Golf Events from the Weekend 12th August 2012

Well it was another exciting weekend on the Major Professional Golf Tours from around the world. This week on the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup and the European Tour and Race to Dubai they were combined for the final Major Championship of 2012 known as “Glories last Shot” and it was the 94th PGA Championship and it was played on the Kiawah Island Resort (Ocean), Kiawah Island, South Carolina which hosted the 1991 Ryder Cup Matches.

The first round was played on Thursday 10th August in perfect conditions with just a light breeze blowing and in bright sun shine. Carl Pettersson (Sweden) scored a first round of 66-6 and held the first round lead over 2011 US Open Champion, Rory McILroy (NIR), Gonzalo Fernandez – Castano (Spain), Alex Noren (Sweden) and Gary Woodland (USA) all scored 67-5 to be one stroke back. Adam Scott (Australia) in his first Major Championship back since his Open Championship meltdown in July scored 68-4 along with 2010 US Open Champion, Graeme McDowell (NIR), Joost Luiten (Netherlands), Aaron Baddeley (Australia), Geoff Ogilvy (Australia), defending PGA Champion, Keegan Bradley (USA), 1991 PGA Champion, John Daly (USA) and the 2012 RBC Canadian Open Champion, Scott Piercy (USA). Tiger Woods (USA) got off to a good start scoring 69-3 and Phil Mickelson (USA) scored 73+1 in an up and down round.

The second round was played on Friday 10th August in extremely strong gusty winds which made scoring extremely difficult. The scoring average was extremely high with the average score being 78 which was 6 strokes over par. At the end of the day there were three Golfers leading on minus four and they were Tiger Woods (USA) who backed up his 69-3 in the first round with a fine 71-1 in the second round for a 36 hole total of 140-4 but he was joined on that score by Carl Pettersson (Sweden) who scored 74+2 to go with his 66-6 in the first round. The last player tied for the lead was Vijay Singh (Fiji) who is just one year short of 50 years old and he scored a second round of 69-3 which was the lowest second round to go with his first round 71-1. Notable golfers to miss the 36 hole halfway cut that fell at +6 were the 112th US Open Champion, Webb Simpson (USA) who was +7, Sergio Garcia (Spain) +7, Hunter Mahan (USA) +8, Lee Westwood (England) +8, Rickie Fowler (USA) +10, Matt Kuchar (USA) +10 and the 2010 PGA Champion, Martin Kaymer (Germany) +14.

The third round was played on Saturday 11th August and conditions were much better with a moderate wind blowing but nowhere near the strength of the previous day. But a Weather system moved through the course midway through the leading group’s rounds and play had to be suspended till Sunday Morning for the players that hadn’t completed their third rounds. Bo Van Pelt (USA), Steve Stricker (USA) and Jimmy Walker (USA) all posted fine third rounds of 67-5 to be well placed heading into the final round. When play was suspended Vijay Singh (Fiji) and Rory McILroy (NIR) who scored 32-4 on his front nine were both tied for the lead at -6. But when play resumed early Sunday Morning it was Rory McILroy (NIR) who finished off his third round well to score 67-5 and saw him going into the final round with the lead at -7 by 3 strokes over Carl Pettersson (Sweden) who was at -4 and by 4 strokes over Adam Scott (Australia) who was -3.

Rory McILroy (NIR) lines up a putt during his final round

So to the final round that was played on Sunday 12th August and the conditions were good with just a moderate breeze blowing in off the Atlantic Ocean.  Ian Poulter (England) got off to a flying start with birding the first five holes of his round and found himself at -6 for the tournament and putting real pressure on Rory McILroy (NIR). He birdied the Par 5, 7th hole to get to -6 for his round and -7 for the tournament. He made a poor bogey on the Par 3, 8th hole and went out in 31-5 for the front nine. He got off to a great start to his back nine birding the Par 5, 11th hole and Par 4, 12th hole. Now he had got to -8 for the tournament and was only two strokes behind Rory McILroy (NIR). But Ian Poulter (England) played the last 6 holes very poorly in 4 strokes over par and scored 38+2 on the back nine and 69-3 for the round and eventually finished on 284-4 after 72 holes and finished in tied for 3rd position. 

But early on his final round Rory McILroy (NIR) started to stamp his mark on this Golf Tournament. He played the front nine in 33-3 that included birdies on the Par 5, 2nd hole and Par 4, 3rd hole to move to -9 for the tournament. He then birdied the Par 5, 7th hole to get to -10 for the Tournament; he was the first player to get to double digits in the Tournament.  He birdied the Par 4, 12th hole to get to -11 for the tournament, then he birdied the Par 5, 16th hole where he got up and down from a tricky position in the left hand green side bunker and he was now -12 and had a 7 stroke lead with 2 holes to play over his nearest competitor who was David Lynn (England) who had scored a fine final round of 68-4 and record his best ever finish in a Major Championship. He came to the 72nd hole still with a 7 stroke lead and knew the tournament was his now. He hit a booming drive to finish just as he had been doing all day and it landed right in the centre of the fairway 350 yards down. He then struck his 9 iron second shot and it landed on the front fringe about 20 feet from the cup. Sir Nick Faldo (England) who was commentating for CBS Sports said “He should soak in and saviour the moment because there are not too many times when you win a Major Championship by this margin”. He putted from just off the fringe for his birdie and it when straight in the hole and he had won the 94th PGA Championship for the first time in his career. And it was his second Major Championship. He ended up scoring 33-3 on the back nine and 66-6 for the round. And it was great that he had his Dad right there by his side to Celebrate with him after he walked off the 18th green.

Rory McILroy (NIR) holds his arms up in the air the celebrate his win

So Rory McILroy (NIR) scored rounds of 67-5, 75+3, 67-5 and 66-6 for a 72 hole total of 275-13 and won by 8 strokes. He won $US 1,445,000.00 for the win and that moved him to 2nd position on the current USPGA Tour Money list with $US 4,905,492 earned from the 12 events he has played to date this year so far. Tiger Woods (USA) still leads that list with $US 4,957,158 earned from the 15 events he has played in to date this year so far. Rory McILroy (NIR) also earned 600 FedEx Cup points for the win and moved to 2nd position on the current FedEx Cup points list with 2,092 points earned from the 12 events he has played in to date this year so far. He is 177 points behind the current leader who is Tiger Woods (USA) with 2,269 points earned from the 12 events he has played to date this year so far. He also moves to the Number One Position on the Race to Dubai Money list with €2,813,962 earned from the 11 events he has played in to date this year so far.

It was Rory McILroy’s (NIR) fourth European Tour International Schedule victory in his 111th European Tour event. He will move back to the top of the Official World Golf Ranking from third position. He gains his second Major Championship, following his triumph at the 2011 US Open Championship. His second Major Championship win comes in his 17th Major Championship appearance. This victory comes in his fourth appearance in the US PGA Championship. This is his third top three finish from his four starts in the event. He was tied third in 2009 and 2010, tied 64th in 2011 and first in 2012. He becomes the first player from Northern Ireland to win the US PGA Championship. He becomes the first player from the United Kingdom to win the US PGA Championship since Tommy Armour in 1930. He becomes just the sixth European to win the US PGA Championship, following Jim Barnes (England) (1916 and 1919), Jock Hutchinson (Scotland) (1920), Tommy Armour (Scotland) (1930), Padraig Harrington (Ireland) (2008) and Martin Kaymer (Germany) (2010).

 Dating back to Graeme McDowell (NIR) at the US Open Championship, Northern Ireland has won four of the last 11 Major Championships. They are: Graeme McDowell (NIR) (2010 US Open Championship), Rory McIlroy (NIR) (2011 US Open Championship and 2012 US PGA Championship) and Darren Clarke (NIR) (2011 Open Championship). Rory McILroy’s (NIR) victory means that European Tour Members would have won eight of the last 11 Major Championships, dating back to Graeme McDowell (NIR) at the 2010 US Open Championship. It was the fourth victory in the US PGA Championship by a European Tour Member in the last five seasons, dating back to Padraig Harrington (NIR) (2008), Y E Yang (South Korea) (2009), Martin Kaymer (Germany) (2010) and Rory McIlroy (NIR) (2012). At the tender age of 23 years and 100 days becomes the youngest player to win the event since it became stroke play in 1958.

It was his sixth top ten finish in a Major Championship from his 17 appearances. It was the 45th Major Championship victory by a European Tour Member since Seve Ballesteros (Spain) won The Open Championship in 1979. He becomes the 12th different European Tour Member to win two or more Major Championships. Since The European Tour’s first season in 1972, becomes the third player from the United Kingdom to win multiple Major Championships, following Sir Nick Faldo (England) and Sandy Lyle (Scotland). His eight shot victory is the largest in a Major Championship since Rory McIlroy (NIR) won the 2011 US Open Championship by eight. His eighth shot victory in the US PGA Championship is the largest since the event became stroke play in 1958, beating the seven of Jack Nicklaus (USA) in 1980. His eighth shot victory is the largest on The European Tour in 2012, beating the five shots of Bernd Wiesberger (Austria) (Ballantine’s Championship) and Lee Westwood (England) (Nordea Masters). Rory McILroy (NIR) stops the run of 16 consecutive different Major winners dating back to Padraig Harrington (Ireland) at the 2008 US PGA Championship.

At the tender age of 23 years and 100 days becomes the youngest player to win his first two Major Championships since Seve Ballesteros (Spain), who was 23 years and four days when he won his second Major at the 1980 Masters Tournament. Since 1950 would become the 13th player to win Major Championship in consecutive seasons and the first since Padraig Harrington (Ireland) (2007 Open Championship and 2008 Open Championship and 2008 US PGA Championship). It was the 45th Northern Irish win in European Tour history. It was the second Northern Irish win of the 2012 season, following Michael Hoey (NIR) at the Trophée Hassan II. He moves over €13 million in European Tour Official Career Earnings from just 111 events. He gains a place in the 2012 PGA Grand Slam of Golf, 2012 WGC – HSBC Champions and 2013 Volvo Golf Champions. He gains a lifetime exemption into the US PGA Championship. He extends his European Tour exemption until the end of 2019. And finally it was his sixth win as a professional and first since the 2011 UBS Hong Kong Open.

Rory McILroy (NIR) poses with the Wanamaker Trophy

Rory McILroy (NIR) will gain lots of confidence from this second Major Championship win in as many years because a lot of his critics were starting to question him and ask him why he wasn’t perform well in the Major Championships since his famous winning of the 111th US Open Championship. He has now won four times on the USPGA Tour and here they are in order from the first to the most recent: 2010 Wells Fargo Championship, 2011 U.S. Open Championship,  2012 The Honda Classic, 94th PGA Championship. He has also won four times on the European Tour and here they are in order from the first to the most recent: 2009 Dubai Desert Classic, 2011 U.S. Open Championship, UBS Hong Kong Open and the 94th PGA Championship. His results this year on the USPGA Tour are very good with recording 6 top 5 finishes from the 12 events he has played in to date this year so far. Two of those top 5 finishes are wins and two of them are second place finishes in including him losing the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship final to Hunter Mahan (USA) and also losing the Wells Fargo Championship on the first playoff hole to Rickie Fowler (USA).

He went through a rough patch of form earlier in the year where he missed the cut at THE PLAYERS Championship in Mid May, then his missed his second straight cut at the BMW PGA Championship in late May and he missed his third straight cut at the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance in early June. And to top it all off he missed the cut in his defence of the US Open Championship which was the second Major Championship of the year in Mid June. People were starting to question him on his commitment to the game and if he was letting other things distract him for example spending too much time with his Girl Friend who is also the Famous Tennis player, Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark). But this result puts that theory to rest. I would look for him to keep on improving and he would be my pick to take out the FedEx Cup as the playoffs are only two weeks away. I would also look for Rory McILroy (NIR) to be a key player in the European Teams defence of the Ryder Cup against Team USA at Medinah Country Club, Medinah, Illinois, USA in late September. I wish Rory McILroy (NIR) every success for the rest of the 2012 season on both the European Tour and USPGA Tour.

Coming in solo 2nd position was David Lynn (England) on 283-5 after 72 holes and he played just awesome over the weekend scoring a pair of 68’s -4. It was his best ever finish in a Major Championship having being granted a special exemption by the PGA of America because of his great play on the European Tour this season. With this fine result he will get to play in his first ever Masters Tournament in 2013. Coming in tied for 3rd position at 284-4 after 72 holes was Justin Rose (England) and he scored an awesome final round of 66-6. If it wasn’t for the shocking 79+7 he scored in the second round in the extremely windy conditions he may well have been challenging Rory McILroy (NIR) for the title. He just continued on the fine season he is having on both the USPGA Tour and European Tour. Also tied for 3rd was the defending PGA Champion, Keegan Bradley (USA) and he is having another great season on the USPGA Tour with backing up his win at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational last week with this result. He too could be a real threat in the up and coming FedEx Cup Playoff events. Also tied for 3rd position was Ian Poulter (England) who I mentioned earlier on and he has recorded 3 top 10 finishes in the four Major Championships this year, here are his finishes in the 2012 Major Championships: Solo 7th position at the Masters Tournament; Tied for 41st position at the 112th US Open Championship; Tied for 9th position at the 141st Open Championship and Tied for 3rd position at the 94th PGA Championship. He must be due to win his Maiden Major Championship title in the next few years? The final player to tie for 3rd position was the first and second round leader, Carl Pettersson (Sweden). It continued on his fine season he is having in 2012 on the USPGA Tour with now earning just over $US 3,000, 000 and he has already won once at the RBC Heritage in mid April.

Rounding out the top 10 in tied for 7th position at 285-3 after 72 holes was Blake Adams (USA), now in his third straight year on the USPGA Tour after graduating from the then Nationwide Tour in 2009 and he has easily kept his card each year. This also was his best ever finish in a Major Championship to date in his career. Also in tied for 7th position was Jamie Donaldson (Wales), it continued on his fine form on the European Tour he has displayed this year where he won The Irish Open in early July and he is now inside the top 20 players on the current Race to Dubai Money list. Also tied for 7th position was Peter Hanson (Sweden), and he too is having a fine season on the European Tour with recording 5 top 10 finishes from the 15 events he has played this season and he has earned € 1,375,898 with the highlight coming 3rd in the first Major Championship of the year at the Masters Tournament where he held the 54 Hole Tournament lead. The final player to tie for 7th position was Steve Stricker (USA); he is having another awesome season on the USPGA Tour and must be a serious contender to take out the FedEx Cup after coming so close the previous 3 years. He has won $US 3,046,421 to date this year so far with the highlight being the win at the first tournament of the year which was the Hyundai Tournament of Champions.

There were several great players to finish in tied for 11th Position at 286-2 after 72 holes and they were 2003 Open Champion, Ben Curtis (USA), 2012 Masters Tournament Winner, Bubba Watson (USA), 2010 THE PLAYERS Championship Winner, Tim Clark (RSA), 2006 US Open Champion, Geoff Ogilvy (Australia), 2010 US Open Champion, Graeme McDowell (NIR) and also Tiger Woods (USA) who had another disappointing weekend at a Major Championship, After scoring 69-3 and 71-1 to be at 140-4 and tied for the lead after 36 holes, he had a poor weekend scoring 74+2 in the third round and 72 even par in the final round. Although he has had three wins this year that include: Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard in late March, the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance in early June and the AT&T National which he is the host of in early July. I feel he will be disappointed with how he has finished off in the Major Championships this year after getting himself in great positions to win in the early rounds. And now he hasn’t won a Major Championship since he won the 2008 US Open Championship at Torrey Pines GC, California. I feel that 15th Major Championship win is not too far away and may well happen in 2013? And I feel he can still equal or better Jack Nicklaus (USA) all time Major Championship Wins record of 18. And Tiger Woods (USA) is the current leader of the USPGA Tour Money list with $US 4,957,158 and also the current leader of the FedEx Cup Points list with 2,269 points. Adam Scott (Australia) was the last player to tie for 11th position. It was a good showing after his 141st Open Championship meltdown. And after 9 holes of the third round he was only one shot off the lead. But he played a poor final round of 73+1. But this performance in the next Major Championship straight after his 141st Open Championship meltdown proves that he is not going to run away and hide. Here are his results in the Four Major Championships this year: Tied for 8th position at the Masters Tournament; tied for 15th position at the 112thUS Open Championship; Solo 2nd Position at the 141st Open Championship and tied for 11th position at the 94th PGA Championship. May be 2013 will be the year that Adam Scott (Australia) finally wins his Maiden Major Championship?

The lowest round of the week was recorded by Seung – Yul Noh (South Korea) in the final round which was 65-7, but his previous 3 rounds of 74+2, 75+3 and 74+2 left him too far back to challenge Rory McIlroy (NIR). He finished in tied for 21st position at 288 even par after 72 holes. It continued on his fine Rookie Season for the 21 year old on the USPGA Tour where he has now won $1,359,311 from the 25 events he has played in to date this year so far. Luke Donald (England) the Number One Golfer in the World heading in to this tournament had a rather poor tournament except for his final round of 66-6. He scored rounds of 74+2, 76+4, 74+2 and a final round of 66-6 for a 72 hole total of 290+2 and finished in tied for 32nd position. He surrendered his Number One World Ranking to Rory McILroy (NIR) and is still yet to win a Major Championship.

Next week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup head to North Carolina for the final regular season event in the FedEx Cup before the playoffs start the following week. It is being play on the Sedgefield Country Club, Greensboro, North Carolina. It has a prize purse of $US 5,200,000 for the taking. Webb Simpson (USA) is the defending Champion and will be keen to defend his title. It also is the last chance for players to get inside the top 125 players on the FedEx Cup points list and gain a place in the first playoff event the following week. It starts on Thursday 16th August and I will report back who won the trophy next week. There is no event on the European Tour and Race to Dubai this week but the following week it heads to Scotland for the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles and it is being played on the Gleneagles Hotel, Perthshire, Scotland. It will be the last chance for European Players to qualify for the Ryder Cup Matches that are played at the end of September in USA. It carries a prize purse of £1,400,000. Thomas Björn (Denmark) is the defending Champion and will be keen to defend his title. It starts on Thursday 23rd August and I will report back who won the Trophy in two weeks time.

The final event I am reporting on this week was on the Web.com Tour and was Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr Pepper and was played on the Highland Springs CC, Springfield, Missouri. And it was the golfer by the name of Chris Wilson (USA) who scored rounds of 68-4, 67-5, 65-7 and a final round of 67-5 for a 72 hole total of 267-21 but he was tied on that score by Scott Harrington (USA) who scored rounds of 65-7, 68-4, 66-6 and a final round of 68-4 for a 72 hole total of 267-21 as well. So those two players head back to the Par 5, 18th hole for the first playoff hole. Chris Wilson (USA) made a birdie 4 to Scott Harrington’s (USA) bogey 6. So Chris Wilson (USA) had won his Maiden Tournament on the Web.com Tour. He won $US 112,500.00 for the win and moved to 23rd position on the Web.com Tour Money list with $US 118,986 earned from the 14 events he has played to date this year so far. Casey Wittenberg (USA) leads that list with $US 292,128 earned from the 16 events he has played in to date this year so far. 

Chris Wilson (USA) in action during the final round

The win was totally out of the blue for Chris Wilson (USA) as prior to this event he had only made 2 cuts in the 13 events he had play in this year. Now he is a realistic chance to make the final 25 money earners at the conclusion of the Web.com Tour in 2012 that earned their 2013 USPGA Tour cards. If he does it will be his second try at the USPGA Tour having played on it in the 2010 season after finishing tied for 12th position at the 2009 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament. He didn’t fear too well in 2010 though with only making 7 cuts out of the 26 events he entered and only made $US 76,481 which placed him in 213th position on the final money list that year. I wish him all the best in his quest for that USPGA Tour card for the 2013 season.

For Scott Harrington (USA) the solo second place finish will be very pleasing for him as it is only his second start on the Web.com Tour this season. And the $US 67,500.00 cheque will do the world of good for his confidence. Coming in solo 3rd position at 268-20 after 72 holes was Andy Winings (USA), and it was his best finish on the Web.com Tour this year. It was also his best finish to date on the Web.com Tour in his rookie season. In tied for 4th position at 269-19 after 72 holes was Matt Hendrix (USA) and it was also his best finish to date on the Web.com Tour in 2012. Also tied for 4th position was Camilo Benedetti (Colombia) and it was also his best result on the Web.com Tour in 2012. Coming in tied for 6th position at 270-18 after 72 holes was Robert Streb (USA), and with this result he moves inside the top 25 Money earners on the current Web.com Tour with $US 127,498 earned from the 15 events he has played in to date this year so far, and that places him in 21st position on the current Web.com Tour money list. Also tied for 6th position was Stuart Anderson (Canada), and this was also his best finish he has recorded so far on the Web.com Tour in the 2012 Season. Also tied for 6th position was Michael Letzig (USA), and just two years ago in 2010 he was playing on the USPGA Tour with full playing status. The final player to tie for 6th position was David Lingmerth (Sweden) who continued on his up and down season.

Rounding out the top 10 in tied for 10th position at 271-17 after 72 holes was Luke Guthrie (USA), and he is having an awesome season on the Web.com Tour from the 3 events he has played in this year he has won $US 133,850 and that places him in 20th Position on the current Web.com Tour Money list. He is well placed to gain his USPGA Tour card for the 2013 season. He has also played in three USPGA Tour events this year and made the cut in all of them with a Tied for 5th position at the John Deere Classic in mid July being his best result. His earnings on the USPGA Tour in 2012 so far are $US 284,672. Also tied for 10th position was James Nitties (Australia), it was his best finish on the Web.com Tour to date this year so far. But he has had a poor season with only making 4 cuts out of 13 events he has entered. He has spent the last 2 seasons on the Web.com Tour after losing his USPGA Tour card at the end of the 2010 season.

There were two New Zealand Golfers in the field and they both missed the 36 hole cut that fell at 139-5. The best of them was Tim Wilkinson (NZL) who scored rounds of 71-1 and 71-1 for a 36 hole total of 142-2 and missed the 36 hole halfway cut by 3 strokes. He has now missed his last 3 cuts and is in 66th position on the current Web.com Tour Money list with $US 58,530 earned from the 17 events he has played to date this year. His best finish came in early March at the Panama Claro Championship where he finished tied for 9th position which was his only top 10 of the season. He still needs to have a few more top 10 finishes if he is to regain his USPGA Tour Status for the 2013 season. He last played on the USPGA Tour full time in 2010. I wish him all the best for the remaining events on the Web.com Tour for 2012 season. The other New Zealand Golfer to miss the cut was Steve Alker (NZL) he scored rounds of 68-4 and 77+5 for a 36 hole total of 145+1 and missed the cut by 6 strokes. He has now made $US 41,771 from the 13 events he has played in to date this year so far and is in 82nd position on the current Web.com Tour Money list. His best finish was tied for 4th at the Chile Classic Presented by Pacific Rubiales in early March. And of course he had that good finish in the third major of the year which was the 141st Open Championship where he tied for 19th after having to pre – qualify. I wish him all the best for the remaining events on the Web.com Tour for 2012 season.

Next week the Web.com Tour heads to Kansas for the Midwest Classic Presented by Cadillac and it is being played on the Nicklaus GC at LionsGate, Overland Park, Kansas. It has a good prize purse of $US 550,000 for the taking. James Nitties (Australia) is the defending Champion and will be keen to defend his title. It starts on Thursday 16th August 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 4th spell of his career and the 8th week of his career fresh off his 94th PGA Championship victory is Rory McILroy (NIR) with 10.35 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Two is Luke Donald (England) with 9.59 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Three is Tiger Woods (USA) with 8.71 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Four is Lee Westwood (England) with 7.35 Official Golf World Ranking Points and rounding out the top 5 on the Official Golf World Ranking Points list is the 112th US Open Champion, Webb Simpson (USA) with 6.23 Official Golf World Ranking Points. Danny Lee (NZL) is still the highest ranked New Zealand Golfer in the World. This week he slips 1 place to be at 206th position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list with 0.88 Official World Golf Rankings Points on the list.

Remember in Winter Conditions it is more important to make Solid Contact with the ball!!

Source: pgatour.com, europeantour.com

Golf Events from the Weekend 5th August 2012

Well it was another exciting weekend on the Major Professional Golf Tours from around the world. First I will start with the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup and European Tour and Race to Dubai which were co – sanctioned this week for the third World Golf Championship event of the year which was the World Golf Championship – Bridgestone Invitational and it was played at the Firestone CC (South Course), Akron, Ohio. And it was the Golfer by the name of Keegan Bradley (USA) who scored rounds of 67-3, 69-1, 67-3 and a brilliant final round of 64-6 for a 72 hole total of 267-13 after 72 holes and won by one stroke in dramatic fashion. He won $US 1,400,000.00 for the win and moved to 8th position on the current USPGA Tour Money list with $US 3,222,158 earned from the 20 events he has played to date so far this year. Tiger Woods (USA) leads that list $US 4,813,873 earned from the 14 events he has played to date so far this year. Keegan Bradley (USA) also earned 550 FedEx Cup Points for the win and that moved him to 7th position on the current FedEx Cup Points list with 1,522 points earned from the 20 events he has played to date this year so far. He is 682 points behind the current leader who is Tiger Woods (USA) who has earned 2,204 points from the 14 events he has played to date so far this year.

Keegan Bradley (USA) in action during the final round

It was Keegan Bradley’s (USA) second European Tour International Schedule victory in his tenth European Tour event. He can move into the top 15 in the Official World Golf Ranking from 28th position. It was his first European Tour victory since the 2011 US PGA Championship. This victory comes in his fifth WGC appearance. This victory beat his previous best WGC performance of tied eighth in the 2012 WGC - Cadillac Championship. This victory comes in his second WGC - Bridgestone Invitational appearance. This victory beats his previous best finish in the WGC - Bridgestone Invitational of tied 15th in 2011. His four shot final round winning comeback beats the previous best of three by Tiger Woods (USA) in 2009 and Hunter Mahan (USA) in 2010.

He becomes the 23rd different player to win a WGC event. He becomes the tenth different American to win a WGC event. He becomes the fourth American to win the WGC - Bridgestone Invitational. He follows: Tiger Woods (USA) (1999-2001, 2005-07 and 2009), Stewart Cink (USA) (2004) and Hunter Mahan (USA) (2010). He becomes the fourth American to win on The European Tour in 2012, following Hunter Mahan (USA) (WGC - Accenture Match Play Championship), Bubba Watson (USA) (Masters Tournament) and Webb Simpson (USA) (US Open Championship). And finally is the 126th American victory in European Tour history.

Keegan Bradley (USA) played an awesome final round of 64-6 which included a front nine of 33-2 with birdies on the Par 4, 3rd hole and Par 3, 7th hole. He made the turn at -9 and was still four shots behind Jim Furyk (USA) who was -13 after a front nine of 33-2 as well in which he got off to the perfect start birding the first three holes. Keegan Bradley (USA) then scored an amazing 31-4 on the back nine which included consecutive birdies on the Par 4, 10th hole and Par 4, 11th hole to move to minus 11 and get within 2 strokes of Jim Furyk (USA) who was still -13 after 11 holes. Keegan Bradley (USA) then birdied the Par 4, 14th hole to get to minus 12 with four holes to play and now only 1 stroke behind Jim Furyk (USA) who was still minus 13 after 14 holes. Keegan Bradley (USA) then birdied the extremely long Par 5, 16th hole to get to minus 13 with two holes to play, but Jim Furyk (USA) birdied it as well and he still had his 1 stroke lead over Keegan Bradley (USA) at minus 14 with two holes to play. Jim Furyk minus 14 (USA) came to the Par 4, 72nd hole with a one stroke lead over Keegan Bradley who was minus 13 (USA). They both managed to find the fairway. Jim Furyk (USA) was a little lucky having hit a bad pull off the tee but got a great bounce off the trees on the left hand side of the rough and his ball landed in the middle of the fairway. He still had a 7 iron distance to the green for his second shot. Keegan Bradley (USA) had struck his drive much further down the fairway and was only left with a short iron to the green. Jim Furyk (USA) struck his 7 iron second shot and it missed the green to the right, pin high in the rough leaving him a very difficult up and down to save his par. Keegan Bradley (USA) now had a chance to really apply the pressure to Jim Furyk (USA), but he too missed his 9 iron second shot to the right of the green in the right green side bunker and it plugged!!

Jim Furyk (USA) now knew if he could chip his ball somewhere on the green within 20 feet of the hole he would more than likely be the Champion. But he tried to hit the perfect shot and it landed a foot short of where he wanted to land it and his ball stopped in the rough just short of the green. Keegan Bradley (USA) played his third shot next from his plugged lie in the green side bunker and he hit a brilliant bunker shot under the circumstance using the slope on the other side of the green to roll his ball back towards the cup and left himself a 10 foot putt to for his par. Jim Furyk (USA) played his 4th shot from the thick green side rough and slightly miss hit it and left himself a 6 foot bogey putt. Keegan Bradley (USA) now had his 10 foot par putt and he struck it very boldly and fell right in the centre of the cup for his par 4. Now he knew he was in the playoff at worst and if Jim Furyk (USA) missed his bogey putt he would be the Champion. Philip Tataurangi (NZL) who was the on course commentator said “Jim Furyk’s (USA) putt had a slight break in it from right to left but he must not aim outside the cup if he is going to hole it”. He hit a very poor putt and it didn’t take the break and missed on the right-hand side of the cup and he dropped his putter in frustration knowing he had let a great chance to win slip.

Keegan Bradley (USA) pumps his fist to celebrate after holing his long par putt at the 72nd hole

So Keegan Bradley (USA) had won his very first World Golf Championship Event of his career. He stood there stunned because it was totally unexpected the way Jim Furyk (USA) played the first 71 holes of the Tournament. It was Keegan Bradley’s (USA) third USPGA Tour Tournament win having won previously the 2011 HP Byron Nelson Championship and the 93rd PGA Championship. Prior to this event he had just had an average season compared to last year with his best finish being the tied for 2nd place at the Northern Trust Open in February. But this result will give him lots of confidence and belief to keep on improving. And this coming week he defends the PGA Championship title he won last year as his first Major win in his very first Major Championship he ever played in. The commentators mentioned after he won that when he gets into position to win he has the killer instinct to make the putts that count that some other big name players don’t. He may get that from his Aunty who is Pat Bradley (USA) who is a LPGA great and World Golf Hall of Fame member. 

Keegan Bradley (USA) poses with the Gary Player Trophy he won

The last two years have been amazing for Keegan Bradley (USA) after he qualified for the 2011 USPGA Tour after finishing inside the top 25 Money earners on the 2010 then Nationwide Tour which gained him his USPGA Tour Status. Last year (2011) in his rookie year on the USPGA Tour he made $US 3,758,600 and finished 5th on the final FedEx Cup Points Standings. And this year after this most recent win he is heading for an even better year than last year. I think another Major Championship win isn’t too far off either. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2012 USPGA Tour season.

Coming in tied for second position at 268-12 after 72 holes was Jim Furyk (USA) as I mentioned above. He was in such control of this tournament until the 72nd hole. It was a shame to see him lose another tournament after being in control of it for so long. He did the same thing at the 112th US Open Championship in June. And you would have to wonder how many more chances he is going to get as good as these last two he has had to win Tournaments as big as these last two on the USPGA Tour? But he can still hold his head high with how he has played this season on the USPGA Tour having recorded 5 top 10 finishes and won $US 2,676,455  to date and is placed in 16th position on the current FedEx Cup points standing with  1,257 points. And he hasn’t won since he won the 2010 THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola. Also tied for 2nd position was Steve Stricker (USA), he scored the equal low final round along with Keegan Bradley (USA) which was 64-6. It continued on his fine year of form which has included a win at the very first tournament of the year which was the Hyundai Tournament of Champions and he has also recorded 6 top 10 finishes from the 14 events he has played and earned $US 2,820,421 with making 13 out 14 cuts. And he is also in 12th position on the FedEx Cup points list with 1,365 points earned to date. He must be due to win the FedEx Cup this year after finishing in 2nd position the last 3 years.

Coming in solo 4th position on 269-11 after 72 holes was Louis Oosthuizen (RSA), and he also recorded his third top 10 finish of the year. Coming in tied for 5th position at 272-8 after 72 holes were the current Race to Dubai leader, Justin Rose (England) and Rory McILroy (NIR) who recorded his 6th top 10 finish of the year on the USPGA Tour. In solo 7th position at 274-6 after 72 holes was Jason Dufner (USA) who just continued on his great season and it was his 7th top 10 of the season and he has now earned $US 4,334,137 and is also in 3rd position on the current FedEx Cup points list.  

Rounding out the top 10 in tied for 8th position at 276-4 after 72 holes were Aaron Baddeley (Australia) who is having another great season on the USPGA Tour. Tiger Woods (USA) also finished tied for 8th position and he still leads the current USPGA Tour Money list and FedEx Cup points list and is number 2 on the Official World Golf Rankings points list. The 2012 Players Champion, Matt Kuchar (USA) was also in tied for 8th position. K. J. Choi (South Korea) was also tied for 8th position along with David Toms (USA), Lee Slattery (England), The World Number One Golfer, Luke Donald (England) and the ever consistent American Golfer, Bo Van Pelt (USA).

Adam Scott (Australia) had a disappointing tournament in his first tournament back after his Open Championship meltdown. He scored rounds of 71+1, 70 even, 71+1 and a final round of 73+3 for a 72 hole total of 285+5 and tied for 45th position. The 141st Open Champion, Ernie Els (RSA) also had a poor tournament scoring rounds of 73+3, 73+3, 68-2 and a final round of 71+1 for a 72 hole total of 285+5 and also tied for 45th position.

                                                 

Next week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup and the European Tour and Race to Dubai are co – sanctioned again for the final Major of the year which is the 94th PGA Championship (Known as Glories last shot) and it is being played at the Kiawah Island Resort (Ocean), Kiawah Island, South Carolina. It has a large prize purse of $US 8,000,000 for the taking. Keegan Bradley (USA) is the defending Champion and will be keen to defend his title and win back to back tournaments. It starts on Thursday 9th August and I will report back who won the Wanamaker Trophy next week.

The final event I am reporting on this week was the second event on the USPGA Tour this week and was also part of the FedEx Cup and was the Reno – Tahoe Open and it was played on the Montreux G&CC, Reno, Nevada. It was for the players who hadn’t qualified for the World Golf Championship – Bridgestone Invitational. For the very first year it was trying the new scoring format of Modified Stableford. Where instead of a birdie being one under par it now became plus 2 points, eagle = plus five points, double eagle = plus eight points, Par = Zero Points, Bogey = Minus One Point, and Double Bogey or Worse = Minus three points. And it was the Golfer by the name of J.J. Henry (USA) who record rounds of Plus 10 points, Plus 12 points, Plus 14 points and a final round of plus 7 points for a 72 hole total of plus 43 points and he won by a single point. J.J. Henry (USA) won $US 540,000.00 for the win and moved to 49th position on the current USPGA Tour money list with $US 1,254,692 earned from the 25 events he has played to date this year. He also earned 250 FedEx Cup points for the win and he moved to 50th Position on the current FedEx Cup points list with 686 points earned from the 25 events he has played in to date this year so far. He is 1,518 points behind the current leader who is Tiger Woods (USA).

J. J. Henry (USA) in action during the final round

J.J. Henry (USA) played a steady final round with scoring plus 6 points on the front nine that included birdies on the Par 4, 5th hole, Par 4, 6th hole and Par 5, 8th hole. So with nine holes to play he had plus 42 points and a 6 point lead over his nearest competitor who was Alexandre Rocha (Brazil) who had plus 36 points after 9 holes of his final round. J.J. Henry (USA) played a steady back nine with gaining another 2 points on the Par 4, 15 hole when he birdied it to move to plus 44 points. He made his lone bogey on the Par 3, 16th hole and he lost 1 point to move back to plus 43 points. He pared the last two holes to post plus 43 points for the tournament. Alexandre Rocha (Brazil) played a strong back nine with birding the Par 5, 13th hole to get to plus 38 points, then he birdied the Par 4, 17th hole to get to plus 40 points. So Alexandre Rocha (Brazil) came to the 72 hole needing an eagle to win the tournament. He could only manage a birdie 4 and finished up the tournament on plus 42 points, one point short of a playoff.

For J.J. Henry (USA) it was his second win on the USPGA Tour having previously won the 2006 Buick Championship as his maiden win. And with this win he gains his place in next week’s 94th PGA Championship which is the final Major Championship of the year. And also with this win he goes over the one million US dollars on the USPGA Tour Money list for the 6th time in his career. I hope he can continue on this form heading in to the FedEx Cup in the coming weeks. I wish him all the best for the rest of the events 2012 USPGA Tour season. 

J. J. Henry (USA) poses with the Reno - Tahoe Open Trophy he won

Coming in solo second was Alexandre Rocha (Brazil) with plus 42 points after 72 holes as I mentioned above. It was best career finish on the USPGA Tour to date. And he has now won $US 387,060 on the USPGA Tour Money list. With a few more top 10 finishes he may well keep his card for the 2013 USPGA Tour season. Coming in solo 3rd position on plus 37 points after 72 holes was Andres Romero (Argentina), it was his 2nd top 10 of the season and he has now retained his playing status for the 2013 USPGA Tour season with $US 951,996 earned from the 18 events he has played to date this year so far. Coming in solo 4th position on plus 34 points after 72 holes was John Mallinger (USA), it was his 2nd top 10 finish of the season and he must be due for his maiden USPGA Tour win soon?

Coming in tied for 5th position at plus 33 points after 72 holes was the two time Major Winner, John Daly (USA), and it was his first top 10 finish of the 2012 USPGA Tour season from the 10 events he has entered to date this year. Also tied for 5th position was the 1997 Open Champion, Justin Leonard (USA), it was his best finish on the USPGA Tour to date this year and he has now won $US 427,802 from the 21 events he has entered this year so far. A couple more top 10 finishes and he should keep his playing status for the 2013 USPGA Tour Season. In solo 7th position at plus 31 points after 72 holes was Josh Teater (USA), and this being his 3rd top 10 finish in a row he has now more than likely secured his USPGA Tour card for the 2013 season with $US 671,215 earned from the 24 events he has played to date this year so far. Rounding out the top 10 in tied for 8th position at plus 30 points after 72 holes was the 2004 Open Champion, Todd Hamilton (USA), and it was his first top 10 finish on the USPGA Tour this year from the limited starts he has had. Also tied for 8th position was Brendan Steele (USA), he is having another good season after he had his maiden win in 2011 at the Valero Texas Open. This was his third top 10 finish of the season and he has now won $US 700,045 from the 19 events he has played to date this year. The last player to tie for 8th position was the Champions Tour Player, Tom Pernice Jr. (USA), it was his first top 10 of the season and not too bad for a 52 year old.

Danny Lee (NZL) scored rounds of Plus 10 points, plus 6 points, plus 5 points and a poor final round of minus 5 points for a 72 hole total of plus 16 points and tied for 54th position. He won $US 6,810.00 for his weeks work and moved to 168th position on the USPGA Tour Money list with $US 264,062 earned from the 21 events he has played in to date this year so far. He is also in 156th position on the current FedEx Cup Points list with 226 points earned from the 21 events he has played in to date this year so far. He is 1,978 points behind the current leader who is Tiger Woods (USA). Danny Lee (NZL) will be disappointed with his result here as he played so well in the first round only to fade so poorly on the weekend. He now only has one tournament left to get inside the top 125 on the FedEx Cup points list and make the playoffs. I feel a win at the Wyndham Championship is the only way he will make the FedEx Cup playoffs and that is very unlikely going on his current form. So realistically he now has five tournaments left on the USPGA Tour in 2012 to finish inside the Top 125 Money Earners on the final USPGA Tour Money list to retain his exempt status for the 2013 season. He needs to earn at least another $US 400, 000 from those 5 events because $US 668,166 was the amount that was needed to keep your playing status on the 2011 Final USPGA Tour Money list. A more realistic goal would be to get inside the top 150 money earners on the USPGA Tour Money list and gain semi exempt status. To do that he would need to earn another $US 150, 000 because to keep you semi exempt status on the 2011 USPGA Tour season you needed $US 411,943. Danny Lee (NZL) has now made 11 cuts from the 21 events he has entered with his best finish still being tied for 19th position at the HP Byron Nelson Championship in mid May. I feel he will be disappointed with his rookie season on the USPGA Tour but will be gaining valuable knowledge and experience. I wish Danny Lee (NZL) all the best in his remaining events on the USPGA Tour in 2012.   

The other Golfer from New Zealand in the field was Grant Waite (NZL) he scored a first round of -12 points and then withdrew from the tournament. Because he doesn’t have full play Status on the USPGA Tour he doesn’t have a money list ranking. He has only played in 2 events to date on the 2012 USPGA Tour Season, the other one being the True South Classic where he missed the cut too.

So to the Top 5 on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list this week and coming in at Number One Position for the 4th spell of his career and the 56th week of his career is Luke Donald (England) with 9.67 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Two is Tiger Woods (USA) with 8.53 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Three is Rory McILroy (NIR) with 8.46 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Four is Lee Westwood (England) with 7.48 Official Golf World Ranking Points and rounding out the top 5 on the Official Golf World Ranking Points list is the 112th US Open Champion, Webb Simpson (USA) with 6.31 Official Golf World Ranking Points. Danny Lee (NZL) is still the highest ranked New Zealand Golfer in the World. This week he slips 4 places to be at 205th position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list with 0.90 Official World Golf Rankings Points on the list.

Remember when putting up hill play for less break and strike your putt firmer.

Source: pgatour.com, europeantour.com

Thames Golf Club News 4th August 2012

Thames Golf Club – Saturday Scramble
Just 10 Golfers played in the Golf Shop Open in conjunction with the usual Saturday Scramble on Saturday 4th August. The course was extremely wet underfoot after all the rains during the week but conditions were fine with just the odd shower. Murray Newby found the conditions to his liking scoring 86 off his 18 handicap and retuned 38 Stableford points to win the Golf Shop Open on count back. Best gross score was 76 returned by David Clarke.

(Full results below) (All on Stableford):
Men’s: Murray Newby 38, Richard Blight 38, Don Lyon 38, John Farquhar 36 and Darrin Marshall 36.
Two’s: There were none.
Hidden Hole’s: Murray Newby won them with 11 points to take the Cash.
Next Saturday (11th August) is the Orange Ball Day in conjunction with the usual Saturday Scramble.


Thames Golf Club – Saturday Scramble
On Saturday 28th July there were 22 starters including one visitor from Akarana in the Saturday Scramble in conjunction with the Mystery Pairs. Conditions were very wet under foot with the heavy rains that had fallen recently, but the greens were putting awesome. There were long fine periods with the odd heavy shower. Bob Hind scored 85 off his 20 handicap and returned 41 Stableford points to win the scramble. Jamie Smith returned the best gross round which was 78.

(Full results below) (All on Stableford) (Thames unless stated):
Men’s: Bob Hind 41, Ian Fielder 39, Don Lyon 38, Tom Handley 37, Jamie Smith 36, Tony Cathcart 36, Geoff Page 35 and Paul Oxford 34.
Two’s: Murray Newby had the only one on the 14th hole.
Hidden Hole’s: Bob Hind won with 12 points to take all the Cash.
Next Saturday (4th August) is the Golf Shop Open in conjunction with the usual Saturday Scramble.


Thames Golf Club – Thursday Scramble
A very small field played in the Thursday Scramble on Thursday 26th July. Conditions were Sunny although a little wet under foot. Lee Thompson found them to his liking scoring a 75 off his 9 handicap which was also the best gross score of the day and he returned 40 Stableford Points to win the scramble.

(Full results below) (All on Stableford):
Men’s: Lee Thompson 40 and Doug Way 37.
Two’s: Lee Thompson had the only one on the 8th hole.
Hidden Hole’s: Lee Thompson had 10 points to win the cash.

Golf Events from the Weekend 29th July 2012

Well again it was a great weekend of Golf on the Major Professional Golf Tours from around the world. First I will start with the European Tour and Race to Dubai. This week it headed to Austria and it was the Lyoness Open powered by Greenfinity and it was played at the Diamond CC, Atzenbrugg, Austria. And it was the Golfer by the name of Bernd Wiesberger (Austria) who scored rounds of 71-1, 66-6, 67-5 and a final round of 65-7 for a 72 hole total of 269-19. He won by 3 strokes and won € 166,660.00 for the win and moved to 19th position on the current Race to Dubai Money list with € 654,984 earned from the 18 events he has played in to date this year so far. Justin Rose (England) still leads that list with €1,836,334 earned from the 8 events he has played to date this year so far.

Bernd Wiesberger (Austria) in action during the final round

It was his second European Tour International Schedule victory in his 79th European Tour event. It was his second European Tour victory of the 2012 season, following his Ballantine's Championship victory in late April. He becomes the third multiple winner of the 2012 season. He would follow: Branden Grace (RSA) (Joburg Open, Volvo Golf Champions and Volvo China Open) and Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) (Africa Open and Maybank Malaysian Open). He becomes the second Austrian to win the Lyoness Open powered by Greenfinity, following Markus Brier (2002, 2004 and 2006). (It was part of the European Challenge Tour in 2002 and 2004). He becomes the second player following Markus Brier (Austria) to win a European Tour event on home soil. He becomes the first Austrian to win twice in the same European Tour season.

This victory comes in his eighth appearance in the Lyoness Open powered by Greenfinity. This victory beats his previous best performance of tied fourth in the Lyoness Open powered by Greenfinity as an amateur in 2004. (His best previous best finish as a professional was tied fifth in 2011). It was the fifth Austrian victory in European Tour history. He joins Markus Brier (Austria) (two wins) as the second Austrian to record multiple European Tour victories. It was the second Austrian victory of the 2012 season, following his Bernd Wiesberger's (Austria) win at the Ballantine's Championship. He gains his fourth win as a professional. His win becomes the 17th European Tour victory by a former Challenge Tour player on the 2012 European Tour from 30 events so far. He would follow: Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) (Africa Open and Maybank Malaysian Open), Branden Grace (RSA) (Joburg Open, Volvo Golf Champions and Volvo China Open), Robert Rock (England) (Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship), Rafael Cabrera-Bello (Spain) (Omega Dubai Desert Classic), Justin Rose (England) (WGC - Cadillac Championship), Julien Quesne (France) (Open de Andalucía Costa del Sol), Michael Hoey (NIR) (Trophée Hassan II), Thørbjorn Olesen (Denmark) (Sicilian Open), Bernd Wiesberger (Austria) (Ballantine's Championship), Ricardo Santos (Portugal) (Madeira Islands Open - Portugal), Nicolas Colsaerts (Belgium) (Volvo World Match Play Championship) and Jamie Donaldson (Wales) (Irish Open) and Marcel Siem (Germany) (Alstom Open de France). Finally becomes the 301st European Tour victory by a former Challenge Tour player.

Bernd Wiesberger (Austria) played a brilliant final round of 65-7 which was the lowest final round of the day. He played a steady front nine with scoring 35-1 with birdies on the Par 4, 3rd hole and Par 3, 9th hole, with his lone bogey coming at the Par 3, 5th hole. He played an amazingly brilliant back nine of 30-6 which included birdies at the Par 5, 10th hole, Par 4, 12th hole, Par 5, 13th hole, Par 3, 15th hole, Par 4, 16th hole and Par 4, 18th hole. He has now made 10 cuts out of the 18 events he has played to date this year so far. As well as his two wins this year he has recorded another top 10 finish in the Joburg Open where he finished tied for 9th position in early January. In his third year of the playing on The European Tour and Race to Dubai he is now starting to show the real talent he possesses. And with these two victories he would have gained lots of confidence. And if he can continue on this form for the rest of the season he may well be a factor in the final event of the season that is the Dubai World Championship, Dubai that will be played in Dubai in the last week of November with only the top 60 players on the Final 2012 Race to Dubai Money list qualifying for it.

Bernd Wiesberger (Austria) poses with the Lyoness Open powered by Greenfinity Trophy he won

He also could now be a factor to become a Captains Pick in the 2012 Ryder Cup which is being played at the Medinah Country Club, Illinois, USA in the last week of September. Whether Jose Maria Olazabal (Spain) who is the 2012 European Team Ryder Cup Captain chooses him is another question? But he is currently in 33rd position on the European Ryder Cup Points List with 660265.97 points earned to date so far and on the European Ryder Cup World Points list he has 72.16 points earned which places him in 30th position. He will need to be inside the top 5 players on either of those lists I mentioned to automatically qualify after the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles which is played in the last week in August. Because that is the final tournament to qualify before the team is picked. But he will get his chance to play in his first WGC – Bridgestone Invitational next week when he heads over to America. And perhaps the USPGA Championship which is the final Major of the year the following week? I wish him all the best on the European Tour for the rest of the 2012 season.

Coming in tied for second position at 272-16 after 72 holes were Shane Lowry (Ireland) who scored a brilliant 66-6 in the final round and the ever green, Thomas Levet (France). Coming in solo fourth position at 273-15 after 72 holes was Rikard Karlberg (Sweden) and it was his best result on the European Tour to date this year so far. In solo 5th position at 274-14 after 72 holes was Thorbjorn Olesen (Denmark), he will be disappointed with this result because he let his 54 hole lead slip with a final round of 74+2. Coming in tied for 6th position at 275-13 after 72 holes was Chris Doak (Scotland) who also has his best result on the European Tour to date so far this year. Also tied for 6th position was Benjamin Hebert (France) and it too was his best finish on the European Tour to date so far this season. Coming in tied for 8th position at 276-12 after 72 holes was Scott Jamieson (Scotland) who continued on his fine form this season. Richard Bland (England) was also tied for 8th position. Rounding out the top 10 in tied for 10th position at 277-11 after 72 holes was Pablo Larrazabal (Spain) who continued on his consistent season that has seen him win € 455,702 to date so far and he has made 17 out of 19 cuts. Also tied for 10th position was Emiliano Grillo (Argentina) and it was his equal best finish on the European Tour so far this year.

Next week the European Tour and Race to Dubai heads to the USA for the third World Golf Championship of the year and it is co - sanctioned with the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup and it is the World Golf Championship – Bridgestone Invitational and it is played on the Firestone CC, Akron, Ohio, USA. It has a large prize purse of $US 8,500,000 for the taking. Adam Scott (Australia) is the defending Champion and will be keen to defend his title after his meltdown at the recently played Open Championship. It starts on Thursday 2nd August. I will report back who won the trophy next week.

Now to the second event I am reporting on this week and it was on the USPGA Tour and part of the FedEx Cup and was the RBC Canadian Open and it was played on the Hamilton G&CC, Ancaster, Ontario, Canada. And it was Scott Piercy (USA) who after breaking the course record with a round of 62-8 in the first round and then he went on to score rounds of 67-3, 67-3 and a final round of 67-3 for a 72 hole total of 263-17 and he won by 1 stroke for his second win on the USPGA Tour having won the Reno – Tahoe Open in 2011 as his maiden USPGA Tour win. He won $US 936,000.00 for the win and that moved him to 18th position on the USPGA Tour Money list with $US 2,221,325 earned from the 21 events he has played in to date this year so far. Tiger Woods (USA) still leads that list with $US 4,685,123 earned from the 13 events he has played to date this year so far. Scott Piercy (USA) also earned 500 FedEx Cup points and moves to 13th position on the current FedEx Cup Points list with 1,234 points earned from the 21 events he has played to date this year so far. He is 898 points behind the current leader who is Tiger Woods (USA) who has earned 2,132 points from the 13 events he has played to date this year so far.

Scott Piercy (USA) in action during the final round

Scott Piercy (USA) got off to a brilliant start in his final round with recording four consecutive birdies from holes 2-5 and that included birding the Par 4, 2nd hole, Par 4, 3rd hole, Par 5, 4th hole and Par 4, 5th hole. At that point he was -18 for the tournament and had a 1 stroke lead over Will McGirt (USA) and 2 stroke lead over Robert Garrigus (USA). He made his lone bogey on the front nine at the Par 3, 8th hole. So he went out in 32-2 and was -17 for the tournament and now 1 stroke behind, Will McGirt (USA) who too had returned a front nine of 32-2. Robert Garrigus (USA) who was the 54 hole leader, had scored an even par front nine of 35 and he did it by recording 9 consecutive pars. Scott Piercy (USA) pared holes 10-13 and was still -17 with 5 holes to play 1 stroke behind Will McGirt (USA). Robert Garrigus (USA) as well pared holes 10-13 and he was at -16 with 5 holes to play 2 strokes behind Will McGirt (USA). Will McGirt (USA) pared holes 10 -13 as well and was still at -18 and had a 1 stroke lead over Scott Piercy (USA). Scott Piercy (USA) made an untimely bogey at the Par 4, 14th hole. But he came right back with a birdie on the Par 4, 15th hole where he holed his chip shot from off the fringe. He made 3 solid pars on the last 3 holes and returned a back nine of 35 even par and a final round of 67-3 and posted 263-17 for the 72 holes and was the leader in the Club House.

Robert Garrigus (USA) finally holed a putt on the Par 4, 14th hole for his lone birdie of his final round and at the time it got him to -17 and he was only 1 stroke behind Will McGirt (USA) who was still -18. Robert Garrigus (USA) 3 putted the Par 3, 16th hole for a bogey to fall back to -16, and then he was unable to birdie the short Par 5, 17th hole because of his errant tee shot. He struck a good second shot into the Par 4, 18th hole and had a 15 foot birdie putt to get to -17 and force a playoff with Scott Piercy (USA) but he left it inches short and had to settle for par. He scored a final round of 70 even par in which he had 33 putts! And he finished on 264-16 for the tournament to come up one shot shy. Will McGirt (USA) made a bogey at the Par 4, 15th hole to fall back to -17 with 3 holes to play and was now tied with Scott Piercy (USA) who was already in the Club house and also his playing partner Robert Garrigus (USA). He pared the short par 3, 16th hole and just came up short for birdie on the Par 5, 17th hole. So he came to the 72nd hole at -17 and was still tied for the lead with Scott Piercy (USA) and his playing partner Robert Garrigus (USA). Will McGirt (USA) he a poor second shot to the Par 4, 18th hole and left his ball in the right green side bunker leaving himself a difficult up and down for par to force a playoff. He hit an average bunker shot out to 15 feet short of the cup. He now had a par putt to force a playoff with Scott Piercy (USA). He struck what he said afterwards was his worse putt of the week and it came up 3feet short. And he two had to settle for a share of second position at 264-16 just one shot back.

So Scott Piercy (USA) could now enjoy his second win on the USPGA Tour. And he would now have to change his plans and not go and defend his Reno – Tahoe Open Title but instead play in the World Golf Championship - Bridgestone Invitational for the very first time in his career. He also gets a start in the PGA Championship in two weeks time and the 2013 Hyundai Tournament of Champions as well as the 2013 Masters Tournament and he is exempt on the USPGA Tour till the end of the 2014 season. He has made $US 1, 248, 000.00 in his last 2 starts on the USPGA Tour with his win here and solo third placing at the John Deere Classic. He credits a lot of his success over the last two USPGA Tour starts to taking the advice of CBS Sports golf analyst, Peter Kostis (USA) who told him to work and find the right wedge so he could get his Wedge shots closer to the hole more often. He took Peter’s advice and now is striking his wedge shots much better and has smaller putts for birdies than he had before.

Scott Piercy (USA) poses with the RBC Canadian Open Trophy he won

Scott Piercy (USA) first played on the USPGA Tour in 2009 after qualifying for it by finishing in 9th position on the then Nationwide Tour  Final Money list in 2008 with earning $US 320,187 from the 19 events he entered. He had a good rookie season in 2009 on the USPGA Tour earning $US 1,032,716 from the 28 events he played and finished in 90th position on the final Money list. In 2010 on the USPGA Tour he struggled slight only earning $US 676,432 from the 28 events he played and finished in 136th position meaning he was only partially exempt for the 2011 season. And I have already told you his results so far this season which will be the best of his career to date when it is finished. And to think that his last 12 consecutive rounds on the USPGA Tour have been is the 60’s proves he is in some of the best form of his life. I wish Scott Piercy (USA) all the best in the rest of the events on the USPGA Tour in 2012.

Coming tied for 2nd position at 264-16 after 72 holes was Robert Garrigus (USA), he will be disappointed with his final round of 70 even par. And it was the third time in the 2012 USPGA Tour season that he has finished in 2nd position. But he is having a real good season with $US 2,079,256 earned from the 19 events he has played to date so far this year. He must be due for a second victory on the USPGA Tour very soon? Perhaps it will happen before the 2012 season is finished? Also tied for second position was William McGirt (USA), it was his best ever finish on the USPGA Tour to date so far. He has now earned $US 986,045 on the USPGA Tour in the 2012 season so far and has guaranteed his full playing status for the 2013 USPGA Tour season. Coming in tied for 4th position on 266-14 after 72 holes was Josh Teater (USA), and it was his best finish on the USPGA Tour to date this year. He has now earned $US 570,715 from the 23 events he has played in to date this year so far and is well on his way to keeping his card for next season. Also tied for 4th position was USPGA Tour Rookie, Bud Cauley (USA), he is only 22 years old and has now won $US 1,170,946 from the 21 events he has played to date this year so far and easily keeps his card for the 2013 season. The last player to tie for 4th position was Chris Kirk (USA), and it was his best finish to date on the USPGA Tour this season. He has now also secured his card for the 2013 USPGA Tour season but he was already exempt until the end of the 2013 USPGA Tour season because he won the 2011 Viking Classic.

Coming in tied for 7th position at 268-12 after 72 holes was Vijay Singh (Fiji), it was his best finish on the USPGA Tour in 2012 so far and he has now earned $US 989,683 from the 20 events he has played to date this year. He is now 49 years old, and when he turns 50 on the 22nd February next year he will be a real force to be reckoned with on the Champions Tour.  Also tied for 7th position was Bo Van Pelt (USA), it just continues on his fine season to date with already recording 7 top 10 finishes and earning $US 2,290,188 from the 18 events he has played to date this year so far. The last player to tie for 7th position was last week’s winner at the True South Classic, Scott Stallings (USA), and it was his second consecutive top 10 finish of the 2012 USPGA Tour Season. Rounding out the top 10 in tied for 10th position on 270-10 after 72 holes was Gary Christian (England), and it was his first top 10 on the USPGA Tour in his rookie season, he has now earned $US 526,122 from the 21 events he has played to date this year and he is well on his way to securing his card for 2013 season. Also tied for 10th position was Troy Matteson (USA) who had another top 10 finish and carried on the good form from the John Deere Classic two weeks ago where he lost to Zach Johnson (USA) in a playoff. He has now won $862,166 from the 24 events he has played to date so far this year and will easily keep his playing status for the 2013 USPGA Tour season. The next player to tie for 10th position was the 2009 RBC Canadian Open Champion, Nathan Green (Australia), since that win which was his maiden win on the USPGA Tour he has really struggled on the USPGA Tour in past few years and he has a real battle ahead to keep his card for the 2013 season with only earning $US 317,952 from the 16 events he has played to date this year so far. The next player to tie for 10th position was Kevin Kisner (USA); it was his best finish on the USPGA Tour so far this year and also the best finish in his short USPGA Tour Career. The last player to tie for 10th position was Two Time U.S. Open Champion, Retief Goosen (RSA), he has really struggled on the USPGA Tour the last few seasons and his last win came at the 2009 Transitions Championship.

Ernie Els (RSA) had a disappointing week after winning the 141st Open Championship the week previous. He was only playing here because he is sponsored by RBC and they sponsor the Canadian Open and he felt he a commitment to play. He scored rounds of 72+2 and 70 even par for a 36 hole total of 142+2 and he missed the 36 hole halfway cut by 3 strokes. But he will be back winning again soon, he is a too good a player not to.

Danny Lee (NZL) was the only New Zealand Golfer in the field. He scored consecutive rounds of 70 even par for a 36 hole total of 140 even par and missed the 36 hole cut by 1 stroke. He has now missed his last 2 cuts and only made 10 cuts to date so far this year in the 20 events he has played so far. With not making a cheque this week he slips to 166th position on the current USPGA Tour Money list with $US 257,252 earned from the 20 events he has played in to date this year so far. Tiger Woods (USA) still leads that list with $US 4,685,123 earned from the 13 events he has played to date this season so far. Danny Lee (NZL) has also earned 219 points in the FedEx Cup from the 20 events he has played to date this year so far and that places him in 156th position on the current list. He is 1,913 points behind the current leader who is Tiger Woods (USA) who has earned 2,132 points from the 13 events he has played to date this year so far. Danny Lee (NZL) now only has two regular FedEx Cup events that he is likely to get starts in before the FedEx Cup Playoffs begin at the Barclays on 23rd August. I feel two top 10 finishes at the minimum are essential to secure his place inside top 125 players on the final regular season FedEx Cup points list. Personally I don’t think he will make it but I hope he proves me wrong. And if he does miss the FedEx Cup playoffs like I predict he will then he will have only 6 events on the USPGA Tour in 2012 left to make about $US 670, 000 that will be needed to keep his full playing Status for the 2013 USPGA Tour season. A more achievable goal would be to earn $US 415, 000 and that would give him partially exempt status for the 2013 season. I wish him all the best for the remaining events on the USPGA Tour in 2012.  

Next week there are two tournaments on the USPGA Tour and both are part of the FedEx Cup regular season. The first tournament is the third World Golf Championship of the year and is the WGC – Bridgestone Invitational. It is co – sanctioned with the European Tour and many of the other Major Golf Tours from around the world. It has a huge prize purse of $US 8,500,000 for the taking. Adam Scott (Australia) is the defending Champion and will be keen to defend his title after his meltdown at the recently played Open Championship. It starts on Thursday 2nd August. I will report back who won the trophy next week. The second event is for the players that haven’t qualified for the WGC – Bridgestone Invitational and is Reno – Tahoe Open and it is being played on the Montreux G&CC, Reno, Nevada. It has a smaller prize purse of $US 3,000,000 up for grabs and will give the lesser players on the USPGA Tour a chance to shine. Scott Piercy (USA) is the defending Champion but because he won the RBC Canadian Open as I mentioned above he will be playing the WGC – Bridgestone Invitational so there will be a new Champion. It starts on Thursday 2nd August and I will report back who won the trophy next week.

The final event I am reporting on this week was on the Champions Tour and was part of the Charles Schwab Cup and was The Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex and was played on the Turnberry (Ailsa Course), Turnberry, Scotland. And it was the American Professional by the name of Fred Couples (USA) who scored rounds of 72+2, 68-2, 64-6 and a final round of 67-3 for a 72 hole total of 271-9 and he won by 2 strokes for his maiden Senior Open Championship win. He won € 256,058.68 for the win but because he isn’t a member of the European Seniors Tour he doesn’t have a ranking on their Order of Merit. He also won $US 315,600.00 on the Champions Tour Money list and he moved to 4th position on the Champions Tour Money list with $US 1,071,067 earned from the 9 events he has played to date this year so far. He is also in 4th position on the Charles Schwab Cup Points list with 1,530 points earned from the 9 events he has played to date this year so far. He is 414 points behind the current leader who is Tom Lehman (USA) who has earned 1,944 points from the 13 events he has played to date this year so far.

Fred Couples (USA) celebrates after winning the Senior Open Championship

It was his first European Senior Tour victory in his third European Senior Tour appearance. This victory beats his previous best finish on the European Senior Tour of second in the 2010 US Senior PGA Championship. Fred Couples (USA) wins The Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex on his debut in the event. He follows Neil Coles (England) (1987), Bobby Verwey (RSA) (1991), Tom Wargo (USA) (1994), Brian Barnes (Scotland) (1995), Chirsty O’Connor Jnr (Ireland) (1999), as players to win The Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex on their first appearance. He claims his second Senior Major Championship, following the 2011 Senior Players Championship. He follows Tom Wargo (USA) (1994), Tom Watson (USA) (2003, 2005 and 2007), Pete Oakley (USA) (2004), Loren Roberts (USA) (2006 and 2009), Bruce Vaughan (USA) (2008) and Russ Cochran (USA) (2011), as American winners of The Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex. He gains a place in The 142nd Open Championship in 2013. He seals his eighth victory since turning 50 in October 2009. He claims his second victory of 2012, following the Mississippi Gulf Coast Classic. And finally he earns his 55th victory as a professional.

Fred Couples (USA) played a steady final round of 67-3 which included a front nine of 35 even par with birdies on the Par 4, 2nd hole and Par 5, 7th hole but he had poor bogeys on the Par 4, 3rd hole and Par 4, 8th hole. He scored a brilliant 32-3 on the back nine which included birdies on the Par 3, 11th hole, Par 4, 12th hole, Par 5, 17th hole and Par 4, 18th hole and his lone bogey came at the Par 4, 13th hole. He came to the 72nd hole with a 1 stroke lead over fellow country man, Gary Hallberg (USA) and made a fine birdie on the difficult Par 4 to win by 2strokes. Fred Couples (USA) will be very pleased to with winning the Senior Open Championship as he went so close to winning the Open Championship on many occasions but couldn’t manage to get it done. He has now won 8 times on the Champions Tour and here they are from the first one to the most recent one: 2010 The ACE Group Classic, Toshiba Classic, The Cap Cana Championship, Administaff Small Business Classic, 2011 Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship, AT&T Championship, 2012 Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic, The Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex. I wish Fred Couples (USA) all the best in the rest of the events on the Champions Tour and USPGA Tour in 2012.

Fred Couples (USA) poses with the Senior Open Championship Trophy he won

Coming solo second position on 273-7 after 72 holes was Gary Hallberg (USA), and this finish was his best on the Champions Tour so far this season. Coming it tied for 3rd position at 276-4 after 72 holes were Carl Mason (England), Dick Mast (USA) and Barry Lane (England). Coming in tied for 6th position at 278-2 after 72 holes were Mark Wiebe (USA), John Cook (USA), Peter Fowler (Australia) who was the best placed Australian in the field and the Legendary, Bernhard Langer (Germany). And rounding out the top 10 in tied for 10th position were 1989 Open Champion, Mark Calcavecchia (USA), 1996 Open Champion, Tom Lehman (USA), five time Open Champion, Tom Watson (USA), Jay Don Blake (USA) and the 1991 Masters Tournament Winner, Ian Woosnam (Wales).  

Next week the Champions Tour and Charles Schwab Cup head back to America for the 3M Championship and it is being played at the TPC Twin Cities, Blaine, Minnesota. It has a large prize purse of $US 1,750,000 for the taking. Jay Haas (USA) is the defending Champion and will be keen for back to back titles. It starts on Thursday 2nd August 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 4th spell of his career and the 55th week of his career is Luke Donald (England) with 9.84 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Two is Tiger Woods (USA) with 8.37 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Three is Rory McILroy (NIR) with 8.27 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Four is Lee Westwood (England) with 7.77 Official Golf World Ranking Points and rounding out the top 5 on the Official Golf World Ranking Points list is the 112th US Open Champion, Webb Simpson (USA) with 6.39 Official Golf World Ranking Points. Danny Lee (NZL) is still the highest ranked New Zealand Golfer in the World. This week he slips 8 places to be at 201st position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list with 0.92 Official World Golf Rankings Points on the list.

Remember the most important thing to do when hitting the golf ball is to make Solid Contact!!

Source: pgatour.com, europeantour.com