Golf Events from the Weekend 13th July 2014

Well it was another awesome weekend on the Major Professional Golf Tours from around the world and this week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup headed to the State of Illinois for John Deere Classic and it was played on the TPC Deere Run, Silvis, Illinois. And it was the Golfer by the name of Brian Harman (USA), who scored rounds of 63-8, 68-3, 65-6 and a final round of 66-5 for a 72 hole total of 262-22 and he won by a single shot for his maiden USPGA Tour win of his career. He earned US $846,000 for the win and moved to twenty fourth position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $2,209,254 earned from the twenty five events he has played to date this season so far. Bubba Watson (USA) still leads that list with US $5,102,161 earned from the 14 events he has played to date this season so far. Brian Harman (USA) 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 1,272 points earned from the twenty five events he has played to date this season so far and is 1,050 points behind the current leader of that list who is Jimmy Walker (USA) who has earned 2,322 points from the twenty events he has played to date this season so far. From the twenty five events Brian Harman (USA) has played to date this season so far he has made 17 cuts and achieved six top ten finishes which includes the win here. He will be very happy with his four rounds this week that were all in the 60s and especially his first round 63-8. 

 

Brian Harman (USA) tees off during the final round

Brian Harman (USA) played an excellent final round under the circumstances of carrying a two shot lead into the final round and holding the 54 hole lead for the first time in his career. He scored 66-5 that included a front nine of 33-2 with a brilliant eagle on the par five, second hole where he hit his second shot to within ten feet of the flag stick and sank the putt. He also birdie the par four, ninth hole and his lone bogey came at the par four, fifth hole and he made the turn at minus 19 and was leading by two shots. Zach Johnson (USA) went out in 32-3 and made the turn at minus 17 and was two shots behind the leader. 

Brian Harman (USA) played holes ten to 14 in two under par and moved to minus twenty one and was now only leading by one shot. Zach Johnson (USA) played holes ten to 14 in three under par and was now at minus twenty and now was only one shot behind the leader. Brian Harman (USA) played holes 15 to 17 in two under par and moved to twenty three under par and was now leading by two shots. Zach Johnson (USA) played holes 15 to 17 in one under par and moved to minus twenty one but was now two shots behind the leader. 

 

Brian Harman (USA) punches the air in delight after holing the winning putt!!

Zach Johnson (USA) who was playing a couple of groups in front of Brian Harman (USA) hit a good second shot into the par four, 72nd hole and left himself with a makeable birdie putt to get to minus twenty two and apply some real pressure to Brian Harman (USA). Zach Johnson (USA) struck a fine birdie putt from twenty feet for the birdie but it just missed on the right hand side and he easily tapped in for his par four and finished on minus twenty one and was one shot behind the winner. Brian Harman (USA) stood on the par four, 72nd tee with a two shot lead knowing that a bogey five would be enough to secure his maiden USPGA Tour win. He struck a brilliant drive that landed right in the middle of the fairway. He was now faced with a second shot from which was just under 180 yards and he chose his mid iron and with water on the left it made the shot that much more intimidating. But he hit an excellent shot that drew away from the water because he is a left handed golfer and it landed on the green about 65 feet from the pin. That meant he had three putts to win and made his walk to the green much more enjoyable. He struck a very conservative putt from 65 feet for his birdie and it came up nine feet short of the cup. He calmed his nerve then struck a very good putt under the circumstances of only needing to two putt and came it to rest eight inches from the cup, and he easily tapped that putt in for his bogey five and he had won the John Deere Classic for his maiden USPGA Tour title. He scored 33-3 on the back nine and finished at minus twenty two for the one shot win as I mentioned before. 

 

Kelly Van Slyke, who is Brian Harman's (USA) fiancee on the left embraces Brian Harman (USA) on the right on the 72nd Green after he has just won!!

He punched the air in celebration!! Then he got a huge hug and high five from his caddie, Scott Tway. Then his fiancée, Kelly Van Slyke came on to the green to give him a huge hug and kiss to celebrate the win with him!! And also with this maiden win came an invitation to play in the third Major Championship of the year which is the Open Championship at Royal Liverpool GC, Hoylake, England next week. Brian Harman (USA) 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 now he has achieved his maiden USPGA Tour win his second win can’t be too far away either? I wish him all the best for the events he plays in the weeks to come and I am sure he will have good performances in the final two Major Championships of the year that he will now gain starts in with this win and the up and coming FedEx Cup playoff events as well. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 USPGA Tour season.

Brian Harman (USA) kisses the John Deere Classic Trophy he won!!

Coming in solo second position at 263-21 after 72 holes was Zach Johnson (USA); he earned US $507,600 for the win and moved to 13th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $2,861,597 earned from the 19 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 1,482 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 17 cuts and achieved five top ten finishes which includes the one here and also his win at the Hyundai Tournament of Championships in early January. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially his first round that was 63-8 and his final round which was a blemish free 64-7 but at the same time a little disappointed he wasn’t able to birdie the 72nd hole. Zach Johnson (USA) has been playing on the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2004 season after gaining his card by finishing at the top of the 2003 final Web.com Tour Money list with US $ 494,882 earned from the 20 events he played in. In his rookie season on the USPGA Tour he won his maiden USPGA Tour event which was the BellSouth Classic. He has easily kept his card every year since and has won at least US$ 1million in all of those seasons. He has won eleven official events on the USPGA Tour so far in his career and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2004 BellSouth Classic, 2007 Masters Tournament (Maiden Major Championship), AT&T Classic, 2008 Valero Texas Open, 2009 Sony Open in Hawaii, Valero Texas Open, 2010 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, 2012 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, John Deere Classic, 2013 BMW Championship and the 2014 Hyundai Tournament of Champions. I feel his second Major Championship win isn’t too far away and could well happen next week at Open Championship. He has now amassed US $33,183,400 in career earnings on the USPGA Tour to date so far from the 281 events he has played in. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2014 part of the 2013/14 season.

Coming in tied for third position at 265-19 after 72 holes was Jhonattan Vegas (Venezuela); he earned US $272,600 for his efforts and moved to 125th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $586,803 earned from the 19 events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 163 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 110th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 428 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 14 cuts and this was his first top ten finish he has achieved to date so far this season. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially his third round that was 63-8 and his final round that was a blemish free 65-6. This result will give him a lot of confidence to keep on improving and make the first FedEx Cup Playoff event in late August. Jhonattan Vegas (Venezuela) won his first Nationwide Tour event in 2010 at the Preferred Health Systems Wichita Open. He finished the season 7th on the money list and earned his 2011 USPGA Tour card, the first Venezuelan to do so. On 23rd January 2011, Jhonattan Vegas (Venezuela) won his first USPGA Tour event, the Bob Hope Classic, after defeating tour veteran Bill Haas (USA) and Gary Woodland (USA) in a sudden death playoff. It was Jhonattan Vegas (Venezuela) fifth overall start on the USPGA Tour and the second as a member of the tour. The victory was the first by a Venezuelan at a USPGA Tour event; Jhonattan Vegas (Venezuela) earned entry into the Masters Tournament and a two-year exemption on the USPGA Tour. In his next start he finished in a tie for 3rd at the Farmers Insurance Open, holding a share of the lead on the back nine and moved to a career Official World Golf Ranking high of 69th. Jhonattan Vegas (Venezuela) was the first USPGA Tour rookie to lead the FedEx Cup Points standings. In July 2012, Jhonattan Vegas (Venezuela) was the runner-up finisher at the annual Telus World Skins Game to Paul Casey (England) held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, after having won the 2011 event in Banff ,Alberta. Jhonattan Vegas (Venezuela) started 2013 with three missed cuts in three tournaments. He sat out the remainder of the 2013 USPGA Tour season after shoulder surgery. Jhonattan Vegas (Venezuela) attempted to regain his USPGA Tour status through the Web.com Tour Finals, but fell short and started the 2013-14 season on a Medical Extension. He satisfied his medical extension with a T3 finish at the John Deere Classic this past week. 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 USPGA Tour season. 

The final player to tie for third position was Jerry Kelly (USA); he too earned US $272,600 for his efforts and moved to 67th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US$1,263,060 earned from the 18 events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 163 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 57th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points standings list with 719 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 four top ten finishes which includes the one here. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially his third round that was 65-6. Jerry Kelly (USA) has been playing on the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 1996 season and has kept his card for the next year every year since. In 2012 he finished in 126th position on the final USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $ 645,701 earned from the 26 events he played in and that meant he missed out on gaining his full status on the USPGA Tour for the 2013 season by one place. In the 2013 season he finished in 99th position on the final 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $ 832,407 earned from the twenty two events he played in. In his USPGA Tour Career to date so far he has achieved three USPGA Tour wins and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2002 Sony Open in Hawaii, Advil Western Open and the 2009 Zurich Classic of New Orleans. He turns 48 in November and no doubt will be eying the Champions Tour in just over two and a half year’s time. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 USPGA Tour season. 

Coming in tied for fifth position at 266-18 after 72 holes was Scott Brown (USA); he earned US $178,600 for his efforts and moved to 57th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,337,402 earned from the twenty five events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 105 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 51st position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 748 points earned from the twenty five events he has played to date this season so far. From the twenty five events he has played to date this season so far he has made 18 cuts and achieved four top ten finishes which includes the one here. He will be happy with his first, third and final rounds that were all in the 60s especially his third round of 61-10 which was the low round of the day and the whole tournament. But he will be disappointed with his second round of 70-1 that cost him any chance he had of winning. Scott Brown (USA) has been playing on the USPGA Tour since the 2012 season where he earned US $478,763 from the twenty four events he played in and he finished in 148th position on the final 2012 USPGA Tour Money list standings which gave him semi exempt status on the USPGA Tour for the 2013 season. He had his career best season to date in the 2013 season with achieving his maiden USPGA Tour win at the Puerto Rico Open presented by seepuertorico.com in early March. He ended up earning US $1,012,142 from the twenty one events he played in and he finished up in 81st position on the final 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings easily keeping his card for the 2013/14 season. This year he has already passed his earnings last year with making such a good start almost three quarters of the way through the season and maybe he could win his second USPGA Tour title very soon? I wish him all the best for the events to come in the coming weeks on the USPGA Tour.

The final player to tie for fifth position was Tim Clark (RSA); he too earned US $178,600 for his efforts and moved to 89th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $910,778 earned from the twenty events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 105 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 84th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 547 points earned from the twenty events he has played to date this season 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 final three rounds that were all in the 60s especially his second and third rounds that were 63-8 and 64-7. But he will be extremely disappointed with his first round of 72+1 that had him behind the eight ball from the start. He has been playing on the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2002 season and has easily kept his card every year since. In that time he has had a very successful career with earning US $21,648,254 from the 283 events he has played to date in his USPGA Tour career so far. He has only achieved one win though and that came at the 2010 THE PLAYERS Championship. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 season.

Rounding out the top ten in tied for seventh position at 268-16 after 72 holes was Bo Van Pelt (USA); he earned US $141,587.50 for his efforts and moved to 110th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $711,868 earned from the twenty one events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 83 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 101st position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 463 points earned from the twenty one events he has played to date this season so far. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially his final round 65-6. From the twenty one events he has played to date this season so far he has made 13 cuts and this is his very first top ten finish he has achieved to date so far this season. Bo Van Pelt (USA) initially started his career on the Nationwide Tour and won the Omaha Classic, his first and only Nationwide Tour title, in 2003 after shooting a final round of 62. He now plays on the USPGA Tour and captured his maiden victory in 2009 at the U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee, beating John Mallinger (USA) in a sudden death playoff on the second extra hole. He won the CIMB Asia Pacific Classic Malaysia in 2011, an Asian Tour event and an unofficial USPGA Tour event. He carded a final round seven under 64 to romp to a six stroke victory and finish at 23 under par. On April 8, 2012, he scored a tournament low 64 in the 2012 Masters Tournament, propelling him up the leader board to a final tie for 17th place. Bo Van Pelt (USA) claimed his first victory on the European Tour in October 2012, when he won in Australia at the ISPS Handa Perth International. He won by two strokes over fellow American Jason Dufner (USA), having taken a one stroke advantage into the final round. Let’s hope this top ten finish can give him confidence to achieve more in the weeks to come. I wish him all the best for the rest of the USPGA Tour 2013/14 season. 

Also tied for seventh position was defending Champion, Jordan Spieth (USA); he too earned US $141,587.50 for his efforts and remained in sixth position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $3,754,410 earned from the twenty events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 83 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and remained in fifth position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 1,636 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 18 cuts and achieved seven top ten finishes that includes the one here. He will be happy with his second, third and final rounds that were all in the 60s especially his second round that was 64-7. But he will be disappointed with his first round 71 even par. But he showed some real intestinal fortitude to bounce back from the poor first round and achieve a top ten finish in his first title defence of his career. Jordan Spieth (USA) made people really take notice of him in his first ever USPGA Tour event he played as a 16 year old Amateur at the 2010 HP Byron Nelson Championship where he scored rounds of 68-2, 69-1, 67-3 and a final round of 72+2 for a 72 hole total of 276-4 and he tied for 16th position while still attending the University of Texas. In the 2011 HP Byron Nelson Championship he played in it again as a 17 year old Amateur and this time he scored rounds of 69-1, 68-2, 72+2 and a 77+7 which was played in extremely windy conditions for a 72 hole total of 286+6 and he tied for 32nd position. In 2012 he played in five more USPGA Tour events as an Amateur and made the cut in three of them with his best finish being tied for 21st at the 112th US Open Championship and he also achieved low Amateur Honours. He decided to turn professional in December of 2012 in the midst of his sophomore year at the University of Texas. He Monday qualified and got a few sponsor’s exemptions to play on the USPGA Tour in the early part of the 2013 season. And he managed to win the John Deere Classic in a five hole playoff in mid July which gave him full membership on the USPGA Tour till the end of 2015. That win he achieved at the John Deere Classic also earned him the last invitation into The Open Championship in Muirfield, Scotland, that week. He joined 27 other players on the John Deere Classic's chartered jet from Moline, Ill., to Scotland. He also is now exempt on the USPGA Tour till the end of the 2014/15 season. He won the 2013 USPGA Tour rookie of the year award. And last year he played on the winning US Presidents Cup Team after getting selected as a Captains pick for the US Presidents Cup Team. He is just an Amazing talent and now he has got his maiden USPGA Tour win I feel he can only go from strength to strength. It is amazing to think that before the start of the 2013 USPGA Tour Season he had no status on the USPGA Tour at all. Let’s hope he can continue this fine form throughout the last part of the 2014 part of the 2013/14 USPGA Tour season? I am sure with this performance this past week at the John Deere Classic will only make him a stronger player and perhaps he could win his maiden Major Championship at the Open Championship next week? He is sure to be a Superstar in World Golf for many years to come. I wish him all the best for the rest of 2013/14 season.

Also tied for seventh position was Ryan Moore (USA); he too earned US $141,587.50 for his efforts and moved to 16th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $2,714,909 earned from the 18 events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 83 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 15th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with 1,252 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 15 cuts and achieved six top ten finishes that includes the one here and also his win at the CIMB Classic in late October last year. He will be happy with his four rounds on the whole this week because they were all in the 60s especially his first round 66-5. He has been playing on the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2006 season with easily keeping his card every season since and he has achieved three wins so far in his career with the first coming at the 2009 Wyndham Championship and the second coming at the 2012 Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open and his third came at the 2013 CIMB Classic. He gained his full USPGA Tour card by earning enough money from sponsor’s exemptions in the 2005 season after he played in the 2005 Masters Tournament and US Open Championship as an Amateur because he won the 2004 US Amateur Championship. I’m sure his fourth win isn’t too far off as well and perhaps it will be his maiden Major Championship at the Open Championship next week? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 season.

The final player to tied for seventh position was Johnson Wagner (USA); he too earned US $141,587.50 for his efforts and moved to 159th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $324,619 earned from the twenty one events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 83 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 162nd position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 237 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 eight cuts and this was his first top ten finish he has achieved to date this season so far. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially his first and second rounds that were 66-5 and 65-6. This finish should give him a lot of confidence because prior to this event he was having a shocking season. Johnson Wagner (USA) is currently a member of the USPGA Tour. He was a member of the Nationwide Tour from 2003 to 2006. He earned his USPGA Tour card for the 2007 season by finishing second on the money list on the Nationwide Tour in 2006. In 2008 Johnson Wagner (USA) gained his first USPGA Tour victory at the Shell Houston Open. The win earned him an invitation to the Masters Tournament and a two year Tour exemption. In 2010, Johnson Wagner (USA) finished 126th on the USPGA Tour after a rally at the season finale fell short, just missing full Tour privileges; Johnson Wagner (USA) was described as "delighted" because he started the week 153rd on the money list. On February 27, 2011, he won the Mayakoba Golf Classic at Riviera Maya-Cancun in a playoff over Spencer Levin (USA) with par on the first hole and regained his Tour card through 2013. It was the first time since 2000 that a golfer (Robert Allenby (Australia)) finished 126th on the Tour and won the following season. Johnson won the first full-field event of 2012, the Sony Open in Hawaii, and extended his Tour privileges through 2014. He also moved into the Top 100 on the Official World Golf Rankings for the first time in his career, moving from 198 to 92. Let’s hope he can have more top ten finishes in the weeks to come on the USPGA Tour. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 USPGA Tour season.

Tim Wilkinson (NZL) was one of two New Zealand Golfers in the field and he scored rounds of 74+3 in the first round which was very average, then a good second round of 68-3 for a 36 hole total of 142 even par and he missed the cut by two shots. He currently lies in 111th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $711,465 earned from the 22 events he has played to date this season so far. He also currently lies in 107th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup points list standings with 436 points earned from the 22 events he has played to date this season so far. From the 22 events he has played to date this season so far he has made 15 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 disappointed with his first round of 74+3 but pleased he came back with 68-3 in the second round but it was just short of making the cut. It will be a slight dent to his confidence because he had made his last ten of eleven cuts prior to this event. With only three events left in the regular 2013/14 USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup season that he is likely to gain starts in he will need to have more good finishes in the weeks ahead to secure his place in the first FedEx Cup Series playoff event which is the Barclays which starts on Thursday 21st August and to do that he will need to be inside the top 125 players on the final 2013/14 regular season FedEx Cup Points list. 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. 

Danny Lee (NZL) was the other New Zealand Golfer in the field and he scored rounds of 73+2 in the first round which was below average. Then he scored an average second round of 70-1 for a 36 hole total of 143+1 and he missed the cut by three shots. He currently lies in 115th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with  US $678,385 earned from the 23 events he has played to date this season so far. He also currently lies in 105th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup points list standings with 446 points earned from the 23 events he has played to date this season so far. From the 23 events he has played to date this season so far he has made nine cuts and achieved one top ten finish that came four months ago at the Puerto Rico Open presented by seepuertorico.com where he finished in solo second position in early March. This week he started off slow with a really poorly with a first round 73+2 , and then he scored a better second round of 70-1 but it was nowhere near good enough to make the cut. With only three events left in the regular 2013/14 USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup season that he is likely to gain starts in he will need to have more good finishes in the weeks ahead to secure his place in the first FedEx Cup Series playoff event which is the Barclays which starts on Thursday 21st August and to do that he will need to be inside the top 125 players on the final 2013/14 final regular season FedEx Cup Points list. 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. 

Next week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup and all the other Major Professional Golf Tours from around the world head to England for the 143rd Open Championship which is the third Major Championship of the year and this year it is played on the Royal Liverpool GC, Hoylake, England. All the big names in professional golf will be there including Adam Scott (Australia), Henrik Stenson (Sweden), Bubba Watson (USA), Matt Kuchar (USA), Jason Day (Australia), Jordan Spieth (USA), Lee Westwood (England), Rory McILroy (NIR) to name a few as well as Tiger Woods (USA) making his first appearance in a Major Championship since his major back surgery earlier in the year and he was the winner of the Open Championship when it was last played on this course in 2006. It carries a huge prize purse of US $8,000,000 for the taking. Phil Mickelson (USA) is the defending champion and will be keen to hang onto the Claret Jug and claim back to back titles but it is highly unlikely because he hasn’t even recorded a single top ten finish on the USPGA Tour this season to date so far. It starts on Thursday 17th July and I will back who won the Claret Jug 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 ninth 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 ninth finish four weeks ago at the 114th U.S. Open Championship with 8.86 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 just over nine months ago and won DP World Tour Championship, Dubai and the 2013 Race to Dubai Title 33 weeks ago and four weeks ago finished in tied for fourth position at the 114th U.S. Open Championship and two weeks ago finished tied for second at the BMW International Open with 7.88 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Three is Justin Rose (England) who is fresh off his win this past week at the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open with 7.34 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Four is Bubba Watson (USA) who is fresh off his tied for 16th position one week ago at the Greenbrier Classic with 6.90 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 off  his tie for 31st position three weeks ago at the Travelers Championship with 6.73 Official Golf World Ranking Points; Danny Lee (NZL) is in his second week of his second spell being the highest ranked New Zealand Golfer in the world after his missed cut at the John Deere Classic this past week on the USPGA Tour. This week he slips eight places and falls to 253rd position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list with 0.72 Official Golf World Ranking Points.

Remember there are four ways to miss a putt but if you get the ball past the hole you eliminate one!! 

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

Golf Events from the Weekend 6th July 2014

Well it was another brilliant weekend on the Major Professional Golf Tours from around the world and this week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup headed to the State of West Virginia for the Greenbrier Classic and it was played on the Old White TPC, White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. And it was the golfer by the name of Angel Cabrera (Argentina) who scored rounds of 68-2, 68-2, 64-6 and another brilliant final round of 64-6 for a 72 hole total of 264-16 and he won by two shots for his third USPGA Tour win of his career and his first regular tour win as his other two wins have been Major Championships. He earned US $1,170,000 for win and moved to 47th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,472,892 earned from the 17 events he has played to date this season so far. Bubba Watson (USA) still leads that list with US $5,102,161 earned from the 14 events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 500 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 54th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 719 points earned from the 17 events he has played to date this season so far and he is 1,603 points behind the current leader of the FedEx Cup Points list who is Jimmy Walker (USA) who has earned 2,322 points from the twenty events he has played to date this season so far. From the 17 events Angel Cabrera (Argentina) has played to date this season so far he has made eight cuts and achieved one top ten finish that was this win. 

 

Angel Cabrera (Argentina) in action during the final round

Angel Cabrera (Argentina) played a brilliant final round of 64-6 that included a front nine of 31-3 which included birdies on the par three, third hole, par four, fifth hole and par four, seventh hole and he made the turn at minus 13 and was leading by two shots. George McNeill (USA) went out in 28-6 which included being six under in the holes from the fourth to eighth with making four birdies in a row and then getting a hole in one on the par three, eighth hole!! He made the turn at minus eleven and was two shots behind the leader.

Angel Cabrera (Argentina) played holes ten to 14 in three under par and that included making birdies on the par four, eleventh hole and par five, 12th hole and holing his eight iron for his second shot on the par four, 13th hole for an eagle and he moved to minus 16 and was now leading by four shots. George McNeill (USA) played holes ten to 14 in one under par and moved to minus 12 and was now four shots behind the leader.  

Angel Cabrera (Argentina) played holes 15 to 17 in even par and remained at minus 16 with just the par three, 72nd hole to play and that included carrying his drive on the par five, 17th hole over 300 yards in the air to carry the fairway bunker on the left hand side leaving only a mid iron to the green where he hit the green in two shots and easily made birdie and was still leading by two shots.

George McNeill (USA) who was playing about two hours ahead of the final group hit a good tee shot in to the par three, 72nd hole which landed on the green about twenty five feet short of the flag stick just not quite having enough on it to get over the ridge in the middle of the green to the flag stick that was positioned on the far right hand side. He made a good attempt at his birdie putt but it ran four feet passed and he was able to tap that putt in four his par three and he finished at minus 14 after 72 holes and was two shots behind the winner. Angel Cabrera (Argentina) now stood on the par three, 72nd hole with two shot lead and he knew that a bogey four would be good enough to take the title. He hit a good shot with his short iron but slightly pulled it and it landed on the green pin high and over the ridge leaving about 35 feet for his birdie. He calmed his nerve and then put a perfect roll on his 35 foot birdie putt just like he had done on all his putts all day and it rolled down to the cup at perfect speed coming to rest a foot past the hole. He easily tapped the one foot par putt in and he scored 33-3 on the back nine and finished the 72 holes on minus 16 and won by two shots. He got a huge high five and hug from his caddie and then his coach, Charlie Epps came onto the 72nd green to help congratulate him and also to chat to CBS Sports on course reporter, Peter Kostis (USA) because Angel Cabrera (Argentina) doesn’t speak much English. He told Peter through the help of Charlie interpreting “That he hit the ball so well this week and he was very happy to win this tournament and achieve his third USPGA Tour win in this style with having back to back rounds of 64-6 on the weekend”, and he also said “He hopes this win inspires the Argentine Soccer team to beat the Netherlands in the Semi – Final of the World Cup later this week!!” 

 

Angel Cabrera (Argentina) on the left embraces his caddie on the right after holing the winning putt!!

Angel Cabrera (Argentina) won his first major championship at the 2007 U.S. Open Championship at Oakmont near Pittsburgh. He finished the tournament at 5-over par, topping Tiger Woods (USA) and Jim Furyk (USA) by one stroke. Angel Cabrera (Argentina) entered the third round as the leader at even par, after finishing the first round at 1-under, and shooting 1-over on the second day. He struggled during the third round, finishing 6 strokes over par, putting him 4 strokes behind the leader and two behind Tiger Woods (USA). Angel Cabrera (Argentina) rebounded and came back strong on the last day. He birdied one of the longest par-3 holes in major championship history when he sunk a 20 footer at the 8th hole, which played at a lengthy 300 yards on Sunday. Angel Cabrera (Argentina) finished one stroke under par, bringing him down to 5-over (285) for the championship, just enough to secure his first career major victory. At a post-match interview Angel Cabrera (Argentina) said "Well, there are some players that have psychologists, some have sportologists, I smoke.” Angel Cabrera (Argentina) became the first Argentine player to win the U.S. Open and the second to win a major, joining Roberto De Vicenzo (Argentina), who won the Open Championship in 1967 at Royal Liverpool (Hoylake) and that is the course that it is being played on next month as well which might be a good omen for Angel Cabrera (Argentina)? Angel Cabrera (Argentina) received the 2007 Olimpia de Oro ("Golden Olympia") as Argentina's sportsperson of the year.

Angel Cabrera (Argentina) won the 2009 Masters Tournament in a three-way sudden-death playoff, seeing off Chad Campbell (USA) after the first playoff hole, and defeating Kenny Perry (USA) on the second. On the first playoff hole, the 18th, Angel Cabrera (Argentina) missed right of the fairway, leaving his ball stymied directly behind a tree. On his second shot, he hit a shot right of the tree that would have sent the golf ball onto the 10th hole fairway, but ended up hitting another tree about 30 yards ahead, bouncing left and settling in the centre of the 18th fairway. He and Kenny Perry (USA) both got up-and-down for par, while Chad Campbell (USA) missed his 4-foot-par putt and was eliminated. On the second playoff hole, the 10th, Angel Cabrera (Argentina) made par to defeat Kenny Perry (USA), becoming the first Argentine to win the Masters. He was the lowest-ranked golfer to win the Masters, having been ranked 69th before the tournament. Angel Cabrera (Argentina) is one of two active USPGA Tour members who have won both the U.S. Open and the Masters as of 2009. Angel Cabrera (Argentina) struggled with injuries throughout most of the 2010 season and was forced to miss a number of events after undergoing surgery.

In the 2013 Masters, Angel Cabrera (Argentina) was again in the final pairing on Sunday. After taking a two shot lead on the front nine, Angel Cabrera (Argentina) proceeded to lose the lead and after failing to birdie the par-5 15th was two shots behind leader Jason Day (Australia). Jason Day (Australia) then bogeyed two holes in succession and when Angel Cabrera (Argentina) made a 20 foot putt for birdie at the 16th he tied Adam Scott (Australia) and Jason Day (Australia) briefly for the lead. As Angel Cabrera (Australia) stood on the 18th fairway, up ahead on the green and playing in the penultimate group, Adam Scott (Australia) holed a birdie putt to take the lead. Angel Cabrera (Argentina) hit a 163 yard 7 iron to 3 feet and knocked in the putt to force a playoff. On the first playoff hole, Adam Scott's (Australia) second shot was 160 yards out but rolled back off the front of the green. Angel Cabrera's (Argentina) second shot also came up short, rolling back off the green and coming to rest behind Adam Scott's (Australia) ball. Angel Cabrera's (Argentina) chip just slid by the hole. Both players then made par sending them onto the 10th for the second playoff hole. Adam Scott (Australia) and Angel Cabrera (Argentia) hit their tee shots in the fairway and matched each other with approach shots which landed on the green giving both birdie chances, Angel Cabrera (Argentina) with 18 feet uphill and Adam Scott (Australia) downhill right to left 12 footer. Angel Cabrera's (Argentina) putt was a turn away from dropping in, giving Adam Scott (Australia) a chance to win with his putt. Adam Scott (Australia) made the putt defeating Angel Cabrera (Argentina) and bringing Australia their first ever green jacket.

Angel Cabrera (Argentina) poses with the Greenbrier Classic Trophy he won!!

Although Angel Cabrera (Argentina) is fully exempt on the USPGA Tour, he occasionally competes in Argentinian events on the PGA Tour Latinoamerica, a developmental tour in Latin America whose 2013 members include former PGA Tour winners Carlos Franco (Paraguay) and Ted Purdy (USA). Angel Cabrera (Argentina) won the 2012 Visa Open de Argentina and the 2013 Abierto del Centro. Angel Cabrera (Argentina) will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially his final two rounds that were both 64-6. This result was came really out of left field because prior to this win his best finish in the 2013/14 USPGA Tour season was tied for eleventh at the Travelers Championship two weeks ago. Let’s hope he can build on this win and perhaps win his third Major Championship this year? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 season.

Coming in solo second position at 266-14 after 72 holes was George McNeill (USA); he earned US $702,000 for his efforts and moved to 31st position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,914,991 earned from the 19 events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 300 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to twenty ninth position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 962 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 14 cuts and achieved four top ten finishes which includes the one here. He will be extremely happy with all his four rounds this week that were at par and under par especially his final round that was 61-9 and the equal lowest score on the USPGA Tour this year to date and it included a hole in one on the eighth hole and seven more birdies!! It was done playing with a heavy heart because he found out after the tournament that his older sister, Michele had died of cancer earlier that day. He has been playing the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2007 season after gaining his full USPGA Tour card by winning the 2006 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament. He has kept his card every year since except for the 2013 season where he earned US $500,798 from the twenty one events he played in and finished in 138th position on the final 2013 USPGA Tour Money list and gained semi exempt status for 2013/14 USPGA Tour season. He has also won two events on the USPGA Tour so far in his career with the first being the 2007 Frys.com Open benefiting Shriners Hospitals for Children and the second being the 2012 Puerto Rico Open presented by seepuertorico.com. Let’s hope he can win his third event in the 2013/14 season. I wish him all the best for the rest of the season.

Coming in solo third position at 270-10 after 72 holes was Webb Simpson (USA); he earned US $442,000 for his efforts and moved to eleventh position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $2,930,161 earned from the 17 events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 190 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to eleventh position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 1,398 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 14 cuts and achieved seven top ten finishes which includes the one here and also his win at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in October last year. He will be happy with his second, third and final rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially his final round that was a blemish free 63-7. But he will be disappointed with his first round that was 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 third Major Championship of the 2014 season which is the Open Championship in two weeks time? 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 but in his last four events he has made every cut and achieved two top ten finishes, so this finish this week should give him some real confidence heading into the third Major Championship of the year in two weeks. I wish him all the best with the tournaments he plays in the coming weeks.

Coming in tied for fourth position at 271-9 after 72 holes was Bud Cauley (USA); he earned US $227,035.72 for his efforts and moved to 116th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $636,888 earned from the 17 events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 96 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 134th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 341 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 eight cuts and achieved one top ten finish that came at this very event. He will be happy with his four rounds on the whole this week because they were all at par and under par and especially his final round 64-6 that included a hole in one on the par three, 72nd hole!! And a lot of other people will be happy with his hole in one as well because everyone in the grandstand surrounding the par three, 72nd hole got a US $100 note from the tournament host, Jim Justice!! And also the Company Quicken Loans paid off some lucky couple’s mortgage!! This finish should give Bud Cauley (USA) some real confidence heading into the final events of the regular season and give him hope that he can make it inside the top 125 on the final regular FedEx Cup Points list standings to gain a start in the first FedEx Cup Playoff event which is the Barclays which starts on Thursday 21st August. After finishing his junior year at Alabama, Bud Cauley (USA) qualified for the 2011 U.S Open and decided to turn professional, foregoing his senior season. Bud Cauley (USA) did not miss a cut in the first four USPGA Tour events he played, which included a Tied for fourth at the Viking Classic. He also finished Tied for fourth at the Nationwide Tour's Utah Championship. Bud Cauley (USA) made the cut at the 2011 U.S. Open, finishing Tied for 63rd position and guaranteeing a bypass to the second stage of Qualifying School. Bud Cauley (USA) also finished third at the 2011 Frys.com Open, earning US $340,000. On the 2011 USPGA Tour in 2011, Bud Cauley (USA) earned US $735,150 in eight starts. He finished the equivalent of 116th on the 2011 money list, joining Gary Hallberg (USA), Scott Verplank (USA), Phil Mickelson (USA), Justin Leonard (USA), Ryan Moore (USA), and Tiger Woods (USA) as those who avoided Qualifying school and went directly to the USPGA Tour after college. In 2012, Bud Cauley's (USA) had four top-10 finishes; he was in the 100 in the Official World Golf Ranking by the end of July of that year. In 2013, Bud Cauley (USA) made only 10 cuts in 24 events. He played in the Web.com Tour Finals and finished 18th position to retain his USPGA Tour card for 2014. Let’s hope he can have some more top ten finishes in the weeks ahead and I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 USPGA Tour season.

Also tied for fourth position at 271-9 after 72 holes was Keegan Bradley (USA); he too earned US $227,035.72 for his efforts and moved to twenty third position on current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $2,295,922 earned from the twenty events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 96 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to twentieth position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 1,114 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 16 cuts and achieved five top ten finishes which includes the one here. He will be happy with his four rounds this week because they were all in the 60s especially his final round of 66-4. Keegan Bradley (USA) has been playing on the USPGA Tour since the 2011 season after gaining his 2011 full USPGA Tour card by finishing in 14th position on the final 2010 Web.com Tour Money list standings with US $264,760 earned from the 28 events he played in. He had an amazing rookie season on the USPGA Tour in 2011 with earning US $3,758,600 from the 28 events he played in and that included making 18 cuts and achieving four top ten finishes and that included two wins and the first one was the HP Byron Nelson Championship and the second one was his maiden Major Championship which was the PGA Championship and he also won an unofficial event which was the PGA Grand Slam of Golf. He finished in 13th position on the final 2011 USPGA Tour Money list standings which was a fine effort by a rookie. He backed up his rookie season with another awesome season in 2012 where he earned US $ 3,910,658 from the 25 events he played in and finished in tenth position on the final 2012 USPGA Tour Money list standings. That included making 21 cuts and achieving five top ten finishes which included his third win which came at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational. He also played his first Ryder Cup for the USA against Europe. He has just had an amazing last two seasons on the USPGA Tour and it continued in 2013 with him earning US $3,636,813 from the twenty five events he played in and he finished in eleventh position on the final 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings. He also made his rookie appearance in the Presidents Cup which he played excellently for the victorious Team USA. I’m sure his fourth win isn’t too far off and perhaps it will happen at the Open Championship in two weeks time? He now has career USPGA Tour earnings of US $13,412,993 earned from the 97 events he has played so far in his USPGA Tour Career which is just amazing!! I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 season. 

Also tied for fourth position at 271-9 after 72 holes was Brendon Todd (USA); he too earned US $227,035.72 for his efforts and moved to ninth position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $3,059,743 earned from the twenty two events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 96 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to ninth position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 1,487 points earned from the twenty two events he has played to date this season so far. From the twenty two events he has played to date this season so far he has made 19 cuts and achieved seven top ten finishes which includes the one here and also he has achieved five top ten finishes in his last six starts that includes his maiden win at the HP Byron Nelson Championship in mid May. He will be happy with his second, third and final rounds that were all in the 60s especially his final round that was 66-4. But he will be disappointed with his first round of 71+1. With the form he is in right now he would be the dark horse to win the 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 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 and it could happen at the Open Championship next month. Since he won his maiden USPGA Tour event at the HP Byron Nelson Championship in mid May he has gone on to achieve four more top ten finishes in his last five starts. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 USPGA Tour season. 

Also tied for fourth position at 271-9 after 72 holes was Chris Stroud (USA); ); he too earned US $227,035.72 for his efforts and moved to 41st position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,641,638 earned from the 19 events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 96 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 41st position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 818 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 14 cuts and achieved four top ten finishes which includes the one here. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all at even par or better and especially his first two rounds that were 66-4. Chris Stroud (USA) has been playing on the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2007 season after he gained his card for the first time at the 2006 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament where he finished in tied for 16th position. His maiden season on the USPGA Tour in 2007 wasn’t very successful and he was forced to go back to the 2007 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament where he finished in solo third position to regain his full USPGA Tour card for the 2008 season. Again in his second full season on the USPGA Tour in 2008 he had another poor season and was forced back to the 2008 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament where he finished in tied for fourth position and gained his 2009 USPGA Tour card back. In 2009 in his third full season on the USPGA Tour he earned enough money to keep his card for the 2010 season by the skin of his teeth. In his fourth full season on the USPGA Tour in 2010 he had a much better season and easily kept his card for the 2011 season. In his fifth full season in 2011 on the USPGA Tour he made just over one million US dollars for the first time in his career and easily kept his card for the 2012 season. In his sixth full season in 2012 on the USPGA Tour he earned just under one million US dollars and easily kept his card for the 2013 season. In his seventh full season he earned the more money than any other of his previous six seasons and he is destined to win his maiden USPGA Tour event very soon. I am sure it will happen during the 2013/14 season. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 season.

Also tied for fourth position at 271-9 after 72 holes was Cameron Tringale (USA); he too earned US $227,035.72 for his efforts and moved to 56th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,327,969 earned from the twenty five events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 96 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 45th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 781 points earned from the twenty five events he has played to date this season so far. From the twenty five events he has played to date this season so far he has made twenty cuts and achieved two top ten finishes which includes the one here. He will be happy with his second, third and final rounds that were all in the 60s especially his third round that was 64-6. But he will be disappointed with his first round that was 72+2 and this slow start really cost him a chance of achieving his maiden USPGA Tour win. Cameron Tringale (USA) first qualified for the USPGA Tour in 2010 by finishing in tied for 19th position at the 2009 USPGA Tour Final Qualifying Tournament. In his rookie year on the USPGA Tour in 2010 where he made his debut as a member of the USPGA Tour at the 2010 Sony Open in Hawaii in January and in his rookie season he earned just more than $US 300,000 from the twenty one events he played in leaving him 176th on the money list. His best finishes were ties for 11th at the Viking Classic and the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. In December 2010 Cameron Tringale (USA) regained his USPGA Tour card for 2011 USPGA Tour season by finishing fourth at final Qualifying-School. He managed to keep his card for the 2012 and 2013 seasons. This year he has played really consistent on 2013/14 USPGA Tour from the large amount of tournaments he has played so far and this top ten finish will give him lots of confidence to keep on improving and perhaps achieve his maiden USPGA Tour win this year as well? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 USPGA Tour season. 

Also tied for fourth position at 271-9 after 72 holes was Will Wilcox (USA); he too earned US $227,035.72 for his efforts and moved to 134th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $499,693 earned from the 12 events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 96 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 147th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 274 points earned from the 12 events he has played to date this season so far. From the 12 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 four rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially his third round which was 65-5. Will Wilcox (USA) turned professional in 2009 and played on the Hooters Tour from 2009 to 2011, winning twice. He played on the Canadian Tour in 2010, winning once at the Dakota Dunes Casino Open and finishing fourth on the Order of Merit. He has played on the Web.com Tour since 2011 and won the 2013 South Georgia Classic. On July 14, 2013, Will Wilcox (USA) became only the fourth professional golfer in Web.com Tour history to shoot 59 for a round. Will Wilcox's (USA) card had 10 birdies, seven pars, and an eagle for a 12-under score in the final round of the Utah Championship at Willow Creek CC in Sandy, Utah. He finished seventh on the 2013 Web.com Tour regular season money list to earn his 2014 PGA Tour card. I sure he will gain a lot of confidence out of this finish and maybe even he can achieved his maiden USPGA Tour very soon? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 USPGA Tour season.

The final player to tie for fourth position at 271-9 after 72 holes was Bill Hurley III (USA); he too earned US $227,035.72 for his efforts and moved to 68th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,105,660 earned from the twenty one events he has played to date so far this season. He also earned 96 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 69th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 624 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 four top ten finishes which includes the one here. He will be happy with his first three rounds that were all in the 60s especially his second round that was 63-7 and after 54 holes he held a two shot lead over Angel Cabrera (Argentina) and it was his first 54 hole lead on the USPGA Tour of his career. But he will be really disappointed with his final round of 73+3 and especially his front nine of 36+2 and his stretch of holes between the second and the sixth where he played them in four over par. He was the only player that finished inside the top ten who scored a final round in the 70s. Although he will be disappointed with his final round he will learn a lot from being in that position of leading the tournament and playing in the final pairing on Sunday and will be better for it next time he is in that position. It was also his second consecutive top ten finish in as many weeks. He has been playing the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2012 season where he earned US $474,130 from the twenty seven events he played in and finished in 151st position on the final 2012 USPGA Tour Money list standings and that meant he had no status for the 2013 USPGA Tour season. He went back and played the Web.com Tour for the 2013 season and earned US $146,979 from the twenty four events he played in and finished in 26th position on the final 2013 Web.com Tour Finals Priority Rankings list and he gained his full USPGA Tour card for the 2013/14 season. He has certainly secured his card for the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season now. I hope he can achieve more top ten finishes in the weeks to come on the USPGA Tour and perhaps achieve his maiden USPGA Tour win? 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 65-5 in the first round which was very good and had him only one shot off the lead. Then he scored an average second round of 71+1, then another average third round of 71+1 and a very good final round of 66-4 which included a back nine of 33-3 for a 72 hole total of 273-7 and he finished in tied for 16th position. He earned US $91,185.72 for his efforts and moved to 110th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $678,385 earned from the 22 events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 52 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 100th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup points list standings with 446 points earned from the 22 events he has played to date this season so far. From the 22 events he has played to date this season so far he has made nine cuts and achieved one top ten finish that came four months ago at the Puerto Rico Open presented by seepuertorico.com where he finished in solo second position in early March. This week he started off fast with a first round 65-5, and then he scored two average rounds of 71+1 in the second and third rounds, but came back with a very good 66-4 in the final round. He will be extremely happy with his first and final rounds that were in the mid 60’s but disappointed with his second and third rounds that were in the early 70’s. But this was his second best finish of the season to date so far. With only four events left in the regular 2013/14 USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup season that he is likely to gain starts in he will need to have more good finishes in the weeks ahead to secure his place in the first FedEx Cup Series playoff event which is the Barclays which starts on Thursday 21st August and to do that he will need to be inside the top 125 players on the final 2013/14 final regular season FedEx Cup Points list. 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 good, then an average second round of 71+1, then another average third round of 70 even par and an average final round of 70 even par for a 72 hole total of 279-1 and he finished in tied for 57th position. He earned US $14,300 for his efforts and moved to 108th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with   US $711,465 earned from the 21 events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned eleven FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 103rd position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup points list standings with 436 points earned from the 21 events he has played to date this season so far. From the 21 events he has played to date this season so far he has made 15 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, third and final rounds this week that were all at par or under par and especially his first round that was 68-2. But at the same time disappointed with his second round of 71+1. With only four events left in the regular 2013/14 USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup season that he is likely to gain starts in he will need to have more good finishes in the weeks ahead to secure his place in the first FedEx Cup Series playoff event which is the Barclays which starts on Thursday 21st August and to do that he will need to be inside the top 125 players on the final 2013/14 regular season FedEx Cup Points list. 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 heads to the State of Illinois for John Deere Classic and it is played on the TPC Deere Run, Silvis, Illinois. It carries a smaller prize purse of US $4,700,000 for the taking. Because of this most of the best players chose to travel to the Open Championship a week early and it gives some of the lesser players a chance to shine. Jordan Spieth (USA) is the defending Champion and will be keen to defend his title. Danny Lee (NZL) and Tim Wilkinson (NZL) are likely to gain starts as well. It starts on Thursday 10th July 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 eighth 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 ninth finish three weeks ago at the 114th U.S. Open Championship with 9.01 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 just over nine months ago and won DP World Tour Championship, Dubai and the 2013 Race to Dubai Title 32 weeks ago and three weeks ago finished in tied for fourth position at the 114th U.S. Open Championship and one week ago finished tied for second at the BMW International Open with 8.00 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Three is Bubba Watson (USA) who is fresh off his tied for 16th position this past week at the Greenbrier Classic with 7.00 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Four is Matt Kuchar (USA) who is fresh off  his tie for 31st position two weeks ago at the Travelers Championship with 6.83 Official Golf World Ranking Points and rounding out the top 5 on the Official Golf World Ranking Points list this week is Jason Day (Australia) who is fresh off his missed cut at the Quicken Loans National one week ago with 6.56 Official Golf World Ranking Points; Danny Lee (NZL) is in his first week of his second spell being the highest ranked New Zealand Golfer in the world after his tied for 16th finish at the Greenbrier Classic this past week on the USPGA Tour. This week he gains 15 places and rises to 245th position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list with 0.75 Official Golf World Ranking Points. 

Remember now winter is here making solid contact with the ball is paramount!! 

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