Golf Events from the Weekend 8th February 2015

Well it was another awesome weekend on the Major Professional Golf Tours from around the world and this week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup headed north to San Diego for the Farmers Insurance Open and it was played on the Torrey Pines GC (South), San Diego, California. It carried a huge prize purse of US $6,300,000 for the taking. Scott Stallings (USA) was the defending champion and was keen to defend his title. Tiger Woods (USA) was playing for the second time on the 2014/15 USPGA Tour this season. Danny Lee (NZL) and Steve Alker (NZL) gained starts as well. And it was the golfer by the name of Jason Day (Australia) who scored rounds of 73+1, 65-7, 71-1 and a final round of 70-2 for a 72 hole total of 279-9 but he was tied on that score by Harris English (USA) who scored rounds of 68-4, 66-6, 73+1 and a final round of 72 even par for a 72 hole total of 279-9 also. J. B. Holmes (USA) scored rounds of 69-3, 70-2, 68-4 and a 72 even par for a 72 hole total of 279-9 also and finally Scott Stallings (USA) who was the defending champion scored rounds of 70-2, 72 even par, 68-4 and a final round of 69-3 for a 72 hole total of 279-9 also. So those four players headed back to the par five, eighteenth hole for the first playoff hole. 

 

Jason Day (Australia) plays out of a green side bunker during the final round

So to the first playoff hole which was the par five, eighteenth hole and all the players choose a number from the USPGA Tour Officials hat. Harris English (USA) drew number one and teed off first and lost his tee shot to the right in the rough right of the fairway bunkers. Scott Stallings (USA) drew number two and teed off next and he too lost his tee shot to the right in the right fairway bunker. J. B. Holmes (USA) drew number three from the hat and teed off third and he lost his tee shot to the left in the rough. Finally Jason Day (Australia) teed off last and hit a perfect long straight drive down the centre of the fairway. Harris English (USA) played his second shot first and he was in a dilemma whether to go for the green in two or lay up? After talking it over with his caddie he decided to lay up but he made a terrible mistake because the ball rolled just into the thick rough on the left. Scott Stallings (USA) played his second shot next and he laid up in the fairway 100 odd yards from the green in the middle of the fairway. J. B. Holmes (USA) played his second shot third and laid up to 100 odd yards from the green in the middle of the fairway. Jason Day (Australia) decided to go for the green just as he had done in regulation play. He chose his two iron and lost it slightly to the right and it landed in the fairway pin high to the right of the green. 

Scott Stallings (USA) was the first to play his third shot with his short wedge. It landed on the green fifteen feet past the pin and it spun too much and came back past the flag stick that was placed on the front left off the green over the Water Hazard know as “Devlin’s Billabong” after the famous Australian Golfer, Bruce Devlin’s “10" in 1975 during the Andy Williams San Diego Open where he put six balls in the water hazard!! And it left him with a twenty foot putt for his birdie. J. B. Holmes (USA) played his third shot second with his short wedge and landed it about twenty feet past the flag stick on the left hand side and it caught the slope and spun back to within seven feet of the cup and left him with a very makeable birdie putt. Harris English (USA) played his third shot third and struck a very good shot from the poor lie in the rough but it flew too far and landed at the back of the green leaving him a very difficult 45 foot putt for birdie that he would more than likely have to hole to stay in the playoff. Jason Day (Australia) played his third shot last and it was a short chip shot which he played to almost perfection and it carried over the ridge on the green and rolled down to two feet from the flag stick virtually assuring himself of a birdie. Harris English (England) putted for his birdie from 45 feet and he struck a fine putt under the circumstances which came up about a foot short of the cup. He tapped in for his par five and knew he was about to be eliminated from the playoff. Scott Stallings (USA) putted for his birdie from twenty feet and put a nice roll on it but it broke to the left at the end and he had to settle for his par five and he too knew he was about to be eliminated. J.B. Holmes (USA) now stood over his seven foot putt for birdie and he knew he would have to make it if he was going to extend the playoff to a second hole with Jason Day (Australia). It had a slight break in it from right to left and he put a perfect roll on it and rolled the putt right in the centre of the cup for his birdie four!! Jason Day (Australia) now had a two foot birdie putt to kept the playoff going to a second playoff hole. He rolled it straight in the middle of the cup!! So J.B. Holmes (USA) and Jason Day (Australia) headed to the par three, sixteenth hole for the second playoff hole. 

 

Jason Day (Australia) pumps his fist after holing the winning putt!!

So to the second playoff hole and J.B. Holmes (USA) teed off first at the par three, sixteenth hole and he choose a six iron off the tee and he must of been pumped up because he hit it right over the green and it hit the CBS Sports sounds microphone and bounced into the grandstand to rest against it. Jason Day (Australia) now stood on the tee knowing if he could just hit the green he would have a great chance of winning the playoff. Hit struck his mid iron straight over that flag stick and his ball checked on the second bounce. It came to rest fifteen feet past the flag stick. J. B. Holmes (USA) under the USPGA Tour Officials eyes dropped his ball from the grand stand but he knew his shot was nearly impossible to get up and down because the thick rough which was described as U.S. Open type rough all week made it so hard to control the ball!! He played the chip shot the best he could but it rolled out to fifteen feet past the pin. Jason Day (Australia) now stood over his fifteen foot putt for birdie and he knew if he holed it he was the champion. He missed it to the right and left himself two feet from the cup. J. B. Holmes (USA) now knew the fifteen foot putt for his par was a must to extend the playoff. He studied the break and struck a very good putt but it broke to the left just as it reached the cup. He tapped in for his bogey four and knew his chance of winning had vanished!! Jason Day (Australia) calmed his nerve and rolled in the three foot putt for his par and he was the 2015 Farmer Insurance Open Champion!! He pumped his fist in the air to celebrate the win then he got a hug from his caddie and coach, Colin Swatton. Then his wife, Ellie came running onto the green to give him a hug and kiss to celebrate the win with him and their young son Dash James was also by their side. Then he was interviewed by CBS Sports on course commentator, Peter Kostis and told him “He was so happy to win this week and he visualised himself holding the trophy even before the tournament began just as he had done with his previous two wins on the USPGA Tour” He also said “He has been working extremely hard on his game in the past few weeks and he wants to reach world number one in the near future”. 

 

Jason Day (Australia) on the left poses with his wife, Ellie on the right after he had just won!!

Jason Day (Australia) played a very good final round of 70-2 in the very difficult U.S. Open like conditions. He went out in 35-1 with his lone birdie coming on the par five, ninth hole. He then came home in 35-1 with brilliant birdies on the difficult par four, fifteenth and par three, sixteenth holes where he holed a forty footer for his birdie and he made a great up and down par from a buried lie in the bunker on the par four, seventeenth hole. He also got very fortunate on the par five, 72nd hole where he went for the green in two shots and was over the back in the deep rough. He faced a devilish chip down to the front left pin placement and it came out with two much over spin and he was very lucky not to end up in the Water Hazard know as “Devlin’s Billabong”!! He was inches above from the line of the water hazard so he could ground his club for his fourth shot. He flopped it up to within four feet of the cup and holed the putt for his par. His lone bogey on the back nine came when he three putted the short par four, tenth hole. And as I mentioned earlier he won on the second playoff.

 

Jason Day (Australia) cuddles his young son Dash James just after he won!!

Jason Day (Australia) earned US $1,134,000 for his efforts and moved to seventh position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,535,111 earned from the three events he has played to date this season so far. Jimmy Walker (USA) currently leads that list with US $2,193,394 earned from the six events he has played to date this season so far. Jason Day (Australia) also earned 500 FedEx Cup points for his efforts and moved to seventh position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup points list standings with 695 points earned from the three events he has played to date this season so far and he is 344 points behind the current leader of the FedEx Cup Points list who is Jimmy Walker (USA) who has earned 1,039 points from the six events he has played in to date so far this season. From the three events Jason Day (Australia) has played to date this season so far he has made three cuts and achieved two top ten finishes which includes the win this week. He will be happy with his second, third and final rounds that were all under par especially his second round 65-7 on the north course and also how he played the two playoff holes one under par. But he will be just content with his first round 73+1. Jason Day (Australia) turned professional in July 2006 after winning the Green Jacket at the NEC Master of the Amateurs, signing with TaylorMade and Adidas and immediately began playing USPGA Tour events, principally through sponsors' exemptions. He made the cut in five of his first six USPGA Tour events as a professional with a best finish of eleventh at the Reno – Tahoe Open and with official winnings of over US $160,000. He entered USPGA Tour qualifying, or Q-School. He placed in the second of three rounds, he tied for first in his section of the second round, advancing to the Q-School finals. However, in the six-round finals he played poorly, shooting fifteen shots higher than the score needed to qualify. Accordingly, he failed to earn his 2007 USPGA Tour card but earned conditional status on the Nationwide Tour for 2007. 

 

Jason Day (Australia) poses with the Farmers Insurance Open trophy he won!!

Jason Day (Australia) won his first Nationwide Tour event in July 2007 at the Legend Financial Group Classic, becoming the youngest man to win on any of the USPGA Tour's three tours. The win jumped him to eighth on the Nationwide Tour's money list. He ended up finishing fifth on the money list to earn his USPGA Tour card for 2008. He had a mediocre season, but had conditional status for 2009. A second place finish at the Puerto Rico Open helped Jason Day (Australia) retain his card for 2010 and he finished 69th on the money list. In May 2010, he became the youngest Australian to win a USPGA Tour event, winning the HP Byron Nelson Championship. Jason Day (Australia) gained entry into his first ever Major Championship at the 2010 Open Championship after Greg Norman (Australia) withdrew. Jason Day (Australia) went on to make the cut and finish in a tie for 60th place. In August 2010, Jason Day (Australia) made his first appearance at the USPGA Championship where a 66 on Saturday helped him to finish seven-under-par for the tournament and earn his first top-10 in a major. This run of form continued during the FedEx Cup playoff season where Jason Day (Australia) enjoyed top-five finishes at the first two playoff events to qualify for the season ending Tour Championship. He would go on to finish tied for 17th at East Lake Golf Club and ended the 2010 season ranked 21st on the USPGA Tour money list. At the 2011 Masters Tournament, Jason Day (Australia) birdied the last two holes, but came up two strokes short of eventual winner Charl Schwartzel (RSA). Jason Day (Australia) tied for second with Adam Scott (Australia) and at −12 set the Masters Tournament record for the lowest score by a first time participant. This was Jason Day's (Australia) best performance in a Major Championship and throughout the final round Jason Day (Australia) was tied for the lead on a number of occasions before eventually finishing in a tie for second after Charl Schwartzel (RSA) made four consecutive birdies to win the tournament. In June 2011, Jason Day (Australia) participated at Congressional for the 2011 U.S. Open, his maiden appearance in a U.S Open. Following his successful run at the Masters Tournament, Jason Day (Australia) achieved consecutive second place finishes in the Major Championships, this time finishing alone in second, some eight strokes behind runaway leader Rory McILroy (NIR). He shot the equal lowest round of the week on Saturday, a 65, to jump up the leader board into a tie for third after round three. On Sunday, although he did not challenge for the lead, he was the best of the rest of the field as the Open was dominated by wire-to-wire winner Rory McIlroy (NIR).  As a result of his major performances, Jason Day (Australia) moved into the Official World Golf Ranking top-10 for the first time in his career at ninth. Despite not winning a tournament during 2011, Jason Day (Australia) ended the season ranked ninth on the USPGA Tour money list.

Jason Day (Australia) contended in a Major Championship once again at the 2013 Masters Tournament when he shot rounds of 70 and 68 to take a one shot lead over Fred Couples (USA) going to the weekend. In the third round, Jason Day (Australia) was tied for the lead through 16 holes but bogeyed the last two holes to shoot a 73 and finished two shots behind Brandt Snedeker (USA) and Angel Cabrera (Argentina). During the final round, Jason Day (Australia) got off to a quick start by going birdie-eagle to take a one shot lead. Jason Day (Australia) would later go on to birdie 13, 14, and 15 to take a one shot lead with three holes to play. However, he bogeyed 16 and 17 and just missed a birdie putt at 18 that would have tied the lead. He shot a 70 and finished two shots back in third place behind Adam Scott (Australia), and Angel Cabrera (Argentina). Jason Day (Australia) finished as a runner-up for the third time in a Major Championship at the 2013 U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club. He finished in a tie for second alongside Phil Mickelson (USA), two strokes behind Justin Rose (England). Jason Day (Australia) tied the lead with a birdie at the 10th but bogeys at 11, 14, and 18 would prevent him from winning his first major championship. It was the second time in his career, Jason Day (Australia) had finished as a runner-up at the U.S. Open, and Jason Day (Australia) was also the only player in 2013 to hold a lead on the back nine Sunday at both majors. He also tied for the lowest cumulative score in all four majors in 2013, with fellow Aussie Adam Scott (Australia) at +2. In February 2014, Jason Day (Australia) won his first World Golf Championship event, the WGC – Accenture Match Play Championship, after a final in which Victor Dubuisson (France) won the last two holes to tie, then twice scrambled halves after missing greens at the extra holes before Jason Day (Australia) finally secured victory on the twenty third hole. The win lifted Jason Day (Australia) to fourth in the world rankings. And as I mentioned earlier he won his third USPGA Tour event this week at the Farmers Insurance Open and again moved back to fourth in the world rankings. Let’s hope he can win more events in 2015 and perhaps his maiden Major Championship having already achieved seven top ten finishes in the fifteen Major Championships he has played to date so far. I wish him all the best for the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

Coming in tied for second position on 279-9 and losing on the first playoff hole was Harris English (USA); he earned US $470,400 for his efforts and moved to sixteenth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $946,421 earned from the eight events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 208 FedEx Cup points for his efforts and moved to fifteenth position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup points list standings with 503 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 six cuts and achieved two top ten finishes which includes the one this week. He will be happy with his first and second rounds that were both in the 60s and were both blemish free especially his second round 66-6 on the north course!! But he will be disappointed with his third and final rounds that were both in the low 70s especially his front nines which he played in three over on the weekend and had he played them in even par he would of been the clear winner. Harris English (USA) as a USPGA Tour rookie in 2012, Harris English (USA) made 22 of 27 cuts with three top ten finishes, and earned over $1.18 million to keep his tour card. He secured his first victory in 2013, at the FedEx St.Jude Classic in Memphis in June. His second USPGA Tour win came at the OHL Classic at Mayakoba in November 2013. I feel his third win on the USPGA Tour is not that far off and it may come in the next few tournaments he plays in? I wish him all the best for the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

Also tied for second position after losing on the second playoff hole was J.B. Holmes (USA); he also earned US $470,400 for his efforts and moved to 33rd position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $624,628 earned from the six events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 208 FedEx Cup points for his efforts and moved to 35th position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 311 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 one top ten finish that came this week. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all at par and under par especially his 69-3 on the north course in the first round that was blemish free and his 68-4 in the third round on the south course which was the equal low round of the day!! But he will be disappointed he wasn’t able to hole crucial birdie putts on the 71st and 72nd holes because had he of holed one of them he would of been the champion and no playoff would have been required. But he can gain a lot of confidence out of this week as well because he played some awesome golf. The one mistake the expert commentators on CBS Sports said he made was “He laid up on the par five, 72nd hole where if he had gone for it he would of had more chance of making birdie”. But it is easy to question his decisions in hind sight. And he did make birdie when he was forced to lay up on the same hole on the first playoff hole. But the real mistake he made was air mailing the par three, sixteenth green on the second playoff hole and virtually handing the title to Jason Day (Australia). J. B. Holmes (USA) was medalist at the 2005 USPGA Tour Qualifying Tournament. He tied for tenth in his first USPGA Tour start at the 2006 Sony Open in Hawaii and in February that year he won the FBR Open, making him the fastest golfer to reach US $1,000,000 in career earnings on the USPGA Tour. It was his fifth tournament as a professional and his fourth on the USPGA Tour. After this victory his form fell away, and this continued in 2007 when he made only two top ten finishes and ended the year in 118th place on the money list. On February 3, 2008, J. B. Holmes (USA) won the FBR Open for the second Tour win of his career and also captured the tournament title for the second time in three years. Starting the final round with a four shot lead, on the 18th tee he was one shot behind Phil Mickelson (USA). J. B. Holmes (USA) birdied the 18th to force a play-off and then defeated Mickelson on the first playoff hole (the 18th) by making a six-foot birdie putt after a 359 yard drive. This victory took J.B. Holmes (USA) to 62nd in the Official World Golf Ranking. In 2008, J. B. Holmes (USA) reached a career-high 42nd in the Official World Golf Ranking. After shooting an 80 in the first round, J. B. Holmes (USA) withdrew from the 2011 PGA Championship in August. He had been dealing with vertigo symptoms for several months and eventually was diagnosed with structural defects in the cerebellum known as Chiari malformations. He underwent brain surgery on September 1, 2011, and about a month later, doctors discovered later that J. B. Holmes (USA) was allergic to the adhesive used on the webbed titanium plate at the base of his skull. He was airlifted from his home in Kentucky to John Hopkins in Baltimore for another surgery. J. B. Holmes (USA) returned to the USPGA Tour in late January 2012 at the Farmers Insurance Open. After brain surgery, J. B. Holmes (USA) played in 26 events in 2012. Elbow and ankle injuries limited him to six USPGA Tour events in 2013 and did not play again until the Dunlop Phoenix Tournament on the Japan Golf Tour. J. B. Holmes (USA) satisfied his medical extension through earnings at the 2014 Zurich Classic of New Orleans, finishing tied for eleventh. He would need a tied for 63rd finish at the Wells Fargo Championship to earn entry into the 2014 Players Championship via FedEx Cup points. J. B. Holmes (USA) would get his first win in six years, regained his USPGA Tour status through the 2015-2016 season, and moved from 242nd to 68th in the Official World Golf Ranking. The win also earned J. B. Holmes (USA) entry into the 2014 USPGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Louiville, Kentucky. Let’s hope he can continue this fine form into his next few events he plays and perhaps achieve his fourth USPGA Tour win? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

The final player to tie for second position and losing on the first playoff hole was the defending champion, Scott Stallings (USA); he also earned US $470,400 for his efforts and moved to twenty second position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $796,156 earned from the seven events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 208 FedEx Cup points for his efforts and moved to twenty fourth position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 386 points earned from 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 six cuts and achieved one top ten finish that came this past week. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all at par or better especially his third round 68-4 which was the equal low round of the day and his 69-3 in the final which was an excellent round in the extremely tough conditions. It was a great defence of his title. Scott Stallings (USA) won the Greenbrier Classic in July 2011 for his first USPGA Tour victory. Despite struggling at times during the final round, Scott Stallings (USA) was able to earn his way into a three-way playoff. He made a birdie on the first playoff hole, while his opponents, Bob Estes (USA) and Bill Haas (USA) made par, which gave him the title. The win moved Scott Stallings (USA) from 88th in the FedEx Cup standings to 26th. His Official World Golf ranking went from 224th to 119th, after starting the year at 562nd. The win also qualified Scott Stallings (USA) for the 2011 WGC – Bridgestone Invitational, 2011 PGA Championship, 2012 Masters Tournament, and the 2012 Players Championship. Scott Stallings (USA) won his second career tournament at the 2012 True South Classic. Scott Stallings (USA) was unable to defend his title in Mississippi because he earned a spot in the 2013 Open Championship after an already exempt Phil Mickelson (USA) won the Scottish Open. It was the second consecutive major Scott Stallings (USA) earned entry as an alternate; he gained entry into the U.S. Open after another player withdrew. In January 2014, Scott Stallings (USA) won the Farmers Insurance Open. Let’s hope he can have more top ten finishes in the coming weeks and perhaps achieved his fourth USPGA Tour win in the 2015? I wish him all the best for the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

Rounding out the top six in tied for fifth position at 278-8 after 72 holes was Charles Howell III (USA); he earned US $239,400 for his efforts and moved to 46th position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $463,405 earned from the nine events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 105 FedEx Cup points for his efforts and moved to 49th position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points standings list with 244 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 eight cuts and achieved one top ten finish that came this week. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all at par or better especially his final round 68-4 which was a fine effort in the difficult conditions. He was very unlucky not to be in the playoff because he missed a makeable birdie putt on the 72nd green. Charles Howell III (USA) has won twice on the USPGA Tour to date so far in his career with his first win coming in the 2002 Michelob Championship at Kingsmill and the second came at the 2007 Nissan Open in a playoff over Phil Mickelson (USA). He seems to have well under achieved throughout his USPGA Tour career to date so far because he had a star Amateur career winning the 2000 Haskins Award honouring the most outstanding collegiate golfer in the United States. I feel a lot of golf experts would of thought he would of won ten times on the USPGA Tour and have a couple of Major Championships by now with over fourteen years on tour to date so far. But he has only one top ten finish to his name in Major Championships and that came at the 2003 PGA Championship where he tied for tenth position. But he has represented the Team USA in the 2003 and 2007 Presidents Cup. At age 35 he is right in the prime of his career and perhaps in the next five years he will have some more wins? Let’s hope he can have more top ten finishes in the weeks ahead and perhaps his third win? I wish him all the best for the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season.  

The final player to tie for fifth position was Alex Prugh (USA); he too earned US $239,400 for his efforts and moved to 75th position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $285,033 earned from the seven events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 105 FedEx Cup points for his efforts and moved to 92nd position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 149 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 four cuts and achieved one top ten finish that came this past week. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all under par especially his third round 69-3. Alex Prugh (USA) was born and raised in Spokane, Washington. He attended Joel E. Ferris High School, where he was a member of the golf team. He later went on to play at the University of Washington, where he was a three-time varsity Pac-10 All-Conference. Since turning professional in 2007, Alex Prugh (USA) has spent most of his career playing on the second tier Nationwide Tour, where he has one victory, which was achieved at the 2009 Michael Hill New Zealand Open. In 2009, he finished 16th on the money list to earn his 2010 USPGA Tour card. In his third start of the 2010 season, Alex Prugh (USA) started the final round of the Bob Hope Classic (rain delayed until Monday) tied for the lead and ended up finishing alone in fifth place, earning US $200,000. He followed that performance with another fifth place finish at the Farmers Insurance Open and a tenth place finish at the Northern Trust Open. Alex Prugh's (USA) best finish on the USPGA Tour is tied for second at the 2010 Frys.com Open. He finished eleventh on the 2013 Web.com Tour regular season money list to earn his 2014 USPGA Tour card. In 2013–14, he made only 4 cuts in 16 events and finished 206th on the FedEx Cup points list and lost his USPGA Tour card. However, he finished 41st in the Web.com Tour Finals to earn his USPGA Tour card for the 2014–15 season. Let’s hope he can have more top ten finishes in the weeks to come and perhaps achieved his maiden USPGA Tour win in 2015? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

Tiger Woods (USA) who was playing in his second tournament of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season in his first round went out in 37+1 playing the back nine first with his lone birdie coming on the par four, sixteenth hole and he bogeyed the par four, tenth hole and par three, twelfth hole. Then he birdied the par five, first hole, but made double bogey on the par four, second hole and had to withdraw because his back was playing up again!! So far this season he has earned no money on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings from the two events he has played in to date this season so far and hence he doesn’t have a current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list ranking. He also earned no FedEx Cup points and doesn’t currently have a 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points standings list ranking with no points earned as yet 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 no cuts and achieved no top ten finishes. He will be disappointed that he had to withdraw midway through his first round because he thought his back problems were behind him!! Let’s hope he can get his back and his game sorted out for his next tournament which we are not sure where it will be as yet? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2015 part of 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

The best New Zealand Golfer in the field was Danny Lee (NZL) and he scored rounds of 71-1 in the first round which was good, then he scored a good second round of 70-2, and a poor third round of 73+1 and a good final round of 73+1 in the very tough conditions for a 72 hole total of 287+1 and he finished in tied for 32nd position. He earned US $32,690 for his efforts and currently lies in 37th  position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $547,418 earned from the ten events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 35 FedEx Cup points for his efforts and he currently lies in 38th  position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 291 points earned from the ten events he has played to date this season so far. From the ten events he has played to date this season so far he has made six cuts and achieved one top ten finish. He will be happy with his first and second rounds that were both under par but he will be just content with his third and final rounds that were both 73+1s but the course conditions were playing extremely difficult over the weekend. Let’s hope he can make some more cuts in the coming weeks and perhaps achieve his maiden USPGA Tour win in the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. Danny has been playing the USPGA Tour on and off fulltime since the 2012 season. Danny Lee (NZL) entered the 2012 USPGA Tour season with USPGA Tour and European Tour cards. He said he was still keen to play a two-tour schedule, however his main focus would be on America. He made only 13 cuts in 26 events on the USPGA Tour and lost his tour card. He did not play on the European Tour. After striking up a successful partnership late in the Nationwide Tour season, Danny Lee (NZL) said he would have Australian, Graeme Courts, a former long-time caddy of Loren Roberts (USA), working for him on the USPGA Tour. K.J. Choi (South Korea) introduced Danny Lee (NZL) to another Australian, Steve Bann, as a potential coach. "I am close with K.J. Choi (South Korea) and he said I was thinking too much about my swing," Danny Lee (NZL) said. "I was always working on something and I am too technical sometimes so K.J. Choi (South Korea) introduced me to Steve. Steve is a simple guy who is teaching me how to practise with better routine and how to trust my own game and not think too much. Danny Lee (NZL) played on the Web.com Tour in 2013, finishing 15th on the regular season money list to regain his USPGA Tour card for 2014/15 Season. His best finish was second at the Rex Hospital Open. In 2014 on the back of six straight missed cuts, Danny Lee (USA) adopted a claw putting grip for the Puerto Rico Open in March. He credited the change of putting style for yielding him an instant result; a runner-up finish, two shots behind winner Chesson Hadley (USA). Let’s hope he can build on this fine form he displayed this week and maybe achieve his maiden USPGA Tour win in the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season.  

The next best New Zealand golfer in the field was Steve Alker (NZL) and he scored rounds of 74+2 in the first round which was poor and a good second round of 71-1 for a 36 hole total of 145+1 and he missed the cut by two shots. He currently lies in 172nd position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $55,248 earned from the eight events he has played to date this season so far. He is currently in 157th position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 57 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 make three cuts and achieved no top ten finishes. He will be very happy with his second round 71-1 but disappointed with his first round 74+2. Let’s hope he can make some cuts in the next few events he plays in, in the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season and even achieve some top ten finishes.

Next week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup heads stays in California for the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro – Am and it is played on the Pebble Beach Golf Links, Pebble Beach, California. It carries a huge prize purse of US $6,800,000 for the taking. Jimmy Walker (USA) is the defending Champion and will be keen to defend his title. Danny Lee (NZL), Tim Wilkinson (NZL) and Steve Alker (NZL) are likely to gain starts as well. It also has famous sport persons from other sports and movie stars playing in the Amateur team event which always makes for interesting viewing. It starts on Thursday 12th February and I will report back who won the trophy next week.

So to the Top 5 on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list this week and coming in at Number One Position for the twenty seventh week of his fifth spell of his career and for the 67th week of his career in total is Rory McILroy (NIR) fresh off his tenth win one week ago on the European Tour at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic and three weeks ago he finished in solo second position at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship and he tied for 15th position at the Emirates Australian Open ten weeks ago and eleven weeks ago tied for second position at the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai with 11.51 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Two is Henrik Stenson (Sweden) who is fresh off his tied for thirteenth position at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic one week ago and also he tied for 13th position at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters two weeks ago and missing cut at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship three weeks ago and he finished in solo second position nine weeks ago at the Hero World Challenge and eleven weeks ago won at the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai with 7.48 Official World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Three is Bubba Watson (USA) who is fresh off his tied for second position at the Waste Management Phoenix Open one week ago and four weeks ago he had a solo tenth position at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions and he tied for twenty fifth position at the Thailand Golf Championship seven weeks ago and tied for eleventh position at the Hero World Challenge nine weeks ago with 7.29 Official World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Four is Jason Day (Australia) who is fresh off his win this past week at the Farmers Insurance Open with 6.82 Official World Ranking Points and rounding out the top 5 on the Official Golf World Ranking Points list standings this week is Adam Scott (Australia) fresh off his tied for second position at the Australian PGA Championship eight weeks ago and he finished in solo fifth position at the Emirates Australian Open ten weeks ago with 6.80 Official World Ranking Points. Danny Lee (NZL) is in his fifteenth week of a new spell being the highest ranked New Zealand Golfer in the world after his tied for 32nd position at the Farmers Insurance Open on the USPGA Tour this past week. This week he gains nine places and rises to 224th position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list standings with 0.78 Official Golf World Ranking Points.

Remember the more you play the luckier you get!!

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

Golf Events from the Weekend 1st February 2015

Well it was another amazing weekend on the Major Professional Golf tours from around the world and this week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup headed to Scottsdale, Arizona for the Waste Management Phoenix Open and it was played on the TPC Scottsdale, Scottsdale, Arizona. It carried a huge prize purse of US $6,300,000 for the taking. Kevin Stadler (USA) was the defending champion and was keen for back to back titles. Tiger Woods (USA) was also making his 2014/15 USPGA Tour season debut which was sure to increase crowd numbers in the already near capacity crowd tournament which featured the famous enclosed Stadium par three, 16th hole which was sure to intimidate the most experienced PGA Tour professionals. Danny Lee (NZL) and Tim Wilkinson (NZL) gained starts as well. And it was the golfer by the name of Brooks Koepka (USA), who scored rounds of 71 even par, 68-3, 64-7 which was blemish free and 66-5 which was also blemish free for a 72 hole total of 269-15 and he won by a single shot for his maiden USPGA Tour win of his career. He earned US $1,134,000 for the win and moved to sixth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,558,267 earned from the three events he has played to date this season so far. Bubba Watson (USA) currently leads that list with US $2,030,400 earned from the three events he has played to date this season so far. Brooks Koepka (USA) also earned 500 FedEx Cup Points for the win and moved to sixth position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 693 points earned from the three events he has played to date this season so far and he is 264 points behind the current leader of that list who is Jimmy Walker (USA) who has earned 957 FedEx Cup points from the five events he has played in to date so far this season. From the three events Brooks Koepka (USA) has played to date this season so far he has made three cuts and achieved three top ten finishes that includes the win this week. He will be happy with his second, third and final rounds that were all in the 60s especially his third round 64-7 and final round 66-5 that were blemish free. But he will only be content with his first round 71 even par. 

 

Brooks Koepka (USA) tees off during the final round

Brooks Koepka (USA) played a brilliant final round of 66-5 that included a front nine of 33-2 which included birdies on the par four, sixth hole and par three, seventh hole and made the turn at minus twelve and was two shots behind the leaders. Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) went out in 31-4 which included an eagle two on the first hole and he made the turn at minus fourteen and was tied for the lead. Ryan Palmer (USA) went out in 31-4 and made the turn at minus thirteen and was one shot behind the leaders. Bubba Watson (USA) went out in 31-4 and made the turn at minus twelve and was two shots behind the leaders. Martin Laird (Scotland) went out in 34-1 and made the turn at minus fourteen and was tied for the lead.

Brooks Koepka (USA) played holes ten to fourteen in one under par and moved to minus thirteen and now was only one shot behind the leaders. Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) played holes ten to fourteen in even par and remained at minus fourteen and was still tied for the lead. Ryan Palmer (USA) played holes ten to fourteen in even par and remained at minus thirteen and was still one shot behind the leaders. Bubba Watson (USA) played holes ten to fourteen in two under par which included back to back birdies on holes twelve and thirteen and moved to minus fourteen and was now tied for the lead. Martin Laird (Scotland) played holes ten to fourteen in even par and remained at minus fourteen and was still tied for the lead. 

Brooks Koepka (USA) played holes fifteen to seventeen in two under par and that included making an eagle three on the par five, fifteenth hole when he holed his putt from just off the green and he got a par on the short par four, seventeenth hole after his tee shot rolled over the green and was very lucky to stay short of the water hazard and he moved to minus fifteen and was now leading by a single shot heading to the par four, 72nd hole. Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) played holes fifteen to seventeen in even par and remained at minus fourteen and now was one shot behind the leader heading to the par four, 72nd hole. Ryan Palmer (USA) played holes fifteen to seventeen in one under par and moved to minus fourteen and was still one shot behind the leader heading to the par four, 72nd hole. Bubba Watson (USA) played holes fifteen to seventeen in even par and remained at minus fourteen and was still one shot behind the leader heading to the par four, 72nd hole. Martin Laird (Scotland) played holes fifteen to seventeen in even par which included birding the par five, fifteenth hole and making a poor bogey on the short par four, seventeenth hole and he remained at minus fourteen and was still one shot behind the leader heading to the par four, 72nd hole. 

Bubba Watson (USA) who was playing about half an hour ahead of the leaders could only manage a par at the par four, 72nd hole and finished the 72 holes at minus fourteen and was one shot behind the winner. Ryan Palmer (USA) who was playing in the group ahead of the final group made a par at the par four, 72nd hole and finished the 72 holes at minus fourteen and was one shot behind the winner. Martin Laird (Scotland) stood on the par four, 72nd tee only one shot behind the leader. But three putting the seventeenth green must have got to him because he hit properly his poorest shot all week by hooking his tee shot into the water hazard that he had to carry to reach the fairway. He would go on to double bogey the hole and he finished at minus twelve which was three shots behind the winner. Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) knew he had to birdie the par four, 72nd hole if he was going to force a playoff with Brooks Koepka (USA). He slightly pulled his drive and it landed in the left hand fairway bunker. He struck a very good fairway bunker shot and it came to rest eighteen feet short on the cup. But he struck a very weak putt for his birdie and it missed short on the right hand side and he tapped in for his par four and finished the 72 holes at minus fourteen which was one shot behind the winner. 

 

Brooks Koepka (USA) tees off on the par four, 72nd tee

Brooks Koepka (USA) now stood on the par four, 72nd tee with a one shot lead and knew that par may well be good enough for his maiden USPGA Tour win. He showed no fear by booming a drive straight down the centre 330 yards!! Then he hit a very good second shot with his short wedge and it landed on the green twenty feet from the flag stick. Walking up to the green he knew that two putts could be good enough for the win. He calmed his nerve and struck the twenty foot putt to near perfection and it just broke away to the left hand side of the cup. He waited for his fellow competitors to hole out then he sunk the one foot putt in the hole for his par and he scored 33-3 on the back nine. He finished the 72 holes on minus fifteen to win by a single stroke!! He got a huge hug and high five from his caddie, Ricky Elliott to celebrate the win then he was interviewed by CBS Sports on Course Golf Reporter, David Feherty and he told him “He was so happy to win his maiden USPGA Tour event after the road he took to get here by playing the European Challenge Tour and then the European Tour the past few years before joining the USPGA Tour and the wins he had on those tours helped him to improve his game and stay calm and win the tournament today”. 

 

Brooks Koepka (USA) embraces his caddie, Ricky Elliott after he holed the winning putt!!

Brooks Koepka (USA) was born in Wellington, Florida. He played college golf at Florida State University where he won three events and was a three-time All - American. He qualified for the 2012 U.S. Open while still an amateur. After missing the cut in the U.S. Open, Brooks Koepka (USA) turned professional and began playing on the Challenge Tour in Europe. He won his first event in September at the Challenge de Catalunya. In 2013 he had his second victory on the Challenge Tour, winning the 2013 Montecchia Golf Open for his second win. He followed this a month later with his third win, the Fred Olsen Challenge de Espana, where he set the tournament record, 260 (−24), and won by a record 10 strokes.  Three weeks later he had his third win of the year at the Scottish Hydro Challenge. With those three wins, he earned his European Tour card for the remainder of the 2013 season and for the full 2014 season. The day after his third Challenge Tour win of 2013, Brooks Koepka (USA) qualified for the 2013 Open Championship. Brooks Koepka (USA) made his debut as a member of the European Tour (he played in three events prior to promotion to membership) at the Scottish Open, finishing tied for twelfth. 

 

Brooks Koepka (USA) poses with the Waste Management Phoenix Open Trophy he won!!

In his first event of the 2013/14 USPGA Tour, Brooks Koepka (USA) led after the second and third rounds of the Frys.com Open. He finished tied for third. At the U.S. Open, he collected a fourth-place finish, which earned him his USPGA Tour card for the 2014–15 season and his first Masters Tournament invitation. Later he ended 15th at the PGA Championship. He was nominated for the USPGA Tour Rookie of the Year award. On the 2014 European Tour, Brooks Koepka (USA) won the Turkish Airlines Open and finished third at the Dubai Desert Classic and Omega European Masters, and ninth at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. He ranked eighth in the 2014 Race to Dubai rankings and was named the European Tour's Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year. Brooks Koepka (USA) looks to have a very bright future on the USPGA Tour for many years to come and I would look for him to win again before the season is over and perhaps it will be a WGC – Event or even a Major Championship? I wish him all the best for the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

Coming in tied for second position at 270-14 after 72 holes was Hideki Matsuyama (Japan); he earned US $470,400 for his efforts and moved to ninth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US$1,350,092 earned from the seven events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 208 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to tenth position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 619 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 seven cuts and achieved four top ten finishes which includes the one here this week. He will be happy with his first, third and final rounds that were all in the 60s especially his third round 63-8 which was blemish free and the low round of the day and the whole tournament. But he will only be content with his second round 71 even par which included a shocking 40+4 on the back nine that ruined his chance of winning. Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) was born in Matsuyama, Ehime, Japan. He has studied, since 2010, at Tohoku Fukushi University in Sendai. He won the 2010 Asian Amateur Championship with a score of 68-69-65-67=269. This gave him the chance to compete as an amateur in the 2011 Masters Tournament, becoming the first Japanese amateur to do so. At the Masters, Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) was the leading amateur and won the Silver Cup, which is presented to the lowest scoring amateur. He was the only amateur to make the cut. A week after his victory, he finished in a tie for third at the Japan Open Golf Championship which is an event on the Japan Golf Tour. In 2011, Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) won the gold medal at the 2011 World University Games. He also led the Japan team to the gold medal in the team event. In October 2011, he successfully defended his title at the Asian Amateur Championship. In November, Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) won the Mitsui Sumitomo VISA Taiheiyo Masters on the Japan Golf Tour while still an amateur. 

In August 2012, Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) reached number one in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) turned professional in April 2013 and won his second professional tournament, the 2013 Tsuruya Open on the Japan Golf Tour. Five weeks later, Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) won his third title on the Japan Golf Tour at the Diamond Cup Golf tournament. Following a top 10 finish at the 2013 U.S. Open, Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) entered the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking. He won his fourth Japan Golf Tour event in September at the Fujisankei Classic. Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) would win his fifth Japan Golf Tour event in December at the Casio World Open. The win also made Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) the first rookie to lead the Japan Tour's money list. For 2014, Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) qualified for the USPGA Tour through non-member earnings. In just seven USPGA Tour-sanctioned events, Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) had six top-25 finishes, including a tied for sixth at the 2013 Open Championship. Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) earned his first USPGA Tour win at the 2014 Memorial Tournament, beating Kevin Na (USA) in a playoff and moving to a career-high Official World Golf ranking of thirteenth. Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) would win his sixth Japan Golf Tour event late in the 2014 season. In November, the victory came at the Dunlop Phoenix in a playoff over Hiroshi Iwata (Japan). Let’s hope he can continue this fine form into the coming weeks and perhaps win his second USPGA Tour event this season? I wish him all the best for the rest 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

Also tied for second position was Ryan Palmer (USA); he too earned US $470,400 for his efforts and moved to twentieth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $752,644 earned from the four events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 208 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to twentieth position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup points list standings with 374 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 which includes the one this week. He will be happy with his first, third and final rounds that were all in the 60s especially his first round 64-7 that was blemish free and saw him have sole possession of the lead. But he will be disappointed with his second round 72+1. Ryan Palmer’s (USA) first career USPGA win came at the 2004 FUNAI Classic at the Walt Disney World Resort, with a three stroke victory over Briny Baird (USA) and Vijay Singh (Fiji). Four years later, he earned his second career win during the USPGA Tour Fall Series, at the 2008 Ginn sur Mer Classic where wet, rainy conditions made the course play tough all week. He won by making a ten foot putt for birdie on the final hole on Sunday to finish seven under par and win by one stroke over five players. He was 143rd on the money list entering the week, but this win secured his playing status on Tour for 2009 and 2010. In January 2010, Ryan Palmer (USA) won his third career USPGA Tour title at the Sony Open in Hawaii. A final round 66 secured his victory by one stroke over Robert Allenby (Australia). Ryan Palmer (USA) came close to winning a fourth career title at his hometown event the HP Byron Nelson Championship in Texas in May 2011. Ryan Palmer (USA) entered the final round leading by one stroke, but as the final round progressed in windy conditions he had to hole a birdie putt on the last to enter a playoff with Keegan Bradley (USA). On the first playoff hole, the 18th, both players hit their tee shots out to the right amongst the trees. Keegan Bradley (USA) played his approach to just short of the green whereas Ryan Palmer (USA) hooked his approach shot into the water. Ryan Palmer (USA) pitched up close to the hole and made bogey but Keegan Bradley USA) was able to win with a pitch and putt par. In March 2014, Ryan Palmer (USA) lost another sudden-death playoff at the Honda Classic, after missing a five footer for what would have been the win on the 18th green in regulation play. He entered the four-man playoff, having been the only one to shoot an under-par final round. However, in the playoff, after missing the green in two, he could not get up and down, leaving Russell Henley (USA) to hole from three feet for victory. This was Ryan Palmer's (USA) second runner-up finish of the year, after finishing two shots behind Patrick Reed (USA) at the Humana Challenge in January 2014. I am sure his fourth win is not too far off and perhaps it will come in the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season? I wish him all the best for the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

The final player to tie for second position was Bubba Watson (USA); he too earned US $470,400 for his efforts and moved to the top of the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $2,030,400 earned from the three events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 208 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to third position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup points list standings with 833 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 achieved three top ten finishes which includes the one this week and his win at the WGC – HSBC Champions in China last November. He will be happy with his first, third and final rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially his 65-6 in the first round and his 65-6 in the final round which was blemish free. But he will only be content with his second round 71 even par. Bubba Watson (USA) has won seven events to date on the USPGA Tour and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2010 Travelers Championship; 2011 Farmers Insurance Open; 2011 Zurich Classic of New Orleans; 2012 Masters Tournament (Maiden Major Championship); 2014 Northern Trust Open; 2014 Masters Tournament (Second Major Championship) and the 2014 WGC – HSBC Champions. Bubba Watson won the 2014 Masters Tournament by three shots, with a score of −8. He entered the final round tied for the lead with 20-year-old Masters rookie Jordan Spieth (USA). Playing together in the final pairing, Jordan Spieth (USA) birdied the seventh hole for a two-stroke lead over Bubba Watson (USA). However, the momentum turned on the par-5 eighth hole. Jordan Spieth (USA) had a birdie putt, but ended up three-putting for bogey while Bubba Watson (USA) birdied to pull into a first-place tie. Then, on the ninth hole, Bubba Watson (USA) birdied again while Jordan Spieth (USA) bogeyed, and the four-shot swing over two holes gave Bubba Watson (USA) a lead that he never relinquished in a win over Jordan Spieth (USA) and Jonas Blixt (Sweden). With the win, Bubba Watson (USA) became the 17th player to win the Masters Tournament two or more times. The win moved him again to number four in the Official World Golf Ranking and with the finish this past week he has moved to number three in the Official World Golf Ranking. I look for Bubba Watson (USA) to have a really strong 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season and perhaps he will win his third Major Championship? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

Coming in tied for fifth position at 272-12 after 72 holes was Martin Laird (Scotland); he earned US $252,000 for his efforts and moved to twenty fourth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $692,790 earned from the six events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 105 FedEx Cup points for his efforts and moved to twenty fifth position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 333 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 which includes the one this week. He will be happy with his first, second and third rounds that were all in the 60s and saw him take a three shot lead into the final round especially his first two rounds that were consecutive 66-5s. But he will be extremely disappointed with his final round 72+1 especially his back nine 38+2 that included finishing bogey, double bogey when he was tied for the lead after sixteen holes!! Martin Laird (Scotland) has won three times on the USPGA Tour to date so far and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2009 Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open; 2011 Arnold Palmer Invitational and the 2013 Valero Texas Open. On seventh April 2013, Martin Laird (Scotland) won his third career USPGA Tour event, the Valero Texas Open, by two strokes from Rory McILroy (NIR). Starting the final round five shots behind overnight leader Billy Horschel (USA), Martin Laird (Scotland) fired a nine-under-par 63, including birdies at his last three holes, to take the title. The win meant that Martin Laird (Scotland) was the last person to gain entry into the 2013 Masters Tournament, ending the streak of 16 consecutive American wins on the USPGA Tour, 14 of them in the 2013 season. Let’s hope he can have more top ten’s in the coming weeks and perhaps win his fourth USPGA Tour event in 2015? I wish him all the best for the rest of 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

The final player tied for fifth position was Jon Rahm (Spain) (Amateur); he earned US $252,000 for his efforts because he was an Amateur he wasn’t able to collect any prize – money. He also earned 105 FedEx Cup points for his efforts but because he was an Amateur he doesn’t get a current 2014/15 FedEx Cup points list standings ranking. 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 this week. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all under par especially his third round 66-5. He is currently a member of the Arizona State University Sun Devil Golf Team and he has surely got a bright future ahead of him once he completes his studies if that is the career path he wants to choose? I wish him all the best with his studies and collage golf for the rest of the 2015 season. 

Rounding out the top nine in tied for seventh position at 273-11 after 72 holes was Graham DeLaet (Canada); he earned US $211,050 for his efforts and moved to 73rd position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $265,541 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 81st position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 150 FedEx Cup points earned from the six events he has played to date this season so far. From the six events he has played to date this season so far he has made three cuts and achieved one top ten finish that came this past week. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all under par especially his 66-5 in the first round and he scored the same score in the final round. A fully recovered Graham DeLaet (Canada) started his 2013 season with a missed cut at the Sony Open in Hawaii before making eight of his next nine through March, including two top-10s. He had a third place finish at the Travelers Championship in June. He gained entry to the 2013 Open Championship (his first major tournament) as an alternate, by virtue of his world ranking and finished 83rd. At The Barclays, Graham DeLaet (Canada) had a career best USPGA Tour finish of tied for second with three other players, one stroke behind Adam Scott (Australia). Graham DeLaet (Canada) climbed to 32nd in the world rankings at the end of the season. Graham DeLaet's (Canada) play during the 2013 season earned him a spot on the International Team for the 2013 Presidents Cup. Graham DeLaet (Canada) impressed Captain Nick Price (Zimbabwe) posting a 3–1–1 record, paired with Australian Jason Day (Australia) for the first four sessions. Graham DeLaet (Canada) became just the second Canadian to play in the team competition, after Mike Weir (Canada). Graham DeLaet (Canada) began the 2013–14 season with a missed cut at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, but then finished tied for seventh position at the CIMB Classic, tied for sixth at the WGC – HSBC Champions and tied for second at both the Farmers Insurance Open and the Waste Management Phoenix Open. Let’s hope he can have more top ten finishes in the weeks ahead and perhaps even win his maiden USPGA Tour event? I wish him all the best for the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour events. 

Also tied for seventh position was Fredrik Jacobson (Sweden); he too earned US $211,050 for his efforts and moved to 87th position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $224,104 earned from the three events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 85 FedEx Cup points for his efforts and moved to 127th position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup points list standings with 93 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 two cuts and achieved one top ten finish that came this very week. He will be happy with his first, third and final rounds that were all in the 60s especially his final round 64-7 which was blemish free. But he will be disappointed with his second round 73+2. Fredrik Jacobson (Sweden) won his first USPGA Tour title in 2011 at the Travelers Championship. He beat Ryan Moore (USA), who missed a short four footer at the 72nd hole which would have gotten him into a playoff with Fredrik Jacobson (Sweden), but instead settled for a tie with John Rollins (USA) one shot behind. During the week, Fredrik Jacobson (Sweden) went 63 holes bogey-free until the difficult par four 10th on Sunday where he made a bogey five. He hit 100% of the fairways during rounds three and four. In November 2011, Fredrik Jacobson (Sweden) had his best finish ever in a World Golf Championship event when he finished solo second at the WGC – HSBC Champions in Shanghai, China. Fredrik Jacobson (Sweden) had led the tournament after rounds two and three and entered the final round with a two stroke advantage over Louis Oosthuizen (RSA). However it was a final round surge from Martin Kaymer (Germany) that denied Fredrik Jacobson (Sweden), the German firing nine birdies on the day to post a 63. Fredrik Jacobson (Sweden) could only record a 71 to fall short by three strokes. At the 2013 Northern Trust Open, Fredrik Jacobson (Sweden) had a chance to win his second USPGA Tour title when he birdied the 15th and 16th holes in the final round to tie the lead. He then missed a short birdie putt at the 17th to take the outright lead. On the 72nd hole, Jacobson missed a five-foot par putt, which left him one shot outside of the playoff. Fredrik Jacobson (Sweden) has been featured in the top twenty of the Official World Golf Rankings. Let’s hope he can have more top ten finishes in the weeks to come and perhaps win his second USPGA Tour title? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

The final player to tie for ninth position was Jordan Spieth (USA); he too earned US $211,050 for his efforts and moved to 68th position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $272,550 earned from the two events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 85 FedEx Cup points for his efforts and moved to 103rd position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 119 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 this past week. He will be happy with his second and final rounds that were both in the 60s especially his final round 65-6. But disappointed with his first and third rounds that were both 70-1s. Jordan Spieth opened the 2013 season by missing the cut by two strokes at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in January. In March, Jordan Spieth (USA) made three cuts, finishing tied for second at the Puerto Rico Open and tied for seventh at the Tampa Bay Championship. He notched another top-10 finish in April at the RBC Heritage, a tie for ninth. He earned Special Temporary Member status in March, allowing him unlimited sponsor exemptions. On July 14, about two weeks before his 20th birthday, Jordan Spieth (USA) won the John Deere Classic in a three-way, sudden-death playoff on the fifth playoff hole against defending champion Zach Johnson (USA) and David Hearn (Canada). He became the fourth youngest USPGA Tour winner and the first teenager in 82 years; last accomplished by Ralph Guldahl (USA) at the Santa Monica Open in 1931. Jordan Spieth (USA) holed out from a greenside bunker on the 72nd hole to make the playoff. With the victory, Jordan Spieth (USA) was granted full status as a USPGA Tour member and became eligible for the FedEx Cup, entering in eleventh place in the standings. It also earned him entry into the next three majors: the 2013 Open Championship, USPGA Championship, and 2014 Masters Tournament. He moved to 59th in the Official World Golf Ranking. Only five weeks after his first victory, Jordan Spieth (USA) played the Wyndham Championship, where he lost in a playoff to Patrick Reed (USA). The runner-up finish moved him up to 36th in the Official World Golf Ranking. Jordan Spieth (USA) shot a final round 62 in the Deutsche Bank Championship, vaulting him into a tie for fourth and 28th in the Official World Golf ranking. Just two days later, captain Fred Couples (USA) selected Jordan Spieth (USA) for the United States squad in the 2013 Presidents Cup. On September 27, 2013, Jordan Spieth (USA) was named PGA Tour Rookie of the year. He ended the 2013 season tenth on the USPGA Tour money list, and ranked twenty second in the world, after beginning the year 810th with no status. Jordan Spieth (USA) made his debut at the Masters Tournament and shared the 54 hole lead with Bubba Watson (USA). During the final round, Jordan Spieth (USA) at one point was the standalone leader by two strokes and, had he held on, would have become the youngest Masters Tournament champion in history (Tiger Woods (USA) holds the record at 21 years of age), but Bubba Watson (USA) retook the lead heading into the back nine and never relinquished it. Jordan Spieth (USA) finished in a tie for second with Jonas Blixt (Sweden). Jordan Spieth (USA) thus became the youngest runner-up in Masters Tournament history and subsequently moved into the world's top ten. Jordan Spieth (USA) also ended the tournament having shot no worse than an even-par (72) in any of his rounds. In November, Jordan Spieth (USA) won his second tournament as a professional at the Emirates Australian Open on the PGA Tour of Australasia, in the final round Jordan Spieth (USA) shot a course-record 63 to win the title by 6 strokes. A week later Jordan Spieth (USA) completed back-to-back victories, winning the Hero World Challenge in Florida, Jordan Spieth (USA) won the tournament, hosted by Tiger Woods (USA), wire-to-wire and in doing so set a new tournament scoring record of 26-under-par. Let’s hope he can win his second USPGA Tour event soon and perhaps it will be a WGC – Event or even his maiden Major Championship. I wish him all the best for the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season.

Tiger Woods (USA) who was playing in his first tournament of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season scored a poor first round of 73+2 which included a front nine of 39+4 but he came back with a 34-2 on the back nine which included an amazing eagle three on the par five, thirteenth hole where he rolled his five iron to within a foot from the pin!!, then he scored his worst ever round on the USPGA Tour of his career to date of 82+11 in the second round for a 36 hole total of 155+13 and missed the cut by twelve shots. So far this season he has earned no money on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings from the one event he has played in to date this season so far and hence he doesn’t have a current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list ranking. He also earned no FedEx Cup points and doesn’t currently have a 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points standings list ranking with no points earned as yet 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 no cuts and achieved no top ten finishes. He will be disappointed with his first round 73+2 although happy with his back nine of 34-2 in the first round but he will be disgusted with his 82+11 in the second round!! Let’s hope he can get his game sorted out for his next tournament which will be the Farmers Insurance Open next week and at least make the cut? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2015 part of 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

The best New Zealand golfer in the field was Tim Wilkinson (NZL) and he scored a poor first round of 72+1, then a shocking second round of 74+3 for a 36 hole total of 146+4 to miss the cut by three shots. He currently lies in 161st position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $66,029 earned from the eight events he has played to date this season so far. He currently is positioned in 149th position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 61 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 three cuts and achieved no top ten finishes. He will be content with his first round 72+1, but disappointed with his second round 74+3. Let’s hope he can make some more cuts in the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season and have some top ten finishes as well. 

The next best New Zealand Golfer in the field was Danny Lee (NZL) and he scored rounds of 77+6 in the first round which was disastrous, then he scored a very good second round of 70-1 for a 36 hole total of 147+5 and missed the cut by four shots. He currently lies in 35th position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $514,728 earned from the nine events he has played to date this season so far. He currently lies in 36th position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 256 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 five cuts and achieved one top ten finish. He will be happy with his second round 70-1 which was played in windy and rainy conditions, but he will be extremely disappointed with his 77+6 in the first round that ruined his chance of making the cut!! Let’s hope he can make some more cuts in the coming weeks and perhaps achieve his maiden USPGA Tour win in the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. Danny has been playing the USPGA Tour on and off fulltime since the 2012 season. Danny Lee (NZL) entered the 2012 USPGA Tour season with USPGA Tour and European Tour cards. He said he was still keen to play a two-tour schedule, however his main focus would be on America. He made only 13 cuts in 26 events on the USPGA Tour and lost his tour card. He did not play on the European Tour. After striking up a successful partnership late in the Nationwide Tour season, Danny Lee (NZL) said he would have Australian, Graeme Courts, a former long-time caddy of Loren Roberts (USA), working for him on the USPGA Tour. K.J. Choi (South Korea) introduced Danny Lee (NZL) to another Australian, Steve Bann, as a potential coach. "I am close with K.J. Choi (South Korea) and he said I was thinking too much about my swing," Danny Lee (NZL) said. "I was always working on something and I am too technical sometimes so K.J. Choi (South Korea) introduced me to Steve. Steve is a simple guy who is teaching me how to practise with better routine and how to trust my own game and not think too much. Danny Lee (NZL) played on the Web.com Tour in 2013, finishing 15th on the regular season money list to regain his USPGA Tour card for 2014/15 Season. His best finish was second at the Rex Hospital Open. In 2014 on the back of six straight missed cuts, Danny Lee (USA) adopted a claw putting grip for the Puerto Rico Open in March. He credited the change of putting style for yielding him an instant result; a runner-up finish, two shots behind winner Chesson Hadley (USA). Let’s hope he can build on this fine form he displayed this week and maybe achieve his maiden USPGA Tour win in the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season.  

Next week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup heads north to San Diego for the Farmers Insurance Open and it is played on the Torrey Pines GC (South), San Diego, California. It carries a huge prize purse of US $6,300,000 for the taking. Scott Stallings (USA) is the defending champion and will be keen to defend his title. Tiger Woods (USA) will play for the second time on the 2014/15 USPGA Tour this season. Danny Lee (NZL), Steve Alker (NZL) and Tim Wilkinson (NZL) will likely gain starts as well. It starts on Thursday 5th February and I report back who won the trophy next week.   

So to the Top 5 on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list this week and coming in at Number One Position for the twenty sixth week of his fifth spell of his career and for the 66th week of his career in total is Rory McILroy (NIR) fresh off his tenth win this past week on the European Tour at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic and two weeks ago he finished in solo second position at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship and he tied for 15th position at the Emirates Australian Open nine weeks ago and ten weeks ago tied for second position at the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai with 11.66 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Two is Henrik Stenson (Sweden) who is fresh off his tied for thirteenth position at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic this past week and also he  tied for 13th position at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters one week ago and missing cut at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship two weeks ago and he finished in solo second position eight weeks ago at the Hero World Challenge and ten weeks ago won at the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai with 7.62 Official World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Three is Bubba Watson (USA) who is fresh off his tied for second position at the Waste Management Phoenix Open this past week and three weeks ago he had a solo tenth position at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions and he tied for twenty fifth position at the Thailand Golf Championship six weeks ago and tied for eleventh position at the Hero World Challenge eight weeks ago with 7.41 Official World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Four is Adam Scott (Australia) fresh off his tied for second position at the Australian PGA Championship seven weeks ago and he finished in solo fifth position at the Emirates Australian Open nine weeks ago with 6.95 Official World Ranking Points and rounding out the top 5 on the Official Golf World Ranking Points list standings this week is Justin Rose (England) who is fresh off his tie for thirteenth position at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters one week ago and two weeks ago he tied for twelfth position at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship with 6.25 Official Golf World Ranking Points. Danny Lee (NZL) is in his fourteenth week of a new spell being the highest ranked New Zealand Golfer in the world after his missed cut this past week at the Waste Management Phoenix Open on the USPGA Tour. This week he slips three places and falls to 233rd position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list standings with 0.75 Official Golf World Ranking Points.

Remember when playing in the wind the saying is “When it is breezy, swing easy”!!

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