 holes was Graham Delaet (Canada); he earned US $545,600.00 for his efforts and moved to ninth position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,361,267 earned from the five events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 245 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to eleventh position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points standings list with 597 points earned from the five events he has played to date this season so far. From the five events he has played to date this season so far he has made four cuts and achieved four top ten finishes that have come in his last four starts. He has been playing on the USPGA Tour full time since the 2010 season after gaining his card at the 2009 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament where he finished in tied for eighth position. In his rookie season on the USPGA Tour in 2010 he had a very good season and earned just under one million US dollars and easily kept his card for the 2011 season. In his second full season on the USPGA Tour in 2011 season he sat out the majority of the campaign due to a back injury and played the 2012 season out of the Major Medical Extension category, where he had 26 events to earn US $ 657,694 in 2012 season. In the 2012 season which was his third full season on the USPGA Tour he earned just over a million US Dollars and easily made the US $657,694 he required to keep his card for the 2013 season. In the 2013 season on the USPGA Tour he earned US $2,834,900 from the 26 events he played in and finished in twenty first position on the final 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings which was his best of his career to date. He also made his rookie appearance in the Presidents Cup for Team International and played brilliantly. I feel his maiden win on the USPGA Tour isn’t too far away and it will happen in the 2013/14 season. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 season.

The other player to tie for second position was the 54 hole leader, Bubba Watson (USA); he too earned US $545,600.00 for his efforts and moved to twentieth position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $ 806,007 earned from the four events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 245 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 17th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 414 points earned from the four events he has played to date this season so far. From the four events he has played to date this season so far he has made four cuts and achieved two top ten finishes that includes the one here. He has been playing on the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2006 season and has easily kept his card for the following year every year since. And he has made US One Million Dollars in all of those seasons as well. He has already achieved four wins on the USPGA Tour and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2010 Travelers Championship, 2011 Farmers Insurance Open, Zurich Classic of New Orleans and the 2012 Masters Tournament (Maiden Major Championship). But he hasn’t won on the USPGA Tour in just under 22 months now. I feel his fifth win on the USPGA Tour will coming in the 2013/14 season. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 season.

Coming in tied for fourth position at 270-14 after 72 holes was Hunter Mahan (USA); he earned US $272,800 for his efforts and moved to 64th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $288,279 earned from the two events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 123 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 84th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points standings list with 143 points earned from the two events he has played to date this season so far. From the two events he has played to date this season so far he has made two cuts and achieved one top ten finish that came at this event. Hunter Mahan (USA) has been playing on the USPGA Tour for the last nine seasons and has easily kept his card for the next season every season since except for the 2005 season where he had to go back the PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament where he finished in tied for ninth position and gained his full USPGA Tour status back for the 2006 season. He has current career earnings on the USPGA Tour of US $25,047,335 earned from the 283 events he has played in his career to date so far. He has also won five events on the USPGA Tour so far and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2007 Travelers Championship, 2010 Waste Management Phoenix Open, World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, 2012 World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship and the Shell Houston Open. I feel his sixth win on the USPGA Tour isn’t too far off and perhaps it will happen in 2013/14 season? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 season.

The final player to tie for fourth position was Hideki Matsuyama (Japan); he also earned US $272,800 for his efforts and moved to twenty fourth position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $663,833 earned from the five events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 123 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to twenty fourth position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points standings list with 354 points earned from the five events he has played to date this season so far. From the five events he has played to date this season so far he has made four cuts and withdrawn from one event. He has also achieved two top ten finishes that includes the one here. This is his first season he has played the USPGA Tour fulltime after playing the Japan Golf Tour for the past few seasons. He was one of the star players for the International Team the week before at the Tenth Presidents Cup in Ohio last October. Let’s hope he can continue this fine form throughout the 2013/14 season and I feel he is destined to be a Golfing Superstar with being so young at only twenty one years of age (he turns Twenty Two on the 25th February). I wish him all the best for his next few tournaments.

Coming in tied for sixth position at 271-13 after 72 holes was Charles Howell III (USA); he earned US $207,700.00 for his efforts and moved to 14th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,053,812 earned from the nine events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 92 FedEx Cup points for his efforts and moved to 12th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 542 points earned from the nine events he has played to date this season so far. From the nine events he has played to date this season so far he has made nine cuts and achieved five top ten finishes that includes the one here. He has played some great golf this year so far and must be due for his third USPGA Tour win very soon. He has been playing on the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2001 season with easily keeping his card every season and has currently earned US $26,679,782 from the 399 USPGA Tour starts he has had to date so far in his career. His maiden USPGA Tour win came at the 2002 Michelob Championship at Kingsmill and his second win came at the 2007 Nissan Open in a playoff over Phil Mickelson (USA). I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 season.

Also tied for sixth position was Brendan Steele (USA); he also earned US $207,700.00 for his efforts and moved to 48th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $ 396,648 earned from the seven events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 92 FedEx Cup points for his efforts and moved to 45th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 238 points earned from the seven events he has played to date this season so far. From the seven events he has played to date this season so far he has made five cuts and this is the first top ten finish he has achieved so far this season. He has been playing the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2011 season and has kept his card for the next year every season since. His best year so far came in his rookie season in 2011 where he earned US $1,976,310 from the twenty seven events he played in with making 16 cuts and achieving three top ten finishes that included his maiden win which came at the Valero Texas Open and he finished in 38th position on the final 2011 USPGA Tour Money list standings. Maybe he win get his second USPGA Tour win this season? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 season.

The final player to tie for sixth position was Ryan Moore (USA); he also earned US $207,700.00 for his efforts and moved to third position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,898,050 earned from the six events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 92 FedEx Cup points for his efforts and moved to sixth position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 805 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 here and also the win at the CIMB Classic in late October last year. He has been playing on the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2006 season with easily keeping his card every season since and he has achieved three wins so far in his career with the first coming at the 2009 Wyndham Championship and the second coming at the 2012 Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open and his third came at the 2013 CIMB Classic. He gained his full USPGA Tour card by earning enough money from sponsor’s exemptions in the 2005 season after he played in the 2005 Masters Tournament and US Open Championship because he won the 2004 US Amateur Championship. I’m sure his fourth win isn’t too far off as well? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 season.

Coming in solo ninth position at 272-12 after 72 holes was Harris English (USA); he earned US $179,800.00 for his efforts and moved to second position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $ 1,996,197 earned from the eight events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 80 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to second position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 976 points earned from the eight events he has played to date this season so far. From the eight events he has played to date this season so far he has made eight cuts and achieved four top ten finishes which includes the one here and also his win at the OHL Classic at Mayakoba in mid November last year. Harris English (USA) has been playing on the USPGA Tour for the past three seasons and that includes this one. He gained his USPGA Tour card by finishing in tied for 13th position at the 2011 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament and he gained his full USPGA Tour Card for the 2012 season. He had a brilliant rookie season in 2012 with playing in 27 events and making 22 cuts that included three top ten finishes with his best being a tied for fifth position at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. He finished in 79th position on the final 2012 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,186,003 earned and he easily kept his card for the 2013 season. In the 2013 season he had his career best season to date so far in his career with finishing in 27th position on the final 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $ 2,201,167 earned from the 26 events he played in and achieved his maiden USPGA Tour win at the FedEx St. Jude Classic in early June. I feel now he has got his second win which came at the 2013/14 OHL Classic at Mayakoba in mid November last year, he will now aim higher and try to win a WGC Event and perhaps even contend for the first Major Championship in 2014 which is the Masters Tournament and it is played in his home state of Georgia. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 season.

Rounding out the top ten in solo tenth position at 273-11 after 72 holes was Webb Simpson (USA); he earned US $167,400.00 for his efforts and moved to fourth position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $ 1,857,817 earned from the five events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 75 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to fourth position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 870 points earned from the five events he has played to date this season so far. From the five events he has played to date this season so far he has made five cuts and achieved four top ten finishes which includes the one here and also the win at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in late October last year. Webb Simpson (USA) has been playing the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2009 season after gaining his card at the 2008 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament where he finished in tied for seventh position. He had a fine rookie season in 2009 on the USPGA Tour where he earned just over US one million dollars and easily keep his card for the 2010 season. In his second full season on the USPGA Tour in 2010 he earned just under US one million dollars and easily kept his card for the 2011 season. In his third full season on the USPGA Tour in 2011 he had a Awesome season with earning just over US 6.3 Million Dollars and finished second on the final 2011 USPGA Tour Money list with US $6,347,353 earned from the 26 events he played in. He also won two USPGA Tour events with his maiden win coming at the Wyndham Championship and his second one coming at the Deutsche Bank Championship which was the second FedEx Cup playoff event. In his fourth season on the USPGA Tour in 2012 he had another awesome season with earning just over US 3.4 million dollars and he won his third event on the USPGA Tour which was his Maiden Major Championship at the 112th US Open Championship. I’m sure his fifth win isn’t too far off either and maybe it will happen at the first Major Championship of the 2014 season which is the Masters Tournament in April 2014? I wish him all the best with the tournaments he plays in the coming weeks.

There was one New Zealand Golfer in the field and he was Danny Lee (NZL) who scored rounds of 73+2 and 71 even par for a 36 hole total of 144+2 to miss the cut by three shots. He has now missed six of his last seven cuts which will be disappointing for him. He current lies in 172nd position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $45,657 earned from the eight events he has played to date this season so far. He also currently lies in 143 equal position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup points list standings with 63 points earned from the eight events he has played to date this season so far. From the eight events he has played to date this season so far he has made two cuts and achieved no top ten finishes. Let’s hope he can make the cut in the next event he plays? I wish all the best in his next few tournaments he plays in.

  

Next week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup heads back to California for AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro – Am and it is played on the famous Pebble Beach Golf Links, Pebble Beach, California. It carries a huge prize purse of US $6,600,000 for the taking. Brandt Snedeker (USA) is the defending Champion and will be keen for back to back titles. Danny Lee (NZL) and Tim Wilkinson (NZL) are likely to get starts as well. It is a different tournament this week because Famous Sports stars from other sports and well known Celebrities including Movie Stars get to play with the USPGA Tour Professionals in a Pro – Am format. It starts on Thursday 6th February. I will report back who won the trophy next week.

So to the Top 5 on the Official World Golf Rankings Points and coming in at Number One Position for the 669th week of his career in total is Tiger Woods (USA) who is fresh off his  tied for 41st  finish at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic this past week with 10.41 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Two is Adam Scott (Australia) who won his maiden Major Championship at the Masters Tournament over nine months ago and also won The Barclays over five months ago and also won the Australian PGA Championship just over two months ago and he also won the Talisker Masters eleven weeks ago and ten weeks ago finished in solo third position in the individual competition at the ISPS HANDA World Cup of Golf and nine weeks ago finished runner up in the Emirates Australian Open with 8.80 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Three is Henrik Stenson (Sweden) who won the Tour Championship by Coca – Cola and also the 2013 FedEx Cup over four months ago and won DP World Tour Championship, Dubai and the 2013 Race to Dubai Title eleven weeks ago with 8.73 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Four is Phil Mickelson (USA) who won the  Open Championship over six months ago and also finished runner up at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship two weeks ago with 6.94 Official Golf World Ranking Points and rounding out the top 5 on the Official Golf World Ranking Points list this week is Justin Rose (England) who won his maiden Major Championship at the 113th US Open Championship over seven months ago and also finished in tied for third position at the Turkish Airlines Open over two months ago with 6.64 Official Golf World Ranking Points. Michael Hendry (NZL) fresh off  his tie for 38th position in the individual competition at the ISPS HANDA World Cup of Golf ten weeks ago is the highest ranked New Zealand Golfer in the world for the fifth second straight week of his career. This week he slips six places and falls to 221st position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list with 0.77 Official Golf World Ranking Points.

Remember when conditions are tough it is the same for everyone, so don’t panic!!

Source: Pgatour.com, Official World Golf Rankings

Golf Events from the Weekend 26th January 2014

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 remained in the state of California for the Farmers Insurance Open and it was played on the Torrey Pines (South), La Jolla, California. And it was the golfer by the name of Scott Stallings (USA) who scored rounds of 72 even par, 67-5, 72 even par and a final round of 68-4 for a 72 hole total of 279-9 and he won by a single stroke for his third win on the USPGA Tour of his career. He earned US $1,098,000 for the win and moved to tenth position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,128,421 earned from the six events he has played to date this season so far. Jimmy Walker (USA) still leads that list with US $2,417,833 earned from the seven events he has played to date this season so far. Scott Stallings (USA) also earned 500 FedEx Cup Points for his win and moved to tenth position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points standings list with 530 points earned from the six events he has played to date this season so far. He is 703 points behind the current leader of that list who is Jimmy Walker (USA) who has earned 1,233 points from the seven events he has played to date this season so far. From the six events Scott Stallings (USA) has played to date this season so far he has made three cuts and this win here was his first top ten finish he has achieved to date so far this season.

Scott Stallings (USA) played a great final round of 68-4 that included a front nine of 34-2 that included birdies on the par three, third hole, par three, eighth hole and par five, ninth hole but he made poor bogey on the par four, fourth hole and he made the turn at minus seven and was one shot behind the leader. K. J. Choi (South Korea) scored 33-3 on the front nine and made the turn at minus five and was three shots behind the leader. Graham Delaet (Canada) scored 33-3 on the front nine and made the turn at minus seven and was one shot behind the leader. Jason Day (Australia) scored 34-2 on the front nine and made the turn at minus six and was two shots behind the leader. Pat Perez (USA) scored 34-2 on the front nine and made the turn at minus eight and was tied for the lead. Marc Leishman (Australia) scored 35-1 on the front nine and made the turn at minus eight and was tied for the lead.

Scott Stallings (USA) played holes ten to 14 in two under par and moved to minus nine and was now leading by one shot. K. J. Choi (South Korea) played holes ten to 14 in three under par and moved to minus eight and was one shot behind the leader. Graham Delaet (Canada) played holes ten to 14 in even par and remained at minus seven and was now two shots behind the leader. Jason Day (Australia) played holes ten to 14 in two under par and moved to minus eight and was now only one shot behind the leader. Pat Perez (USA) played holes ten to 14 in even par and remained at minus eight but was now one shot behind the leader. Marc Leishman (Australia) played holes ten to 14 in one over par and fell back to minus seven and was now two shots behind the leader.

Scott Stallings (USA) played holes 15 to 17 in one over par and fell back to minus eight and was still leading by one shot with just the Par five, 72nd hole to play. K. J. Choi (South Korea) played holes 15 to 17 in one over par and fell back to minus seven but was still one shot behind the leader with just the Par five, 72nd hole to play. Graham Delaet (Canada) played holes 15 to 17 in even par and remained at minus seven but now was only one shot off the lead with just the Par five, 72nd hole to play. Jason Day (Australia) played holes 15 to 17 in one over par and fell back to minus seven and was now one shot behind the lead with just the par five, 72nd hole to play. Pat Perez (USA) played holes 15 to 17 in one over par and fell back to minus seven and was still one shot behind the leader with just the par five, 72nd hole to play. Marc Leishman (Australia) played holes 15 to 17 in even par and remained at minus seven with just the Par five, 72nd hole to play but now was only one shot behind the leader.

 

Scott Stallings (USA) looking very happy after walking off the 72nd Green!!

K. J. Choi (South Korea) who was playing about an hour ahead of the leaders made a birdie four up the par five, 72nd hole and finished the 72 holes on minus eight and was one shot behind the winner. Graham Delaet (Canada) who was playing a couple of groups ahead of the final group birdied the par five, 72nd hole and finished the 72 holes on minus eight and was one shot behind the winner. Jason Day (Australia) who was also playing in a couple of groups ahead of the final group also birdied the par five, 72nd hole and finished the 72 holes on minus eight and was one shot behind the winner. He had a putt for an eagle on par five, 72nd hole which nearly went in the hole and had it he would of forced a playoff. But he had to settle for his birdie instead. Pat Perez (USA) who was playing in the group ahead of the final group made a birdie four at the par five, 72nd hole and finished the 72 holes on minus eight and was one shot behind the winner. Scott Stallings (USA) who was also playing in the group ahead of the final group went for the par five, 72nd hole in two shots and his ball just carried the water hazard and was very fortunate not to roll back into the water hazard down the steep slope because it only just barely stopped in the fringe. He choose to use his putter from the fringe and put a very good roll on the ball and it came to rest five feet from the cup. He rolled the five foot putt right in the centre of the cup and finished the 72 holes on minus nine to win by one shot. He got a huge high five by his caddie and then his wife, Jennifer and his young son Finn were at his side by the 72nd green to celebrate the win with him!! Marc Leishman (Australia) who was playing in the final group laid up his second shot at the par five, 72nd hole because he had hit his drive in the right rough. He was now faced with a 100 yards wedge shot that he would have to hole out if he was going to force a playoff with Scott Stallings (USA) who was already in on minus nine in the club house and he was the last player on the course that had any chance of forcing a playoff. He hit a very good wedge shot that landed ten feet past the pin and spun and rolled down the slope towards the hole but then rolled to right and came to rest two feet from the pin. He jokingly dropped his club in despair that his ball didn’t go in the hole. He easily tapped in his putt for his birdie four and finished the 72 holes on minus eight and was one shot behind the winner.

Scott Stallings (USA) just took his chance at the right time where many other players who had the same chance as him to win didn’t. It is amazing to think that his best finish before this win here this season was a tied for 47th position at the CIMB Classic in October last year. It just goes to prove that any player who is a member of the USPGA Tour could win at any time. Scott Stallings (USA) has been playing the on the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2011 season after finishing in tied for eleventh position at the 2010 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament which gave him full status on the USPGA Tour for the 2011 season. In his rookie season on the USPGA Tour in 2011 he played in 28 events and earned US $1,957,162 which included making 13 cuts and achieving two top ten finishes and one of them was his maiden win at the Greenbrier Classic in late July. He finished in 41st position on the final 2011 USPGA Tour Money list standings which was an amazing rookie season for him. And with his maiden win it gave him exempt status on the USPGA Tour till the end of the 2013 season. He had a slightly worse season in 2012 on the USPGA Tour with earning US $1,293,739 from the 27 events he played in and that included making 12 cuts and achieving three top ten finishes which included his second win on the USPGA Tour that came at the True South Classic in July. He finished in 66th position on the final 2012 USPGA Tour Money list standings and because of his win at the True South Classic he is exempt on the USPGA Tour till the end of the 2013/14 season. In the 2013 season he again had a very successful season with earning US $1,622,627 from the twenty seven events he played in and that included four top ten finishes and he finished in 54th position on the final 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings. I feel the form he is in at the moment his fourth USPGA Tour win isn’t too far off and maybe it will come in the 2013/14 season and perhaps it could be a WGC – Event or even his first Major Championship win? With this win he is now exempt on the USPGA tour until the end of the 2015/16 USPGA Tour season. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 season. 

Scott Stallings (USA) poses with the Farmers Insurance Open Trophy he won!!

                                       

Coming in tied for second position at 280-8 after 72 holes was K. J. Choi (South Korea); he earned US $366,000.00 for his efforts and moved to 30th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $ 550,318 earned from the three events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 167 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 35th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 271 points earned from the three events he has played to date this season so far. From the three events he has played to date this season so far he has made three cuts and this was his first top ten finish he has achieved to date this season so far. He scored the lowest final round which was a 66-6. He hasn’t won on the USPGA Tour since the 2011 THE PLAYERS Championship. But he is in good form heading into the rest 2014 part of the 2013/14 USPGA Tour season. He has won career earnings of US $28,929,380 from the 355 events he has played in his career to date so far and that includes eight wins and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2002 Compaq Classic of New Orleans, Tampa Bay Classic presented by Buick, 2005 Chrysler Classic of Greensboro, 2006 Chrysler Championship, 2007 the Memorial Tournament presented by Morgan Stanley, AT&T National, 2008 Sony Open in Hawaii, 2011 THE PLAYERS Championship. He turns 44 on the 19th May this year and I feel his chance of winning a Major Championship may have passed him by but he could prove me wrong? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 season.

Also tied for second position was Graham Delaet (Canada); he too earned US $366,000.00 for his efforts and moved to 17th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $ 815,667 earned from the four events he has played to date this season so far. He too also earned 167 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 20th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 352 points earned from the four events he has played to date this season so far. From the four events he has played to date this season so far he has made three cuts and achieved three top ten finishes that have come in his last three starts. He will be disappointed with his first two rounds but very pleased with his two rounds on the weekend in very trying and difficult course conditions. He has been playing on the USPGA Tour full time since the 2010 season after gaining his card at the 2009 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament where he finished in tied for eighth position. In his rookie season on the USPGA Tour in 2010 he had a very good season and earned just under one million US dollars and easily kept his card for the 2011 season. In his second full season on the USPGA Tour in 2011 season he sat out the majority of the campaign due to a back injury and played the 2012 season out of the Major Medical Extension category, where he had 26 events to earn US $ 657,694 in 2012 season. In the 2012 season which was his third full season on the USPGA Tour he earned just over a million US Dollars and easily made the US $657,694 he required to keep his card for the 2013 season. In the 2013 season on the USPGA Tour he earned US $2,834,900 from the 26 events he played in and finished in twenty first position on the final 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings which was his best of his career to date. He also made his rookie appearance in the Presidents Cup for Team International and played brilliantly. I feel his maiden win on the USPGA Tour isn’t too far away and maybe it will happen in the 2013/14 season. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 season.

Also tied for second position was Jason Day (Australia); he too earned US $366,000.00 for his efforts and moved to 49th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with $US 366,000 earned from the one event he has played to date so far this season. He too also earned 167 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 62nd position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points standings with 167 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 in this event. He will be pleased with his first and final rounds but disappointed with his second and third rounds that really cost him a chance of winning. He is long due his second win on the USPGA Tour and maybe it will happen in the coming weeks? He has won one event on the USPGA Tour in his career to date so far and that came at the 2010 HP Byron Nelson Championship. He had three top ten finishes in the four Major Championships last year and here they are: Solo third at the Masters Tournament in April; tied for second at the 113th US Open Championship in June; tied for 32nd at the 142nd Open Championship in July and tied for eighth at the 95th PGA Championship. So far in his career his has amassed earnings of US $14,194,356 from the 137 events he has played in so far in his career. I feel his second win on the USPGA Tour could well be a Major Championship and perhaps it will come at the Masters Tournament in April? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013 season.

Also tied for second position was Pat Perez (USA); he too earned US $366,000.00 for his efforts and moved to twenty sixth position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $ 606,091 earned from the seven events he has played to date this season so far. He too also earned 167 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to twenty seventh position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 322 points earned from the seven events he has played to date so far this season. From the seven events he has played to date this season so far he has made six cuts and achieved two top ten finishes to date so far that includes the one here. He came so close here to achieving his second win on the USPGA Tour and had his birdie putt gone in the hole on the 71st hole he would have at least forced a playoff. Pat Perez (USA) since qualifying for the USPGA Tour in 2002 after winning the 2001 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament he has kept his card every season since and had his maiden USPGA Tour win in 2009 at the 50th Bob Hope Classic hosted by Arnold Palmer. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if he won his second USPGA Tour event in the 2013/14 season.

The final player to tie for second position was Marc Leishman (USA); he too earned US $366,000.00 for his efforts and moved to twenty fourth position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $ 613,100 earned from the four events he has played to date this year so far. He too also earned 167 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 31st position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 303 points earned from the four events he has played to date this season so far. From the four events he has played to date this season so far he has made three cuts and achieved two top ten finishes that have come in his last two starts. He will be cursing his back nine because if he had of played it two under par instead of even par he would be the one holding the winner’s trophy. He has played the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2009 season and has easily kept his card for the next season every year since. And in the 2012 season he achieved his maiden win on the USPGA Tour at the 2012 Travelers Championship. I sure his second win isn’t too far off and maybe it will happen in the 2013/14 season?

Rounding out the top seven in tied for seventh position at 281-7 after 72 holes was Charley Hoffman (USA); He earned US $190,116.67 for his efforts and moved to 20th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $730,604 earned from the six events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 85 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 16th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points standings list with 392 points earned from the six events he has played to date so far this season. From the six events he has played to date this season so far he has made six cuts and achieved three top ten finishes including the one here. He got off to a brilliant start in his final round with scoring 31-5 on his front nine that included a Hole in One on the par three, third hole. Charley Hoffman (USA) has been playing on the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2006 season after gaining his full 2006 USPGA Tour card by finishing in 19th position on the final 2005 Web.com Tour Money list standings with US $212,322 earned from the 26 events he played in. He has easily kept his card for the next season every season since. He has earned over US$1million every season so far as well except in 2008 where he only earned US $945,702. He has won two USPGA Tour events as well so far in his career with the first one coming in 2007 at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic and the second one coming in 2010 at the Deutsche Bank Championship. I feel he is ready to win for a third time very soon and it could happen in the 2013/14 season.

Also tied for seventh position was Ryo Ishikawa (Japan); He too earned US $190,116.67 for his efforts and moved to 14th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $ 854,673 earned from the six events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 85 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 14th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 425 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 five cuts and achieved two top ten finishes to date so far. He is in his second full season of playing the USPGA Tour fulltime. He had an average rookie season in 2012 on the USPGA Tour by his high standards with earning US $727,051 from the 18 events he played in and that included making ten cuts and achieving two top ten finishes and one of them was his career best finish to date on the USPGA Tour where he finished in second position at the Puerto Rico Open presented by seepuertorico.com. He is still very young being only 22 years of age and turns 23 in September this year. He is Japan’s young Golfing Superstar and has Rock Star Status whenever he plays on the Japan Golf Tour having already won 12 events on that tour and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2007 Munsingwear Open KSB Cup [Jpn], 2008 Kansai Open, Mynavi ABC Championship [Jpn], 2009 The Royal Trophy [Jpn, team], Mizuno Open [Jpn], Sun Chlorella Open [Jpn], Fujisankei Classic [Jpn], Tokai Classic [Jpn], 2010 The Crowns [Jpn], Fujisankei Classic [Jpn], Mitsui Sumitomo Visa Taiheiyo Masters [Jpn] and the 2012 Mitsui Sumitomo Visa Taiheiyo Masters [Jpn]. He finished in 13th position on the final 2013 Web.com Tour Finals Priority Rankings and gained his full 2013/14 USPGA Tour card. He seems to be taking a little bit longer to getting used to playing on the USPGA Tour but I’m sure he isn’t too far away from his maiden win on the USPGA Tour, and perhaps it will come in the 2013/14 season? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 season.

The final player to tie for seventh position was Will MacKenzie (USA); He too earned US $190,116.67 for his efforts and moved to twenty second position on the current USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $ 642,007 earned from the seven events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 85 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to twenty sixth position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 330 points earned from the seven events he has played to date this year so far. From the seven events he has played to date this season so far he has made five cuts and achieved two top ten finishes that includes the one here. He has been playing the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2005 season and has easily kept his card every year since except for the 2011 – 2013 seasons. He regained his 2013/14 USPGA Tour card by finishing in seventh position on the final 2013 Web.com Tour Finals Priority Rankings list and he gained his full USPGA Tour card for the 2013/14 season. He has also won two USPGA Tour events in his career to date with the first being the 2006 Reno-Tahoe Open and the second being the 2008 Viking Classic. It is great to see him get off to such a good start for the 2014 part of the 2013/14. I hope this finish can give him the confidence to keep on improving and have more top ten finishes in the weeks to come. I wish him every continuing success for the 2013/14 season.

There were two New Zealand Golfers in the field and the best of them was Danny Lee (NZL) who scored rounds of 76+4 in the first round and a second round of 69-3 for a 36 hole total of 145+1 and he missed the 36 hole cut by a single shot. He has now missed five of his last six cuts which will be disappointing for him. He current lies in 168th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $45,657 earned from the seven events he has played to date this season so far. He also currently lies in 140th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup points list standings with 63 points earned from the seven events he has played to date this season so far. From the seven events he has played to date this season so far he has made two cuts and achieved no top ten finishes. Let’s hope he can make the cut in the next event he plays? I wish all the best in his next few tournaments he plays in.

Tim Wilkinson (NZL) was the other New Zealand Golfer in the field and he scored rounds of 70-2 in the first round and a disappointing second round of 77+5 for a 36 hole total of 147+3 and missed the cut by three shots. He current lies in 89th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $ 171,523 earned from the six events he has played to date this season so far. He also currently lies in 110th equal position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup points list standings with 96 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 two cuts and achieved one top ten finish that came at the OHL Classic at Mayakoba in mid November last year. It was the second straight cut he had missed after making the cut in his previous three starts. I wish him all the best in the weeks ahead on the USPGA Tour.

Next week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup heads to Arizona for the Waste Management Phoenix Open and it is played on the TPC Scottsdale, Scottsdale, Arizona. It carries a huge prize purse of US $6,200,000 for the taking. Phil Mickelson (USA) is the defending Champion and will be keen to defend his title. Danny Lee (NZL) and Tim Wilkinson (NZL) are also likely to get starts as well. It starts on Thursday 30th January. I will report back who won the trophy next week.

So to the Top 5 on the Official World Golf Rankings Points and coming in at Number One Position for the 668th week of his career in total is Tiger Woods (USA) who is fresh off his  MDF finish at the Farmers Insurance Open this past week with 10.83 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Two is Adam Scott (Australia) who won his maiden Major Championship at the Masters Tournament over nine months ago and also won The Barclays four months ago and also won the Australian PGA Championship just over two months ago and he also won the Talisker Masters ten weeks ago and nine weeks ago finished in solo third position in the individual competition at the ISPS HANDA World Cup of Golf and eight weeks ago finished runner up in the Emirates Australian Open with 8.93 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Three is Henrik Stenson (Sweden) who won the Tour Championship by Coca – Cola and also the 2013 FedEx Cup over four months ago and won DP World Tour Championship, Dubai and the 2013 Race to Dubai Title ten weeks ago with 8.79 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Four is Phil Mickelson (USA) who won the Open Championship six months ago and also finished runner up at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship last week with 7.03 Official Golf World Ranking Points and rounding out the top 5 on the Official Golf World Ranking Points list this week is Justin Rose (England) who won his maiden Major Championship at the 113th US Open Championship seven months ago and also finished in tied for third position at the Turkish Airlines Open over two months ago with 6.78 Official Golf World Ranking Points Michael Hendry (NZL) fresh off  his tie for 38th position in the individual competition at the ISPS HANDA World Cup of Golf nine weeks ago is the highest ranked New Zealand Golfer in the world for the fifth first straight week of his career. This week he gains one place and rises to 215th position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list with 0.78 Official Golf World Ranking Points.

Remember the most important shot in golf is the one you are about to play!!

Source: Pgatour.com, Official World Golf Rankings