Golf Events from the Weekend 13th December 2015

Well in was another awesome weekend on the Major Professional golf tours around the world and this week it was the finale event on the 2015 Ladies European Tour season and the tour travelled to Dubai for Omega Dubai Ladies Masters and it was played on the Emirates Golf Club, U.A.E. It carried a large prize purse of EP € 500,000 for the taking which was one of the largest of the season. Shanshan Feng (China) was the defending champion and was keen to defend her title having already wrapped up the money title for 2015. Cathryn Bristow (NZL) was the only New Zealand golfer in the field. And it was the golfer by the name of Shanshan Feng (China) who scored rounds of 67-5, 67-5, 67-5 and a final round of 66-6 for a seventy two hole total of 267-21 to win by an amazing twelve shots to defend her title she won in 2014 and she has won this tournament three of the last four years with the other win coming in 2012 also it was her fifth Ladies European Tour win of her career to date so far (And she was the only golfer in the field to score all four rounds in the 60s). She earned € 75,000.00 for the win and won the 2015 Ladies European Tour Order of Merit with € 399,213.41 earned from the six events she played in. Melissa Reid (England) was second on that list with € 249,150.57 earned from the fourteen events she played in. Shanshan Feng (China) will be over the moon with her four rounds this week that were all in the mid 60s (And she was the only golfer in the field to score all four rounds in the 60s) especially her final round of 66-6 that was blemish free!! She displayed why she is currently ranked world number six on the Official Ladies World Golf Rankings.

Shanshan Feng (China) played a great final under the circumstances of carrying a huge fifty four hole lead into the final round. She scored 66-6 which included a front nine of 32-3 which included birdies on the par four, second hole, par five, third hole and par four, fifth hole and made turn at minus eighteen and was leading by eight shots. Thidapa Suwannapura (Thailand) went out in 35 even par and made the turn at minus ten and was eight shots behind the leader. Melissa Reid (England) went out in 36+1 and made the turn at minus four and was fourteen shots behind the leader. 

Shanshan Feng (China) played holes ten to fourteen in two under par which included birding the par five, thirteenth hole and par four, fourteenth hole and she moved to minus twenty and was now leading by ten shots. Thidapa Suwannapura (Thailand) played holes ten to fourteen in even par which included a birdie on the par four, fourteenth hole and a bogey on the par four, twelfth hole and remained at minus ten and was now ten shots behind the leader. Melissa Reid (England) played holes ten to fourteen in two under par which included birdies on the par five, tenth hole and par five, thirteenth hole and move to minus six and was still fourteen shots behind the leader. 

 

Shanshan Feng (China) tees off on the sixteenth tee

Shanshan Feng (China) played holes fifteen to seventeen in even par which included making three straight pars and she remained at minus twenty heading to the par five, seventy second hole and was now leading by eleven shots. Thidapa Suwannapura (Thailand) played holes fifteen to seventeen in one over par which included a bogey on the par four, seventeenth hole and she fell back to minus nine and was now eleven shots behind the leader heading to the par five, seventy second hole. Melissa Reid (England) played holes fifteen to seventeen in two under par and it included birdies on the par three, fifteenth hole and par four, seventeenth hole and she moved to minus eight and was now only twelve shots behind the leader heading to the par five, seventy second hole. 

Melissa Reid (England) who was playing a couple of groups ahead of the final group made a solid par at the par five, seventy second hole and finished the seventy two holes at minus eight to finish thirteen shots behind the winner. Thidapa Suwannapura (Thailand) who was playing in the final group with Shanshan Feng (China) made a solid par on the par five, seventy second hole and finished the seventy two holes at minus nine and finished twelve shots behind the winner. Shanshan Feng (China) stood on the par five, seventy second tee with a huge eleven shot lead and she made a brilliant birdie to cap off her amazing week and she scored 34-3 on her back nine and finished the seventy two holes at minus twenty one to win by a whooping twelve shots!! She got a huge hug from her caddie and a standing ovation from the surrounding gallery!! Then she was presented the trophy by Ladies European Tour Official!! 

 

Shanshan Feng (China) acknowledges the gallery after holing the winning putt!!

Shanshan Feng (China) then said “She was delighted to win this tournament for a third time and the Ladies European Tour Order of Merit for 2015!!” She also said “I will be back to try for a third title next year for sure”. Shanshan Feng (China) (Chinese: 冯珊珊; pinyin: Féng Shān Shān; born 5 August 1989) is a Chinese professional golfer who plays on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour. She is the first player from China to become a member of the LPGA Tour, which she joined in 2008. Shanshan Feng (China) has four victories on the tour, including the 2010 LPGA Championship, a Major title, in which she shot a bogey-free 67 in the final round to win by two strokes. She is the first player from China to win an LPGA Major Championship, as well as the first player from mainland China (male or female) to win a major championship. Her best finish in sixteen previous majors was a tie for twenty second at the 2012 Kraft Nabisco Championship. With the victory, she moved from tenth to fifth in the Women’s World Golf Rankings. 

 

Shanshan Feng (China) poses with the cheque she won for winning the 2015 Order of Merit!!

Shanshan Feng (China) was born in Guangzhou and started playing golf at age ten at the urging of her father, who worked at the golf association in their hometown. While still an amateur, Shanshan Feng (China) tied for ninth at the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament in December 2007 to earn a spot on the LPGA Tour in 2008. She has won fifteen tournaments in her career to date so far including four on the LPGA Tour and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2012 Wegmans LPGA Championship; 2013 Reignwood LPGA Classic; 2013 CME Group Titleholders and the 2014 Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia. She has also won five times on the LPGA Japan Golf Tour to date so far and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2011 Meiji Cup; 2011 Miyagi TV Cup Dunlop Ladies Open; 2012 Yonex Ladies; 2012 Meiji Cup and 2012 Japan Women’s Open Golf Championship. She also has won five times to date so far on the Ladies European Tour and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2012 World Ladies Championship (Individual Event); 2012 Omega Dubai Ladies Masters; 2014 Omega Dubai Ladies Masters; 2014 Buick Invitational and 2015 Omega Dubai Ladies Masters as I mentioned above. She also won the 2012 World Ladies Championship (team event with Liying Ye (China)). She has also achieved ten top ten finishes in Major Championships in her career to date so far with her best winning the 2012 Wegmans LPGA Championship (Maiden Major Championship). She has been in the top ten in the Women’s World Golf Rankings since 2012. Let’s hope she can continue this form in the 2016 LPGA Tour season when it recommences in January and perhaps win her second Major Championship? I wish her all the best for the 2016 season.  

 

Shanshan Feng (China) holds a loft the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters Trophy she won!!

Coming in solo second position at 279-9 after seventy two holes was Thidapa Suwannapura (Thailand); she earned € 45,000.00 for her efforts and finished in eighteenth position on the final 2015 Ladies European Tour Order of Merit with € 85,322.48 earned from six events she played in this season. She will be happy with her first and third rounds that were both in the 60s especially her 65-7 in the third round!! But she will be mad with her second and final rounds that were both in the low 70s. Thidapa Suwannapura (Thailand) (born 20 November 1992) is a Thai female professional golfer. A Ramkhamhaeng University graduate, she qualified for the Honda LPGA Thailand as an amateur in 2006, 2008 and 2010. She was the winner of the 2008 Hong Kong Ladies Amateur, the 2009 Srixon Junior International by Jack Newton, in Australia, and also won the 2010 Malaysia Amateur Open, the 2010 Honda Junior Masters, and the 2010 Riverwoods Junior Championship, in the Netherlands. She turned professional in 2011. Thidapa Suwannapura (Thailand) finished eighth at the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open in the 2013 season and won the Hero Women’s Indian Open in November 2013 by three strokes, winning US $45,000. On the 2013 LPGA Tour she made 14 cuts out of 21 events. I wish her all the best for the 2016 season.  

Coming in solo third position at 280-8 after seventy two holes was Melissa Reid (England); she earned € 30,000.00 for her efforts and finished in second position on the final 2015 Ladies European Tour Order of Merit with € 249,150.57 earned from the fourteen events she played in. She will be happy with her second, third and final rounds that were all under par especially her second round 66-6!! But she will be angry with her first round 75+3 that put her too far behind the eight ball to be a serious threat to win. Melissa Rose Reid (England) (born 19 September 1987) is an English professional golfer who plays on the Ladies European Tour. Melissa Reid (England) was born in Derby, England. As an amateur she won several events including the 2004 and 2005 English Girls' Championship, the 2006 and 2007 Helen Holm Trophy, the 2007 St Rule Trophy, and the 2007 British Amateur Strokeplay Championship. She played on the Great Britain and Ireland team in the 2006 Curtis Cup. Melissa Reid (England) was the low amateur at the 2007 Women’s British Open with a tied for sixteenth finish. Melissa Reid (England) failed to earn her card at the 2007 LET Qualifying School in Italy but turned professional in late 2007 and began playing on the Ladies European Tour in 2008 on sponsor invitations. A third-place finish at the Australian Open in early February allowed her to stay in the top twenty on the money list and gain entrance into LET events for the rest of the season. She placed twelfth on the money list in 2008 and was named LET Rookie of the Year. Melissa Reid's (England) first LET victory came in 2010 at the Turkish Airlines Ladies Open. She followed that up with two wins in 2011 and was a member of the 2011 Solheim Cup team, securing a spot on the European team as the leader in the LET rankings. In May 2012 Melissa Reid's (England) mother, Joy, was killed in an automobile crash near Munich while travelling to see her daughter compete in a Ladies European Tour event. Melissa Reid (England) quickly returned to golf but her performance declined rapidly in the ensuing years. In September 2015, Melissa Reid (England) told ESPN that her life "was a mess ... I wasn't coping, I was rebelling. I was spending time with people who partied. I was hitting the self-destruct button. I was with a lot of people, but I was lonely." She has won five events in her career to date so far and they have all come of the Ladies European Tour with her most recent being the 2015 Turkish Airlines Ladies Open. She has achieved one top ten finish in Major Championships to date so far that came at the 2015 Women’s British Open where she tied for ninth position. She has also represented Team Europe in the 2011 and 2015 Solheim Cups against Team USA which Team USA won in dramatic fashion in 2015!! I wish her all the best for the 2016 Ladies European Tour season.

Coming in tied for fourth position at 281-7 after seventy two holes was Pornanong Phatlum (Thailand); she earned € 18,666.67 for her efforts but because she isn’t a current member of the 2015 Ladies European Tour she doesn’t get a final 2015 Ladies European Tour Order of Merit ranking. She will be happy with her second and final rounds that were both in the 60s especially her 68-4 in the second round!! But will be just content with her first and third rounds that were both in the low 70s. Pornanong Phatlum (Thailand) (born 4 December 1989) is a Thai female professional golfer playing on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour. She has won nine Ladies Asian Golf Tour wins to date so far and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2006 Hong Kong Ladies Masters (As an Amateur); 2008 Thailand Asian Open; 2008 DLF Women’s Indian Open; 2009 DLF Women’s Indian Open; 2011 Hitachi Ladies Classic; 2012 Hero Women’s Indian Open; 2013 Hitachi Ladies Classic; 2014 Hitachi Ladies Classic and 2015 Hitachi Ladies Classic. She has also won two Ladies European Tour events to date so far and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2012 Hero Women’s Indian Open and 2013 Omega Dubai Ladies Masters. She also won the 2012 HSBC Brazil Cup (unofficial LPGA Tour event). She has achieved one top ten finish to date so far in Major Championships and that came at the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open Championship where she tied for seventh position. I wish all the best for the 2016 LPGA Tour season.

Also tied for fourth position was Jade Schaeffer (France); she too earned € 18,666.67 for her efforts and finished in thirty eighth position on the final 2015 Ladies European Tour Order of Merit with € 42,260.75 earned from the twelve events she played in this season. She will be happy with her four rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially her 69-3 in the first round!! Jade Schaeffer (France) (Born, 1st July 1986) is a French golf professional. She lives in Paris. Jade Schaeffer (France) turn professional in November 2006 and plays on the Ladies European Tour. She has won two events on the Ladies European Tour with her first coming at the 2009 Hypovereins Bank Ladies German Open and the second came at the 2011 Prague Golf Masters. Let’s hope she can continue on this good form in the 2016 Ladies European Tour season. 

Also tied for fourth position was Caroline Masson (Germany); she too earned € 18,666.67 for her efforts but because she isn’t a current member of the 2015 Ladies European Tour she doesn’t get a final 2015 Ladies European Tour Order of Merit ranking. She will be happy with her first, third and final rounds that were all under par especially her 67-5 in the third round!! But she will be angry with her 75+3 in the second round. Caroline Masson (Germany) (born 14 May 1989) is a German professional golfer, currently playing on the Ladies European Tour (LET). Born and raised in Gladbeck in North Rhine – Westphalia, Caroline Masson (Germany) had a decorated amateur golf career. She competed for Germany in the 2006 Espirito Santo Trophy (World Amateur Team Championship) and won the German Stroke Play Championship. She also represented Europe in the 2005 and 2007 Junior Solhiem Cup. In 2008, she advanced to match play at the British Ladies Amateur, won the German Match Play Championship and the German Ladies International and was selected to represent Germany at the 2008 Espirito Santo Trophy. After graduating from secondary school in Gladbeck in 2008, Caroline Masson (Germany) accepted a golf scholarship to Oklahoma State University and played one year for the Cowgirls in 2008-2009 before turning pro in December 2009. In late 2009, Caroline Masson (Germany) entered the four-round LET Final Qualifying School as an amateur at La Manga, Spain. After earning medalist honors on 21 December, she turned professional immediately and joined the LET on 1 January 2010. Caroline Masson (Germany) made 14 of 16 cuts on the LET in 2010, but missed the cut by ten strokes in her first Major Championship, the 2010 Women’s British Open at Royal Birkdale. In her second major, the 2011 Women’s British Open at Carnoustie, she led after the second and third rounds. Paired with defending and eventual champion Yani Tseng (Taiwan) in the final round, Caroline Masson (Germany) carded a 78 (+6) to finish tied for fifth, seven shots back. Caroline Masson (Germany) won her first LET event at the 2012 South African Women’s Open, winning by one stroke over Lee-Anne Pace (RSA) and Danielle Montgomery (RSA). Caroline Masson (Germany) finished tied for eleventh at the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament to earn her LPGA Tour card for 2013. She has achieved one top ten finish in a Major Championship to date so far which came in the 2011 Women’s British Open where she tied for fifth position. She has also played in the Solheim Cup twice in her career to date so far representing Team Europe against Team USA in 2013 and 2015 (Which Team Europe won in 2013). I wish her all the best for the 2016 season on both the LPGA Tour and Ladies European Tour. 

Rounding out the top seven in solo seventh position at 282-6 after seventy two holes was Nontaya Srisawang (Thailand); she earned € 14,000.00 for her efforts and finished in twentieth position on the final 2015 Ladies European Tour Order of Merit with € 82,630.17 earned from the seven events she played in. She will be happy with her second, third and final rounds that were all in the 60s especially her 68-4 in the final round!! But disappointed with her first round 75+3. Let’s hope she can carry this good form into the 2016 Ladies European Tour season. I wish her all the best for the 2016 Ladies European Tour season. 

The only New Zealand golfer in the field was Cathryn Bristow (NZL), who scored rounds of 74+2 and 77+5 for a 36 hole total of 151+7 and missed the cut by three shots. Her final position on the 2015 Ladies European Order of Merit was sixty ninth with € 21,166.40 earned from the fifteen events she played in this season. She will be content with her first round 74+2 but mad with her second round 77+5. She will be looking to have a better 2016 Ladies European Tour season. 

The Ladies European Tour season now takes a break till February 2016 when it starts the brand new season in Australia.  

So to the Top 5 on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list standings this week and coming in at Number One Position for the twelfth week of his career is Jordan Spieth (USA) who is fresh off  his solo fourth position at the Hero World Challenge one week ago and also his tied for second position at the Emirates Australian Open two weeks ago with 11.85 Official World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Two is Jason Day (Australia) who is fresh off being part of the 2015 Team Internationals Presidents Cup narrow loss to Team USA nine weeks ago in South Korea and also his tied for tenth position at the Tour Championship by Coca – Cola eleven weeks ago with 11.29 Official World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Three is Rory McILroy (NIR) who is fresh off his win three weeks ago at the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai and the Race to Dubai title for a third time in his career and also his tied for eleventh position at the WGC – HSBC Champions five weeks ago with 11.19 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Four is Bubba Watson (USA) who is fresh off his tied for fifteenth position at the Thailand Golf Championship this past week and also his win one week ago at the Hero World Challenge with 8.26 Official World Ranking Points and rounding out the top five on the Official World Ranking Points list standings this week is Henrik Stenson (Sweden) who is fresh off his solo second position at the Nedbank Golf Challenge one week ago and also his tied for fifty ninth position at the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai three weeks ago with 7.57 Official World Ranking Points. Danny Lee (NZL) this week is in his thirty ninth week of another spell of being the highest ranked New Zealand Golfer in the world after finishing in tied for seventh position at the Franklin Templeton Shootout this past week with his partner Retief Goosen (RSA). This week he slips two places and falls to fortieth ninth position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list standings with 2.67 Official Golf World Ranking Points.

Remember when playing in the wind you must be patient!!

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

Golf Events from the Weekend 6th December 2015

Well it was another brilliant weekend on the Major Professional Golf Tours from around the world and this week the European Tour and Race to Dubai headed to Queensland, Australia for the Australian PGA Championship and it was played on the RACV Royal Pines Resort, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. It was a co – sanctioned event with the PGA Tour of Australasia and carried a large prize purse of AU $1,750,000 for the taking. All the top players from the PGA Tour of Australasia were there along with some top players from the European Tour. Greg Chalmers (Australia) was the defending champion and was keen to defend his title. There were also many of New Zealand’s top professionals in the field as well. And it was the golfer by the name of Nathan Holman (Australia) who scored rounds of 77+5, 68-4, 70-2 and a final round 73+1 for a seventy two hole total of 288 even par but he was tied on that score by Harold Varner III (USA) who scored rounds of 74+2, 73+1, 66-6 and a final round of 75+3 for a seventy two hole total of 288 even par also. And the final player to tie on that scored was Dylan Frittelli (RSA) who scored rounds of 70-2, 72 even par, 71-1 and a final round of 75+3 for a seventy two hole total of 288 even par. So those three players headed back to the par four, eighteenth hole for the first playoff hole. 

So to the first playoff hole which was the par four, eighteenth hole. They each choose a piece of paper from the PGA Tour of Australasia Tour Officials hat which had a number on it which would determine the playing order for the playoff. Dylan Frittelli (RSA) choose number one and teed off first and hit his drive down the middle of the fairway but it drew to the left on the wind and landed in the left rough. Nathan Holman (Australia) choose number two and teed off second and struck a brilliant drive that landed in the centre of the fairway and came to rest in the left side. Harry Varner III (USA) choose number three and teed off third and he hit a poor drive that he pulled well to the left and it came to rest in the left rough. 

Dylan Frittelli (RSA) played his second shot first and it came out of the rough with no control on it and hit the green and rolled right threw into the TV Cables at the back of the green. Harry Varner III (USA) played his second shot second and he was playing for the flier lie from the rough but it didn’t come out as well as he thought it would. It landed short of the green and rolled down the slope leaving a very difficult chip shot to get the ball up and down for his par four. Nathan Holman (Australia) played his second shot third from the fairway and knew if he could land it on the green he would have a great chance of winning the Championship. He hit a brilliant shot with his short iron that drew in from right to left and came to rest twenty five feet from the pin underneath the hole.

Harry Varner III (USA) played his third shot first and he hit a good chip under the circumstances but it came up short understandably because if he had been too aggressive his ball would have rolled down the slope at the back of the green. His ball came to rest twenty feet short of the cup. Dylan Frittelli (RSA) played his third shot chip third and he was allowed to drop his ball in the drop zone to get relief from the TV Cables and Corporate Tent. He played the best shot he could under the circumstances of the pressure of the playoff and flopped it up on the green and it rolled ten feet past the cup on the green. 

Nathan Holman (Australia) now putted for his birdie three from twenty five feet and if he holed it he would win the Australian PGA Championship for 2015. He calmed his nerve and hit a very good putt that just missed on the right hand side and rolled three feet past the cup. He knew he had virtually secure his par and had put some real pressure back on his fellow competitors who both now had to hole there par putts to extend the playoff to a second hole.  Harry Varner III (USA) now putted from twenty feet for his par and he knew that he more than likely had to hole it if he was going to extend the playoff to a second hole. He struck a very good putt but it just missed on the left hand side. It rolled four feet past the cup. Dylan Frittelli (RSA) now putted for his par from ten feet and he just like Harry Varner III (USA) knew he would have to hole it to extend the playoff to a second hole. He struck a very good putt but just as it got to the hole and looked like going in it veered to the right and came to rest four feet past the cup. He tapped in for his par four. Then Harry Varner III (USA) tapped in his four footer for his par four. Nathan Holman (Australia) now calmed his nerve and calmly rolled in his three footer for his par and the victory!! It was also his first win as a professional!! He got a hug and high five from his caddie!! Then from his fellow competitors!! Then the Australian Professionals that are mates of his sprayed champagne all over him to celebrate the win with him!! He was congratulated by the PGA Tour of Australasia Tour official. 

 

Nathan Holman (Australia) on the left is congratulated by his caddie on the right after he holed the winning putt!!

Then he was interviewed by the on course commentator, Pat Welsh and he asked him “The Aussie, Aussie, Aussie cheer is ring out, I look at the Joe Kirkwood Cup and see some of the greatest names there in global golf and Nathan Holman is about to join them, what a day”.  And Nathan Holman (Australia) replied “Yeah, it was crazy, off that double start and then played nicely again, and then to try and lose it in the end, was pretty annoying, and it was a tough wait in that scoring hut, but to get the job done on the first playoff hole was pleasing!!” Then Pat Welsh said “We have the chairman of the PGA of Australia, Mark Gibson and you are going to hand over one of the most covered prizes in Australian Golf, Nathan it is all yours enjoy it!!” Then Nathan Holman (Australia) held up the Joe Kirkwood Cup to celebrate winning the Australian PGA Championship and was photographed by the surrounding media!! 

Nathan Holman (Australia) won € 225,251 for his the win and moved to seventh position on the current 2016 Race to Dubai Points list standings with 225,251 points earned from the one event he has played to date this season so far. Henrik Stenson (Sweden) is the current leading that list with 678,970 points earned from the one event he has played to date this season so far. From the one event Nathan Holman (Australia) has played to date this season so far he has made one cut and achieved one top ten finish that came this week with his maiden European Tour win!! He will be happy with his second, third and final rounds that were under par and close to par especially his second round 68-4!! And he will also be extremely pleased with how he made par on the first playoff hole to secure the title!! And he will be happy he survived the first round with 77+5 when over thirty players in the field scored 80 or worse in the brutally windy conditions!!

It was his first European Tour International Schedule victory in his sixteenth European Tour event. He moves to 225,251 points in The Race to Dubai. He could move to just inside the top 170 of the Official World Golf Ranking, from 318th. This victory beats his previous best European Tour performance of tied eleventh in the 2015 Maybank Malaysian Open. He becomes the first, first-time winner of the 2016 European Tour season. He becomes the first Australian to win on The European Tour since Jason Day (Australia) (2015 US PGA Championship). He wins the first three-man European Tour play-off since The 144th Open Championship, won by Zach Johnson (USA). In the play-off he beat American Harold Varner III (USA) and South African Dylan Frittelli (RSA). The last three man-play-off prior to the Australian PGA Championship also featured one Australian (Marc Leishman), one South African (Louis Oosthuizen) and one American (Zach Johnson).

He becomes the seventeenth consecutive Australian winner of the Australian PGA Championship. He becomes the sixth Australian to win a European Tour event on home soil. They are: Jarrod Moseley (Australia) (1999 Heineken Classic), Lucas Parsons (Australia) (2000 Greg Norman Holden International), Aaron Baddeley (Australia) (2001 Greg Norman Holden International and 2007 MasterCard Masters), Craig Parry (Australia) (2005 Heineken Classic), Rod Pampling (Australia) (2009 Sportsbet Masters – Nov 2008) and Nathan Holman (Australia) (2016 Australian PGA Championship). He became the 120th Australian victory in European Tour history. He becomes the 41st different Australian to win in European Tour history. This victory extends Australia’s winning years on The European Tour to four seasons, dating back to the 2013 season. He gains his largest European Tour prize of €225,251. He gains a European Tour exemption until the end of the 2017 European Tour season. And finally he gains his first win as a professional.

 

Nathan Holman (Australia) holds aloft the Joe Kirkwood Cup he won for winning the Australian PGA Championship!!

Nathan Holman (Australia) (born 19 April 1991) is an Australian professional golfer from Melbourne, Australia who plays on both the PGA Tour of Australasia and the European Tour. In December 2015, he won the Australian PGA Championship for his first professional victory. He is coached by Marty Joyce and his home club is Woodlands Golf Club in Melbourne. His career low round is 62 (−10) shot at Riversdale Golf Club in Melbourne. Nathan Holman (Australia) had a successful amateur career and just prior to turning professional he was ranked number two in Australia and number 25 in the world. He played regularly as an amateur on the PGA Tour of Australasia in the last twelve months of his amateur career, including a top twenty finish in the Victorian PGA Championship. He also tied for fifth at the Heritage Classic and tied for third in the Victorian Open. 

Nathan Holman (Australia) turned professional in October 2013, and his first professional tournament was the Western Australia Goldfields PGA Championship at Kalgoorlie Golf Course from 3–6 October 2013. In only his fifth professional tournament, in November 2013, Nathan Holman (Australia) made the cut at the 2013 Talisker Masters played at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club and significantly, was tied for the lead at the half-way mark. He went into the final round tied for second, having played the third round with Adam Scott (Australia), a player Nathan Holman (Australia) has described as an idol. Although Nathan Holman (Australia) faded in the final round with a 78, he did shoot three sub-par rounds to finish on -3 and fifteenth place in a tournament field of 120 competitors. Nathan Holman (Australia) was a member of the 2013 Golf Australia National Squad. Nathan Holman (Australia) played on the 2015 European Tour, although his schedule was limited due to injuries, and he lost his playing privileges after finishing 135th on the Race to Dubai. He made the cut in seven of ten events and earned 156,877 euros during the 2015 European Tour season. 

In December 2015, Nathan Holman (Australia) won the first professional tournament of his career, the Australian PGA Championship, with a par on the first hole of a playoff with Harold Varner III (USA) of the United States and Dylan Frittelli (RSA) of South Africa. The win at a tournament co-sanctioned by the European Tour earned Nathan Holman (Australia) the top spot on the 2015 PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit as well as spots in the 2016 Open Championship at Royal Troon and the 2016 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. The win also secured Nathan Holman's (Australia) card on the 2015-2016 European Tour just two weeks after he had failed in his bid to secure a spot on that tour via the qualifying school. Let’s hope he can carry this form into the 2016 European Tour early events in January and I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2016 European Tour season and Race to Dubai. 

Coming in tied for second position at 288 even par after seventy two holes and losing on the first playoff hole was Harold Varner III (USA); he earned € 106,055 for his efforts but because he isn’t a current member of the 2016 European Tour he doesn’t get a current 2016 Race to Dubai Points list standings ranking. From the one event he has played to date this season so far he has made one cut and achieved one top ten finish that came this week. He will be content with his first, second and final rounds that were all in the mid 70s and extremely happy with his third round 66-6 which was the low round of the day and blemish free as well. But he will be mad that he bogeyed the first playoff hole and handed the championship to Nathan Holman (Australia). He was only playing in the Australian PGA Championship as a sponsor’s exemption after recently gaining his 2015/16 USPGA Tour card and making a great start to the season. Harold Varner III (USA) is an American professional golfer who plays on the Web.com Tour and USPGA Tour. Despite his smaller stature, Harold Varner III (USA) is one of the longest drivers of the golf ball on tour. Harold Varner III (USA) is one of just a handful of African-American professional golfers. Harold Varner III (USA) was born in Akron, Ohio. He played his collegiate golf at East Carolina University and was the first player in school history to be named Conference USA player of the year. He also competed in the 2010 U.S. Amateur at Chambers Bay in University Place, Washington. Harold Varner III (USA) turned professional in 2012, missing the cut at the Chiquita Classic. Prior to playing on the Web.com Tour, he played on the eGolf Tour and Florida Tour. He qualified for the 2013 U.S. Open, but missed the cut. Harold Varner III (USA) started playing on the Web.com Tour in 2014, making 13 cuts in 21 tournaments with two top-10 finishes. His best finish was tied for second at the Rex Hospital Open. He finished thirtieth on the money list in his first full season. He also played in two USPGA Tour events, the Northern Trust Open where he tied for seventieth and Wells Fargo Championship where he missed the cut. In 2015, he had a fairly consistent season that included five top-25 finishes and a runner-up finish at the Panama Claro Championship. He finished the twenty fifth on the Web.com Tour regular season money list, the last guaranteed spot, to earn a USPGA Tour card for the 2015–16 season. Harold Varner III (USA) is the first African American golfer to advance to the USPGA Tour via the Web.com Tour. Let’s hope he can carry this form into the early 2016 part of the 2015/16 USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup in January and maybe achieve his maiden win? I wish him all the best for the 2016 season. 

The other player to tie for second position on 288 even par and losing on the first playoff hole was Dylan Frittelli (RSA); he also earned € 106,055 for his efforts and he moved to twelfth position on the current 2016 Race to Dubai Points list standings with 128,792 points earned from the two events he has played to date this season so far. From the two events he has played to date this season so far he has made two cuts and achieved one top ten finish that came this week. He will be happy with his first, second and third rounds that were all at par and under par especially his 70-2 in the first round when conditions were brutally tough because of high winds!! But he will be disappointed with his final round 75+3 and his bogey on the first playoff hole to hand the Championship to Nathan Holman (Australia). But it has been a good last couple of weeks to start the 2016 European Tour season for him. Dylan Ashley Frittelli (RSA) (born 1990) is a South African professional golfer. Dylan Frittelli (RSA) was born in Johannesburg. He played college golf at the University of Texas, where he won the decisive match to lead his team to victory at the 2012 NCAA Championship. Dylan Frittelli (RSA) turned professional after that victory and played on the European Tour via sponsor’s exemptions for the rest of 2012. He played on the Challenge Tour in 2013 and won his first tour event at the Kärnten Golf Open in June. Let’s hope he can continue this form for the rest of the 2016 European Tour season and Race to Dubai and perhaps achieve his maiden European Tour win? I wish him all the best for the 2016 European Tour season and Race to Dubai.  

Coming in solo fourth position at 289+1 after seventy two holes was Zander Lombard (RSA); he earned € 60,067 for his efforts but because he isn’t a current member of the 2016 European Tour he doesn’t get a current 2016 Race to Dubai Points list standings ranking. From the one event he has played to date this season so far he has made one cut and achieved one top ten finish that came this past week. He will be happy with his first and third rounds that were both under par especially 67-5 in the first round which was blemish free and saw him lead by two shots!! But he will be disappointed with his second and final rounds that were both in the mid 70s. Especially his front nine in the final round of 39+3!! And at the tender age of twenty it was great to see him have such a high finish on the European Tour. Let’s hope this can really launch his professional career in the right direction and he can make the most of the starts he gets on the European Tour in the early part of the 2016 season. I wish him all the best for 2016 for whatever tour he plays on. 

Coming in solo fifth position at 290+2 after seventy two holes was Cameron Smith (Australia); he earned € 50,055 for his efforts but because he isn’t a current member of the 2016 European Tour he doesn’t get a current 2016 Race to Dubai Points list standings ranking. From the one event he has played to date this season so far he has made one cut and achieved one top ten finish that came this past week. He will be happy with his second and third rounds that were both under par especially his 69-3 in the second round!! But he will be disappointed with his first and final rounds that were both over par especially his first round 78+6 which saw him make a nine on the par four, thirteenth hole!! And his 38+3 on the back nine of his final round which saw him play the last six holes in three over par when he was tied for the lead!! But it was good to see him have such a high finish in a huge event like this at the tender age of twenty two. Cameron Smith (Australia) (born 18 August 1993) is an Australian professional golfer. He was a member of the Golf Australia national squad. He turned professional in 2013. Cameron Smith (Australia) has played on the PGA Tour of Australasia since 2013. His best finish is tied for second at the 2015 Coca-Cola Queensland PGA Championship. Cameron Smith (Australia) played on the Asian Tour in 2014, finishing in the top-10 seven times and finishing fifth on the Order of Merit. His best finish was tied for second at the CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters. Cameron Smith (Australia) has been coached and mentored since 2004 by Golf Queensland coach Grant Field. After qualifying for the 2015 U.S. Open, his top-4 finish earned him an invitation to the 2016 Masters Tournament. The finish also earned Cameron Smith (Australia) Special Temporary Membership on the USPGA Tour for the remainder of the 2014–15 season. Cameron Smith (Australia) earned his 2015–16 USPGA Tour card by earning enough as a non-member to have been in the top 125 on the money list. Let’s hope he can carry on this form for the early events of the 2016 part of the 2015/16 USPGA Tour season. I wish him all the best for the 2015/16 USPGA Tour season when it recommences in early January. 

Rounding out the top eight in tied for sixth position at 291+3 after seventy two holes was Dimitrios Papadatos (Australia); he earned € 40,461 for his efforts and moved to thirty third equal position on the current 2016 Race to Dubai Points list standings with 40,462 points earned from the one event he has played in. From the one event he has played in to date this season so far he has made one cut and achieved one top ten finish that came this week. He will be happy with his second and third rounds that were consecutive 71-1s!! But disappointed with his first and final rounds that were in the mid 70s. But will be pleased he has started his 2016 European Tour season off so well. Dimitrios Papadatos (Australia) (born 4 June 1991) is an Australian professional golfer. Dimitrios Papadatos (Australia) turned professional in late 2012. He won his first professional event at the New Zealand Open on the PGA Tour of Australasia in March 2014. Let’s hope he can continue this fine form in the 2016 European Tour. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2016 European Tour season and Race to Dubai. 

Also tied for sixth position was Richard Green (Australia); he too earned € 40,461 for his efforts and moved to thirty third equal position on the current 2016 Race to Dubai Points list standings with 40,462 points earned from the one event he has played in. From the one event he has played in to date this season so far he has made one cut and achieved one top ten finish that came this week. He will be happy with his third round 70-2!! But just content with his first, second and final rounds that were all in the mid 70s. And it was good to see him get his 2016 European Tour season off to such a great start. Richard George Green (Australia) (born 19 February 1971) is an Australian professional golfer. Richard Green (Australia) was born in Williamstown, Melbourne, Victoria. He turned professional in 1992, and joined the PGA Tour of Australasia the same year. Richard Green (Australia) has been a member of the European Tour since 1996, with his first win coming at the 1997 Dubai Desert Classic, where he became the first left-hander to win on the European Tour since Bob Charles (NZL) at the Swiss Open in 1974. His consistent performances in 2004 took him to a career best European Tour Order of Merit finish of seventeenth. That same year he won the MasterCard Masters, which is one of Australia's most prestigious tournaments, and also topped the PGA Tour of Australasia's Order of Merit. In 2007 he won his second European Tour event at the BA-CA Golf Open in Austria.

Richard Green (Australia) held a share of the course record at Carnoustie with a 64, achieved in the final round of the 2007 Open Championship. The round saw him jump twenty seven places on the last day of the tournament to finish in a tie for fourth with Ernie Els (RSA).  He has featured in the top 30 of the Official World Golf Rankings. Richard Green (Australia) is also a keen motor racing fan and owns a Porsche 911 racing car in which he has competed in the Australian GT Championship on occasion as touring schedules allow, including racing on the support card of the 2009 Australian Grand Prix. Among the cars he has owned in the past (and has since sold) included the Bathurst 1000 winning Perkins Engineering Holden Commodore, Perkins Engineering Chassis 027. He has won three European Tour events to date so far with his most recent being the 2010 Portugal Masters. He has also won two events on the PGA Tour of Australasia with his most recent being the 2015 Oates Victorian Open. And he has also represented Australia in the World Cup of Golf in 1998, 2008 and 2011. Let’s hope he can keep this form up for the rest of the 2016 European Tour season. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2016 European Tour season and Race to Dubai. 

The final player to tie for sixth position was Matthew Millar (Australia); he too earned € 40,461 for his efforts but because he isn’t a current member of the 2016 European Tour he doesn’t get a current 2016 Race to Dubai Points list standings ranking. From the one event he has played to date this season so far he has made one cut and achieved one top ten finish that came this past week. He will be happy with his first and second rounds that were at par and under par especially his second round 70-2!! But he will be mad with his third and final rounds that were both in the mid 70s. It was good to see him have another high finish on the European Tour. Matthew Millar (Australia) (born 5 September 1976) is an Australian professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour of Australasia. Matthew Millar (Australia) turned professional in 1999. From 2006–09, he played on the European Tour, having come through all three stages of qualifying school; his best year-end result was 115th on the 2006 Order of Merit. Matthew Millar (Australia) recorded four top ten finishes on tour, with a best finish of tied for fourth in the 2008 New Zealand Open. In 2011, Matthew Millar (Australia) qualified for his first major, The Open Championship. He finished tied for sixty third position. In March 2015, Matthew Millar (Australia) won his first professional event, the Holden New Zealand PGA Championship on the PGA Tour of Australasia. Let’s hope he can continue this form into the 2016 season. I which him all the best for the 2016 season whatever tour he plays on. 

There were eight New Zealanders in the field and the best of them was Josh Geary (NZL), who scored rounds of 77+5, 73+1, 70-2 and a final round of 74+2 for a seventy two hole total of 294+6 and he tied for twenty first position and earned € 11,709 for his efforts. But because he isn’t a current European Tour Member he doesn’t get a current 2016 Race to Dubai Points list standings ranking. From the one event he has played to date this season so far he has made one cut and achieved no top ten finishes.  He will be content with his four rounds this week in the very tough windy conditions especially his third round 70-2!! 

The next best New Zealander was Ryan Fox (NZL), who scored rounds of 74+2, 70-2, 78+6 and a final round of 73+1 for a seventy two hole total of 295+7 and he tied for twenty eighth position and earned € 8,188 for his efforts. He moved to sixty sixth equal position on the current 2016 Race to Dubai Points list standings with 8,188 points earned from the one event he has played to date this season so far. From the one event he has played to date this season so far he has made one cut and achieved no top ten finishes. He will be happy with his first, second and final rounds that were all in the mid to low 70s especially his 70-2 in the second round!! But disappointed in his third round 78+6 which ruined any chance of a top ten finish or evening winning. 

The next best New Zealander was Harry Bateman (NZL), who scored rounds of 76+4, 74+2, 75+3 and a final round of 79+7 for a seventy two hole total of 304+16 and he tied for sixty fifth position and earned € 2,443 for his efforts. But because he isn’t a current European Tour Member he doesn’t get a current 2016 Race to Dubai Points list standings ranking. From the one event he has played to date this season so far he has made one cut and achieved no top ten finishes. He will be content with his first, second and third rounds that were all in the mid 70s, but he will be annoyed with his final round 79+7 that caused him to drop to the back end of the field. 

The next best New Zealander was Mark Brown (NZL), who scored rounds of 76+4 and 75+3 for a 36 hole total of 151+7 to miss the 36 hole cut by a single shot. The next best New Zealander was Michael Long (NZL), who scored rounds of 78+6 and 73+1 for a 36 hole total of 151+7 to miss the 36 hole cut by a single shot. The next best New Zealander was Brad Shilton (NZL), who scored rounds of 76+4 and 75+3 for a 36 hole total of 151+7 to miss the 36 hole cut by a single shot. The next best New Zealander was Nick Gillespie (NZL), who scored rounds of 82+10 and 73+1 for a 36 hole total of 155+11 to miss the 36 hole cut by a five shots. The next best New Zealander was Gareth Paddison (NZL), who scored rounds of 82+10 and 78+6 for a 36 hole total of 160+16 to miss the 36 hole cut by ten shots.

The European Tour and Race to Dubai now takes a break and recommences in early January in South Africa for the BMW SA Open hosted by City of Ekurhuleni and it is played on the Glendower GC, Gauteng, Johannesburg, South Africa. It carries a huge prize purse of ZAR15, 000,000. Andy Sullivan (England) is the defending champion and will be keen to defend his title. It starts on Thursday 7th January and I will report back who won the trophy as soon as the result comes to hand.

So to the Top 5 on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list standings this week and coming in at Number One Position for the eleventh week of his career is Jordan Spieth (USA) who is fresh off  his solo fourth position at the Hero World Challenge this past week and also his tied for second position at the Emirates Australian Open one week ago with 12.01 Official World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Two is Jason Day (Australia) who is fresh off being part of the 2015 Team Internationals Presidents Cup narrow loss to Team USA eight weeks ago in South Korea and also his tied for tenth position at the Tour Championship by Coca – Cola ten weeks ago with 11.45 Official World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Three is Rory McILroy (NIR) who is fresh off his win two weeks ago at the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai and the Race to Dubai title for a third time in his career and also his tied for eleventh position at the WGC – HSBC Champions four weeks ago with 11.40 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Four is Bubba Watson (USA) who is fresh off his win this past week at the Hero World Challenge and his solo third position at the Mitsui Sumitomo VISA Taiheiyo Masters three weeks ago with 8.34 Official World Ranking Points and rounding out the top five on the Official World Ranking Points list standings this week is Henrik Stenson (Sweden) who is fresh off his solo second position at the Nedbank Golf Challenge this past week and also his tied for fifty ninth position at the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai two weeks ago with 7.53 Official World Ranking Points. Danny Lee (NZL) this week is in his thirty eighth week of another spell of being the highest ranked New Zealand Golfer in the world after finishing in tied for ninth position at the Dunlop Phoenix on the Japan Golf Tour two weeks ago. This week he slips five places and falls to fortieth seventh position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list standings with 2.70 Official Golf World Ranking Points.

Remember now the ground is drying out you need to factor it into your shots!!

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