Well it was another brilliant weekend on the Major
Professional Golf Tours from around the world and this week the 2015/16 USPGA
Tour season and FedEx Cup recommenced for the 2016 part of the 2015/16 USPGA
Tour season and FedEx Cup in the State of Hawaii. And it was the Hyundai
Tournament of Champions and was played on the Plantation Course at
Kapalua, Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii. It carried a huge prize purse of US
$5,900,000 for the taking. And the only way to earn an invite to compete in it
was to have won a USPGA Tour event from the 2015 Hyundai Tournament of
Champions to the 2015 The RSM Classic. Patrick Reed (USA) was the defending
champion and was keen to defend his title. Danny Lee (NZL) also got his first
start in this tournament because he won the 2015 The Greenbrier Classic. And it
was the golfer by the name of Jordan Spieth (USA) who scored rounds of 66-7,
64-9, 65-8 and a final round of 67-6 for a seventy two hole total of 262-30 to
win by an amazing eight shots for his seventh USPGA Tour win of his career to
date so far (And he was only the second player in USPGA Tour history to finish
a seventy-two hole tournament thirty under par or better, and one shot off
Ernie Els’s (RSA) tournament record at this very tournament in 2003!!). He won
US $1,180,000 for the win and moved to seventh position on the current 2015/16
USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,353,750 earned from the two events
he has played to date this season so far. Kevin Kisner (USA) still leads that
list with US $2,129,632 earned from the five events he has played to date this
season so far. Jordan Spieth (USA) also earned 500 FedEx Cup Points for the win
and moved to seventh position on the current 2015/16 FedEx Cup points list
standings with 586 points earned from the two events he has played to date this
season so far and he is 382 points behind the current leader of that list who
is Kevin Kisner (USA) who has earned 968 points from the five events he has
played to date this season so far. From the two events Jordan Spieth (USA) has
played to date this season so far he has made two cuts and achieved two top ten
finishes which includes the win this week. He will be extremely happy with his
four rounds this week that were all in the mid to low 60s especially his second
round 64-9 which was blemish free and the low round of the day and also his
final round 67-6 after taking a five shot lead into the final round!! And in the
seventy two holes he played this week he made two eagles, twenty eight birdies
and just two bogeys which was amazing display of golf!!
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| Jordan Speith (USA) tees off during the final round |
Jordan Spieth (USA) played a brilliant final round
under the circumstances of carrying a five shot lead in to it. He scored a good
front nine 34-2 which included birdies on the par three, second hole, par four,
sixth hole and par four, ninth hole with a lone bogey on the par three, eight
hole and he made the turn at minus twenty six and was leading by four shots. Patrick
Reed (USA) went out in 32-4 and made the turn at minus twenty two and was four
shots behind the leader. Brooks Koepka (USA) went out in 35-1 and made the turn
at minus twenty and was six shots behind the leader. Brandt Snedeker (USA) went
out in 32-4 and made the turn at minus nineteen and was seven shots behind the
leader.
Jordan Spieth (USA) played holes ten to fourteen in
one under par and it included birding the par four, tenth hole and he moved to
minus twenty seventy and was now leading by five shots. Patrick Reed (USA)
played holes ten to fourteen in even par which included making five straight
pars in a row and remained at minus twenty two and was now five shots behind
the leader. Brooks Koepka (USA) played holes ten to fourteen in one under par
and it included birding the par four, fourteenth hole and he moved to minus
twenty one and was still six shots behind the leader. Brandt Snedeker (USA)
played holes ten to fourteen in even par which included making five straight
pars in a row and he remained at minus nineteen and was now eight shots behind
the leader.
Jordan Spieth (USA) played holes fifteen to
seventeen in two under par and it included a birdie on the par five, fifteenth
hole where he hit the green in two shots and two putted. And a birdie on the
par four, sixteenth hole and he moved to minus twenty nine and was now leading
by seven shots heading to the par five, seventy second hole. Patrick Reed (USA)
played holes fifteen to seventeen in even par which included a birdie on the
par four, sixteenth hole and a bogey on the par five, fifteenth hole and he
remained at minus twenty two heading to the par five, seventy second hole and
was now seven shots behind the leader. Brooks Koepka (USA) played holes fifteen
to seventeen in even par which included making three straight pars and he
remained at minus twenty one and was now eight shots behind the leader heading
to the par five, seventy second hole. Brandt Snedeker (USA) played holes
fifteen to seventeen in one under par which included a birdie on the par five,
fifteenth hole and he moved to minus twenty and was now nine shots behind the
leader heading to the par five, seventy second hole.
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| Jordan Spieth (USA) pumps his fist after holing the winning putt!! |
Patrick Reed (USA) who was playing in the group
ahead of the final group made a disappointing par on the par five, seventy
second hole and finished the seventy two holes on minus twenty two and finished
eight shots behind the winner. Brandt Snedeker (USA) who was also playing in
the group ahead of the final group made a good birdie on the par five, seventy
second hole and finished the seventy two holes on minus twenty one to finish
nine shots behind the winner. Brooks Koepka (USA) who was playing in the final
group with Jordan Spieth (USA) made a disappointing par on the par five,
seventy second hole and finished the seventy two holes on minus twenty one to
finish nine shots behind the winner. Jordan Spieth (USA) now stood on the par
five, seventy second tee with a seven shot lead and knew that victory was not
far away. He hit a brilliant drive that drew from right to left in to the
middle of fairway and got a lot of run off the severe down slope!! Then he
choose a three wood to go for the green in two shots and properly hit the worst
shot of the whole week because he hit the ball fat and was lucky it bounced out
of the hazard and into the fairway for a wedge shot of just under 100 yards!!
He played a brilliant wedge shot for his third shot that landed four feet short
of the pin!! Then he walked up to the seventy second green with his caddie
Michael Greller by his side to a huge standing ovation from the gallery
surrounding the green which was acknowledging his great play the whole week!!
Then he calmly rolled in the four foot birdie putt to finish at minus thirty
for the seventy two holes!! He won by an amazing eight shots and he scored 33-4
on his back nine.
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| Jordan Spieth (USA) on the left celebrates with his sister, Ellie on the right after he won |
Jordan Spieth (USA) got a huge hug and high five
from his caddie, Michael Greller!! Then his young Sister, Ellie who is special
needs child came on to the seventy second green to give him a hug!! Then his
Mum, Mary and his Dad, Shawn gave him a hug to celebrate his win!! And his girl
friend, Annie Verret was also there to celebrate the win with him!! Then he was
interviewed by Golf Channel reporter, Curt Byrum and he said to Jordan Spieth
(USA) “Jordan, Big win eight shot blow out win to start this New Year, how
satisfying is it that your game carried over into this New Year and basically
pick up where you left off last year with that huge year last year?” And Jordan Spieth (USA) replied “Yeah very
satisfied, yeah we got down here early, Michael Greller (his caddie) and he
played a lot of golf on this course ahead of time we actually played a few
rounds with Brandt (Snedeker (USA)) which is kind of funny he was up there too
(He tied for third), um felt comfortable the whole week, ah felt like it was
just a short three week break you know over the holidays and then just try and
continue exactly what we were doing last year, so um that is kinda of the way I
think I going to keep on think about it, it worked this week and all parts of
the game were firing!!” Then Golf Channel reporter, Curt Byrum asked him “You
pick up your seventh victory before the age of twenty three, are you aware that
you matched that with Tiger Woods (USA), he won his seventh before his twenty
third birthday, there is going to be those inevitable comparisons, how do feel
about that?” And Jordan Spieth (USA) replied “I’m nowhere near um, I don’t
think there is any reason to compare, I think it is awfully early, um we are
very excited about where we are at, and are and the start to our career as a
team, um what Tiger Woods (USA) has done I can’t imagine ever being done again,
um but it is nice to be in that company, but any time you can get in to the
company of Tiger Woods (USA) or some of the greats, the Hall of Fame Players,
it is certainly a goal that I had since I was a little kid, so it is fantastic
being out here doing what we love to do and doing it well!!” Then Golf Channel
reporter, Curt Byrum asked him “Were you aware earlier in the round that
Patrick Reed (USA) had got in into within a couple of shots of the lead, were
you watching the leader board as you went along?” Then Jordan Speith (USA)
replied “I saw it on number five as he was hitting a birdie putt I think to go
three under through five, and ah there is going to be charges on this course, there
is enough birdies holes out there, there was going to be a charge from him,
from Brooks (Koepka (USA)), you know Brooks (Koepka (USA)) just go off to a
tough start, number one was a key hole for me getting that one up and down, and
ah kinda settle me down a little bit, I knew that was going to be maybe the
hardest hole the entire day, ah I had a couple of holes left I mean, I guess
Patrick (Reed (USA)) made a bogey or two on the back nine? I thought he may finish
up at twenty five or twenty six under par just the way he was going, and so we
had to make more birdies, and that is the hardest part when you are in the lead
by a few on a easier golf course you know you still have to make birdies and
that means staying aggressive and that is what we did at the end”. Then Golf
Channel reporter, Curt Byrum said to Jordan Spieth (USA) “Congratulations on the
big win, have another great year!!” and Jordan Spieth (USA) replied “Appreciate
it”.
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| Jordan Spieth (USA) poses with the Hyundai Tournament of Champions trophy he won!! |
Jordan Alexander Spieth
(USA) (/ˈspiːθ/; SPEETH; born July 27, 1993) is an American professional golfer
on the USPGA Tour, and is the world number one in the Official World Golf
Ranking. He is a two-time major winner and the defending FedEx Cup champion.
Jordan Spieth (USA) won his first major at the 2015 Masters Tournament with a
score of 270 (−18), earning him US $1.8 million. Jordan Spieth (USA) tied the
72-hole record set by Tiger Woods (USA) in 1997 and became the second youngest
to win the Masters, behind Tiger Woods (USA). He then won the 2015 U.S. Open Championship
with a final score of 5-under-par. He is the youngest U.S. Open champion since
Bobby Jones (USA) in 1923. He followed up with a win in the 2015 Tour
Championship, which clinched the 2015 FedEx Cup.
Jordan Spieth (USA) was born in Dallas, Texas, to
Shawn T. Spieth and Mary Christine (née Julius) Spieth. He attended St. Monica
Catholic School and graduated from Jesuit College Preparatory School in 2011. Jordan
Spieth (USA) won the U.S. Junior Amateur in 2009 and 2011, joining Tiger Woods
(USA) as it’s only multiple winners. Before turning eighteen in July 2011, he
was No. 1 in the Polo Golf Rankings, which promotes the best junior golfers in
the world. He finished second in the 2008 and 2009 Junior PGA
Championship. The American Junior Golf Association named him the Rolex Junior
Player of the Year in 2009. Jordan Spieth (USA) accepted an exemption to play
in the USPGA Tour's HP Byron Nelson Championship in 2010. It was the event's
first amateur exemption since 1995. The tournament's previous exemptions had
included Trip Kuehne (USA) in 1995, and Justin Leonard (USA) and Tiger Woods (USA)
in 1993. He made the cut,
becoming the sixth-youngest player to make the cut at a USPGA Tour event.
Jordan Spieth (USA) was tied for seventh place after the third round, and
finished the tournament in a tie for sixteenth place. He was offered another
exemption into the tournament in 2011, when he again made the cut and finished
in a tie for 32nd.
Jordan Spieth (USA) played college golf for the
Longhorns at the University of Texas. Jordan Spieth (USA) was a member of the
2011 Walker Cup team, and played in three of the four rounds, halving his
foursomes match and winning both singles matches. In his freshman year at
Texas, Jordan Spieth (USA) won three events and led the team in scoring
average. He helped his team win the NCAA championship, was named to the All-Big
12 Team, Big 12 Freshman of the Year and Player of the Year, and was a
first-team All-American. Jordan Spieth (USA) earned a spot in the U.S. Open
Championship in 2012 as an alternate after Brandt Snedeker (USA) withdrew; he
tied for twenty first and was the low amateur. He became the number one amateur
in the World Amateur Golf Ranking after his performance in the U.S. Open
Championship and Patrick Cantlay’s (USA) decision to turn professional.
Midway through his sophomore year at Texas in 2012,
the 19-year-old Jordan Spieth (USA) turned professional. He partnered with
Under Armour for sponsorship in January 2013 and with BioSteel Sports
Supplements in March. Jordan Spieth (USA) opened the 2013 season in January, at
the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, missing the cut by two strokes. In
March, Jordan Spieth (USA) made three cuts, finishing tied for second at the
Puerto Rico Open and tied for seventh at the Tampa Bay Championship. He earned
Special Temporary Member status in March, allowing him unlimited sponsor
exemptions, whereas non-members are limited to seven per season. He notched
another top-10 finish in April at the RBC Heritage, a tie for ninth. On July
14, about two weeks before his twenty birthday, Jordan Spieth (USA) won the
John Deere Classic in a three-way, sudden-death playoff on the fifth playoff
hole against defending champion Zach Johnson (USA) and David Hearn (Canada). He
became the fourth youngest USPGA Tour winner and the first teenager to do so
since Ralph Guldahl (USA) won the Santa Monica Open in 1931. Jordan Spieth
(USA) holed out from a greenside bunker on the seventy second hole to make the
playoff.
With the victory, Jordan Spieth (USA) was granted full
status as a USPGA Tour member and became eligible for the FedEx Cup, entering
in eleventh place in the standings. It also earned him entry into the next
three majors: the 2013 Open Championship, PGA Championship, and 2014 Masters
Tournament. Five weeks after his first victory, Jordan Spieth (USA) played the
Wyndham Championship, where he lost in a playoff to Patrick Reed (USA). Jordan Spieth
(USA) shot a final round 62 in the Deutsche Bank Championship, vaulting him
into a tie for fourth. Just two days later, captain Fred Couples (USA) selected
Jordan Spieth (USA) for the United States squad in the 2013 Presidents Cup. On
September 27, 2013, he was named USPGA Tour Rookie of the Year. At the end of
the 2013 season, he was ranked tenth on the USPGA Tour money list and twenty
second in the Official World Golf Ranking.
On March 15, 2015 he won the Valspar Championship in a three-way playoff with Patrick Reed (USA) and Sean O'Hair (USA). He secured his victory on the third extra hole by sinking a 30-foot birdie putt. The win moved him to sixth in the Official World Golf Ranking. A runner-up finish at the Valero Texas Open moved him to a career-high ranking of fourth in the world. The following week, Jordan Spieth (USA) lost in a sudden-death playoff at the Shell Houston Open, having held the 54-hole lead. He shot a final round 70, but had to hole an 8-footer on the last to force the playoff following low rounds by J. B. Holmes (USA) and Johnson Wagner (USA) that had pushed them to the top of the leaderboard. On the first playoff hole, Jordan Spieth (USA) put his drive nearly into the water, and then followed up with a poor shot into the green-side bunker, causing his elimination from the playoff, which was won by J. B. Holmes (USA).
On April 9, 2015 Jordan Spieth (USA) shot an opening round 64 to finish the day eight strokes under par with a three-shot lead in the Masters Tournament at Augusta, Georgia; Jordan Spieth (USA) set a record as the youngest player to lead the Masters after the first round. His score was only one shot behind the course record of 63 shared by Nick Price (Zimbabwe) and Greg Norman (Australia), with their rounds coming in 1986 and 1996 respectively. Jordan Spieth (USA) shot 66 the following day to break the 36-hole Masters Tournament scoring record by posting 14-under 130 through two rounds. The previous record, set by Raymond Floyd (USA) in 1976, was 13-under 131. He broke the 54-hole record at the Masters Tournament shooting a 16-under 200 through three rounds. During the final round Jordan Spieth (USA) briefly held a score of −19 but bogeyed the final hole resulting in him tying Tiger Woods' (USA) 1997 score record at 18-under. Jordan Spieth (USA) set the record for the most birdies during the Masters Tournament by making twenty eight and became the second-youngest person to win the Masters. His victory was the first wire-to-wire Masters Tournament win since Raymond Floyd's (USA) in 1976. The victory moved Jordan Spieth (USA) to Number Two in the Official World Golf Ranking.
On June 21, 2015 Jordan Spieth (USA) won the U.S. Open Championship to claim his second major championship. He carded a one-under 69 in the final round to finish with a total of 275 (-5) and win the tournament by one stroke over Dustin Johnson (USA) and Louis Oosthuizen (RSA). Jordan Spieth (USA) had begun the day in a four way tie for the lead and played in the penultimate group alongside Branden Grace (RSA). He opened his final round with a bogey to fall behind, but then a run twelve pars and two birdies in his next 14 holes moved him into a tie for the lead with Branden Grace (RSA) at five under par. On the sixteenth hole, Branden Grace (RSA) hit his tee shot out of bounds that led to a double bogey and Jordan Spieth (USA) capitalized by rolling in a lengthy birdie putt to create a three shot swing, which gave Jordan Spieth (USA) a three shot lead with two to play. However, on the seventeenth tee, Jordan Spieth (USA) pushed his tee shot well right into the thick rough, which led to a double bogey and coupled with Dustin Johnson's (USA) birdie on the sixteenth hole, the two were tied for the lead briefly. Jordan Spieth (USA) then missed an eagle putt on the eighteenth to give him a two shot lead, but made birdie to become the leader in the clubhouse. Dustin Johnson (USA) then had an eagle putt to win the tournament outright on the seventy second hole, but three-putted from twelve feet to finish one stroke behind. Jordan Spieth (USA) became only the sixth player ever to win the Masters Tournament and the U.S. Open Championship back to back, and the first since Tiger Woods (USA) in 2002. The other four golfers to accomplish this feat are Hall of Fame members Craig Wood (USA), Ben Hogan (USA), Arnold Palmer (USA) and Jack Nicklaus (USA). He became the fourth-youngest player to win multiple major championships and the youngest winner of the U.S. Open since Bobby Jones (USA) in 1923.
The week before 2015 The Open Championship , Jordan Spieth (USA) chose to play at the John Deere Classic rather than the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open, where many other top-ranked players were competing to prepare for the links style courses. Jordan Spieth (USA) shot the lowest round of his professional career to date, with a 61 in the third round. He eventually won the tournament in a playoff for his fourth victory of the year. Jordan Spieth's (USA) quest for the grand slam ended when he finished tied fourth in The Open Championship with a final score of –14, one stroke out of a playoff. He had been tied for the lead but bogeyed the seventeenth hole to drop one stroke behind and could not make his birdie on the eighteenth to join the playoff. After finishing second behind Jason Day (Australia) at the 2015 PGA Championship, he became the world number one in the Official World Golf Ranking. He is the eighteenth different golfer to earn the honour. He was number one for two weeks in August 2015 and one week in September. Jordan Spieth (USA) missed the cut in The Barclays and the Deutsche Bank Championship, the first two events of the FedEx Cup playoffs. However, his tied for thirteenth finish at the BMW Championship kept him second overall in the standings. Only needing a victory to clinch the championship, Jordan Spieth (USA) won the 2015 Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club by four strokes. With the win, his fifth of the year, Jordan Spieth (USA) became the ninth FedEx Cup champion and earned a US $10 million bonus for winning the Cup. Jordan Spieth (USA) won US $12,030,485 (not including the $10 million bonus) in 2015, a USPGA Tour record for a single year. He also regained the world number one ranking. Jordan Spieth (USA) swept all the major awards for the season: PGA Player of the Year and PGA Tour Player of the Year (Jack Nicklaus Trophy), Vardon Trophy and Byron Nelson Award for leading the tour in scoring average, and Arnold Palmer Award for leading the tour's money list.
Jordan Spieth (USA) started the year in 2016 by winning the Hyundai Tournament of Champions; his score of −30 was not only a personal best, it was also only the second time a player reached −30 in a USPGA Tour tournament. After earning a spot on the 2013 Presidents Cup team, Jordan Spieth (USA) began to plan the Jordan Spieth Charitable Fund. The fund provides awareness and financial assistance to special needs children, military families and youth golf. Jordan Spieth (USA) is the son of Chris and Shawn Spieth, both natives of Pennsylvania. His grandfather, Donald Spieth, is a music teacher at Moravian College and Northampton Community College in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where he was a long-time conductor of the former Lehigh Valley Chamber Orchestra. The Spieths are of German descent. Jordan Spieth (USA) has two younger siblings, Steven and Ellie. Steven is a basketball player at Brown University. Ellie has grown up with disabilities and Jordan Spieth (USA) has credited her with keeping him grounded and focused as well as keeping the game of golf in perspective. He has been linked to Annie Verret, who works at The First Tee after graduating from Texas Tech. Jordan Spieth (USA) is Catholic and attends USPGA Tour Bible study meetings with other players.
Jordan Spieth (USA) has won seven USPGA Tour events to date so far in his young career and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2013 John Deere Classic; 2015 Valspar Championship; 2015 Masters Tournament (Maiden Major Championship); 2015 U.S. Open Championship (Second Major Championship), 2015 John Deere Classic; 2015 Tour Championship by Coca – Cola (He also won the 2015 FedEx Cup) and the 2016 Hyundai Tournament of Champions. Other tournaments he has won that aren’t USPGA Tour events are: 2014 Emirates Australian Open and 2014 Hero World Challenge. He has also achieved five top ten finishes in the twelve Major Championships he has played in to date so far and that includes his two wins at the 2015 Masters Tournament and 2015 U.S. Open Championship. He has also achieved three top ten finishes in WGC – Events from the nine he has played in to date so far with his best being tied for seventh at the 2015 HSBC Champions. He has also represent Team USA at the 2013 and 2015 Presidents Cups against Team International which Team USA won both. And he also played in his maiden Ryder Cup for Team USA in 2014 against Team Europe which he was a standout player in a losing team. He is now starting to be compared to Tiger Woods (USA) at the same age in his career and he has won one more Major Championship that he did at the same age!! Let’s hope he can continue this amazing form for the rest of the 2016 part of the 2015/16 USPGA Tour season and win more tournaments and Major Championships!! I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2015/16 USPGA Tour season.
Coming in solo second position at 270-22 after seventy two holes was Patrick Reed (USA); he earned US $688,000 for his efforts and moved to eleventh position on the current 2015/16 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $1,029,750 earned from the three events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 300 FedEx Cup points for his efforts and moved to eleventh position on the current 2015/16 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 454 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 three top ten finishes which includes the one this past week. He will be happy with his four rounds this week that were all in the 60s especially his first round 65-8 which saw him take the first round lead. But whatever he did this week it wasn’t going to be good enough to match the performance Jordan Spieth (USA) put up!! Patrick Nathaniel Reed (USA) (born August 5, 1990) is an American professional golfer who plays on the USPGA Tour and the European Tour. He is most notable for his victory in the 2014 WGC-Cadillac Championship. Patrick Reed (USA) was born in San Antonio, Texas. He graduated at University High School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. While there, he won the 2006 Junior British Open and also qualified for the U.S. Amateur in 2007. Patrick Reed (USA) led University High to state championships in both 2006 and 2007. He also won the state medalist honors in 2007. He earned Rolex AJGA All-America honours in 2005, 2006 and 2007. Patrick Reed (USA) started his college golf at the University of Georgia in 2008–09. After issues that resulted in his expulsion he enrolled at Augusta State University, where he majored in business. He helped lead Augusta State to NCAA Division I Golf Championship in 2010 and 2011. He advanced to the semi-finals of the 2008 U.S. Amateur. He suffered a 3&2 loss to eventual U.S. Amateur champion Danny Lee (NZL) – the top-ranked amateur in the world. He won the 2010 Jones Cup Invitational. Patrick Reed (USA) turned professional in 2011 after the NCAA Championship. On June 2011, Patrick Reed (USA) played in his first USPGA Tour event, the FedEx St. Jude Classic, where he missed the cut after the second round. Patrick Reed (USA) played two more events in 2011, earning just over US $20,000. On the Nationwide Tour (Now Web.com Tour), Patrick Reed (USA) played two events and earned just over US $5,000.
Patrick Reed (USA) played in twelve events on the USPGA Tour in 2012 on sponsor’s exemptions and through Monday qualifying (six times). He made seven cuts and earned over US $300,000. His best finish was tied for eleventh at the Frys.com Open. He finished tied for twenty second at the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament, after entering at the First Stage, to earn his USPGA Tour card for 2013. Patrick Reed (USA) picked up his first top-10 finish at the 2013 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. On August 18, Patrick Reed (USA) became the twelfth first-time USPGA Tour winner of the year with his victory at the Wyndham Championship in a playoff against Jordan Spieth (USA). His win at Sedgefield Country Club also marked his third consecutive top-10 finish. At the 2014 Humana Challenge, Patrick Reed (USA) set the USPGA Tour record for most strokes under par after 54 holes. His rounds of 63-63-63, were 27-under-par. The tournament's first three rounds are played on three different courses. The previous record was 25-under-par, set by Gay Brewer (USA) at the 1967 Pensacola Open and tied by Ernie Els (RSA) at the 2003 Mercedes Championships, Pat Perez (USA) at the 2009 Bob Hope Classic (the previous name of the Humana event) and Steve Stricker (USA) at the 2010 John Deere Classic. All four other players won those tournaments. It was also the first time in USPGA Tour history that a player opened a tournament with three rounds of 63 or better. Patrick Reed (USA) won the tournament by two strokes over Ryan Palmer (USA). On March 9, 2014 Patrick Reed (USA) earned his biggest win to date with a victory in the WGC-Cadillac Championship at Trump National Doral in Miami, Florida. He earned US $1.53 million with the one-shot win over Bubba Watson (USA) and Jamie Donaldson (Wales). Patrick Reed (USA) became only the fifth golfer to earn three USPGA Tour wins before his twenty fourth birthday since 1990, joining Tiger Woods (USA), Phil Mickelson (USA), Rory McIlroy (NIR) and Sergio García (Spain). He is the youngest winner of a WGC event, and the victory also moved Patrick Reed (USA) to twentieth in the Official World Golf Ranking. Patrick Reed (USA) was also the first USPGA Tour golfer to have three wins before playing in his first major championship, the 2014 Masters Tournament. Also in 2014, Patrick Reed (USA) finished fifth at the Volvo World Match Play Championship. On January 12, 2015 Patrick Reed (USA) won his fourth USPGA Tour title at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions by defeating Jimmy Walker (USA) in a sudden death playoff. The win also moved Patrick Reed (USA) to a career-best OWGR ranking of fourteenth. Also, he finished second at the Valspar Championship, third at the Hero World Challenge, and seventh at the Honda Classic. Patrick Reed (USA) also joined the European Tour for the 2015 season. Patrick Reed (USA) married Justine Karain, on December 21, 2012. She was his caddy for the qualifying rounds in La Quinta, California, where Patrick Reed (USA) secured a USPGA Tour card at Q-School. While Justine was pregnant with daughter Windsor-Wells, her brother Kessler became Patrick Reed's (USA) caddy. He has won four USPGA Tour events in his career to date so far and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2013 Wyndham Championship; 2014 Humana Challenge; 2014 WGC – Cadillac Championship and the 2015 Hyundai Tournament of Champions. He is yet to record a top ten finish in a Major Championship with his best finish to date being tied for fourteenth at the 2015 U.S. Open Championship. He has also achieved three top ten finishes to date in WGC – Events with his best being winning the 2014 WGC – Cadillac Championship. He has also represented Team USA at the 2014 Ryder Cup against Team Europe where he was a standout player in a losing team and he represented Team USA in the 2015 Presidents Cup against Team International where Team USA prevailed in a very close contest. Let’s hope he can achieve his fifth USPGA Tour win in the 2016 part of the 2015/16 USPGA Tour season. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2016 part of the 2015/16 USPGA Tour season.
Rounding out the top four in tied for third position at 271-21 after seventy two holes was Brooks Koepka (USA); he earned US $381,000 for his efforts and moved to twenty sixth position on the current 2015/16 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $402,000 earned from the three events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 163 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to thirtieth position on the current 2015/16 FedEx Cup Points list standings with 190 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 one top ten finish that came this past week. He will be happy with his first, second and third rounds that were all in the 60s especially his third round 63-10 which was blemish free and the low round of the day and the tournament!! But he will be slightly disappointed with his final round 71-2 when playing in the final group with Jordan Spieth (USA). But it was a good start to his first tournament of the 2016 part of the 2015/16 USPGA Tour season. Brooks Koepka (USA) (born May 3, 1990) is an American professional golfer. He is ranked inside the top-30 in the Official World Golf Ranking and chose a different route than other young Americans to get mainstay status on the USPGA Tour, by starting his career on the European Challenge Tour and eventually the European Tour. Brooks Koepka (USA) was born in Wellington, Florida and attended Cardinal Newman High School. He played college golf at Florida State University where he won three events and was a three-time All-American. He qualified for the 2012 U.S. Open Championship while still an amateur, but missed the cut. In the summer of 2012, Brooks Koepka (USA) turned professional and began playing on the Challenge Tour in Europe. He won his first event in September at the Challenge de Catalunya. In 2013 he had his second victory on the Challenge Tour, winning the 2013 Montecchia Golf Open for he followed this a month later with his third win, the Fred Olsen Challenge de España, where he set the tournament record, 260 (−24), and won by a record 10 strokes. Three weeks later he had his third win of the year at the Scottish Hydro Challenge. With those three wins, he earned his European Tour card for the remainder of the 2013 season and for the full 2014 season. The day after his third Challenge Tour win of 2013, Brooks Koepka (USA) qualified for the 2013 Open Championship. Brooks Koepka (USA) made his debut as a member of the European Tour (he played in three events prior to promotion to membership) at the Scottish Open, finishing tied for twelfth. In his first event of the 2014 PGA Tour, Brooks Koepka (USA) led after the second and third rounds of the Frys.com Open. He finished tied for third. At the U.S. Open Championship, he collected a fourth-place finish, which earned him his USPGA Tour card for the 2014–15 season and his first Masters Tournament invitation. Later he ended fifteenth at the PGA Championship. He was nominated for the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year award. On the 2014 European Tour, Brooks Koepka (USA) won the Turkish Airlines Open and finished third at the Dubai Desert Classic and Omega European Masters, and ninth at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. He ranked eighth in the 2014 Race to Dubai rankings and was named the European Tour's Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year. On February 1, 2015, Brooks Koepka (USA) won his first USPGA Tour event, the Waste Management Phoenix Open and moved to nineteenth in the Official World Golf Ranking. In the summer of 2015, Brooks Koepka (USA) was pretty consistent and found himself in contention on multiple occasions. At the 2015 Open Championship, Brooks Koepka (USA) improved every day and a final round 68 vaulted him into a tied for tenth at the Old Course at St Andrews. The very next week, Brooks Koepka (USA) was tied for fourth after 54 holes at the RBC Canadian Open but a final round 74 plummeted him down to a tied for eighteenth at the Glen Abbey Golf Course. He then went on to finish tied for sixth at the 2015 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and tied for fifth at the 2015 PGA Championship. In 2015, Brooks Koepka (USA) chose to forfeit his European Tour membership, citing an inability to travel between the U.S. and Europe. He has also achieved three top ten finishes to date in Major Championships with his best being tied for fourth at the 2014 U.S. Open Championship. He has also achieved one top ten finish in WGC – Events and that came in the 2015 WGC- Bridgestone Invitational. Let’s hope he can achieve his second USPGA Tour win in the 2016 part of the 2015/16 USPGA Tour season. I wish him all the best for the 2016 part of the 2015/16 USPGA Tour season.
The final player to tied for third position was Brandt Snedeker (USA); he too earned US $381,000 for his efforts and moved to twenty second position on the current 2015/16 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $454,333 earned from the four events he has played to date this season so far. He also earned 163 FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to tied for twenty first position on the current 2015/16 FedEx Cup Points standings list with 213 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 two cuts and achieved one top ten finish that came this past week. He will be happy with his first, third and final rounds that were all in the 60s especially his third round 65-8 which was blemish free!! But he will be unhappy with his second round 72-1. But it was a great start to the first tournament of 2016 on the 2015/16 USPGA Tour after having three mediocre tournaments by his stands in the 2015 part of the 2015/16 USPGA Tour season. Brandt Newell Snedeker (USA) (born December 8, 1980) 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 at East Lake Golf Club. 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, he moved to a career high of number four in the world. After a winless and disappointing 2014 including lots of missed cuts and rare top-ten, Brandt Snedeker (USA) worked in the off-season with his coach Butch Harmon to find new sensation in his swing and especially new mental strength. This hard work finally paid off at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, where Brandt Snedeker (USA) won for the second time in three years with the score of −22, three strokes ahead of Nick Watney (USA). This was the seventh USPGA Tour title for Brandt Snedeker (USA) and the victory lifted him back in the top 50 in the World Ranking. Brandt Snedeker (USA) was back to his consistent ways in the 2015 USPGA Tour season with frequent places in the top-10 of events. Three ties for tenth occurred early in the season at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, WGC-HSBC Champions, and the Waste Management Phoenix Open. After missing the cut at both the 2015 Masters Tournament and The Players Championship, Brandt Snedeker (USA), finished tied for second at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, tied for sixth at the AT&T Byron Nelson and solo eighth at the U.S. Open at Chambers Bay. Brandt Snedeker (USA) resides in Nashville with his wife Mandy and his children Lily and Austin who were born in 2011 and 2012. He currently works with instructor Butch Harmon. His brother, Haymes Snedeker, won The Big Break X: Michigan, and earned a shot at qualifying school and the USPGA Tour. Brandt Snedeker (USA) has won seven USPGA Tour events to date so far in his career and here they are from the first to the most recent: 2007 Wyndham Championship; 2011 The Heritage; 2012 Farmers Insurance Open; 2012 Tour Championship by Coca – Cola and 2012 FedEx Cup; 2013 AT&T National Pebble Beach Pro – Am; 2013 RBC Canadian Open and 2015 AT&T National Pebble Beach Pro – Am. He has also achieved seven top ten finishes in Major Championships to date so far with his best being tied for third at the 2008 Masters Tournament and tied for third at the 2012 Open Championship. He also represented Team USA in the 2012 Ryder Cup against Team Europe and he represented Team USA against Team International in the 2013 Presidents Cup which Team USA won. Let’s hope he can achieve his eight win in the 2016 part of the 2015/16 USPGA Tour season and perhaps win his maiden Major Championship. I wish him all the best for the rest of the 2016 part of the 2015/16 USPGA Tour season.
Danny Lee (NZL) scored a brilliant first round of 67-6
in the very first event of the 2016 part of the 2015/16 USPGA Tour season which
included a very good front nine of 33-3 which included a birdies on the par
four, third hole, par five, fifth hole and par five, ninth hole and then he
played a brilliant back nine of 34-3 with birdies coming on the par four, tenth
hole, par three, eleventh hole and par five, eighteenth hole and then a very
good second round of 68-5 which included a very good front nine of 33-3 with a
brilliant eagle on the par five, fifth hole and birdies on the par four, third
hole, par four, seventh hole and par five, ninth hole and poor bogeys on the
par four, first hole and par three, second hole and a good back nine of 35-2
with birdies on the par four, fourteenth hole, par five, fifteenth hole and par
five, eighteenth hole but he had a poor bogey on the par four, thirteenth hole
and an average third round of 71-2 where he scored a average front nine of 36 even par with a lone birdie on the par
five, ninth hole and a lone bogey on the par three, second hole and then a good
back nine of 35-2 with birdies on the par four, twelfth hole and par five, eighteenth
hole and a poor final round of 72-1 which included a shocking front nine of 39+3
which included birdies on the par five, fifth hole and par five, ninth hole but
he poor bogey’s on the par three, second hole and par four, third hole and a
horrifying triple bogey seven on the par four, fourth hole and then he scored a
brilliant back nine of 33-4 which included a brilliant eagle on the par five,
fifteenth hole and birdies on the par four, tenth hole, par four, thirteenth
hole, par four, fourteenth hole and alone poor bogey on the par four, seventeenth
hole for a seventy two hole total of 278-14 and he finished in tied for
fifteenth position. He earned US $108,667 for his efforts and moved to eighty
fourth position on the current 2015/16 USPGA Tour Money list standings with US $153,458
earned from the three events he has played to date this season so far. He also
earned fifty five FedEx Cup Points for his efforts and moved to tied for 115th
position on the current 2015/16 FedEx Cup Points list standings with sixty six
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 withdrawn from one event and achieved no top ten finishes. He will be
happy with his first and second rounds that were both in the mid 60s especially
his opening round 67-6 which saw him just two shots out of the lead!! But he
will be just content with his third and final rounds that were both in the 70s and
also angry with his front nine in the final round which was 39+3!! But he will be pleased his back nine 33-4 in
the back nine of his final round!! It was a good start to the first event of the
2016 part of the 2015/16 USPGA Tour season and he did make a decent pay cheque
and he will be looking to have some top ten finishes in the next few events he
plays in and his next start will likely be the Sony Open in Hawaii next week. I
wish him all the best for the rest of the 2015/16 USPGA Tour season.
Next week the USPGA Tour and FedEx Cup has its
second and final event in the State of Hawaii for the 2015/16 season and it is
the first regular season event for the 2016 part of the 2015/16 USPGA Tour
season and is the Sony Open in Hawaii and is played on the Waialae
CC, Honolulu, Hawaii. It carries a huge prize purse of US $5,800,000
for the taking. Jimmy Walker (USA) is the two time defending champion having
won it in 2014 and 2015 and will be trying for a three peat. Danny Lee (NZL)
will get a start if he chooses to play and Tim Wilkinson (NZL) will be hoping
for a start as well. It starts on Thursday 14th January. I will report back who
won the trophy next week.
So to the Top 5 on the Official World Golf Rankings Points list
standings this week and for the first time in 2016 and coming in at Number One
Position for the sixteenth week of his career is Jordan Spieth (USA) who is
fresh off his win this past week at the
Hyundai Tournament of Champions and also his solo fourth position at the Hero
World Challenge five weeks ago with 12.14 Official World Ranking Points; coming
in at Number Two is Jason Day (Australia) who is fresh off his tied for tenth position
this past week at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions and also being part of
the 2015 Team Internationals Presidents Cup narrow loss to Team USA thirteen
weeks ago in South Korea with 10.74 Official World Ranking Points; coming in at
Number Three is Rory McILroy (NIR) who is fresh off his win seven weeks ago at
the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai and the Race to Dubai title for a third
time in his career and also his tied for eleventh position at the WGC – HSBC
Champions nine weeks ago with 10.31 Official Golf World Ranking Points; coming
in at Number Four is Bubba Watson (USA) who is fresh off his tied for tenth
position this past week at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions and also his tied
for fifteenth position at the Thailand Golf Championship four weeks ago with
7.62 Official World Ranking Points and rounding out the top five on the
Official World Ranking Points list standings this week is Rickie Fowler (USA)
who is fresh off his solo fifth position at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions
this past week and also his solo third position at the Hero World Challenge five
weeks ago with 7.12 Official World Ranking Points. Danny Lee (NZL) this week is
in his fortieth third week of another spell of being the highest ranked New
Zealand Golfer in the world after finishing in tied for fifteenth position at
the Hyundai Tournament of Champions this past week. This week he gains two
places and rises to fortieth fifth position on the Official World Golf Rankings
Points list standings with 2.63 Official Golf World Ranking Points.
Remember to never give up in a game of golf because
the game is played over eighteen holes!!
Source: Pgatour.com, Official World Golf Rankings, wikipedia.org,
Google search engine,
europeantour.com, golfchannel.com, ladieseuropeantour.com,
asiantour.com, pgatourlive.co.nz
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