Golf Events from the Weekend 8th June 2014

Well it was another exciting weekend on the Major Professional Golf Tours from around the world and this week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup headed to Memphis for the FedEx St.Jude Classic and it was played on the TPC Southwind, Memphis, Tennessee. And it was the golfer by the name of Ben Crane (USA) who scored rounds of 63-7, 65-5, 69-1 and a poor final round of 73+3 in very tough conditions for a 72 hole total of 270-10 to win by a single stroke. It was his fifth win of his USPGA Tour career to date so far and he won US $1,044,000 for win and moved to 42nd position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,354,974 earned from the 17 events he has played to date this season so far. Bubba Watson (USA) still leads that list with US $4,978,679 earned from the eleven events he has played to date this season so far. Ben Crane (USA) also got 500 FedEx Cup points for the win and moved to 41st position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points standings list with 710 points earned from the 17 events he has played to date this season so far and he is 1,529 points behind the current leader of that list who is Jimmy Walker (USA) who has earned 2,239 points from the 18 events he has played to date this season so far. From the 17 events Ben Crane (USA) has played to date this season so far he has made eleven cuts and achieved two top ten finishes that includes the win here. 

 

Ben Crane (USA) tees off during the final round

Ben Crane (USA) played a poor final round in very tough conditions. He scored 73+3 which included a front nine of 37+2 with bogeys on the par four, sixth hole and par four, ninth hole and he made the turn at minus eleven and was leading by one shot. Troy Merritt (USA) went out in 35 even par and made the turn at minus ten and was one shot behind the leader. Ben Crane (USA) played holes ten to 14 in even par and remained at minus eleven and still was leading by one shot. Troy Merritt (USA) played holes ten to 14 in even par and remained at minus ten and was still one shot behind the leader. 

Ben Crane (USA) played holes 15 to 17 in even par and remained at minus eleven but now lead by two shots with only the par four, 72nd hole to play. Troy Merritt (USA) played holes 15 to 17 in one over par and fell back to minus nine and now was two shots behind the leader with just the par four, 72nd hole to play. Troy Merritt (USA) who was playing in the group ahead of the final group made a solid par on the par four, 72nd hole and finished the 72 holes at minus nine and was one shot behind the winner. Ben Crane (USA) now stood on the par four, 72nd tee with a two shot lead. Because there is a water hazard right down the left hand side of the hole he chose his three wood off the tee and purposely hit it out to the right side but he lost it right a little too much. It landed in the rough just to the right of the right hand fairway bunker. He knew that bogey was enough to win but he chose to go for the green with his fairway wood which was a surprise to the CBS Sports Golf Analyst, Ian Baker – Finch (Australia) who suggested “he hit a layup with his eight iron and leave a short wedge shot to the green from the fairway”.  But Ben Crane (USA) hit hits fairway wood to the right of the green which was the smart play and it landed in the right hand green side bunker. He was now faced with a scary green side bunker shot that he was hitting to a flag stick that was cut on the back left hand side of the green and if he caught it slightly thin he would be in the same water hazard that he avoided with his tee shot. He struck a fine bunker shot under the circumstances and it came up short of the cup by 15 feet. He now knew that if he could two putt he would win the title. He struck a good first putt that rolled down at perfect speed and finished two feet past the cup. He then tapped the two foot putt in for his bogey and he finished on minus ten to win by a single shot. He got a huge high five and hug from his long time caddie, Joel Stock. He scored 36+1 on his back nine. He will be very happy with his first two rounds that were in the mid to low sixties and content with his third round 69-1 but a little disappointed with his final round 73+3 but at the same time pleased he was able to win when he wasn’t at his best and all the good work he did in the first 54 holes had paved the way for this win. 

 

Ben Crane (USA) embraces his caddie Joel Stock after holing the winning putt!!

Ben Crane (USA) has been playing the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2002 season after gaining his card at the 2001 Final Qualifying Tournament. He won for the first time on the USPGA Tour at the 2003 BellSouth Classic the following year. His second win came in 2005 U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee, and in February 2006, just before he turned thirty, he was the highest-ranked American golfer under that age in the Official World Golf Ranking. Ben Crane (USA) has said that he does not like to know with whom he will be paired with, saying, "I looked up to a lot of these guys who I'm now playing with. So, I didn't want to have to go to sleep thinking about it." He is also considered one of the slowest players on the tour. On at least two occasions his extremely slow progress through a course has become a media issue, including one in which a fellow tour player Rory Sabbatini (RSA) played out of turn.  
 

Ben Crane (USA) poses with the FedEx St. Jude Classic Trophy he won!!

Ben Crane (USA) missed the majority of the 2007 season due to back problems, and played on the USPGA Tour in 2008 on a major medical extension. He finished 64th on the money list to retain his card for 2009. In January 2010, Ben Crane (USA) carded a final-round 70 to win the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines by a single stroke. In October 2010, he won the CIMB Asia Pacific Classic Malaysia, an event co-sanctioned by the USPGA Tour (but unofficial money) and Asian Tour. He picked up his fourth win on the USPGA Tour in 2011 at the McGladrey Classic, defeating Webb Simpson (USA) in a playoff. Ben Crane (USA) shot a final round 63 to make the playoff, having at one stage been eight strokes back of the leader. The round included eight birdies and one bogey in ten holes from the 8th thru to the 17th. It was great to see him achieve his fifth USPGA Tour win this week. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 season.

Coming in solo second position at 271-9 after 72 holes was Troy Merritt (USA); he earned US $626,400 for his efforts and moved to 100th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $675,478 earned from the 13 events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 300 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 111th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 363 points earned from the 13 events he has played to date this season so far. From the 13 events he has played to date this season so far he has made four cuts and achieved one top ten finish that came this very week. He will be happy with his first three rounds that were in the mid to high 60s but disappointed with his final round 71+1. He has been playing the USPGA Tour Fulltime since the 2010 season after gaining his card at the 2009 USPGA Tour Qualifying School Tournament where he was the Medallist and became only the third golfer in the history of the event to lead after every round. Despite a double-bogey on the final (108th) hole of the six round tournament he won by one stroke over veteran Jeff Maggert (USA) with a score of 22-under-par. In 2010, Troy Merritt (USA) finished 125th on the USPGA Tour Money list, earning the final spot to retain a tour card. He managed to keep his card in 2011, 2012 and 2013 seasons as well. This result should give him confidence to keep on improving because he had a terrible start to the 2013/14 season where he missed his first six cuts. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 USPGA Tour season.

Coming in tied for third position at 272-8 after 72 holes was Webb Simpson (USA); he earned US $301,600 for his efforts and moved to 12th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $2,420,356 earned from the 14 events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 145 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 15th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 1,146 points earned from the 14 events he has played to date this season so far. From the 14 events he has played to date this season so far he has made eleven cuts and achieved six top ten finishes which includes the one here and also the win at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in late October last year. He will be happy with his final three rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially his second and final rounds that were 66-4. But will be disappointed with his slow start in the first round which he scored 71+1. Webb Simpson (USA) has been playing the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2009 season after gaining his card at the 2008 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament where he finished in tied for seventh position. He had a fine rookie season in 2009 on the USPGA Tour where he earned just over US one million dollars and easily keep his card for the 2010 season. In his second full season on the USPGA Tour in 2010 he earned just under US one million dollars and easily kept his card for the 2011 season. In his third full season on the USPGA Tour in 2011 he had a Awesome season with earning just over US 6.3 Million Dollars and finished second on the final 2011 USPGA Tour Money list with US $6,347,353 earned from the 26 events he played in. He also won two USPGA Tour events with his maiden win coming at the Wyndham Championship and his second one coming at the Deutsche Bank Championship which was the second FedEx Cup playoff event. In his fourth season on the USPGA Tour in 2012 he had another awesome season with earning just over US 3.4 million dollars and he won his third event on the USPGA Tour which was his Maiden Major Championship at the 112th US Open Championship and he won his fourth event at the 2013 Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in October last year. I’m sure his fifth win isn’t too far off either and maybe it will happen at the second Major Championship of the 2014 season which is the U.S. Open Championship next week? He had a very good start to his 2013/14 USPGA Tour Season with achieving five top ten finishes in his first seven starts which included a win, but in his next six starts he didn’t achieve a single top ten finish and missed three cuts so this finish this week should give him some real confidence heading into the second Major Championship of the year next week. I wish him all the best with the tournaments he plays in the coming weeks. 

Also tied for third position was Matt Every (USA); he too he earned US $301,600 for his efforts and moved to 13th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $2,404,426 earned from the 18 events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 145 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to eleven position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 1,196 points earned from the 18 events he has played to date this season so far. From the 18 events he has played to date this season so far he has made 12 cuts and achieved six top ten finishes which includes the one here and also his win at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard in March this year. He will be happy with his first three rounds that were in the high to mid 60s especially his third round 65-5 which was the equal low round of the day. But he will be slightly disappointed with his final round 70 even par. Matt Every (USA) has been playing the USPGA Tour on and off since the 2010 season and in the 2012 season he had his best season so far with earning US $1,972,166 from the 25 events he played in and that included making 15 cuts and achieving six top ten finishes. He finished up in 40th position on the final 2012 USPGA Tour Money list standings. Now he has won his maiden USPGA Tour title I feel his second win isn’t too far off and could well happen in the 2013/14 season as well? It is great to see he has put the drugs issue in 2010 behind him and now. This finish should give him some real confidence heading into the second Major Championship of the year next week at the U.S. Open Championship because prior to this event he had missed his last four cuts. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 season. 

The final player to tie for third position was Carl Pettersson (Sweden); he too he earned US $301,600 for his efforts and moved to 80th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $818,068 earned from twenty events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 145 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 80th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points standings list with 473 points earned from the twenty events he has played to date this season so far. From the twenty events he has played to date this season so far he has made eleven cuts and achieved two top ten finishes which includes the one here. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all in the mid to high 60s. He has been playing on the USPGA Tour since the 2003 season and in 2005 he won his maiden USPGA Tour event at the Chrysler Championship where he became the third Swede to win on the USPGA Tour after Jesper Parnevik (Sweden) and Gabriel Hjertstedt (Sweden). He won his second event at the 2006 Memorial Tournament. He won his third event at the Wyndham Championship in his adopted hometown of Greensboro in 2008. He won his fourth event at the 2010 RBC Canadian Open. And his fifth win came at the 2012 RBC Heritage in April 2012. He entered the final round with a one stroke lead after rounds of 65 and 66 on days two and three and cruised to a five stroke victory, holding off Zach Johnson (USA). The win tied Carl Pettersson (Sweden) with Jesper Parnevik (Sweden) for most wins on the USPGA Tour by a Swedish player. He re-entered the top 50 in the Official World Golf Rankings. He also achieved his career high finish in a Major Championship at the 2012 PGA Championship where he tied for third position. I sure his sixth win isn’t that far off either? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 USPGA Tour season. 

Rounding out the top ten in tied for sixth position at 273-7 after 72 holes was Ian Poulter (England); he earned US $181,540 for his efforts and moved to 43rd position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,351,184 earned from the eleven events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 86 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 62nd position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 575 points earned from the eleven events he has played to date this season so far. From the eleven events he has played to date this season so far he has made nine cuts and achieved two top ten finishes which includes the one here. He will be happy with his first, second and final rounds that were all in the 60s and especially his final round which was the low round of the day a 64-6. But he will be disappointed with his third round which was 72+2 and it ruined any chance he had of winning the tournament. He has been playing the USPGA Tour Fulltime since the 2005 season and has easily kept his card from the next year every season since. He has current career earnings of US $15,695,282 earned from the 175 events he has played in his USPGA Tour career to date so far. He has also won two USPGA Tour events in his career so far and they were the 2010 World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship and the 2012 World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions. I feel he is going to win his maiden Major Championship very soon, and maybe it will happen at the 2014 U.S. Open Championship next week? I wish him all the best with the remaining events he plays in the 2013/14 season. 

Also tied for sixth position was James Hahn (USA); he too earned US $181,540 for his efforts and moved to 97th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $684,551 earned from the twenty events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 86 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 92nd position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 420 points earned from the twenty events he has played to date this season so far. From the twenty events he has played to date this season so far he has made ten cuts and achieved two top ten finishes which includes the one here. He will be happy with his first, third and final rounds which were all in the 60s but just content with his second round that was 70 even par. He has been playing on the USPGA Tour fulltime for the last two seasons after gaining his card at the 2012 final USPGA Tour Qualifying School and before gaining his card in 2012 he played a full season on the Web.com Tour where he won the Rex Hospital Open. Let’s hope he can have some more top ten finishes in the weeks ahead? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 USPGA Tour season. 

Also tied for sixth position was Andrew Svoboda (USA); he too earned US $181,540 for his efforts and moved to 62nd position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,049,779 earned from the 16 events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 86 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 66th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 553 points earned from the 16 events he has played to date this season so far. From the 16 events he has played to date this season so far he has made eight cuts and achieved two top ten finishes which includes the one here. He will be happy with his first three rounds that were in the 60s but only content with his final round that was 70 even par. He first played on the USPGA Tour in the 2013 season by earning his card by finishing in twenty first position on the 2012 final Web.com Tour money list. His rookie season on the USPGA Tour in 2013 wasn’t that good and he ended up going back to the Web.com tour where he won the 2013 Price Cutter Charity Championship on the Web.com Tour in August. He finished in 25th position on the final 2013 Web.com Tour regular season money list to earn his 2014 PGA Tour card. He then won the second event of the Web.com Tour Finals which was the Chiquita Classic. Andrew Svoboda (USA) has qualified for the U.S. Open four times with a best finish of tied for 71st in 2008. His best career finish on the USPGA Tour also came this week. I hope this finish can give him confidence to have more top ten finishes in the weeks ahead and perhaps win his maiden USPGA Tour event? I wish him all the best for the rest for the 2013/14 season. 

Also tied for sixth position was Brian Harman (USA) ; he too earned US $181,540 for his efforts and moved to 44th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,340,934 earned from the twenty one events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 86 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 39th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 744 points earned from the twenty one events he has played to date this season so far. From the twenty one events he has played to date this season so far he has made 15 cuts and achieved five top ten finishes that includes the one here. He will be very happy with his first three rounds that were all in the 60s especially his second round which was 65-5. But he will be disappointed with his final round of 72+2. He has been playing the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2012 season in which he earned US $1,146,448 from the 30 events he played in and he finished in 87th position on the final 2012 USPGA Tour Money list standings which meant he easily kept his card for the 2013 USPGA Tour season. In 2013 on the USPGA Tour he earned US $909,759 from the twenty nine events he played in and he finished in 92nd position on the final 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings meaning he easily kept his full USPGA Tour card for the 2013/14 season. I am sure his maiden USPGA Tour win isn’t too far away? I wish him all the best for the events he plays in the weeks to come.

The final player to tie for sixth position was Billy Horschel (USA); he too earned US $181,540 for his efforts and moved to 59th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,097,253 earned from the 18 events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 86 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 60th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 584 points earned from the 18 events he has played to date this season so far. From the 18 events he has played to date this season so far he has made 13 cuts and achieved two top ten finishes that includes the one here. He will be happy with his first three rounds that were in the mid 60s but just content with his final round of 70 even par. Billy Horschel (USA) first gained his USPGA Tour card in 2010 by finishing in solo seventh position at the 2009 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament. In his rookie season on the USPGA Tour in 2010 he only managed to play in four events and missed every cut because of a tendon injury to his left wrist that required surgery. The wrist started bothering him in late 2009. He was granted a major Medical Extension for 2011 USPGA Tour season, with 19 events to equal the Number 125 from the 2010 PGA TOUR money list ($786,977) he improved his status with a Tied 27th finish at the 2010 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament. In the 2011 USPGA Tour season he only made US $533,024 from the 25 events he played in and finished in 140th position on the final 2011 USPGA Tour Money list giving him some status on the USPGA Tour for the 2012 season. He went back to the 2011 PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament but finished in tied 103rd position and got his Web.com Tour Card and that meant he had two tours to play on in the 2012 season. In the 2012 USPGA Tour season he played in 17 events and made 15 cuts and achieved one top ten finish. He earned US $486,177 from those 17 events he played in and finished up in 147th position on the final 2012 USPGA Tour Money list standings meaning he again had some status on the USPGA Tour for the 2013 season. He chose to go back to the 2012 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament to improve his status and he did better than that by finishing tied for fourth position and gained his full USPGA Tour card for the 2013 USPGA Tour season. He had his career best season to date in 2013 with earning US $3,501,703 from the twenty six events he played in and that included winning his maiden USPGA Tour event at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in late April. And I guess as they say the rest is history. I sure his second win can’t be too far off? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 season. 

Danny Lee (NZL) was one of two New Zealand Golfers in the field and he scored rounds of 72+2 in the first round. Then he scored a very good second round of 67-3, and a very good third round as well of 67-3 and a poor final round of 73+3 for a 72 hole total of 279-1 and he tied for 32nd position. He earned US $28,841.82 for his efforts and moved to 113th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $587,199 earned from the 19 events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 34 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 98th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup points list standings with 394 points earned from the 19 events he has played to date this season so far. From the 19 events he has played to date this season so far he has made eight cuts and achieved one top ten finish that came just on three months ago at the Puerto Rico Open presented by seepuertorico.com where he finished in solo second position in early March. This week he played an average first round of 72+2 but came back with a very good second round and third rounds of 67-3 but scored a poor final round of 73+3. Let’s hope he can achieve some more top ten finishes in the events he plays in the coming weeks? I wish all the best in his next few tournaments he plays in for the 2013/14 USPGA Tour season. 

Tim Wilkinson (NZL) was the other New Zealand Golfer in the field and he scored rounds of 68-2 in the first round which was very good, then another very good round second round of 68-2, then good third round of 70 even par and a very disappointing final round of 73+3 which included a terrible back nine of 39+4 for a 72 hole total of 279-1 and he finished in tied for 32nd position. He earned US $28,841.82 for his efforts and moved to 115th  position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $566,395 earned from the 18 events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 34 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 118th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup points list standings with 330 points earned from the 18 events he has played to date this season so far. From the 18 events he has played to date this season so far he has made 12 cuts and achieved two top ten finishes which came at the OHL Classic at Mayakoba in mid November last year and at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in early February this year. He will be happy with his first and second rounds this week that were in the late 60s but disappointed with his third and final rounds that were in the low to mid 70s. His final round really cost him a lot of money again because had he scored around in the late 60s he would have won about 20 times more money than he got but I guess that is why your pay cheque is for the whole 72 holes. Let’s hope he can have some top ten finishes in the weeks to come? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 season. 

Next week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup and all the other Major Professional Golf Tours from around the world head to the state of North Carolina for the second Major Championship of the year which is the 114th U.S. Open Championship. It is played on the Pinehurst No. 2, Pinehurst, North Carolina. When it was last played on this course in 2005 Michael Campbell (NZL) won it!! But due to injury and a lack of form he has decided to not play this year. But all the leading names in the Golf will be there with the likes of Adam Scott (Australia), Henrik Stenson (Sweden), Bubba Watson (USA), Jordan Spieth (USA) and Rory McILroy (NIR) to name a few. There is a huge prize purse of US $8,000,000 for the taking. Justin Rose (England) is the defending Champion and will be very keen to defending his title. Steven Alker (NZL) is the lone New Zealander in the tournament having got through a pre qualifier event and is in hot form right now having just won his fourth Web.com Tour event this past week. It starts on Thursday 12th June 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 fourth week of his career and also becomes the 17th player to achieve the Number One Official Golf Ranking is Adam Scott (Australia) who is fresh off his tied for fourth finish one week ago at the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance and also winning the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial two weeks ago with 9.06 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Two is Henrik Stenson (Sweden) who won the Tour Championship by Coca – Cola and also the 2013 FedEx Cup over eight months ago and won DP World Tour Championship, Dubai and the 2013 Race to Dubai Title 29 weeks ago and one week ago finished in solo fifth position at the Nordea Masters with 7.72 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Three is Bubba Watson (USA) who is fresh off his solo third position at the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance one week ago with 7.37 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Four is Tiger Woods (USA) who is fresh off his tied for twenty fifth position at the WGC – Cadillac Championship 13 weeks ago with 7.26 Official Golf World Ranking Points; and rounding out the top 5 on the Official Golf World Ranking Points list this week is Matt Kuchar (USA) who is fresh of his tied for 15th position at the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance one week ago with 6.96 Official Golf World Ranking Points. Michael Hendry (NZL) is in his eighth week of his second spell of being the highest ranked New Zealand Golfer in the world after his tied for twenty first finish at the PGA Championship Nissin Cup noodles Cup 2014 this past week which was the sixth event on Japanese soil for the 2014 Japan Golf Tour season. This week he drops eight places and falls to 231st position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list with 0.77 Official Golf World Ranking Points. 

Remember the most important thing to do in the golf swing is to make solid contact with the ball!!

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

Golf Events from the Weekend 2nd June 2014

Well it was another exciting weekend on the Major Professional Golf Tours from around the world and this week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup headed to Ohio for the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance and it was played on the Muirfield Village GC, Dublin, Ohio on the course that Jack Nicklaus (USA) designed and built in his home State. Jack Nicklaus (USA) is also the founder and host. And it was the Golfer by the name of Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) who scored rounds of 70-2, 67-5, 69-3 and a final round of 69-3 for a 72 hole total of 275-13 but he was tied on that score by Kevin Na (USA) who scored rounds of 72 even par, 69-3, 70-2 and a brilliant blemish free final round of 64-8 which was the low round of the day for a final round of 275-13 to also be on that score. So those two players head back to the 18th tee for the first playoff hole. 

 

Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) in action during the final round

Kevin Na (USA) drew number one from the USPGA Tour Officials hat and teed off first on the par four, 18th hole which was the first playoff hole. Having finished two hours before the final group he was a little cold and it showed with his tee shot when he hit a snap hook and his ball splashed into the water hazard on the left hand side. Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) teed off next and struck his tee shot with too much fade on it and it landed in the fairway bunker on the right hand side. Kevin Na (USA) took a penalty drop and had to drop his ball on the left hand side of the hazard. He still had well over 200 yards left to the green for his third shot and he chose his fairway wood. He struck it okay but it didn’t hook enough and it landed in the rough pin high to the right leaving a difficult up and down for his bogey. Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) played his second shot next from the fairway bunker and he pulled it badly and landed in the left hand rough pin high which left a difficult up and down for his par over the left green side bunker. Kevin Na (USA) played his fourth shot next and chipped and ran it the best he could out of his lie in the rough. It came to rest about seven feet from the hole and now his fate rested in Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) hands. Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) played his third shot next from the left rough and played it very well over the left hand green side bunker with his lob wedge and it nearly hit the flag stick and came to rest about ten feet past the pin. Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) now knew if he holed the ten foot putt for his par he would calm his maiden USPGA Tour event. He calmed his nerve and then rolled the ten foot putt right into the middle of the cup!! He gave his caddie a huge high five and hug to celebrate the win!! He then used an interpreter to chat with CBS Sports on course reporter, Peter Kostis and he told him through the interpreter “He was so happy to win his maiden USPGA tour event here and have the great Jack Nicklaus (USA) who is the greatest player to ever play the game of golf and the tournament host present to congratulate him”. 

 

Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) on the left and his caddie on the right celebrated after he holed the winning putt!!

Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) won US $1,116,000 for the win and moved to 16th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $2,283,868 earned from the 15 events he has played to date this season so far. Bubba Watson (USA) retakes the lead of that list with US $4,978,679 earned from the eleven events he has played to date this season so far. Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) also earned 500 FedEx Cup Points for the win and moved to 14th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 1,125 points earned from the 15 events he has played to date this season so far and he is 1,114 points behind the current leader of that list who is Jimmy Walker (USA) who has earned 2,239 points from the 18 events he has played to date this season so far. From the 15 events he has played to date this season so far he has made eleven cuts and achieved four top ten finishes which includes the win here. 

Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) played a steady final round under the circumstances of being up with the leaders. He scored 69-3 which included a very good front nine of 32-4 with birdies on the par four, first hole, par four, second hole, par three, fourth hole, par five, seventh hole and par three, eighth hole and his lone bogey came at the par four, third hole. He played an average back nine of 37+1 which included birdies on the par four, 13th hole, par five, 15th hole and par four, 18th hole that got him into the playoff but he made a poor bogeys on the par four, 14th and par four, 17th holes and a double bogey on the par three, 16th hole. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all under par and really pleased he was able to achieve his maiden win and the experience he gained in the 2013 Presidents Cup for the International Team was really valuable in this win I believe because that event was played on this same course. It was also good to see him bounce back so quickly after his poor final round at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial last week when he was in contention to win after three rounds. 

 

Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) on the left and Jack Nicklaus (USA) who is the Tournament Founder and Host on the right poses with the Memorial Trophy he won!!

This is Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) first season at playing the USPGA Tour fulltime after playing the Japan Golf Tour for the past few seasons. He was one of the star players for the International Team last year at the Tenth Presidents Cup in Ohio last October. Let’s hope he can continue this fine form throughout the 2013/14 season and perhaps win his second USPGA Tour event? I feel he is destined to be a Golfing Superstar with being so young at only twenty two years of age. I wish him all the best for his next few tournaments he plays in

Coming in solo second position at 275-13 and losing on the first playoff hole as I mentioned above was Kevin Na (USA); he won US $669,600 for his efforts and moved to 12th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $2,404,228 earned from the 17 events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 300 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to tenth position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 1,214 points earned from the 17 events he has played to date this season so far. From the 17 events he has played to date this season so far he has made 12 cuts and achieved five top ten finishes which includes the one here. He will be very happy with his second, third and final rounds which were all under par especially his final round 64-8 that was the low final round by two shots. Kevin Na (USA) has been playing on the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2004 season and has kept his card every season since. He only played in eight events in the 2013 USPGA Tour season because of a back injury (bulging discs) that flared up after the Masters Tournament. He has one win on the USPGA Tour to date in his career so far and that came at the 2011 Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. He will be very happy with his season so far. So far in his career to date he has career earnings of US $15,668,829 earned from the 262 events he has played so far to date in his career. Let’s hope he can continue on this form for the rest of the season and achieve his second win on the USPGA Tour? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 season. 

Coming in solo third position at 276-12 after 72 holes was Bubba Watson (USA); he earned US $421,600 for his efforts and moved to first position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $4,978,679 earned from the eleven events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 190 FedEx Cup points for his efforts and remained in second position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 2,048 points earned from the eleven events he has played to date so far this season. From the eleven events he has played to date this season so far he has made ten cuts and achieved seven top ten finishes which includes the one here and also the win at the Masters Tournament in April and the win at the Northern Trust Open in mid February. He will be very happy with his first three rounds that were all in the 60s especially his first round of 66-6. But will be disappointed with his final round of 72 even par after taking a two shot lead into the final round and he passed up a great chance to win his third tournament this season. Bubba Watson (USA) has been playing on the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2006 season and has easily kept his card for the following year every year since. And he has made at least US One Million Dollars in all of those seasons as well. He has already achieved six wins on the USPGA Tour to date so far and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2010 Travelers Championship, 2011 Farmers Insurance Open, Zurich Classic of New Orleans, 2012 Masters Tournament (Maiden Major Championship), 2014 Northern Trust Open and the 2014 Masters Tournament (Second Major Championship). I feel his seventh win on the USPGA Tour will come in the 2013/14 season as well and perhaps it could be his third Major Championship win? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 season. 

Coming in tied for fourth position at 278-10 after 72 holes was Chris Kirk (USA); he earned US $272,800 for his efforts and moved to eighth position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $2,784,093 earned from the 18 events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 123 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to sixth position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 1,429 points earned from the 18 events he has played to date this season so far. From the 18 events he has played to date this season so far he has made 18 cuts and achieved three top ten finishes which includes the one here and also his win at the McGladrey Classic in November last year. He will be happy with his first and final rounds that were in the mid 60s but disappointed with his second and third rounds that were in the 70s. He is having an amazing season with yet to miss a cut. Chris Kirk (USA) has been playing on the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2011 season. In his three previous seasons on the USPGA Tour he has won at least US $1million and in his rookie season in 2011 he won his maiden USPGA Tour title at the Viking Classic. It was great to see him achieve his second USPGA Tour win back in November last year and now he will get a chance to play in a few of the bigger Tournaments in 2014. Those tournaments will be the 2014 World Golf Championship Events, 2014 US Open Championship in mid June, the Open Championship in mid July and the PGA Championship in August. Let’s hope he can get his third win very soon? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 season. 

The final player to tie for fourth position was Adam Scott (Australia); he too earned US $272,800 for his efforts and moved to tenth position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $2,521,450 earned from the nine events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 123 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 12th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 1,148 points earned from the nine events he has played to date this season so far. From the nine events he has played to date this season so far he has made nine cuts and achieved five top ten finishes which includes the one here and also his win last week at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. He will be happy with his four rounds this week backing up from his win the previous week but at the same time disappointed with his back nine in the final round where he scored 39+3 after going out in 32-4. Adam Scott (Australia) has been playing on the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2003 season and has kept his card for the next season every season since. In that time he has career earnings of US $35,720,515 earned from the 222 events he has played to date so far in his career. He has also won eleven times on the USPGA Tour to date in his career so far and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2003 Deutsche Bank Championship, 2004 THE PLAYERS Championship, Booz Allen Classic, 2005 Nissan Open (The 2005 Nissan Open was shortened to 36 holes due to rain. Adam Scott (Australia) defeated Chad Campbell (USA) on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff. Due to the event's length, this win is not officially recognized), 2006 THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola, 2007 Shell Houston Open, 2008 EDS Byron Nelson Championship, 2010 Valero Texas Open, 2011 World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, 2013 Masters Tournament (Maiden Major Championship), The Barclays and the 2014 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. He had the best record of any player in the four Major Championships in 2013 with winning the Masters Tournament in April; tying for 45th position at the 113th US Open Championship in June; tying for third at the 142nd Open Championship in July and tying for fifth at the 95th PGA Championship in August. He has proved over the last few years that he has one of the solid and most consistent Golf Swings on the USPGA Tour that can stand up to the intense pressures that the USPGA Tour throws at the players week in and week out. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 USPGA Tour season. 

Coming in tied for sixth position at 279-9 after 72 holes was Steve Stricker (USA); he earned US $215,450 for his efforts and moved to 103rd position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $607,401 earned from the six events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 95 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 129th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 278 points earned from the six events he has played to date this season so far. From the six events he has played to date this season so far he has made six cuts and this was his very first top ten finish he has achieved to date this season so far. He will be content with his first three rounds that were all in the low 70s and very happy with his final round of 68-4. He has been playing the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 1994 season and in that time he has achieved 12 wins on the USPGA Tour with his last coming at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in 2012 and he also owned his home town championship the John Deere Classic when he won it three straight years in a row from 2009-2011. He has also performed well in the Major Championships over the years with his best finish being solo second in the 1998 PGA Championship. Now at age 47 he is in the twilight years on the USPGA Tour and has cut back on his playing schedule to spend more time with his family. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 USPGA Tour season. 

The final player to tie for sixth position was Ben Curtis (USA); he too US $215,450 for his efforts and moved to 123rd position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $457,209 earned from the 17 events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 95 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 131st position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 266 points earned from the 17 events he has played to date this season so far. From the 17 events he has played to date this season so far he has made nine cuts and this is his very first top ten finish he has achieved so far this season to date. He will be pleased he played so well in his home town this week. He will be happy with his four rounds this week with his first and third rounds being in the high 60s and his second and final rounds being in the low 70s. This finish will also be pleasing to him because prior to this finish he had missed his last four cuts. He has been playing the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2003 season after gaining his card at the 2002 qualifying school. He had an amazing rookie season on the USPGA Tour with winning the 2003 Open Championship. Ben Curtis (USA) entered the Open Championship at Royal St George’s in 2003 as a 300–1 outsider, defying the odds to win the tournament. After an opening round 72, he shot a second round 72 to pull into a seven-way tie for fourth. A third round 70 put Ben Curtis (USA) in a five-way tie for third, two strokes behind leader Thomas Bjorn (Denmark) and one stroke behind second-place Davis Love III (USA). While Thomas Bjørn (Denmark) shot a final round 72, Curtis fired a 69 to finish at −1, one stroke ahead of Thomas Bjørn (Denmark) and Vijay Singh (Fiji). The 2003 Open Championship was Ben Curtis' (USA) first appearance in a major. He became the first golfer since Francis Ouimet (USA) in the 1913 U.S. Open to win his Major Championship debut, later accomplished by Keegan Bradley (USA) in the 2011 PGA Championship. After his victory, Ben Curtis (USA) jumped from 396th in the Official World Golf Rankings to 35th, the highest jump for any player. This victory and a solid first season on the USPGA Tour led to Ben Curtis (USA) being named the 2003 USPGA Tour Rookie of the Year. He has since won three more events on the USPGA Tour with his last win coming at the 2012 Valero Texas Open. Let’s hope he can have more top ten finishes in the weeks ahead. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 season.

Rounding out the top ten in tied for eighth position at 280-8 after 72 holes was Thorbjorn Olesen (Denmark); he earned US $167,400 for his efforts and moved to 157th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $243,372 earned from the eight events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 75 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 170th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 123 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 this was his very first top ten finish he has achieved to date so far this season. He will be happy with his second and final rounds that were in the mid to high 60s but very disappointed with his first and third rounds that were in the low to mid 70s. He has only joined the USPGA Tour since he played in the 2013 Masters Tournament after an opening round of 78, Thorbjorn Olesen (Denmark) shot rounds of 70, 68, and 68 to finish at four-under-par 284, good enough for a sixth place tie. His final three rounds of 206 combined were ten-under-par, the best in the tournament. He earned enough money to be eligible for Special Temporary Membership on the USPGA Tour, which he accepted. This allows him unlimited sponsor exemptions for the remainder of the 2013 season and he earned enough money to keep his card for the 2013/14 USPGA Tour season. He also plays the European Tour fulltime and achieved his maiden win on that tour in the 2012 season at the Sicilian Open. Let’s hope he can have more top ten finishes in the weeks ahead on the USPGA Tour. 

Also tied for eighth position was Bill Haas (USA); he also earned US $167,400 for his efforts and moved to 39th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,455,768 earned from the 17 events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 75 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 32nd position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 814 FedEx Cup Points earned from the 17 events he has played to date this season so far. From the `17 events he has played to date this season so far he has made 16 cuts and achieved three top ten finishes that includes the one here. He will be happy with his second and final rounds that were in the high 60s but no so happy with his first and third rounds that were in the early 70s. Bill Haas (USA) has been playing on the USPGA Tour Fulltime since the 2006 season after gaining his 2006 USPGA Tour card at the 2005 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament where he finished in tied for 26th position to earn his rookie USPGA TOUR card for 2006 season and to do that he had to make birdie on final hole to earn his card on the number (11-under). Since gaining his full USPGA Tour card in 2006 he has easily kept his card every season for the following season every season since. And in that time he has achieved five wins on the USPGA Tour and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2010 Bob Hope Classic, Viking Classic, 2011 TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola, 2012 Northern Trust Open and the 2013 AT&T Classic. And in 2011 he won the FedEx Cup in a winner-take-all playoff, he pared the third playoff hole (par-3 18th hole) to defeat Hunter Mahan (USA) to win the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola and the FedEx Cup, winning the latter by 15 points over Webb Simpson (USA) and becoming the first player in his 20s to win the season-long competition. He entered the final round three strokes behind Aaron Baddeley (Australia) and Hunter Mahan (USA) but carded a final-round 68-2 to finish regulation tied with Hunter Mahan (USA) at 8-under 272. In the playoff, he appeared to have shot himself out of winning both on the second playoff hole, the Par four, 17th hole at East Lake GC, when his approach to the par 4 landed in the water adjacent to the green. He made a great up and down for par to continue the playoff. As a result of his win, he pocketed the US $1,440,000 first-place cheque and the US $10-million prize for winning the 2011 FedEx Cup. He became just the third player to win the TOUR Championship in his first appearance, joining Chad Campbell (USA) (2003) and Bart Bryant (USA) (2005). He and his father, Jay, are the only father-son combination to tee it up in the TOUR Championship. I feel the next step for him will be to win his maiden Major Championship and I believe it could happen in the 2013/14 season, perhaps at the U.S. Open Championship in two weeks time? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2014 part of the 2013/14 USPGA Tour season.

Also tied eighth position was Luke Guthrie (USA); he also earned US $167,400 for his efforts and moved to 91st position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $688,702 earned from the 18 events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 75 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 85th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with 424 points earned from the 18 events he has played to date this season so far. From the 18 events he has played to date this season so far he has made 13 cuts and achieved two top ten finishes which includes the one here. He will be happy with his final three rounds that were all under par especially his 66-6 in the third round but will be really disappointed with his first round 75+3. Luke Guthrie (USA) is in his second season on the USPGA Tour after gaining his full 2013 USPGA Tour card by finishing in second position on the final 2012 Web.com Tour Money list standings with US $ 410,593 earned from the ten events he played in and that included wins at the 2012 Albertsons Boise Open Presented by Kraft and the WNB Golf Classic. I feel his maiden win on the USPGA Tour could come very soon and wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 season.

Also tied for eighth position was Brendon Todd (USA); he also earned US $167,400 for his efforts and remained in eleventh position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $2,477,223 earned from the 19 events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 75 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and remained in ninth position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points standings list with earned 1,237 points earned from the 19 events he has played to date this year so far. From the 19 events he has played to date this season so far he has made 16 cuts and achieved five top ten finishes which includes the one here and also his maiden win at the HP Byron Nelson Championship last month. He will be happy with his second and third rounds that were in the high 60s but just content with his first and final rounds that were in the low 70s. He is really on excellent form at the moment with achieving top ten finishes in his last three starts and he could be a dark horse for the U. S. Open Championship in two weeks time. Brendon Todd (USA) is having his fourth attempt at playing the USPGA Tour fulltime having played it in 2009 and 2012 after winning the 2011 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament. In 2013 he played the USPGA Tour on a limited schedule and as well played a limited schedule on the Web.com Tour where he earned US $247,948 from the ten events he played in and finished in inside the top 50 Money earners to earn his full 2013/14 USPGA Tour card. I feel now he has achieved his maiden USPGA Tour win it will give him heaps of confidence and he could well win his second USPGA Tour event very soon. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 USPGA Tour season.

The final player to tie for eighth position was Charl Schwartzel (RSA); he also earned US $167,400 for his efforts and moved to 59th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,043,771 earned from the ten events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 75 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 73rd position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with 495 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 eight cuts and achieved three top ten finishes which includes the one here. He will be happy with his second and third rounds that were in the mid to high 60s but just content with his first and final rounds that were in the low 70s. It is great to see him make have a high finish with the second Major Championship of the year which is the U.S. Open Championship in two weeks time and I feel he could well win his second Major Championship in this event? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 season. 

Next week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup heads to Memphis for the FedEx St.Jude Classic and it is played on the TPC Southwind, Memphis, Tennessee. It carries a prize purse of US $5,800,000 for the taking which is slightly less than the bigger tournaments but being the week before the second Major Championship of the year which is the U.S. Open Championship it should attract some leading players from around the world who want to have a warm up. Danny Lee (NZL) and Tim Wilkinson (NZL) will likely get starts as well. Harris English (USA) in the defending Champion and will be keen to defend his title. It starts on Thursday 5th June 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 third week of his career and also becomes the 17th player to achieve the Number One Official Golf Ranking is Adam Scott (Australia) who is fresh off his tied for fourth finish this past week at the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance and also winning the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial one week ago with 9.21 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Two is Henrik Stenson (Sweden) who won the Tour Championship by Coca – Cola and also the 2013 FedEx Cup over eight months ago and won DP World Tour Championship, Dubai and the 2013 Race to Dubai Title 28 weeks ago and this past week finished in solo fifth position at the Nordea Masters with 7.84 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Three is Bubba Watson (USA) who is fresh off his solo third position at the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance this past week with 7.45 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Four is Tiger Woods (USA) who is fresh off his tied for twenty fifth position at the WGC – Cadillac Championship 12 weeks ago with 7.44 Official Golf World Ranking Points; and rounding out the top 5 on the Official Golf World Ranking Points list this week is Matt Kuchar (USA) who is fresh of his tied for 15th position at the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance this past week with 7.05 Official Golf World Ranking Points. Michael Hendry (NZL) is in his seventh week of his second spell of being the highest ranked New Zealand Golfer in the world after his tied for sixth finish at the Gate Way To The Open Mizuno Open this past week which was the fifth event on Japanese soil for the 2014 Japan Golf Tour season. This week he gains four places and rises to 223rd position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list with 0.80 Official Golf World Ranking Points. 

Remember the key to low scoring is hitting fairways, greens and putting well!!

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