Golf Events from the Weekend 23rd March 2014

Well it was another excellent weekend on the Major Professional Golf Tours from around the world and this week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup stayed in Florida for the fourth and final event of the Florida Swing and it was the tournament which Arnold Palmer (USA) the legendary American Professional Golfer hosts every year and it was called the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard and it was played on the Bay Hill Club & Lodge, Orlando, Florida. And it was the golfer by the name of Matt Every (USA) who scored rounds of 69-3, 70-2, 66-6 and a brilliant final round under the circumstances of 70-2 for a 72 hole total of 275-13 and he won by a single shot for his maiden USPGA Tour win of his career. He won US $1,116,000 for the win and moved to ninth position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,992,626 earned from the eleven events he has played to date this season so far. Jimmy Walker (USA) still leads that list with US $3,861,680 earned from the eleven events he has played to date this season so far. Matt Every (USA) also earned 500 FedEx Cup Points for the win and moved to seventh position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 994 FedEx Cup points earned from the eleven events he has played to date this season so far. He is 878 points behind Jimmy Walker (USA) who still leads that list with 1,872 points earned from the eleven events he has played to date this season so far. From the eleven events Matt Every (USA) has played to date this season so far he has made ten cuts and achieved five top ten finishes that includes the win here this week.

Matt Every (USA) played a steady final round under the intense pressure of the final round. He scored 70-2 that included a front nine of 35-1 with birdies on the par five, fourth hole and par three, ninth hole and his lone bogey came at the par four, eighth hole. He made the turn at minus 12 and was one shot behind the leader. Keegan Bradley (USA) played the front nine in 37+1 and made the turn at minus eleven and was two shots behind the leader. Adam Scott (Australia) went out in 38+2 on his front nine and made the turn at minus 13 and was leading by one shot.

Matt Every (USA) played holes ten to 14 in three under par and moved to minus 15 and now was leading by three shots. Keegan Bradley (USA) played holes ten to 14 in one over par and fell back to minus ten and was now five shots behind the leader. Adam Scott (Australia) played holes ten to 14 in one over par and fell back to minus 12 and was now three shots behind the leader.

Matt Every (USA) in action during the final round

Matt Every (USA) played holes 15 to 17 in one over par which included a poor bogey on the par five, 16th hole where he lost his drive to the right and hit a poor recovery shot that meant he had to lay up for his third shot and he was unable to get up and down for his par. But he made an amazing par on the par three, 17th hole where he came up short with his tee shot in the front bunker. But he played a brilliant bunker shot which struck the flag stick and came to rest a foot from the cup and he easily tapped in for his par. He was now on minus 14 with just the 72nd hole to play and now only leading by two shots. Keegan Bradley (USA) played holes 15 to 17 in two under par which included making a fine birdie on the par five, 16th hole where he hit the green in two shots and just missed his eagle putt and on the par three, 17th hole he struck an excellent tee shot which landed pin high about 15 feet to the left of the flag stick and he rolled the putt in for his birdie two to move to minus 12 with just the par four, 72nd hole to play and he was now only two shots behind the leader. Adam Scott (Australia) played holes 15 to 17 in one over par and really saw his chances of winning diminish when he three putted the par five, 16th hole after hitting a brilliant second shot in with his mid iron and only had about 18 feet left for his eagle putt which he miss read badly to the left and he pulled the return three footer for birdie. He then left his tee shot to the par three, 17th hole in the front bunker and was unable to get up and down for his par. He was now on minus eleven heading to the par four, 72nd hole and was three shots behind the leader.

Matt Every (USA) who was playing in the group ahead of the final group hit an excellent tee shot down the par four, 72nd hole that landed in the middle of the fairway. He then struck a very good second shot with his mid iron to the pin that was situated on the far right hand side of the green, but it rolled through the green into the rough at the back of the green. He now was faced with a very difficult chip shot for his third. He struck a brilliant chip flop shot that only just landed on the green and rolled down to within seven feet of the cup leaving him a good chance to make his par. He got bold with his seven foot par putt and rolled it about four feet past the cup. He now knew he would more than likely have to hole that four foot par putt to be certain to win. He struck a very good putt for his bogey and it went straight into the centre of the cup hitting the back of the cup before it fell in. He celebrated by giving his caddie a huge high five and then as he walked off the 72nd green he got a hand shake from Arnold Palmer (USA) who is the tournament host because he more than likely just won the tournament. He now just had to wait for the final group to finish to find out.

Keegan Bradley (USA) hit a fine drive down the par four, 72nd hole that found the centre of the fairway. He then struck a fine mid iron that came to rest on the green about twenty five feet to the left of the flag stick pin high. He was now faced with a twenty five foot left to right breaking putt that he would have to make to force a playoff with Matt Every (USA). After studying the line he composed himself and struck a fine putt that was rolling at perfect pace but it just veered to the left at the end and he had to settle for his par four and finished the 72 holes on minus 12 and he finished a single shot behind the winner. Adam Scott (Australia) hit a poor drive down the par four, 72nd hole that landed in the left hand rough. He now knew the only chance he had of forcing a playoff was to hole his second shot out for an eagle two. He hit a good shot under the circumstances and it just came up short of the green in the fringe. He got up and down for his par four and finished the 72 holes on minus eleven to finish two shots behind the winner. So Matt Every (USA) now knew his maiden win on the USPGA Tour had become official!! He got another huge high five from his caddie to celebrate!! He scored 35-1 on his back nine and finished the 72 holes on minus 13 to win by a single shot. He was then interviewed by NBC/Golf Channel reporter, Steve Sands and he told him “he was amazed how patient he felt throughout the whole back nine and he was so happy he was able to achieve his maiden USPGA Tour win at this tournament because his Dad used to bring him to this tournament when he was just a little boy”.

 

Arnold Palmer (USA) the tournament host on the left and Matt Every (USA) on the right pose with the Arnold Palmer Invitational Trophy he won!!

Matt Every (USA) has been playing the USPGA Tour on and off since the 2010 season and in the 2012 season he had his best season so far with earning US $1,972,166 from the 25 events he played in and that included making 15 cuts and achieving six top ten finishes. He finished up in 40th position on the final 2012 USPGA Tour Money list standings. Now he has won his maiden USPGA Tour title I feel his second win isn’t too far off and could well happen in the 2013/14 season as well? It is great to see he has put the drugs issue in 2010 behind him and now he also has an invitation to play in the Masters Tournament for the first time in his career which is the first Major Championship of the year in the second week of April. It was also great to see him get his first victory on the USPGA Tour in his home state of Florida because he grew up in Daytona Beach. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 season.

Coming in solo second position at 276-12 after 72 holes was Keegan Bradley (USA); he earned US $669,600 for his efforts and moved to 17th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,425,341 earned from the ten events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 300 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 17th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points standings list with 697 points earned from the ten events he has played to date this season so far. From the ten events he has played to date this season so far he has made nine cuts and achieved two top ten finishes that includes the one here. He can take some real confidence out of this finish after having a rather mediocre start to his season in his first nine events by his high standards. Perhaps he could win his second major championship next month at the Masters Tournament? 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? It is his third straight season he has won over US Three Million Dollars in earnings and he now has career USPGA Tour earnings of US $12,542,413 from the 87 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. 

Coming in solo third position at 277-11 after 72 holes was Adam Scott (Australia); he earned US $421,600 for his efforts and moved to 36th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $910,150 earned from the five events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 190 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 37th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 438.75 points earned from the five events he has played to date this season so far. From the five events he has played to date this season so far he has made five cuts and achieved three top ten finishes which includes the one here. Adam Scott (Australia) will be extremely disappointed with his final round 76+4 after taking a three shot lead into the final round. I hope his disappointing final round doesn’t dent his confidence heading in to the defence of his Masters Tournament title in three weeks time? At least he can take heart from how he played in his first two rounds. Adam Scott (Australia) has been playing on the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2003 season and has kept his card for the next season every season since. In that time he has career earnings of US $34,109,215 earned from the 218 events he has played to date so far in his career. He has also won ten times on the USPGA Tour to date in his career so far and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2003 Deutsche Bank Championship, 2004 THE PLAYERS Championship, Booz Allen Classic, 2005 Nissan Open (The 2005 Nissan Open was shortened to 36 holes due to rain. Adam Scott (Australia) defeated Chad Campbell (USA) on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff. Due to the event's length, this win is not officially recognized), 2006 THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola, 2007 Shell Houston Open, 2008 EDS Byron Nelson Championship, 2010 Valero Texas Open, 2011 World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, 2013 Masters Tournament (Maiden Major Championship) and The Barclays. He had the best record of any player in the four Major Championships in 2013 with winning the Masters Tournament in April; tying for 45th position at the 113th US Open Championship in June; tying for third at the 142nd Open Championship in July and tying for fifth at the 95th PGA Championship in August. He has proved over the last few years that he has one of the solid and most consistent Golf Swings on the USPGA Tour that can stand up to the intense pressures that the USPGA Tour throws at the players week in and week out. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 USPGA Tour season.

Coming in solo fourth position at 278-10 after 72 holes was Jason Kokrak (USA); he earned US $297,600 for his efforts and moved to 40th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $865,909 earned from the eleven events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 135 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 34th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points standings list with 491 points earned from the eleven events he has played to date this season so far. From the eleven events he has played to date this season so far he has made eight cuts and achieved two top ten finishes that includes the one here. He will be disappointed he played the last five holes of his final round two over because if he had of played them even or a couple under par he could have achieved his maiden USPGA Tour win. Jason Kokrak (USA) has been playing on the USPGA Tour for the last three seasons that includes this one. He has kept his card for the following season in his previous two seasons on the USPGA Tour and he is well on his way to keeping his card for this season as well. I feel his maiden win on the USPGA Tour could well happen this season. I wish him all the best for the remaining events in the 2013/14 USPGA Tour season.

Coming in tied for fifth position at 279-9 after 72 holes was Henrik Stenson (Sweden); he earned US $226,300 for his efforts and moved to 73rd position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $483,967 earned from the five events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 100 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 92nd position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 237 points earned from the five events he has played to date this season so far. From the five events he has played to date this season so far he has made four cuts and achieved one top ten finish that came at this very event. Henrik Stenson (Sweden) has been playing the USPGA Tour for the past three season’s fulltime after he gained his full USPGA Tour card by winning the 2009 Players Championship. He had his career best season to date in the 2013 USPGA Tour season. He has now won four USPGA Tour events in his career so far to date and they all have been huge tournaments which include the 2007 World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship, 2009 THE PLAYERS Championship, 2013 Deutsche Bank Championship and the Tour Championship by Coca - Cola. I feel he is a good enough player to win a Major Championship and it will happen in the next few years and perhaps it will happen at the Masters Tournament next month? Last year he won the 2013 FedEx Cup and he really sent a message to the rest of the professional golf world that he had arrived and will be a real force in the years to come. I feel way the FedEx Cup is set up now it proves the best player in the four FedEx Cup Playoff Series events will win the FedEx Cup and Henrik Stenson (Sweden) proved that last year. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2014/13 season.

Also tied for fifth position was Erik Compton (USA); he too earned US $226,300 for his efforts and moved to 85th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $425,127 earned from the 12 events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 100 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 82nd position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 258 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 nine cuts and achieved one top ten finish that came at this very tournament. Erik Compton (USA) has been playing the USPGA Tour Fulltime since the 2012 season where he finished in 163rd position on the USPGA Tour money list standings and failed to retain his tour card. He returned to qualifying school and finished tied for seventh position to regain his card for 2013 season. He kept his card for the 2013/14 season. It is amazing to think that he has had two Heart Transplants in his life already which is a medical miracle. Let’s hope he can achieve his maiden USPGA Tour win soon?  I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 season.

The final player to tie for fifth position was Francesco Molinari (Italy); he too earned US $226,300 for his efforts but because he isn’t a current member of the USPGA Tour he doesn’t get a current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings ranking. He also earned 100 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts but because he isn’t a current member of the USPGA Tour he doesn’t get a current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings ranking. From the four events he has played on the USPGA Tour this season he has made four cuts and he also has achieved one top ten finish that came at this event. He was only playing in this tournament on a sponsor’s exemption. He has been a star player in Europe for many years now and he has already achieved three wins on the European Tour with his last coming at the 2012 Reale Seguros Open de España and in 2010 he won his first WGC – Event at the WGC - HSBC Champions in China. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2014 season which ever tour he ends up playing on.

Rounding out the top ten in tied for eighth position was Brandt Snedeker (USA); he earned US $186,000 for his efforts and moved to 64th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $583,080 earned from the ten events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 83 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 81st position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 261 points earned from the ten events he has played to date this season so far. From the ten events he has played to date this season so far he has made eight cuts and achieved one top ten finish that came at this event. He has had a rather average start to his 2013/14 season on the USPGA Tour by his high standards and this top ten finish maybe just what he needed to boost his confidence. Brandt Snedeker (USA) has been playing on the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2007 season and he has easily kept his card every year for the following season every year since and he has achieved six wins in that time and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2007 Wyndham Championship, 2011 The Heritage, 2012 Farmers Insurance Open, TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola, 2013 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am and the RBC Canadian Open. In 2012 he won the FedEx Cup and the Ten Million Dollar Bonus that goes with it. I feel he is destined to win a Major Championship before his career is over, maybe it will happen in the 2013/14 season and perhaps it could happen at the first Major Championship of the year at the Masters Tournament next month? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 season.

The final player to tie for eighth position was Ryo Ishikawa (Japan); he too earned US $186,000 for his efforts and moved to twenty seventh position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,125,680 earned from the 12 events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 83 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to twenty sixth position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points standings list with 578 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 three top ten finishes which includes the one here. He is in his third full season of playing the USPGA Tour fulltime. He had an average rookie season in 2012 on the USPGA Tour by his high standards with earning US $727,051 from the 18 events he played in and that included making ten cuts and achieving two top ten finishes and one of them was his career best finish to date on the USPGA Tour where he finished in second position at the Puerto Rico Open presented by seepuertorico.com. He is still very young being only 22 years of age and turns 23 in September this year. He is Japan’s young Golfing Superstar and has Rock Star Status whenever he plays on the Japan Golf Tour having already won 12 events on that tour and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2007 Munsingwear Open KSB Cup [Jpn], 2008 Kansai Open, Mynavi ABC Championship [Jpn], 2009 The Royal Trophy [Jpn, team], Mizuno Open [Jpn], Sun Chlorella Open [Jpn], Fujisankei Classic [Jpn], Tokai Classic [Jpn], 2010 The Crowns [Jpn], Fujisankei Classic [Jpn], Mitsui Sumitomo Visa Taiheiyo Masters [Jpn] and the 2012 Mitsui Sumitomo Visa Taiheiyo Masters [Jpn]. He finished in 13th position on the final 2013 Web.com Tour Finals Priority Rankings and gained his full 2013/14 USPGA Tour card. He seems to be taking a little bit longer to getting used to playing on the USPGA Tour but I’m sure he isn’t too far away from his maiden win on the USPGA Tour, and perhaps it will come in the 2013/14 season? 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 71-1 in the first round a second round of 72 even par, a third round 73+1 and a final round of 70-2 for a 72 hole total of 286-2 and he tied for 31st position. But he can take a huge positive from last three weeks where two weeks ago he finished in solo second position in the Puerto Rico Open presented by seepuertorico.com which was his career best finish on the USPGA Tour to date so far. He earned US $37,588 for his efforts and he currently lies in 78th  position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $461,245 earned from the 12 events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 38 FedEx Cup Points for his effort currently lies in 79th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup points list standings with 266 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 four cuts and achieved one top ten finish that came two weeks ago at the Puerto Rico Open presented by seepuertorico.com. Let’s hope he can make the cut 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 71-1 in the first round, a second round of 74+2, a poor third round of 77+5 and a final round of 73+1 in very tough conditions for a 72 hole total of 295+7 and he finished in tied for 72nd position. He earned US$12,214 for his efforts and moved to 86th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $416,986 earned from the eleven events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned one FedEx Cup Point for his efforts and moved to 106th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup points list standings with 201 points earned from the eleven events he has played to date this season so far. From the eleven events he has played to date this season so far he has made six cuts and achieved two top ten finishes which came at the OHL Classic at Mayakoba in mid November last year and last month at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 season.

Next week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup heads to Texas for the first of two tournaments on the first Texas Swing of the 2013/14 season and it is the Valero Texas Open and it is played on the JW Marriott, TPC San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas. It carries a huge prize purse of US $6,200,000 for the taking. Danny Lee (NZL) and Tim Wilkinson (NZL) are also likely to get starts. Martin Laird (Scotland) is the defending Champion and will be keen to defend his title. It starts on Thursday 27th March and I will report back who won the trophy next week. 

So to the Top 5 on the Official World Golf Rankings Points this week and coming in at Number One Position for the 676th week of his career in total is Tiger Woods (USA) who is fresh off his tie for twenty fifth position at the WGC – Cadillac Championship two weeks ago with 9.48 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Two is Adam Scott (Australia) who won his maiden Major Championship at the Masters Tournament just over eleven months ago and also won The Barclays over six months ago and also won the Australian PGA Championship just over four months ago and he also won the Talisker Masters 18 weeks ago and 17 weeks ago finished in solo third position in the individual competition at the ISPS HANDA World Cup of Golf and 16 weeks ago finished runner up in the Emirates Australian Open and two weeks ago finished in tied for 25th position at the WGC – Cadillac Championship and this past week he finished in solo third position at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard with 8.52 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Three is Henrik Stenson (Sweden) who won the Tour Championship by Coca – Cola and also the 2013 FedEx Cup over five months ago and won DP World Tour Championship, Dubai and the 2013 Race to Dubai Title 18 weeks ago and also tying for 16th position at the WGC – Cadillac Championship two weeks ago with 8.32 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Four is Jason Day (Australia) who is fresh off his WGC – Accenture Match Championship win four weeks ago with 6.95 Official Golf World Ranking Points and rounding out the top 5 on the Official Golf World Ranking Points list this week is Phil Mickelson (USA) who won the Open Championship over eight months ago and also finished in tied for 16th position at the WGC – Cadillac Championship two weeks ago with 6.41 Official Golf World Ranking Points. Mark Brown (NZL) fresh off  his solo second finish at the New Zealand Open three weeks ago is the highest ranked New Zealand Golfer in the world for the fourth straight week of his career. This week he slips two places and falls to 227th position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list with 0.76 Official Golf World Ranking Points.

Remember it is important to never give up when playing golf and sometimes you have to display Intestinal Fortitude to succeed!!

Source: Pgatour.com, Official World Golf Rankings

Golf Events from the Weekend 16th March 2014

Well it was another amazing weekend on the Major Professional Golf Tours from around the world and this week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup stayed in the State of Florida for the third straight week for the third event of four in the Florida Swing and it was the Valspar Championship and it was played on the Innisbrook Resort - Copperhead, Palm Harbor, Florida. And it was the Golfer by the name of John Senden (Australia) who scored rounds of 72+1, 71 even par, 64-7 and a steady final round under the circumstances of 70-1 for a 72 hole total of 277-7 to win by one shot for his second USPGA Tour win of his career to date. He won US $1,026,000 for the win and moved to 14th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,415,605 earned from the ten events he has played to date this season so far. Jimmy Walker (USA) still leads that list with US $3,861,680 earned from the eleven events he has played to date this season so far. He 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 719 points earned from the ten events he has played to date this season so far. He is currently 1,153 points behind the current leader of the FedEx Cup who is Jimmy Walker (USA) who has earned 1,872 points from the eleven events he has played to date this season so far. From the ten events John Senden (Australia) has played to date this season so far he has made eight cuts and achieved two top ten finishes which includes the win here.  

John Senden (Australia) scored 70-1 in the final round which included a front nine of 35-1 with birdies on the par five, first hole and par five, fifth hole but he made his lone bogey on the par four, seventh hole and made the turn at minus seven and was leading by one shot. Kevin Na (USA) went out in 39+3 and made the turn at minus four and was three shots behind the leader. Scott Langley (USA) went out in 34-2 and made the turn at minus six and was one shot behind the leader.

 

John Senden (Australia) in action during the final round

John Senden (Australia) played holes ten to 14 in one over par and had fallen back to minus six and was now tied for the lead. Kevin Na (USA) played holes ten to 14 in one under par and moved to minus five and was now only one shot behind the leader. Scott Langley (USA) played holes ten to 14 in even par and remained at minus six and was now tied for the lead.

John Senden (Australia) played holes 15 to 17 in one under par and that included chipping in for a birdie three on the par four, 16th hole and holing a twenty five foot putt for birdie on the par three, 17th hole and he had moved to minus seven with just the par four, 72nd hole to play and was now leading by one shot. Kevin Na (USA) played holes 15 to 17 in one under par and that included making a brilliant birdie on the par three, 17th hole after nearly holing out his tee shot and then rolling in a very difficult downhill putt from 12 feet and he moved to minus six and was one shot off the leader with just the 72nd hole to play. Scott Langley (USA) played holes 15 to 17 in one over par and had fallen back to minus five and was now two shots behind the leader.

Scott Langley (USA) who was playing in a couple of groups ahead of the leaders made a solid par up the par four, 72nd hole where he holed an eight foot putt for his par. He finished the 72 holes on minus five and was two shots behind the winner. John Senden (Australia) who was playing in the group ahead of the leaders now knew if he could par the par four, 72nd hole it just might be good enough to win. He choose his two iron off the tee for accuracy but lost it slightly to the right and it landed in the right hand rough. He now was faced with a short iron for his second shot which he struck very well under the immense pressure he was under. It landed about forty feet past the flag stick in the middle of the green. He now knew if he could two putt the championship would almost certainly be his. After checking the line with his caddie he composed himself then struck a brilliant putt at perfect speed and it came to rest inches from the cup leaving a simple tap in for his par four. He scored 35 even par on his back nine and finished on minus seven. He now knew he would have to wait for Kevin Na (USA) in the final group to see if he could birdie the par four, 72nd hole to force a playoff. Kevin Na (USA) struck a good tee shot that came to rest in the first cut of rough on the right. He stuck a fine short iron for his second shot that came to rest about forty feet past the pin in a similar position that John Senden (Australia) was in before. He now knew his last hope of getting into a playoff was to hole the forty foot putt for birdie. After discussing the read with his caddie he then focused in hard on making the putt but miss read it badly to the left and it came to rest about three feet from the cup and he tapped in for his par four to finish on minus six and was one shot behind the winner. John Senden (Australia) now knew he had won the Valsper Championship by a single stroke. He got a high five and huge hug from his caddie and some of his friends that were on course to celebrate with him!!

 

John Senden (Australia) poses with the Valsper Championship trophy he won!!

John Senden (Australia) has been playing the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2002 season and has kept his card for the next year every season since. In that time he has amassed career earnings of US $17,401,930 earned from the 345 events he has played to date so far in his career. His maiden win came at the 2006 John Deere Classic and of course his second win came this past week at the Valsper Championship. So he had to wait just under eight years between wins.  He is considered by some golf experts to have one of the best swings in the game but sometimes his putting lets him down. But this week it was the opposite with his putting and chipping saving him. I sure his third win on the USPGA Tour is just around the corner and it could well happen in the 2013/14 season? Perhaps it could even be a WGC – Event or even a Major Championship? Now at age 42 years old he is really settled in his life being happily married to his wife Jackie since 1999, and has one child, Jacob. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 season.

Coming in solo second position at 278-6 after 72 holes was Kevin Na (USA); he earned US $615,600 for his efforts and moved to 15th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,367,952 earned from the ten events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 300 FedEx Cup points for his efforts and moved to 15th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 717 points earned from the ten events he has played to date this season so far. From the ten events he has played to date this season so far he has made seven cuts and achieved four top ten finishes that includes the one here. This week Kevin Na (USA) show some real fighting skills after scoring a 39+3 on the front nine in the final round he came back with 33-2 on the back nine and gave himself a putt to force a playoff which he was unable to convert. I feel this fighting quality will serve him well in the events he plays in the future. Kevin Na (USA) has been playing on the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2004 season and has kept his card every season since. He only played in eight events in the 2013 USPGA Tour season because of a back injury (bulging discs) that flared up after the Masters Tournament. He has one win on the USPGA Tour to date in his career so far and that came at the 2011 Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. He will be very happy he has started the first part of the season off so well. So far in his career to date he has career earnings of US $14,632,553 earned from the 255 events he has played so far to date in his career. Let’s hope he can continue on this form for the rest of the season and achieve his second win on the USPGA Tour? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 season.

Coming in solo third position at 279-5 after 72 holes was Scott Langley (USA); he earned US $387,600 for his efforts and moved to 60th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $593,674 earned from the 12 events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 190 FedEx Cup points for his efforts and moved to 58th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points standings list with 331 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 seven cuts and this finish here was his first top ten he has achieved to date this season so far. Scott Langley (USA) gained his 2013 USPGA Tour card by going to the 2012 USPGA Tour Qualifying School Finals where he finished in 17th place which meant he gained a 2013 USPGA Tour card. He had a very good rookie season in 2013 with earning US $590,684 from the twenty seven events he played in and only just managed to keep his exempt status for the 2013/14 USPGA Tour season. This finish should give him lots of confidence with some big events come up in the weeks ahead.  Let’s hope the left hander can win his maiden USPGA Tour event this season? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 USPGA Tour season.

Coming in tied for fourth position at 280-4 after 72 holes was Will MacKenzie (USA); he earned US $235,600 for his efforts and moved to twentieth position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,218,174 earned from the eleven events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 115 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to twentieth position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 611 points earned from the eleven events he has played to date this season so far. From the eleven events he has played to date this season so far he has made nine cuts and achieved four top ten finishes which includes the one here. He has been playing the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2005 season and has easily kept his card every year since except for the 2011 – 2013 seasons. He regained his 2013/14 USPGA Tour card by finishing in seventh 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 also won two USPGA Tour events in his career to date with the first being the 2006 Reno-Tahoe Open and the second being the 2008 Viking Classic. It is great to see him get off to such a good start for the 2014 part of the 2013/14. I hope this finish can give him the confidence to keep on improving and have more top ten finishes in the weeks to come and even win his third event on the USPGA Tour? I wish him every continuing success for the 2013/14 season.

Also tied for fourth position was Luke Donald (England); he also earned US $235,600 for his efforts and moved to 59th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $595,600 earned from the five events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 115 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 69th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 296 points earned from the five events he has played to date this season so far. From the five events he has played to date this season so far he has made five cuts and achieved two top ten finishes that includes the one here. Luke Donald (England) has been playing on the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2002 season and in that time he has won five USPGA Tour events with his last one coming at the 2012 Transitions Championship and he also won his first WGC events in 2011 at the Accenture Match play Championship. In May 2011 he became the number one golfer in the world for the very first time in his career. He has also achieved top ten finishes in all four Major Championships and you would have to think that before his career is finished he would at least win one Major Championship? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 USPGA Tour season.

The final player to tie for fourth position was Robert Garrigus (USA); he also earned US $235,600 for his efforts and moved to 58th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $600,173 earned from the eleven events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 115 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 37th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 410 points earned from the eleven events he has played to date this season so far. From the eleven events he has played to date this season so far he has made eight cuts and achieved one top ten finish that came at this very event. Robert Garrigus (USA) will be really disappointed with his final round 75+4 when he was the 54 hole leader going into the final round. It was his shocking front nine of 41+5 which really put pay to any chance he had of winning. But he will be encouraged with how he came back with a 34-1 on the back nine and considering he had not been in this position in a while he will gain a lot of confidence from this performance. His maiden win on the USPGA Tour came at the Children’s Miracle Network Classic in November 2010. It is great to see he has put his substance abuse issues that he faced early in his career behind him and he is very happy with how his life is going now being happily married to his wife, Ami and in 2010 they had their first child. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 season.

Coming in solo seventh position at 281-3 after 72 holes was George McNeill (USA); he earned US $190,950 for his efforts and moved to 39th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $787,450 earned from the ten events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 90 FedEx Cup points for his efforts and moved to 36th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 420 points earned from the ten events he has played to date this season so far. From the ten events he has played to date this season so far he has made eight cuts and achieved three top ten finishes that includes the one here. 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.

Rounding out the top ten in tied for eighth position at 282-2 after 72 holes was Graham Delaet (Canada); he earned US $148,200 for his efforts and moved to 13th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,639,166 earned from the nine events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 73 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 12th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 727 points earned from the nine events he has played so far this season. From the nine events he has played to date so far this season he has eight cuts and achieved five top ten finishes which includes the one here. He has been playing on the USPGA Tour full time since the 2010 season after gaining his card at the 2009 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament where he finished in tied for eighth position. In his rookie season on the USPGA Tour in 2010 he had a very good season and earned just under one million US dollars and easily kept his card for the 2011 season. In his second full season on the USPGA Tour in 2011 season he sat out the majority of the campaign due to a back injury and played the 2012 season out of the Major Medical Extension category, where he had 26 events to earn US $ 657,694 in 2012 season. In the 2012 season which was his third full season on the USPGA Tour he earned just over a million US Dollars and easily made the US $657,694 he required to keep his card for the 2013 season. In the 2013 season on the USPGA Tour he earned US $2,834,900 from the 26 events he played in and finished in twenty first position on the final 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings which was his best of his career to date. He also made his rookie appearance in the Presidents Cup for Team International and played brilliantly. I feel his maiden win on the USPGA Tour isn’t too far away and it will happen in the 2013/14 season. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 season.

Also tied for eighth position was Gary Woodland (USA); he too earned US $148,200 for his efforts and moved to 16th position on the 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,357,643 earned from the nine events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 73 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 18th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points standings list with 628 points earned from the nine events he has played to date this season so far. From the nine events he has played to date this season so far he has made eight cuts and achieved three top ten finishes that includes the one here. He has been playing on the USPGA Tour fulltime since the 2009 season after he qualified by finishing in tied for eleventh position at the 2008 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament. He had a poor rookie season on the USPGA Tour in 2009 with only making US $121,031 from the 18 events he played in and he finished in 204th position on the final 2009 USPGA Tour Money list standings and he lost all his status for the 2010 season. He spent the 2010 season playing in only a few USPGA Tour and Web.com Tour events and at the end of 2010 went back to the PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament where he finished in tied for eleventh position and he regained his USPGA Tour card back for the 2011 season. In his second go at playing the USPGA Tour fulltime he had an amazing season with earning US $3,448,591 from the 25 events he played in and achieved his maiden win at the Transitions Championship and achieved another five top ten finishes. He finished in 17th position on the final 2011 USPGA Tour Money list standings. 2012 on the USPGA Tour he had an average season with earning US $592,879 from the twenty two events he played in and finished in 134th position on the final 2012 USPGA Tour Money list standings but because of his win in the 2011 season he was fully exempt for the 2013 season. In his 2013 season on the USPGA Tour he earned US $1,915,732 from the twenty six events he played in and finished in 37th position on the final 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings which included his second win of his USPGA Tour career at the Reno-Tahoe Open. With now two USPGA Tour wins behind him I’m sure his third win isn’t too far off? He is one of the longest hitters on the USPGA Tour with averaging well over 300 yards every drive. I wish him all the best for the remaining events in the 2013/14 season.

Also tied for eighth position was Matt Every (USA); he too earned US $148,200 for his efforts and moved to 36th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $876,626 earned from the ten events he has played to date so far this season. He also earned 73 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 31st position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 494 points earned from the ten events he has played to date this season so far. From the ten events he has played to date this season so far he has made nine cuts and achieved four top ten finishes that includes the one here. He has been playing the USPGA Tour on and off since the 2010 season and in the 2012 season he had his best season so far with earning US $1,972,166 from the 25 events he played in and that included making 15 cuts and achieving six top ten finishes. He finished up in 40th position on the final 2012 USPGA Tour Money list standings. I feel his maiden USPGA Tour win isn’t too far off and could well happen in the 2013/14 season? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2013/14 season.

Also tied for eighth position was David Hearn (Canada); he too earned US $148,200 for his efforts and moved to 68th position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $507,784 earned from the 12 events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 73 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 64th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points standings list with 311 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 that includes the one here. David Hearn (Canada) has been playing the USPGA Tour fulltime on and off since the 2004 season after gaining his card by finishing in tied for 21st position at the 2004 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament. In his rookie season in the 2005 season he played really poor with only making ten cuts from the twenty four events he played in and achieved no top ten finishes. He only earned US $197,453 and found himself back on the Web.com Tour for the 2006 – 2010 seasons. In 2010 he had a very good season on the Web.com Tour with earning US $230,440 from the 25 events he played in and that included making 16 cuts and achieving five top ten finishes. He finished in twenty first position on the final 2010 Web.com Tour Money list standings and gained back his full USPGA Tour card for the 2011 season. In 2011 in his second try at USPGA Tour fulltime he had a much better season with earning US $869,072 from the 26 events he played in and achieved three top ten finishes, he easily kept his card for the 2012 season. In 2012 he had an even better season with earning US $1,012,575 from the 28 events he played in and he achieved two top ten finishes, again easily keeping his card for the 2013 season. And last year he had his best season ever in the four seasons he had been playing on the USPGA Tour fulltime with earnings of US $ 1,171,515 earned from the twenty six events he played in and he finished in 75th position on the final 2013 USPGA Tour Money list standings. He was just having an average season prior to the two top ten finishes he has achieved in his last three starts. So let’s hope he can have an even better season in his fifth full season on the USPGA Tour fulltime and perhaps even his maiden win on the USPGA Tour will come in the 2013/14 season?

Also tied for eighth position was Matteo Manassero (Italy); he too earned US $148,200 for his efforts but because he isn’t a current member of the USPGA Tour he doesn’t get a current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings ranking. He also earned 73 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts but because he isn’t a current member of the USPGA Tour he doesn’t get a current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings ranking. From the three events he has played to date so far this season on the USPGA Tour he has made three cuts and this was the first top ten finish he has achieved so far this season. Matteo Manassero (Italy) plays the European Tour fulltime and was only playing in this tournament because he had been given a sponsor’s exemption to prepare for the first Major Championship of the year which is the Masters Tournament in the second week of April. He is still very young with only being twenty years of age and turns twenty one the week after the Masters Tournament. He has already won four times on the European Tour and his current Official World Golf Ranking is 48th position with 2.49 Official World Golf Ranking points. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2014 season on both the European Tour and USPGA Tour’s. 

The final player to tie for eighth position was Justin Rose (England); he too earned US $148,200 for his efforts and moved to 53rd position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $634,479 earned from the five events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 73 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 71st position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 292 points earned from five events he has played to date this season so far. From the five events he has played to date this season so far he has made five cuts and achieved two top ten finishes which includes the one here. He will be disappointed with his final round of 74+3 because had he of scored a round in the 60s he would of had a great chance to win. Justin Rose (England) has been playing the USPGA Tour Fulltime since the 2004 season with easily keeping his card for the next year every year since. In that time he has career earnings to date of US $25,912,244 from the 235 events he has played in his USPGA Tour career to date so far. He has already has five wins on the USPGA Tour which are the 2010 the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance, AT&T National, 2011 BMW Championship, 2012 World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship and the 113th US Open Championship (Maiden Major Championship). I feel now he has won his maiden Major Championship he will have taken a lot of pressure off himself and I wouldn’t be surprised if he won his second Major Championship in the next few years. I wish him all the best for rest the 2013/14 season.

Danny Lee (NZL) was the only New Zealand Golfer in the field and he scored rounds of 68 -3 in the first round and was tied for the lead, but then scored a disastrous second round of 79+8 for a 36 hole total of 147+5 to miss the 36 cut by two shots. He has now missed seven of his last eight cuts which will be disappointing for him. But he can take a huge positive from last week where he finished in solo second position in the Puerto Rico Open presented by seepuertorico.com which was his career best finish on the USPGA Tour to date so far. He currently lies in 81st  position on the current 2013/14 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $423,657 earned from the eleven events he has played to date this season so far. He also currently lies in 86th position on the current 2013/14 FedEx Cup points list standings with 228 points earned from the eleven events he has played to date this season so far. From the eleven events he has played to date this season so far he has made three cuts and achieved one top ten finish that came last week at the Puerto Rico Open presented by seepuertorico.com. I was very surprised with his second round of 79+8 after he had scored his five previous rounds on the USPGA Tour in the 60’s. Let’s hope he can make the cut in the next event he plays in? 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 stay in Florida for the fourth and final event of the Florida Swing and it is the tournament which Arnold Palmer (USA) the legendary American Professional Golfer hosts every year and it is called the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard and it is played on the Bay Hill Club & Lodge, Orlando, Florida. It carries a huge prize purse of US $ 6,200,000 for the taking and attracts all the top players in the world that will include Tiger Woods (USA), Adam Scott (Australia), Henrik Stenson (Sweden) to name a few. Tim Wilkinson (NZL) and Danny Lee (NZL) are likely to get starts as well. Tiger Woods (USA) is the two time defending Champion and is going for three straight titles having won it in 2012-2013 which he has already achieved at this tournament having won if four straight years in a row from 2000-2003 and he has also won it two years in a row from 2008-2009. So if he defends his title this year he will have won this tournament an unbelievable nine times which is truly just amazing!! It starts on Thursday 20th March and I will report back who won the trophy next week.

So to the Top 5 on the Official World Golf Rankings Points this week and coming in at Number One Position for the 675th week of his career in total is Tiger Woods (USA) who is fresh off his tied for twenty fifth position at the WGC – Cadillac Championship one week ago with 9.70 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Two is Adam Scott (Australia) who won his maiden Major Championship at the Masters Tournament just over eleven months ago and also won The Barclays over six months ago and also won the Australian PGA Championship just over three four months ago and he also won the Talisker Masters 17 weeks ago and 16 weeks ago finished in solo third position in the individual competition at the ISPS HANDA World Cup of Golf and 15 weeks ago finished runner up in the Emirates Australian Open and one week ago finished in tied for 25th position at the WGC – Cadillac Championship with 8.34 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Three is Henrik Stenson (Sweden) who won the Tour Championship by Coca – Cola and also the 2013 FedEx Cup over five months ago and won DP World Tour Championship, Dubai and the 2013 Race to Dubai Title 17 weeks ago and also tying for 16th position at the WGC – Cadillac Championship this past week  with 8.22 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Four is Jason Day (Australia) who is fresh off his WGC – Accenture Match Championship win three weeks ago with 7.03 Official Golf World Ranking Points and rounding out the top 5 on the Official Golf World Ranking Points list this week is Phil Mickelson (USA) who won the Open Championship over seven months ago and also finished in tied for 16th position at the WGC – Cadillac Championship one week ago with 6.39 Official Golf World Ranking Points. Mark Brown (NZL) fresh off  his solo second finish at the New Zealand Open two weeks ago is the highest ranked New Zealand Golfer in the world for the third straight week of his career. This week he slips six places and falls to 225th position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list with 0.77 Official Golf World Ranking Points.

Remember there after fours ways to miss a putt but if you get your ball to the hole you eliminate one of them!!

Source: Pgatour.com, Official World Golf Rankings