Golf Events from the Weekend 22nd February 2015

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 California for the third straight week and it was the Northern Trust Open and it was played on the Riviera CC, Pacific Palisades, California. It carried a huge prize purse of US $6,800,000 for the taking. Bubba Watson (USA) was the defending champion and was keen to defend his title. Danny Lee (NZL) and Tim Wilkinson (NZL) gained starts as well. And it was the golfer by the name of James Hahn (USA) who scored rounds of 66-5, 74+3, 69-2 and a final round of 69-2 for a 72 hole total of 278-6 but he was tied on that score by Paul Casey (England) who scored rounds of 70-1, 69-2, 71 even par and a final round of 68-3 for a 72 hole total of 278-6 also. Dustin Johnson (USA) was also tied on that score with rounds of 70-1, 72+1, 67-4 and a final round of 69-2 for a 72 hole total of 278-6 also. 

 

James Hahn (USA) plays a chip shot during the final round

So those three players headed back to the par four, eighteenth tee for the first playoff hole. All three players secured pars on the first playoff hole and they headed over to the short but very difficult par four, tenth hole. James Hahn (USA) went for the green with his drive and his ball rolled past the green and landed up behind the back bunker and left himself with a very difficult chip shot for his second shot. Paul Casey (England) teed off and he too went for the green and hit a very good drive that landed just short of the green on the left hand side leaving a very good angle to attack the green with his second shot. Dustin Johnson (USA) teed off and he too went for the green and hit his drive over the green leaving him with a very difficult chip shot that he would have to chip over the bunker at the back of the green for his second shot. Paul Casey (England) played his second shot first but hit a poor shot which came up eleven feet short of the flag stick. James Hahn (USA) played his second shot next and flopped it up over the bunker to within six feet of the flag stick. Dustin Johnson (USA) played his second shot last and he hit an amazing flop shot under the circumstances and pressure of knowing he had to more than likely get it up and down to extend the playoff to a third hole. He flopped it up over the bunker and it came to rest three feet from the flag stick!! Paul Casey (England) putted for his birdie from eleven feet and unfortunately it just missed on the left hand side and it came to rest a foot past the hole. He put a mark on it but knew there was little chance that par would be good enough to get to the third playoff third playoff hole. James Hahn (USA) putted for his birdie next from six feet and he knocked it straight in the middle of the hole!! So Paul Casey (England) now had been eliminated. Dustin Johnson (USA) calmed his nerve and knocked in the three foot putt for his birdie. So both Dustin Johnson (USA) and James Hahn (USA) headed to the par three, fourteen hole for the third playoff hole. 

 

James Hahn (USA) lines up a putt during the final round

So to the third playoff hole which was the par three, fourteenth hole. Dustin Johnson (USA) teed off first and struck a very good tee shot with his short iron that had a slight draw on it to the pin that was cut on the far left side of the green. It came to rest twelve feet to the right of the flag stick. James Hahn (USA) now knew that he would have to produce a shot equally as good. He struck his short iron that was heading to the middle of the green and drawing slightly. It came to rest about twenty feet short of the flag stick to the right of the pin. James Hahn (USA) after studying his putt from all angles, he calmed his nerve and put an awesome roll on the ball and it took the left to right break perfectly and fell in the centre of the hole!! He pumped the air with his fist in great delight and satisfaction!! He had now applied some real pressure back on Dustin Johnson (USA)!! Dustin Johnson (USA) set up over his twelve footer must make for his birdie. He struck a poor putt and it missed on the left hand side of the hole. That meant that James Hahn (USA) had won his maiden USPGA Tour event of his career. James Hahn (USA) was then interviewed by CBS Sports on course reporter, Peter Kostis and told him “He was so pleased to win his maiden USPGA Tour event at this tournament and that it is hard to believe he won and the world class players he beat in do so”. He also said “This is a very happy time in his life because he and his fiancée are expecting their first child in three weeks time”. 

 

James Hahn (USA) pumps his fist after holing the winning putt in the playoff!!

James Hahn (USA) won US $1,206,000 for the win and moved to eleventh position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,490,639 earned from the eleven events he has played to date this season so far. Jimmy Walker (USA) still leads that list with US $2,281,349 earned from the eight events he has played to date this season so far. James Hahn (USA) also earned 500 FedEx Cup Points for the win and move to eighth position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 736 points earned from the eleven events he has played to date this season so far and he is 377 points behind the current leader of that list who is Jimmy Walker (USA) who has earned 1,113 points from the eight events he has played to date this season so far. From the eleven events James Hahn (USA) has played to date this season so far he has made eight cuts and achieved one top ten finish that came with the win this week. He will be happy with his first, third and final rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially his first round 66-5 which saw him tied for the lead and also his consecutive rounds of 69-2s on the weekend which were played in extremely tough conditions!! And he will be extremely happy with how he played the three playoff holes in two under par to win!! But he will be disappointed with his second round 74+3 but he was still able to achieve the win. 

James Hahn (USA) (born November 2, 1981) is an American professional golfer who plays on the USPGA Tour. James Hahn (USA) was born in Seoul, South Korea. He played his college golf at the University of California, Berkeley and turned professional after graduating in 2003. He played on the Canadian Tour, Korean Tour and Gateway Tour before he joined the Nationwide Tour in 2010. He finished twenty ninth position on the Tour's money list in his rookie season after recording five top-10 finishes. On June 4, 2012, he picked up his first win on Tour in 2012 at the Rex Hospital Open after defeating Scott Parel (USA) in a playoff – going for the green in two on the decisive par 5 because he had a flight to catch. He then proceeded to board a plane to California to play in sectional qualifying for the U.S. Open the following day. James Hahn (South Korea) won the event and played in his first major at the 2012 U.S. Open. This win will give James Hahn (USA) heaps of confidence and he now gets to play in the Master Tournament in April and many more events that come from this maiden USPGA Tour win. He also moved to 86th position in the Official World Golf Rankings which is a jump of 211 spots in a single week!! Let’s hope he can continue on this winning form in the weeks ahead and achieve some more top ten finishes and perhaps his second win in the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. I wish him all the best for the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

 

James Hahn (USA) on the right poses with the Northern Trust Open Trophy he won with his good friend K.J. Choi (South Korea) on the left

Coming in tied for second position at 278-6 and losing on the second playoff hole was Paul Casey (England); he earned US $589,600 for his efforts and moved to 39th position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $656,480 earned from the five events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 245 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to forty third position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 317 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 three cuts and achieved one top ten finish that came this past week. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all at par and under par especially his final round 68-3. But he will be a little disappointed he wasn’t able to birdie the short par four tenth hole which was the second playoff hole when he had a great angle for his second shot. But this performance will give him a lot of confidence moving forward. Paul Casey (England) earned his first USPGA Tour win on 5 April 2009 by defeating J. B. Holmes (USA) in a one-hole playoff at the Shell Houston Open. This win took him to No. 6 in the Official World Golf Ranking. Paul Casey (England) won his milestone tenth event on the European Tour at the 2009 BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Golf Club in Surrey, where he won by one stroke over Wentworth resident and fellow Englishman Ross Fisher (England). This win vaulted Paul Casey (England) to a career high of third in the Official World Golf Ranking. He had been ranked at No. 41 at the beginning of 2009. Paul Casey (England) suffered a rib injury at the 2009 Open Championship, limited the amount of golf he could play in the second half of 2009.

In January 2011, Paul Casey (England) won the Volvo Golf Champions tournament in Bahrain, which was his first win for 20 months. Paul Casey (England) won the 2012 Telus World Skins Game in Canada, having defeated Jhonattan Vegas (Venezuela) in a tiebreaker during the event in July. In June 2013, Paul Casey (England) won his 12th European Tour title at The Irish Open to end a two and half-year winless drought due to form and fitness problems. He captured the title with a final round 67 in changeable conditions, to win by three strokes over Joost Luiten (Netherlands) and Robert Rock (England). He had begun the day four shots behind the leader Joost Luiten (Netherlands), but a run of five birdies in six holes in the middle of the round opened up a three shot lead. It was reduced to one stroke, when Paul Casey (England) bogeyed the 15th and 16th, but a closing eagle on the par five 18th sealed the victory. In September 2014, Paul Casey (England) won his 13th European Tour title at the KLM Open in the Netherlands, his first victory of the 2014 season. He took victory after posting a final round 66, putting him one shot ahead of runner up, and fellow Englishman Simon Dyson (England). He started the final round four strokes off the lead of Romain Wattel (France). The victory was especially emotional and gratifying as Paul Casey's (England) wife Pollyanna had given birth to the couple's first child two week prior to the event. In 2014, Paul Casey (England) finished 95th in the FedEx Cup despite no top ten finishes in 16 starts playing out of the Past Champions category. For 2015, Paul Casey (England) chose to give up his European Tour exemption and focus solely on the USPGA Tour, citing a need to lessen his travel. As I mention earlier Paul Casey (England) lost a playoff at the 2015 Northern Trust Open to James Hahn (USA). Let’s hope he can keep this fine form up in the weeks to come and perhaps achieve his second USPGA Tour win in 2015. I wish him all the best for the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

The final player to tie for second position and losing on the third playoff hole was Dustin Johnson (USA); he too earned US $589,600 for his efforts and moved to twenty third position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $870,667 earned from the three events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 245 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to thirty third position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 360 points earned from the three events he has played to date this season so far. From the three events he has played to date this season so far he has made two cuts and achieved two top ten finishes which includes the one this week. He will be happy with his first, third and final rounds that were all under par especially his 67-4 in the third round. But he will be disappointed with his second round 72+1 and his third playoff hole when he was unable to make the birdie putt that would of extended the playoff to a third hole. He will be pleased it hasn’t taken him long to get back to form having only played his first tournament two weeks ago after taking a six month leave of absence from the tour at the end of July last year. He has won eight USPGA Tour events to date so far in his career and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2008 Turning Stone Resort Championship; 2009 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro – Am; 2010 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro – Am; 2010 BMW Championship; 2011 The Barclays; 2012 FedEx St. Jude Classic; 2013 Hyundai Tournament of Champions and 2013 WGC – HSBC Champions. He has also recorded seven top ten finishes to date so far in Major Championships and I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he won his maiden Major Championship in 2015. He also has achieved four top ten finishes to date so far in WGC – Events which includes winning the 2013 WGC – HSBC Championship. His life and golfing career are back on track now because On September 23, 2014, his fiancée Paulina Gretzky announced that she was pregnant with the couple's first child, due in 2015 and on January 20, 2015, Dustin Johnson (USA) announced the birth of their first child, a son. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

Rounding out the top seven in tied for fourth position at 279-5 after 72 holes was Keegan Bradley (USA); he earned US $263,812.50 for his efforts and moved to sixty third position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $438,789 earned from the five events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 109 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 80th position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 214 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 one top ten finish that came this past week. He will be happy with his second, third and final rounds that were all under par especially his second and final rounds that were both 68-3s. But he will be disappointed with his first round 73+2 that cost him his chance of winning. Keegan Bradley (USA) has won three events to date on the USPGA Tour to date so far and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2011 HP Byron Nelson Championship, 2011 PGA Championship (Maiden Major Championship) and the 2012 WGC – Bridgestone Invitational. He has also achieved two other top ten finishes in Major Championships which came in the 2012 PGA Championship where he tied for third position and the 2014 U. S. Open Championship he tied for fourth position. And he has performed very well in WGC – Events with already achieving five top ten finishes which includes the win I mentioned earlier. Keegan Bradley (USA) became only the third player after Francis Ouimet (USA) (1913) and Ben Curtis (USA) (2003) to win a major in his first attempt, and was the first golfer to win a major with a long putter. He also became the seventh consecutive first-time major winner and the first American major champion since Phil Mickelson (USA) won the 2010 Masters Tournament. With the victory, Keegan Bradley (USA) moved from number 108 to number 29 in the Official World Golf Ranking. In December, he was named the PGA Tour Rookie of the year. Keegan Bradley (USA) qualified for the 2012 Ryder Cup, marking his first appearance in any cup competition. Let’s hope he can win his fourth USPGA Tour event in the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

Also tied for fourth position was Sergio Garcia (Spain); he too earned US $263,812.50 for his efforts and moved to twenty fifth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $854,979 earned from the three events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 109 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to thirty fourth position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 358 points earned from the three events he has played to date this season so far. From the three events he has played to date this season so far he has made three cuts and achieved two top ten finishes which includes the one this week. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all at par and under par especially his third round 68-3. But he will be mad with his final round even par 71 because he was in great position to win the golf tournament having a one shot lead with two holes to play but he finished with consecutive bogeys to finish one shot outside the playoff!! Sergio Garcia (Spain) has been playing the USPGA Tour fulltime since 1999 season and in that time he has won eight USPGA Tour events with his most recent win coming at the Wyndham Championship in August 2012. Sergio Garcia (Spain) has spent much of his career in the top ten of the Official World Golf Ranking (over 300 weeks between 2000 and 2009). He reached a career high ranking of second after winning the HSBC Champions tournament in November 2008, and has achieved post-tax career earnings of more than $28 million. As a player, he is particularly noted for his strong iron play and accuracy. One critical footnote of his career is that he still to date has not won any of golf's major championships, despite a number of near misses (He has achieved 19 top ten finishes in Major Championships in his career to date so far). He has finished a runner-up on four occasions, twice at The Open Championship and twice at the USPGA Championship, with a further six top five finishes without breaking through. Let’s hope in 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA season he can win his maiden Major Championships he long deserves? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

Also tied for fourth position was Hideki Matsuyama (Japan); he too earned US $263,812.50 for his efforts and moved to eighth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,613,904 earned from the nine events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 109 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to ninth position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings list with 728 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 five top ten finishes which includes the one this week. He will be happy with his first, third and final rounds that were all in the 60s especially his final round 67-4 but he will be disappointed in his second round 72+1. Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) was born in Matsuyama, Ehime, Japan. He has studied, since 2010, at Tohoku Fukushi University in Sendai. He won the 2010 Asian Amateur Championship with a score of 68-69-65-67=269. This gave him the chance to compete as an amateur in the 2011 Masters Tournament, becoming the first Japanese amateur to do so. At the Masters, Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) was the leading amateur and won the Silver Cup, which is presented to the lowest scoring amateur. He was the only amateur to make the cut. A week after his victory, he finished in a tie for third at the Japan Open Golf Championship which is an event on the Japan Golf Tour. In 2011, Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) won the gold medal at the 2011 World University Games. He also led the Japan team to the gold medal in the team event. In October 2011, he successfully defended his title at the Asian Amateur Championship. In November, Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) won the Mitsui Sumitomo VISA Taiheiyo Masters on the Japan Golf Tour while still an amateur. 

In August 2012, Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) reached number one in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) turned professional in April 2013 and won his second professional tournament, the 2013 Tsuruya Open on the Japan Golf Tour. Five weeks later, Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) won his third title on the Japan Golf Tour at the Diamond Cup Golf tournament. Following a top 10 finish at the 2013 U.S. Open, Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) entered the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking. He won his fourth Japan Golf Tour event in September at the Fujisankei Classic. Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) would win his fifth Japan Golf Tour event in December at the Casio World Open. The win also made Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) the first rookie to lead the Japan Tour's money list. For 2014, Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) qualified for the USPGA Tour through non-member earnings. In just seven USPGA Tour-sanctioned events, Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) had six top-25 finishes, including a tied for sixth at the 2013 Open Championship. Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) earned his first USPGA Tour win at the 2014 Memorial Tournament, beating Kevin Na (USA) in a playoff and moving to a career-high Official World Golf ranking of thirteenth. Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) would win his sixth Japan Golf Tour event late in the 2014 season. In November, the victory came at the Dunlop Phoenix in a playoff over Hiroshi Iwata (Japan). Let’s hope he can continue this fine form into the coming weeks and perhaps win his second USPGA Tour event this season? I wish him all the best for the rest 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

The final player to tie for fourth position was Jordan Spieth (USA); he too earned US $263,812.50 for his efforts and moved to thirty third position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $748,296 earned from the five events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 109 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to forty fifth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with 312 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 three top ten finishes which includes the one this week. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all under par especially his first round 69-2!! But he will be mad with the bogey he made on the par four, 72nd hole where he very nearly chipped in for his birdie but ended up missing his four foot par putt to miss the playoff by a single shot. Jordan Spieth (USA) has won three times as a professional to date so far and the first one came on the USPGA Tour in 2013 season when he won the John Deere Classic and the second one came at the 2014 Emirates Australian Open last December and his third one came at the 2014 Hero World Challenge mid December which is knowing as Tiger Woods tournament. Jordan Spieth (USA) in 2014 made his debut at the Masters Tournament and shared the 54 hole lead with Bubba Watson (USA). During the final round, Jordan Spieth (USA) at one point was the standalone leader by two strokes and, had he held on he would have become the youngest Masters Tournament champion in history (Tiger Woods (USA) holds the record at 21 years of age), but Bubba Watson (USA)  retook the lead heading into the back nine and never relinquished it. Jordan Spieth (USA) finished in a tie for second with Jonas Blixt (Sweden). Jordan Spieth (USA) thus became the youngest runner-up in Masters Tournament history and subsequently moved into the world's top ten. Jordan Spieth (USA) also ended the tournament having shot no worse than an even-par (72) in any of his rounds. Still at the tender age of twenty one years old his future looks very bright and I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he wins his maiden Major Championship in the next few years. I wish him all the best for the rest of 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

The best New Zealand Golfer in the field was Danny Lee (NZL) and he scored rounds of 70-1 in the first round which was very good, then he scored an average second round of 73+2, and a shocking third round of 77+6 and a poor final round of 76+4 which included birdies on the last two holes for a 72 hole total of 296+12 and finished in tied for 69th position. He earned US $13,400 for his efforts and moved to 46th position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $560,818 earned from the twelve events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned two FedEx Cup points for his efforts and moved to 49th position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 293 points earned from the twelve events he has played to date this season so far. From the twelve events he has played to date this season so far he has made seven cuts and achieved one top ten finish. He will be happy with his first and second rounds that were both in the low 70s especially his first round 70-1 but he will disappointed with his third and final rounds that were in the mid 70s and cost him his chance of having a decent pay day. Let’s hope he can make some more cuts in the coming weeks and perhaps achieve his maiden USPGA Tour win in the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. Danny has been playing the USPGA Tour on and off fulltime since the 2012 season. Danny Lee (NZL) entered the 2012 USPGA Tour season with USPGA Tour and European Tour cards. He said he was still keen to play a two-tour schedule, however his main focus would be on America. He made only 13 cuts in 26 events on the USPGA Tour and lost his tour card. He did not play on the European Tour. After striking up a successful partnership late in the Nationwide Tour season, Danny Lee (NZL) said he would have Australian, Graeme Courts, a former long-time caddy of Loren Roberts (USA), working for him on the USPGA Tour. K.J. Choi (South Korea) introduced Danny Lee (NZL) to another Australian, Steve Bann, as a potential coach. "I am close with K.J. Choi (South Korea) and he said I was thinking too much about my swing," Danny Lee (NZL) said. "I was always working on something and I am too technical sometimes so K.J. Choi (South Korea) introduced me to Steve. Steve is a simple guy who is teaching me how to practise with better routine and how to trust my own game and not think too much. Danny Lee (NZL) played on the Web.com Tour in 2013, finishing 15th on the regular season money list to regain his USPGA Tour card for 2014/15 Season. His best finish was second at the Rex Hospital Open. In 2014 on the back of six straight missed cuts, Danny Lee (USA) adopted a claw putting grip for the Puerto Rico Open in March. He credited the change of putting style for yielding him an instant result; a runner-up finish, two shots behind winner Chesson Hadley (USA). Let’s hope he can make some more cuts in the weeks ahead and maybe achieve his maiden USPGA Tour win in the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season.  

The next best New Zealand golfer in the field was Tim Wilkinson (NZL) and he scored a poor first round of 74+3, then a average second round of 72+1 for a 36 hole total of 146+4 and he missed the cut by a single shot. He currently lies in 175th position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $66,029 earned from the ten events he has played to date this season so far. He also currently is positioned in 165th position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 61 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 three cuts and achieved no top ten finishes. He will be happy with his second round 72+1 in very tough conditions but disappointed with his first round 74+3 which he scored 39+3 on his back nine. Let’s hope he can make some more cuts in the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season and have some top ten finishes as well. 

Next week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup heads to the State of Florida for the first of four straight events in the Florida Swing and it is The Honda Classic and it is played on the Jack Nicklaus designed PGA National (Champion), Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. It carries a huge prize purse of US $6,100,000 for the taking. Russell Henley (USA) is the defending Champion and will be keen to defend his title. Danny Lee (NZL), Tim Wilkinson (NZL) and Steve Alker (NZL) are likely to gain starts as well. It starts on Thursday 26th February and I will report who won the trophy next week.

So to the Top 5 on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list this week and coming in at Number One Position for the twenty ninth week of his fifth spell of his career and for the 69th week of his career in total is Rory McILroy (NIR) fresh off his tenth win three weeks ago on the European Tour at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic and five weeks ago he finished in solo second position at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship with 11.43 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Two is Bubba Watson (USA) who is fresh off his tied for fourteen position this past week at the Northern Trust Open and his tied for second position at the Waste Management Phoenix Open three weeks ago with 7.32 Official World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Three is Henrik Stenson (Sweden) who is fresh off his tied for thirteenth position at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic three weeks ago and also he tied for 13th position at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters four weeks ago with 7.20 Official World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Four is Jason Day (Australia) who is fresh off his tied for fourth finish one week ago at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro – Am and two weeks ago he won the Farmers Insurance Open with 6.87 Official World Ranking Points and rounding out the top 5 on the Official Golf World Ranking Points list standings this week is Adam Scott (Australia) fresh off his tied for second position at the Australian PGA Championship ten weeks ago and he finished in solo fifth position at the Emirates Australian Open twelve weeks ago with 6.81 Official World Ranking Points. Ryan Fox (NZL) this week is in his first week of his first spell of being the highest ranked New Zealand Golfer in the world after his win at the Coca – Cola QLD PGA Championship this past week on the PGA Tour of Australasia. This week he gains sixty places and rises to 203rd position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list standings with 0.86 Official Golf World Ranking Points.

Remember when the course is dry you will have to allow for the ball to roll-out once it strikes the ground!!

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

Golf Events from the Weekend 15th February 2015

Well it was another awesome weekend on the Major Professional Golf Tours from around the world and this week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup stayed in California for the second week running and it was the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro – Am and it was played on the Pebble Beach Golf Links, Pebble Beach, California. It carried a huge prize purse of US $6,800,000 for the taking. Jimmy Walker (USA) was the defending Champion and was keen to defend his title. Danny Lee (NZL), Tim Wilkinson (NZL) and Steve Alker (NZL) all gained starts as well. It also had famous sport persons from other sports and movie stars playing in the Amateur team event which always makes for interesting viewing. And it was the golfer by the name of Brandt Snedeker (USA) who scored rounds of 64-7, 67-5, 67-5 and a final round of 67-5 for a 72 hole total of 265-22 and he won by three shots for his seventh win on the USPGA Tour to date so far. He earned US $1,224,000 for the win and moved to fourth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,744,049 earned from the seven events he has played to date this season so far. Jimmy Walker (USA) still leads that list with US $2,257,229 earned from the seven events he has played to date this season so far. Brandt Snedeker (USA) also earned 500 FedEx Cup points for the win and moved to fifth position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 766 points earned from the seven events he has played to date this season so far and he is 320 points behind the current leader of that list who is Jimmy Walker (USA) who has earned 1,086 points from the seven events he has played to date this season so far. From the seven events Brandt Snedeker (USA) has played to date this season so far he has made six cuts and achieved four top ten finishes which includes the win this week. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all in the mid to low 60s especially his first round 64-7 which was blemish free and saw him in a tie for the lead and also his second and final rounds were blemish free as well!! And he only made one bogey the whole week. And his 265-22 was the lowest score ever in the tournaments history!! And conditions were amazing all week with bright sun shine and warm temperatures for all four days which seldom happens in this tournament!! It was also the 400th win by a Web.com Tour Graduate since that tour began. 

 

Brandt Snedeker (USA) in action during the final round

Brandt Snedeker (USA) played an excellent final round when he was in contention to win. He scored 67-5 which was blemish free and it included a front nine of 33-3 with birdies on the par four, third hole, par three, fifth hole and par three, seventh hole and he made the turn at minus twenty and was leading by two shots. Nick Watney (USA) went out in 34-2 and made the turn at minus eighteen and was two shots behind the leader. Charlie Beljan (USA) went out in 33-3 and made the turn at minus fifteen and was five shots behind the leader. 

Brandt Snedeker (USA) played holes ten to fourteen in one under par which included birding the par four, eleventh hole and getting a fine up and down on the par four, thirteenth hole after over shooting the green with his second shot and he moved to minus twenty one and now was leading by four shots. Nick Watney (USA) played holes ten to fourteen in one over par which included making poor bogeys on the thirteenth and fourteenth holes and he fell back to minus seventeen and was now four shots behind the leader. Charlie Beljan (USA) played holes ten to fourteen in even par and remained at minus fifteen but now was six shots behind the leader. 

Brandt Snedeker (USA) played holes fifteen to seventeen in one under par including making birdie on the par four, fifteenth hole and he moved to minus twenty two and was still leading by four shots with just the par five, 72nd hole to play. Nick Watney (USA) played holes fifteen to seventeenth in one under par and that included making a fine birdie on the par three, seventeenth hole and he moved to minus 18 and was still four shots behind the leader with just the par five, 72nd hole to play. Charlie Beljan (USA) played holes fifteen to seventeenth in two under par birding both the par four, sixteenth hole and par three, seventeenth hole and he moved to minus seventeen and was now only five shots behind the leader with just the par five, 72nd hole to play. 

Charlie Beljan (USA) who was playing a few groups ahead of the final group made a birdie on the par five, 72nd hole and he finished the 72 holes at minus eighteen and finished four shots behind the winner. Nick Watney (USA) who was playing in the group in front of the final group made a birdie on the par five, 72nd hole and finished three shots behind the winner. Brandt Snedeker (USA) now stood on the par five, 72nd hole at the famous Pebble Beach Golf Links with a four shot lead. He too was playing in the group ahead of the final group. He choose a long iron for his tee shot to make sure he hit the fairway and that is what he did by striking it very well and landing it right in the right side of the fairway. Then he choose to lay up for his second shot and gave himself a perfect yardage for his third shot which was a wedge from about 100 yards. He struck a perfect wedge shot under the circumstances and left it on the green about 35 feet to the left of the pin. He now could saviour the walk up to the green and he got a standing ovation from the large gallery surrounding the green. He was a bit aggressive with his birdie putt and rolled it about four feet past the cup. But then he calmed his nerve and holed the four footer for his par. He scored 34-2 on his back nine.

He then got a high five and hug from his caddie, Scott Vail to celebrate the win!! Then his wife, Mandy came on to the par five, 72nd green to give him a hug and kiss to celebrate the win with him as well and his two children, Lilly and Austin were by his side as well. He was then interviewed by CBS Sports on course reporter, Peter Kostis and he said “You can’t believe how hard it was for me to achieve this win, and how pleased I am to win this title for the second time in three years (He won this tournament in 2013 for the first time)”. Then he got really emotionally as he has always done when he has won a golf tournament. He was also very pleased that he is now in the Master Tournament and the other three Major Championships and also all the WGC Events as prior to this win his ranking had fallen outside the top fifty in the world. 

 

Scott Vail who is Brandt Snedeker's (USA) caddie on the left high fives Brandt Snedeker (USA) on the right to celebrate his win!!

Brandt Snedeker (USA) is an American Professional golfer who plays on the USPGA Tour. He won the 2012 FedEx Cup with a victory in the season-ending Tour Championship. After this victory, he moved into the top ten of the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time in his career. In February 2013, after winning the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro – Am and he moved to a career high of number four in the world. Brandt Snedeker (USA) played on the Web.com Tour from 2004 until 2006, when he finished ninth on the tour money list after victories at the Showdown at Somerby and the Permian Basin Charity Golf Classic, thus earning a USPGA Tour spot for 2007. While on the Web.com Tour, Brandt Snedeker (USA) recorded two wins, two runner ups, 12 tops 10s and earned US $549,564. Brandt Snedeker (USA) garnered immediate attention in January 2007 after shooting a course record equalling 61 in the first round of the Buick Invitational. He led the tournament by three strokes after 36 holes but due to a 74 in the third round he finished in third place. He made eight consecutive cuts starting at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic in January and ending at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March. In that span he recorded three top-25 finishes. In four tournaments in April, he made two cuts including a finish of tied for sixteenth at the Verizon Heritage. From May to early June, Brandt Snedeker (USA) made the cut in two of the four tournaments he entered, including a tied for 12th finish at the prestigious Players Championship. 

Brandt Snedeker (USA) then went on a hot streak starting at the Stanford St. Jude Championship on June 10. He finished in a tie for fifth at that tournament and by doing so surpassed US $1 million in earnings on tour in 2007. He finished in a tie for twenty third at the U.S. Open the following week. In early July he recorded two top-10 finishes, including a tie for tenth at the Buick Open. This finish put Brandt Snedeker (USA) into the top 100 of the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time. Later in July, Brandt Snedeker (USA) finished in a tie for seventh at the Canadian Open. A fortnight later he played in the PGA Championship for the first time and finished in a tie for eighteenth place. Brandt Snedeker (USA) picked up his first USPGA Tour victory the next week at the Wyndham Championship in North Carolina. This win propelled him to a world ranking of 55th. The Wyndham Championship was the last regular season event before the FedEx Cup Playoffs. Brandt Snedeker (USA) entered the playoffs in ninth place in the point standings. He played in all four playoff events, recording finishes of missed cut, T47, T14 and T29. Brandt Snedeker (USA) finished in twentieth place in the final points standings, which earned him a bonus cheque of US $225,000. Due to his fine debut performance on tour, Brandt Snedeker (USA) was named the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year for 2007. He entered twenty nine USPGA Tour events in 2007, making twenty three cuts. He had one win, a third place finish, six top-10 finishes and 13 top-25 finishes. He earned US $2,836,643 which put him in seventeen on the final money list and he finished 2007 ranked 47th in the world rankings.

Brandt Snedeker (USA) began the 2008 season with a tied for tenth finish at the Mercedes – Benz Championship. He finished tied for ninth position at the FBR Open in February and tied for eighth at the PODS Championship in March. Brandt Snedeker (USA) recorded his first top ten in a major at the 2008 Masters Tournament, where he finished tied for third. He went into the final round in second place, two strokes behind eventual winner Trevor Immelman (RSA) but Brandt Snedeker (USA) shot a final round 77. Following his third place finish at the 2008 Masters Tournament, Brandt Snedeker (USA) reached a new high of 32nd in the world rankings. Brandt Snedeker (USA) finished in the top-10 for the second time in a major at the 2008 U.S. Open where he finished tied for ninth. For the rest of the year Brandt Snedeker (USA) struggled to maintain his early season consistency and did not record another top-10 finish for the season. Brandt Snedeker (USA) made 19 of 26 cuts on the year and recorded five top-10s, seven top-25s and earned US $1,531,442 while finishing 34th in the FedEx Cup standings. Brandt Snedeker (USA) struggled in 2009, making only 14 of 26 cuts and failing to make the cut in 9 of his first 12 tournaments. His play improved in the summer as he had two consecutive top-5 finishes, a tie for fifth place at the AT&T National, and a tie for second place at the John Deere Classic. These were followed by two more top five finishes at the RBC Canadian Open and the Wyndham Championship. Despite this mid season form he missed the cut in all four of the years Majors Championships. One factor contributing to Brandt Snedeker's (USA) uneven play in 2009 was his health. He missed seven consecutive tournaments in the middle of the season due to a rib injury. Brandt Snedeker (USA) finished the season 55th on the money list.

 

Brandt Snedeker (USA) poses with the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro - Am Trophy he won!!

Brandt Snedeker (USA) started the 2010 season well with a top ten finish at the Bob Hope Classic which he then followed up with a runner-up finish at the Farmers Insurance Open. Brandt Snedeker (USA) played consistently throughout the early season making eight consecutive cuts through to April. However he then missed five of his next seven cuts and did not record a single top twenty five finish until the U.S. Open where Brandt Snedeker (USA) finished in a tie for eighth place at Pebble Beach Golf Links, his best ever finish in the U.S. Open. For the rest of season he played steadily and recorded two more top ten finishes at the Wyndham Championship and the end of season playoff event the Deutsche Bank Championship. Brandt Snedeker (USA) ended the year 48th on the money list. Brandt Snedeker (USA) had an inconsistent start to the 2011 season missing his first cut at the Bob Hope Classic, but followed that up with two consecutive top ten finishes at the Farmers Insurance Open and the Waste Management Phoenix Open. This was then followed by a further two missed cuts and a withdrawal from the Honda Classic to attend the birth of his first child. He returned to the tour with a fourth place finish at the Transitions Championship and then at the year's first major championship, the Masters Tournament finished in a tie for fifteen. The following week Brandt Snedeker (USA) had a chance to win his second USPGA Tour title at the Valero Texas Open but made a number of mistakes on the back nine on Sunday which cost him victory, eventually finishing alone in fourth.

Brandt Snedeker (USA) won his second USPGA Tour title at The Heritage, beating Luke Donald in a sudden-death playoff at the third extra hole. Brandt Snedeker (USA) shot a seven-under-par round of 64 to recover from six shots back on the Sunday to tie Luke Donald (England). The first two extra holes were parred by both players, but when Luke Donald's (England) par chip missed on the third extra hole, Brandt Snedeker (USA) sealed the win. This victory took Brandt Snedeker (USA) to 38th in the world rankings. In November 2011, Brandt Snedeker (USA) underwent elective surgery on his right hip in order to fix a degenerative issue. This sidelined him for six to eight weeks at the end of year; however Brandt Snedeker (USA) confirmed he wished to have surgery at this stage in order to be fully fit for the 2012 season. Brandt Snedeker (USA) finished the season 14th on the money list. Brandt Snedeker won his third USPGA Tour title at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torry Pines. He started the day seven shots behind the leader Kyle Stanley (USA), but after firing a final round 67 he was the leader in the clubhouse while the final group completed its rounds. Kyle Stanley (USA) had a three stroke lead coming to the final hole, but pitched his third shot into the water resulting in a triple bogey eight to take the tournament to a playoff. After both players made birdie on the first extra hole, Brandt Snedeker (USA) prevailed with an up-and-down for par on the second hole after Kyle Stanley (USA) missed his par putt. Brandt Snedeker (USA) entered the top twenty in the Official World Golf Ranking after his win. Brandt Snedeker (USA) had to withdraw from the 2012 U.S. Open due to a rib injury. During a practice round for the 2012 Open Championship, Brandt Snedeker (USA) holed a driver from the tee on the 16th hole, a 336 yard par 4. In the championship itself, he scored 66 and 64 in the first two rounds to equal the lowest 36 hole score in the tournament by Nick Faldo (England) in 1992. Brandt Snedeker (USA) finished with rounds of 73 and 74 to share third place with Tiger Woods (USA) at three under par, four shots behind the winner, Ernie Els (RSA). Brandt Snedeker (USA) won the 2012 FedEx Cup and the US $10 million prize after winning the Tour Championship. Brandt Snedeker (USA) began his 2013 USPGA Tour season with three top three finishes in his first four tournaments: third at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions, tied for second at the Farmers Insurance Open, and solo second at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. He then won in his fifth start of the year, the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro - Am and moved up to a career-high fourth in the Official World Golf Ranking. He pulled out of the WGC – Accenture Match Play Championship the following week, citing a rib injury. He was later diagnosed with "low bone turnover" and began taking daily injections to increase his bone mass. He had top ten finishes at the Masters Tournament (tied for sixth), the Players Championship (tied for eighth), and the AT&T National (tied for eighth), before winning his second tournament of the season at the RBC Canadian. And as I mentioned earlier he won his seventh USPGA Tour event at the 2015 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro – am this past week. Let’s hope he can win some more tournaments in the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season and perhaps even win a WGC – Event or even his maiden Major Championship? I wish him every continuing success for the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season.

Coming in solo second position at 268-19 after 72 holes was Nick Watney (USA); he earned US $734,400 for his efforts and moved to fourteenth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,144,308 earned from the eight events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 300 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to seventeenth position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 495 points earned from the eight events he has played to date this season so far. From the eight events he has played to date this season so far he has made five cuts and achieved two top ten finishes which includes the one this week. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially his first and third rounds that were both 65s. But he will be a little unhappy with his final round 69-3 which saw him make five bogeys and eight birdies and had he of had less bogeys he could of won the tournament. Nick Watney (USA) has won five events on the USPGA Tour to date so far in his career and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2007 Zurich Classic of New Orleans; 2009 Buick Invitational; 2011 WGC – Cadillac Championship; 2011 AT&T National and 2012 The Barclays. He has also achieved two top ten finishes in Major Championships to date so far with the first one come in the 2010 Masters Tournament where he finished solo seventh and the second coming in the 2010 Open Championship where he finished tied for seventh. He has also achieved six top ten finishes in WGC – Events to date so far which included his win at the 2011 WGC – Cadillac Championship which I mentioned before. Let’s hope he can have more top ten finishes in the weeks ahead and perhaps win his sixth USPGA Tour event in 2015? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

Coming in solo third position at 269-18 after 72 holes was Charlie Beljan (USA); he earned US $462,400 for his efforts and moved to forty fourth position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $522,041 earned from the eight events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 190 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 57th position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 231 points earned from the eight events he has played to date this season so far. From the eight events he has played to date this season so far he has made four cuts and this is the first top finish he has achieved to date this season so far and it came this week. He will be extremely happy with his second round which was 63-8 and also his 66-6 which included birding the final three holes!! But he will be just content with his first and third rounds that were 70-2s. Charlie Beljan (USA) after graduating from New Mexico, Charlie Beljan (USA) turned professional in 2007. He played on the Gateway Tour from 2008 to 2011, winning seven times, and he led the money list in 2009. He qualified for the U.S. Open in 2008 and 2009, but missed the cut both times. He earned his 2012 USPGA Tour card by finishing in a tie for thirteen at 2011 PGA Tour Qualifying School. Going into the 2012 Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Classic, the final Tour event of the season and the last chance for a Tour card, Charlie Beljan (USA) was 139th on the Tour's money list with eight cuts made in 21 tournaments. During the second round he suffered a panic attack on the course and needed medical assistance, leaving the course en route to a hospital after the second round. Despite recommendations not to play, Charlie Beljan (USA) persevered and led or tied for the lead during the third and fourth rounds. Charlie Beljan (USA) won by two strokes over Robert Garrigus (USA) and Matt Every (USA), earning him a two-year exemption. Charlie Beljan (USA) finished 63rd on the money list. He also earned entry into invitational’s reserved for the top-70 money earners, the season-opening Hyundai Tournament of Champions, and an invitation to the 2013 PGA Championship. The win capped off a season for Charlie Beljan (USA) that included wrist surgery after Q School, marriage, fatherhood, and an earlier panic attack where he collapsed on an airplane on a flight home after the Reno – Tahoe Open. Charlie Beljan (USA) was the fourth rookie winner in 2012, after John Huh (USA), Ted Potter, Jr., and Jonas Blixt (Sweden). Charlie Beljan (USA) nearly earned his second win at the 2013 Northern Trust Open, but made bogey on the second playoff hole. Let’s hope he can build on this finish and achieve more top ten finishes in the weeks ahead and perhaps his second USPGA Tour win in 2015? I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

Rounding out the top six in tied for fourth position at 270-17 after 72 holes was Jason Day (Australia); he earned US $281,067 for his efforts and moved to third position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,816,178 earned from the four events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 115 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to fourth position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 810 points earned from the four events he has played to date this season so far. From the four events he has played to date this season so far he has made four cuts and achieved three top ten finishes which includes the one this week and also his win at the Farmers Insurance Open last week. He will be very pleased with his second, third and final rounds that were all in the 60s especially his second 62-9 which was the low round of the day!! And it was after he and his whole family had been sick with the flu and he was considering withdrawing prior to his second round. But he will be unhappy with his first round 72 even par that left him well off the pace early on. It was great to see him perform well after his win last week. Jason Day (Australia) has won three USPGA Tour events in his career to date so far and they are the 2010 HP Bryon Nelson Championship; 2014 WGC – Accenture Match Play Championship and the  2015 Farmers Insurance Open. He also has seven top ten finishes in Major Championships to date so far and he must be the favourite to win his Maiden Major Championship this year? He has also performed very well in WGC – Events with winning one in 2014 (WGC – Accenture Match Play Championship) and also having three other top ten finishes. He must be one of the early favourites to win the Masters Tournament (First Major Championship of the year). I wouldn’t be surprised if he wins another tournament before the Master Tournament. I wish him all the best for the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

Also tied for fourth position was Dustin Johnson (USA); he also earned US $281,067 for his efforts and moved to 86th position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $281,067 earned from the two events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 115 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to 126th position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 115 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 one cut and achieved one top ten finish that came this past week. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially his final round 66-6 which included birding the last two holes. And pleased it hasn’t taken him long to get back to form having only playing his first tournament last week after taking a six month leave of absence from the tour at the end of July last year. He has won eight USPGA Tour events to date so far in his career and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2008 Turning Stone Resort Championship; 2009 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro – Am; 2010 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro – Am; 2010 BMW Championship; 2011 The Barclays; 2012 FedEx St. Jude Classic; 2013 Hyundai Tournament of Champions and 2013 WGC – HSBC Champions. He has also recorded seven top ten finishes to date so far in Major Championships and I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he won his maiden Major Championship in 2015. He also has achieved four top ten finishes to date so far in WGC – Events which includes winning the 2013 WGC – HSBC Championship. His life and golfing career are back on track now because On September 23, 2014, his fiance Paulina Gretzky announced that she was pregnant with the couple's first child, due in 2015 and on January 20, 2015, Dustin Johnson (USA) announced the birth of their first child, a son. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

The final player to tie for fourth position was Pat Perez (USA); he also earned US $281,067 for his efforts and moved to forty seventh position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $493,877 earned from the nine events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 115 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to forty fourth position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 283 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 seven cuts and achieved one top ten finish that came this past week. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially his first round 66-6.  He won the Pro –Am portion of the event with his Amateur partner American Businessman, Michael Lund and they were 42 under par and won by two shots!! Pat Perez (USA) was born in Phoenix, Arizona and is of Mexican American descent. He experienced his first USPGA Tour victory in 2009 at the Bob Hope Classic. He has finished second twice. His career high in the Official World Golf Ranking was 49th in 2009. On January 22, 2009, Pat Perez (USA) finished the first 36 holes of the Bob Hope Classic with a 124 (-20), the lowest score in USPGA Tour history through two rounds, relative to par. The start set or tied several records, including tying the record for low score (124) in consecutive rounds. But on January 24, Steve Stricker (USA) broke the latter record of 124 with a 61-62 for 123 combined two rounds (third and fourth rounds). Pat Perez (USA) went on to win the tournament by three strokes over John Merrick (USA), a win secured when Pat Perez (USA) hit his second shot on the par 5 18th hole from 200 yards to three feet to win with a closing eagle for his first tour win. Let’s hope he can achieved more top ten finishes in the weeks ahead and perhaps even win his second USPGA Tour event in 2015? I wish him all the best for the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. 

The equal best New Zealand Golfer in the field was Danny Lee (NZL) and he scored rounds of 70-1 in the first round which was good, then he scored an average second round of 72 even par, and a very good third round of 68-4 for a 54 hole total of 210-5 and he missed the cut by a single stroke. He currently lies in 40th  position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $547,418 earned from the eleven events he has played to date this season so far. He also currently lies in forty second position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 291 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 one top ten finish. He will be happy with his first and third rounds that were both under par especially his third round 68-4 but he will disappointed with his third round 72 even par. Let’s hope he can make some more cuts in the coming weeks and perhaps achieve his maiden USPGA Tour win in the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. Danny has been playing the USPGA Tour on and off fulltime since the 2012 season. Danny Lee (NZL) entered the 2012 USPGA Tour season with USPGA Tour and European Tour cards. He said he was still keen to play a two-tour schedule, however his main focus would be on America. He made only 13 cuts in 26 events on the USPGA Tour and lost his tour card. He did not play on the European Tour. After striking up a successful partnership late in the Nationwide Tour season, Danny Lee (NZL) said he would have Australian, Graeme Courts, a former long-time caddy of Loren Roberts (USA), working for him on the USPGA Tour. K.J. Choi (South Korea) introduced Danny Lee (NZL) to another Australian, Steve Bann, as a potential coach. "I am close with K.J. Choi (South Korea) and he said I was thinking too much about my swing," Danny Lee (NZL) said. "I was always working on something and I am too technical sometimes so K.J. Choi (South Korea) introduced me to Steve. Steve is a simple guy who is teaching me how to practise with better routine and how to trust my own game and not think too much. Danny Lee (NZL) played on the Web.com Tour in 2013, finishing 15th on the regular season money list to regain his USPGA Tour card for 2014/15 Season. His best finish was second at the Rex Hospital Open. In 2014 on the back of six straight missed cuts, Danny Lee (USA) adopted a claw putting grip for the Puerto Rico Open in March. He credited the change of putting style for yielding him an instant result; a runner-up finish, two shots behind winner Chesson Hadley (USA). Let’s hope he can make some more cuts in the weeks ahead and maybe achieve his maiden USPGA Tour win in the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season.  

The equal best New Zealand golfer in the field was Steve Alker (NZL) and he scored rounds of 72 even par in the first round which was average and a very good second round of 69-3, and a very good third round of 69-2 which included a hole in one on the fourteenth hole and his 54 hole total was 210-5 and he missed the cut by a single shot. He currently lies in 177th  position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $55,248 earned from the nine events he has played to date this season so far. He also is currently in 163rd position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 57 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 three cuts and achieved no top ten finishes. He will be very happy with his second round and third rounds that were both 69s but disappointed with his first round 72 even par. Let’s hope he can make some cuts in the next few events he plays in, in the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season and even achieve some top ten finishes.

The equal best New Zealand golfer in the field was Tim Wilkinson (NZL) and he scored a good first round of 70-2, then a very good second round of 67-4, and a poor third round of 73+1 for a 54 hole total of 210-5 after 54 holes and missed the cut by a single shot. He currently lies in 172nd position on the current 2014/15 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $66,029 earned from the nine events he has played to date this season so far. He also currently is positioned in 159th  position on the current 2014/15 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 61 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 three cuts and achieved no top ten finishes. He will be happy with his first and second rounds that were both under par especially his second 67-4, but disappointed with his third round 73+1. Let’s hope he can make some more cuts in the 2015 part of the 2014/15 USPGA Tour season and have some top ten finishes as well. 

Next week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup stays in the State of California for the third straight week and it is the Northern Trust Open and it is played on the Riviera CC, Pacific Palisades, California. It carries a huge prize purse of US $6,800,000 for the taking. Bubba Watson (USA) is the defending champion and will be keen to defend his title. Danny Lee (NZL), Steve Alker (NZL) and Tim Wilkinson (NZL) are also likely to gain starts. It starts on Thursday 19th February and I will report back who won the trophy next week.

So to the Top 5 on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list this week and coming in at Number One Position for the twenty eighth week of his fifth spell of his career and for the 68th week of his career in total is Rory McILroy (NIR) fresh off his tenth win two weeks ago on the European Tour at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic and four weeks ago he finished in solo second position at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship with 11.36 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Two is Henrik Stenson (Sweden) who is fresh off his tied for thirteenth position at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic two weeks ago and also he tied for 13th position at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters three weeks ago with 7.34 Official World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Three is Bubba Watson (USA) who is fresh off his tied for second position at the Waste Management Phoenix Open two weeks ago and five weeks ago he had a solo tenth position at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions with 7.33 Official World Ranking Points; coming in at Number Four is Jason Day (Australia) who is fresh off his tied for fourth finish this past week at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro – Am and one week ago he won the Farmers Insurance Open with 6.81 Official World Ranking Points and rounding out the top 5 on the Official Golf World Ranking Points list standings this week is Adam Scott (Australia) fresh off his tied for second position at the Australian PGA Championship nine weeks ago and he finished in solo fifth position at the Emirates Australian Open eleven weeks ago with 6.81 Official World Ranking Points. Danny Lee (NZL) is in his sixteenth week of a new spell being the highest ranked New Zealand Golfer in the world after his missed cut at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro - Am this past week on the USPGA Tour. This week he drops three places and falls to 227th position on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list standings with 0.76 Official Golf World Ranking Points. 

Remember the most important shot in golf is the one you are about to play!!

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