Europe Wins The 2014 Ryder Cup

Well it was definitely a Ryder Cup to remember filled with many ups and downs, but Europe wins the Ryder Cup for another two years, beating the US with a score of 16.5 to 11.5 at Gleneagles in Scotland. Their win was confirmed by European Rookie Jamie Donaldson, who put his second shot on the 16th hole to within two feet. US Competitor Keegen Bradley then conceeded the hole and thus giving Europe a total of 14.5 points and the win, in which they only needed 14 to retain the Cup.This is the third straight Ryder Cup that Europe has won.

This morning, the US was looking like they were going to make a good amount of points, but as we saw in the days before, Europe managed to find a way to make a comeback in most of the rounds that the US were leading. Here is a recap of today's singles matches (note that the matches are out of order):

1) Graeme McDowell VS Jordan Spieth > EUROPE 2&1
This was probably one of the most watched and anticipated matches today. From the start, it was looking bad for McDowell and Europe, as Spieth went 3UP through 5 holes. However an error by Spieth on the 10th sparked the start of a major comeback by GMac, who then went on to win the next four holes. As we've seen before, it was his putting that fueled his comeback. Another win on the 15th hole was good enough for the match to conclude at the end of the 17th hole. This is the GMac we all knew, the one who thrives and exceeds expectations even while under pressure.

2) Rory McIlroy VS Rickie Fowler > EUROPE 5&4
From the start of this match, Rory was on fire and and winning. By the 7th hole, he was 5UP and from there on until the end of the match (which was on the end of the 14th) Fowler only won a single hole (the 8th). Fowler wasn't playing bad golf, by as we saw just months ago on tour, Rory was playing just that much better. We saw in this match today who Rory is the #1 player in the world. Unfortunately this loss for Fowler means that he has never won a point for the US in all of the Ryder Cup career.

3) Henrik Stenson VS Patrick Reed > US 1UP
This was a good match played between two very good golfers. The match was back and forth all through 18 holes, but eventually Reed won it after Stenson missed a short putt on the 18th that would've halved the match. Reed was by far the most enthusiastic American this week. During his match today, after hitting a nice iron, he turned to the European crowd and put his finger to his mouth, shhhh-ing them. Reed was the only undefeated American this week, and that's saying a lot considering this was his first Ryder Cup.

4) Martin Kaymer VS Bubba Watson > EUROPE 4&2
This match showed us another European dominance by Kaymer. He was 4UP against Watson for the majority of the match. It may have been obvious that Kaymer was going to win, but he won in excellent style on the 16th hole. After hitting his second shot right of the green, Kaymer decided to chip and ended up holing out from off the green. He reacted with just as much enthusiasm as he did when he holed the winning putt. Kaymer has been solid all week and was really a key player for Europe.

5) Justin Rose VS Hunter Mahan > HALVED
This match was mostly dominated by Mahan for the first nine. But then, just like we saw with McDowell, Rose went on a run winning four straight holes to square up the match. Going into the last hole however, near the green, Mahan tried to flop his ball onto the green, but overshot it. Mahan was 1UP at the time, but as we saw in 2010, he had trouble closing the match again. Rose took advantage of this and scrambled for a half point, which was all he could do at that point. Rose was also undefeated this week throughout all his matches.

6) Stephen Gallacher VS Phil Mickelson > US 3&1
This was another back and fourth between the European and hometown rookie and the US veteran. Both played great golf all throughout the match and both held the lead at one point in the match. However, Mickelson won the last three holes of the match and as a result won the match on the 17th hole, where Gallacher bogeyed and Mickelson parred.

7) Thomas Bjorn VS Matt Kuchar > US 4&3
Kuchar, despite not winning a single point or half-point this week, ended up winning this match after Bjorn wasn't playing his best golf (only winning two holes out of 15). Kuchar also played pretty good golf too and was able to capitalize on Bjorn's errors

8) Sergio Garcia VS Jim Furyk > EUROPE 1UP
Both Garcia and Furyk played great rounds of golf and just like other matches today, the score went back and forth between the two. However, Garcia managed to win both the 15th and 16th holes which put him from 1 DOWN to 1UP. He held onto this lead right until the last hole of the match. Garcia's putting was also exceptional today, having made a 40-foot putt for par and a half on one of the holes.

9) Jamie Donaldson VS Keegen Bradley > EUROPE 4&3
Donaldson was on form for his entire match and Keegan Bradley couldn't match his performance unfortunately. After winning the first point of the match on the 5th hole, Donaldson held on to the lead for the entire match. On the 14th hole, Donaldson ensured that Europe would retain the Ryder Cup at least, by staying 4UP with four to play (ensuring the half-point that Europe needed at the time to get to 14 points). On the 15th hole, Donaldson put his second shot to within two feet, after which Keegen Bradley conceeded the hole, and thus Donaldson won the match and the Ryder Cup for Europe.

10) Ian Poulter vs Webb Simpson
Again, another back and forth match here in which Poulter led a good portion of it. Towards the end though, Simpson caught up and was 1UP going into the last hole. However, a birdie on the 18th by Poulter ensured that the Ryder Cup veteran would remain undefeated in Ryder Cup singles matches, and more importantly win the half-point for Europe.

11) Lee Westwood VS Jimmie Walker > US 3&2
This match was not lost by Westwood, but rather won by Walker. Westwood played good golf but managed very few birdies, whereas Walker's points came off birdie's he made, most of the time. This caps off a good Ryder Cup for Walker and in a post-match interview, he said that he would love to play in more Ryder Cups.

12) Victor Dubuisson VS Zach Johnson > HALVED
This was a rather uneventful match for the first 10 holes, as neither Dubuisson or Johnson won any holes, just pars between the two of them. Then on the 10th, Johnson took a 1UP lead, which kicked off a rally between the two for the lead over the next two holes. It ended with Johnson making a putt to half the match. Dubuisson played great golf all week, and as McDowell said, he's probably the next biggest thing in European golf.

Overall, the 2014 Ryder Cup may not have been as down-to-the-wire as the 2012 Ryder Cup in Medinah, but it was still one full of excitement and great golf, as is always promised with a Ryder Cup. Let's hope the 2016 Ryder Cup at Hazeltine National Golf Club in the US.

What was your favourite part of this year's Ryder Cup? Leave a comment and let us know,

-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

 (Jamie Donaldson: The Man Who Won the 2014 Ryder Cup for Europe)

2014 Ryder Cup Day 2 Recap

There's just one more day left in the 2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneagles, Scotland and as it stands now, Europe still holds the lead with a score of 10-6 against the US. Today's rounds are now over and again they were all filled with excitement, emotions, and good golf. Here is a quick recap of the morning and afternoon matches.


Saturday's Fourball Matches:
1) Justin Rose/Henrik Stenson VS Bubba Watson/Matt Kuchar > EUROPE 3&2
2) Jamie Donaldson/Lee Westwood VS Jim Furyk/Hunter Mahan > US 4&3
3) Thomas Bjorn/Martin Kaymer VS Patrick Reed/Jordan Spieth > US 5&3
4) Rory McIlroy/Ian Poulter VS Jimmie Fowler/Rickie Fowler > HALVED

This morning's fourball matches brought a wave of US success, with the US winning most of the points. In the opening match, the match was back and forth between US and Europe. However, on the back nine, Justin Rose's putter was on fire, as he was making putt after putt. This eventually lead to the match concluding at the 16th hole, where Europe went 3UP. In the second match of the day, the US dominated most of it and Donaldson nor Westwood won a hole between them. On the other, Furyk and Mahan both played very well and deserved the win. Europe didn't lose that match, rather the US won it. In the third match, despite an early lead through the first few holes, the rookie duo Reed and Spieth rallied back to an eventual 5UP win, with the match concluding after the 15th hole. It was again another great performance by the formally considered underdog rookies, who are continuing to shock us every time they play. In the last fourball mach, Rory McIlroy was paired with an off Ian Poulter. This match also went back and fourth between Europe holding the lead and the US holding it. However, on the 16th and at 1 DOWN, we saw a glimpse of the old Ian Poulter, as he chipped in from off the green to secure a point for Europe (which would eventually result in them halving the match).

The afternoon foursome matches saw another European dominance, as we saw yesterday. Here were the pairings and scores for each match:

Saturday's Foursome Matches:
1) Jamie Donaldson/Lee Westwood VS Zach Johnson/Matt Kuchar > EUROPE 2&1
2) Sergio Garcia/Rory McIlroy VS Jim Furyk/Hunter Mahan > EUROPE 3&2
3) Martin Kaymer/Justin Rose VS Jordan Spieth/Patrick Reed > HALVED
4) Victor Dubuisson/Graeme McDowell VS Jimmie Walker/Rickie Fowler > EUROPE 5&4

The first afternoon match saw a redemption for the Donaldson/Westwood duo. The match was again back and forth on the first nine, but Europe took a solid lead on the back nine after going 1UP, 2UP on the 9th and 10th hole. They held onto this lead and the match was concluded after the 17th hole. In the second match, a rested Garcia and McIlroy were reunited. The two took an early lead of 2UP after the first two holes and most of the holes were halved from there on, except for a US-won hole, and two Europe-won holes. This match was also concluded early at the 16th hole, where Europe went 3UP. The third match of the day saw Rose playing not with Stenson (who had a tight back and did not play), but with Martin Kaymer. Again the amazing US rookie duo of Spieth and Reed were leading for most of the match (and for most of the afternoon were the only winning US team). Justin Rose's putter had also gotten cold this afternoon, but right at the last minute, Europe began a rally that would result in them halving the match. We also saw on the 16th hole that the US rookie duo were in fact human, when Patrick Reed missed a two-foot putt that would have won the US the hole. The last match of the day was probably one of the most exciting matches so far. An excellent-playing Victor Dubuisson was on fire and playing excellent golf. His great tee shots, combined with McDowell's putting resulted in Europe going 5UP after 8 holes. Despite much effort by Walker and Fowler, the could not catch Dubuisson and McDowell, and the match was ended after the 14th hole.

Incidentally, Europe holds the lead by the same amount that the US did during the 2012 Ryder Cup, going into the final round. Due to this, everyone is reluctant in saying that Europe has won yet. Remember, this is match play, and this is the Ryder Cup. As we saw back in Medinah, anything can happen.

We'll be covering the last day of the Ryder Cup tomorrow as well with some live tweeting and our Recap post, when it concludes. Stay tuned for that and some exciting golf tomorrow,


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

2014 Ryder Cup Day 1 Recap

Friday's sets of rounds have now concluded at the 2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneagles in Scotland and the overnight leader is Europe, with a lead of 5-3 over the US. Today's rounds featured some great golf on both parts and was very exciting. Here's a quick recap of each match that was played today

Friday's Fourball Matches:
1) Bubba Watson/Webb Simpson VS Justin Rose/Henrik Stenson > EUROPE 5&4
2) Rickie Fowler/Jimmy Walker VS Thomas Bjorn/Martin Kaymer > HALVED
3) Jordan Speith/Patrick Reed VS Stephen Gallacher/Ian Poulter > US 5&4
4) Keegen Bradley/Phil Mickelson VS Rory McIlroy/Sergio Garcia

The opening match between Watson/Simpson and Rose/Stenson officially kicked off the Ryder Cup. However, the Europeans played better than their US counterparts the entire match. Both Watson and Simpson failed to make a single birdie and as a result, the match was mostly dominated by Rose and Stenson, who were in the lead from the second hole onwards. The match ended after the 14th hole, at which point the Europeans went 5UP, thus securing their lead and the first point for Europe. The second match featured Fowler/Walker vs Bjorn and was a very good match with good golf played on both sides (both Bjorn and Walker made excellent chips to secure points for their team). However, a last minute rally from a 2UP deficit by Walker and Fowler payed off and as a result the match was halved.

The third match was between Speith/Reed and Poulter/Gallacher and was a major upset on Europe's part. To set the stage, we have two American Ryder Cup rookies going up against Ryder Cup royalty (Poulter) and the hometown hero (Gallacher). Surely this would be an easy point for Europe, but things did not turn out that way. The rookies dominated the entire match right from the start, winning by 5&4m and at one point were 6Up. Speith and Reed played excellent golf and were deserving of the win, especially considering that they were heavily favoured to lose the match. In fact, Europe's only won hole in this group was by Gallacher, with a poorly playing Poulter contributing no won holes. It's safe to say we were all shocked by this today as this was one of Poulter's biggest defeats in the Ryder Cup. Putting the rookies up against them was a brave move by US Captain Tom Watson but payed off greatly. The last match of the day was probably one of the most looked forward to match of the day, Mickelson/Bradley vs Garcia/McIlroy. Again, there was great golf played by both sides, but the US ended up winning this match by 1UP, after another late rally by the US from all square. It should be mentioned though that the score was back and fourth all throughout the match. Mickelson proved he's still as fierce as ever, nearly holing out a bunker shot that would of won the hole for them.

Shortly before the end of the morning matches, the afternoon foursome matches were announced. In foursome or alternate shot format, players on a team take turns hitting the same golf ball. The pairings were:

Friday's Foursome Matches:
1) Jamie Donaldson/Lee Westwood VS Jim Furyk/Matt Kuchar >> EUROPE 2UP
2) Justin Rose/Henrik Stenson VS Hunter Mahan/Zach Johnson >> EUROPE 2&1
3) Rory McIlroy/Sergio Garcia VS Jimmie Walker/Rickie Fowler >> HALVED
4) Victor Dubuisson/Graeme McDowell VS Phil Mickelson/Keegen Bradley >> EUROPE 3&2

Europe was dominant in the afternoon and many were surprised that Reed and Speith weren't playing either, despite their morning success. This may have actually led to Europe's dominance, but we will never know. For the first afternoon match, Donaldson and Westwood led for most of it, but the US were 1UP in the early part of it. Both sides were evenly matched, I'd say, but Europe was just able to hold onto their lead against Furyk and Kuchar. The second match showed another great performance by the Rose/Stenson duo, but Johnson and Mahan didn't let them off that easily, as the match dabbled between all square and 1UP for most of time. Regardless of this, Rose and Stenson are looking like they're going to be key players in the Europe team and their chance at winning.

The third match was probably the most exciting of the afternoon (no surprises here). Walker and Fowler looked like they were going to win going into the 17th hole at 2UP, but a spectacular performance by Garcia and McIlroy resulted in them going 1UP, 1UP through the last two holes, which was good enough for a half. Despite the half, this will probably be considered a loss to Walker/Fowler and a win to McIlroy/Garcia. The last match of the day was another dominant performance by Dubuisson and McDowell, who led for pretty much all of the match against Mickelson and Bradley. Both McDowell and especially Dubuisson played excellent golf and deserved the win. Many golf experts were critical of Tom Watson's decision to play Mickelson, due to him being older in age (some reported that he looked very tired after his 36 holes, but can't you blame him?). On the other hand, we saw a taste of the 2010 Graeme McDowell on the 16th and final hole, where GMac holed a long putt and similar to how he did in the 2010 Ryder Cup (he even celebrated the same way too!)). It's stuff like this that you'll only see in the Ryder Cup.

Finally, here are tomorrow morning's groupings:

Saturday's Fourball Matches:
1) Justin Rose/Henrik Stenson VS Bubba Watson/Matt Kuchar
2) Jamie Donaldson/Lee Westwood VS Jim Furyk/Hunter Mahan
3) Thomas Bjorn/Martin Kaymer VS Patrick Reed/Jordan Spetih
4) Rory McIlroy/Ian Poulter VS Jimmie Walker/Rickie Fowler

Very interesting pairings for sure, now we'll just have to wait and see how they play. Stay tuned for our coverage tomorrow on Twitter and our recap post too!

-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

2014 Ryder Cup Preview

After two years of waiting, the golfing world will finally get to see one of it's most coveted team events being played again, the Ryder Cup. This year, the Ryder Cup returns to Scotland, the home of golf and for the first time in over 40 years, being played at Gleneagles in Auchterarder (specifically the PGA Centenary Course at Gleneagles Hotel). The stakes are even higher this year than previous Ryder Cups, as the US Team looks for revenge against current cup holders Europe after their defeat at the 2012 Ryder Cup, in what was known as the "Meltdown at Medinah".

To recap, the full US team, captained by Tom Watson, consists of Rickie Fowler, Jim Furyk, Zach Johnson, Matt Kutchar, Phil Mickelson, Patrick Reed, Jordan Speith, Jimmie Walker, Bubba Watson, Keegan Bradley, Hunter Mahan, and Webb Simpson, as well as vice captains Steve Stricker, Andy North, and Raymond Floyd.

The European team, captained by Paul McGinley, consists of Rory McIlroy (NIR), Henrik Stenson (SWE), Sergio Garcia (ESP), Justin Rose (ENG), Martin Kaymer (GER), Victor Dubuisson (FRA), Thomas Bjørn (DEN), Jamie Donaldson (WAL), Graeme McDowell (NIR), Ian Poulter (ENG), Stephen Gallacher (SCO), and Lee Westwood (ENG), as well as vice captains Sam Torrance, Des Smyth, Padraig Harrington, Miguel Angel Jimenez, and 2012 Ryder Cup Captain Jose Maria Olazabal.

An ongoing theme of the Ryder Cup is how the European side, despite it's depth of nationality, always appears more united and "team-like" compared to the Americans. This is traditionally why the US team is always characterized as the underdogs, at least that's how it's been in the last several Ryder Cups. This is something that Captain Tom Watson wishes to dispel and disprove come the matches. However at least to the golfing experts, this seems to be the case this year too, as many have picked Europe as the winning side again.

For me, I'm picking Europe as the wining side this year, mainly for a few reasons. Firstly, I agree with the experts completely in that this year's European team is just as united as teams before, and more united that the US side (a unity which I think was started by the Ryder Cup legend Seve Ballesteros and a unity which lives vicariously through him). Secondly, the European team consists of some of my favourite players in the game; Graeme McDowell, Miguel Angel Jimenez, and Martin Kaymer. Naturally, everyone wants to see their favourites win! Lastly, is the course itself. The PGA Centenary course is considered by most more of a parkland course than a links course, but despite this, I think the Europeans will have an advantage here.

As for weather conditions over these three days, it looks like there's only a chance of rain on Sunday, with low winds throughout the three days, as well as temps in the high teens.

Earlier today during the Opening Ceremony for the Ryder Cup, Friday's Fourball pairs were announced by Captains Tom Watson and Paul McGinley. Being in Fourball format, each players of the 2-player team plays their own ball and the player that has the lowest score on each hole wins a point for their team, with half points being given out for a draw.  The pairings are:

1) Bubba Watson/Webb Simpson VS Justin Rose/Henrik Stenson (2:35AM EST)
2) Rickie Fowler/Jimmy Walker VS Thomas Bjorn/Martin Kaymer (2:50AM EST)
3) Jordan Speith/Patrick Reed VS Stephen Gallacher/Ian Poulter (3:05AM EST)
4) Keegen Bradley/Phil Mickelson VS Rory McIlroy/Sergio Garcia (3:20AM EST)

Now these are some interesting pairings. For match #2, it seems likely that Poulter and Gallacher will be able to beat rookies Speith and Reed, but this may prove to not be true, given the way Poulter has been playing this year. Perhaps the biggest match of the morning is match #4. As we've seen in the past few weeks, Rory's dominant performance has almost been matched by Sergio Garcia in the events they were both in. It seems like when one's playing well, the other is too. This is a power group for sure, but let's not underestimate Mickelson and Bradley, who were an excellent pairing in the last Ryder Cup. This will be an interesting match to watch for sure.

There's just a few hours now before the first groups tee off and the excitement begins. We'll be covering as much as we can of it and we'll be recapping the day's action with daily posts, so stay tuned for those.

Who do you think will win it this year? Leave a comment, let us know...

-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

2014 Wales Open Picks - Results

The 2014 Wales Open at Celtic Manor has concluded and the winner this year is Joost Luiten. The young Dutchman shot even par during his final round, but this was still good enough for a 14-under finish, and a one shot lead over Tommy Fleetwood and Shane Lowry, the weekday leader. This is his fourth win on the European Tour and first in a little over a year; his last win being the KLM Open last year

Conditions during the final round were ideal for scoring. 6-under was the low score of the day and was shot by several players at the iconic 2010 Ryder Cup course.

The members of the European Ryder Cup that were playing this week had up and down finishes. Jamie Donaldson had an excellent finish at T4 which will sure make Captain Paul McGinley happy. On the other hand Lee Westwood and Thomas Bjorn finished lower on the leaderboard at T60 and T58, respectively.

Finally here is how our picks finished the tournament:

1) Thorbjorn Olesen: T32 at 5-under (-5)
2) Lee Westwood: T60 at 2-over (+2)
3) Peter Lawrie: T65 at 3-over (+3)

Not the best of finishes, but that's just more incentive to play better in upcoming tournaments.

As you know, the Ryder Cup is being played this week at Gleneagles, so we'll be covering that fully once it starts.

Also stay tuned for our coverage of one of our favourite European Tour events, the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, in two weeks.

-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

Joost Luiten Wins the 2014 Wales Open (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

2014 Wales Open Picks - Weekend Update

The weekday rounds of the 2014 Wales Open at Celtic Manor in Newport, UK are now over. The leader going into the weekend is Irishman Shane Lowry who shot a 68 65 during the week and holds the lead at 9-under (-9), a one shot lead over Joost Luiten and Nicolas Colsaerts. The cut has also been set at 2-over (+2).

Conditions were also good for scoring in the first two rounds, with the low round so far going to Eduardo Molinari, who shot a 63 earlier today. The decision to play the week before the Ryder Cup is paying off for Jamie Donaldson, who is currently T10. Jamie is clearly in good form, which I'm sure is good news to European captain Paul McGinley. Unfortunately, captain's pick Stephen Gallacher has not been playing his best golf this week (after having a spectacular last several weeks). He's currently T115 and shot a 78 70 but has been cut from the tournament.

As for our picks, here is how they are doing:

1) Thorbjorn Olesen: T40 at 1-under (-1)
2) Lee Westwood: T55 at even par (E)
3) Peter Lawrie: T65 at 1-over (+1)


They're doing okay at it looks like Thornbjorn has the best chance at a possible win or good finish. Who knows though, Westwood and Lawrie could make a comeback, we'll have to wait and see.


Stay tuned to see who won the tournament come Sunday,


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

 Shane Lowry leads the 2014 Wales Open at Celtic Manor (
Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

2014 Wales Open Picks

The PGA tour season may be over, but the European Tour is still running. This week the Tour stops at the iconic Celtic Manor Resort in Newport, Wales to play the Wales Open (formally the ISPS Handa Wales Open). This was the sight of Europe's victory over the US in the 2010 Ryder Cup, which is incidentally being played next week. The tournament will be played on Celtic Manor's Twenty-Ten course (par 71/7,352 yards).

The tournament will feature some of the European Tour's finest players, including Ryder Cup teammates Lee Westwood, Thomas Bjorn, Jamie Donaldson and Stephen Gallacher, Paul Casey (who won last week's KLM Open in The Netherlands), among others. Hopefully the decision to play the week before pays off for Gallacher, Bjorn, Donaldson and Westwood.

As for our picks, here is who we think will win the tournament this week:

1) Thorbjorn Olesen
2) Lee Westwood
3) Peter Lawrie

Stay tuned for our weekend update of this event,

-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

Celtic Manor Resort in Newport, Wales

Billy Horschel Wins and Becomes The 2014 FedEx Cup Champion

In spectacular fashion, Billy Horschel shot a final round score of 68 to win the 2014 Tour Championship by three strokes and as a result becomes the 2014 FedEx Cup Champion. He finished at 11-under (-11) in front of Rory Mcilroy and Jim Furyk, who's last win was four years ago at the 2010 Tour Championship.

Horschel has played spectacular golf the last three weeks and is deserving of the win. This win earns him $11-million dollars and as well as many other perks in the upcoming seasons.

Rory on the other hand was tied for the lead after Saturday's round, but faltered with his Sunday round, shooting a 71. He looks to still be in excellent form for the Ryder Cup in a few weeks, despite his finish. A second place finish for Furyk just about sums up his career in the past four years. He's probably finished top 5 more times in the last four years than any other player on tour. Hopefully one day he will win.

Finally, here is how out picks finished the tournament:

1) Rickie Fowler: 8 at 5-under (-5)
2) Jim Furyk: T2 at 8-under (-8)
3) Bubba Watson: 14 at even par (E)

Rickie Fowler, like Rory, struggled a bit on the weekend and Bubba looked slightly out of form all week.

Since this was the last PGA tour event of the season, our next major PGA coverage will be of the Ryder Cup from Gleneagles, Scotland. on the European side, we'll be covering the Welsh Open this week.

And with that, the 2014 PGA tour season is officially over!

-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

 Billy Horschel is the 2014 FedEx Cup Champion (Jason Getz/USA Today Sports)

2014 Tour Championship and 2014 FedEx Cup Champion Picks - Weekend Update

We just halfway through the 2014 Tour Championship and very close to crowning a new FedEx Cup Champion, with just two rounds left today and Sunday. As it stands now, the leader going into the weekend is Billy Horshel at 8-under. Billy shot a pair 66's at East Lake Country Club in Atlanta, Georgia, which was good enough for a two shot lead over Rory McIlroy, Jason Day, and Chris Kirk.

Two shots may seem like a big lead, but you have to remember all the pressure the players are on. They're playing for a potential $11 million. It's probably not helping Billy's case that he's being trailed by Rory and Jason Day. Billy had been playing well for the past two weeks however and it might be this factor that gives him the win this week.

A win here this week for Rory would be the best way to end off his 2014 season and cement his spot atop the World Golf Rankings. On the other hand, a win for Jason Day would make up for the many T5 and higher finishes he's had all year (including a WGC win).

Also, here is how our picks are doing so far:

1) Rickie Fowler: 9 at 3-under (-3)
2) Jim Furyk: T5 at 4-under (-4)
3) Bubba Watson: T14 at even par (E)

Bubba's going to have to do some serious work to win it this week. Rickie and Furyk are in good spots too going into the weekend.

With two days left, anything is still possible and nothing is by no means written in stone. It'll be an exciting couple of days so stay tuned for out post to see who won,

-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

The stakes are high going into the final two rounds of the 2014 Tour Championship

2014 Tour Championship and 2014 FedEx Cup Champion Picks

Well it's finally here, the last playoff event and the last PGA tour season event, the 2014 Tour Championship is set to start this morning in Atlanta, Georgia at East Lake Golf Club (par 70/7,154 yards). This is without a doubt one of the most anticipated events of the PGA Tour season, since by the end of it a tournament winner, as well as the FedEx Cup champion, will be crowned.

As we said last week, the top 5 players of this 29 man field control their own fate. If they win the Tour Championship, then they will most likely win the FedEx Cup all together (and it's $10 million dollar payout). Another possibility that can occur is a separate FedEx Cup champion and separate Tour Championship. It's all down to number crunching in the end.

Going into this final week, the top five players in the FedEx Cup points rankings are Chris Kirk, Billy Horschel, Bubba Watson, Rory McIlroy, and Hunter Mahan. The lowest ranked player is 30th ranked Dustin Johnson, but due to a personal leave of absence he is not completing for the rest of the season. This is why the regular 30-man field of the Tour Championship is now only 29-strong.

For my picks this week, I'll be posting three for the Tour Championship and one for the FedEx Cup champion:

Tour Championship:
1) Rickie Fowler
2) Jim Furyk
3) Bubba Watson

FedEx Cup Champion:
1) Bubba Watson

As I said the tournament will begin in just a few hours and it goes without saying that this will probably be the second most exciting tournament of the year, behind the Ryder Cup. Stay tuned for our weekend update of the tournament as well.

Who do you think will win the Tour Championship and FedEx Cup? Leave us a comment and let us know.

-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

29 players will fight this week to win the Tour Championship as well as the FedEx Cup

Nike Vapor Black 2.0 Golf Ball Review

Name: Nike Vapor Black 2.0 Golf Balls
Price: a dozen for ~$25 in most stores
Features: Soft core creates spins on low drives, specialty mantle layer enhances speed and accuracy, responsive, softened ionomer cover for short game control, softer and longer and more versatile than previous generation.

Value:
Build/Quality:
Effectiveness:
Features:

Overall Rating:  3.5 out of 5

The Nike Vapor Black 2.0 seems to be another Nike golf ball designed for distance off the tee and control around the greens, or in other words an all around golf ball. It's an updated version of Nike's old Vapor Black model and Nike claims this newer version is softer, longer, and in general better than the old version. Seeing as I played the original Vapor Blacks just a few rounds before spotting these in the stores, I figured I'd give the 2.0's a shot. As of now, these balls are going for about $25 dollars for a dozen (still half the price of ProV1's), but some websites are offering deals on them if you are buying more than one box.

Like always, let's look at the features of the ball. The Vapor Black 2.0's feature a softened ionomer outside cover or shell as well as an inner layer (mantle), all which result in short game control. The core of the ball is also very soft, which is aimed to promote a forgiving, low-spin ball flight (perfect for distance and shots into the wind).

From my testing of the ball, which was a few rounds in normal and windy conditions, here's what I've concluded about it. Starting with the driver, I noticed that I hit a lot more nicer drives with this ball. By nicer I mean a lot less left/right movement during my ball flight. I also noticed that the ball seems to be affected by wind a lot less than a regular golf ball. For example, on one hole the wind was moving left to right and I got under my tee shot, sending the ball high up into the air. However, the ball didn't move as much right as I'd normally expect it to in that kind of wind. In that sense, it makes for a more forgiving ball, forgiving from the wind at least. The same also applied to my woods and hybrids, which I found I hit really well while using this ball.

Distance-wise, the ball performed excellent, but I found it lacking the short game control that Nike claims it has. With iron shots into the green, the ball did not stick too well as I thought it would (based on what Nike claims). These shots had less spin and as a result hit the green, bounced, and kept on rolling. Normally an iron shot into a green will hit the green, bounce, then due to it's backspin, roll just a bit. It was the same case for wedge shots around the green, which I found kept on rolling and rolling when they hit the green. Maybe that softer core (which produces the lower spin on drives) is giving the ball less spin on iron and wedge shots too?


Overall, the Nike Vapor Black 2.0 performs with drives and long shots, but is lacking around and on the greens. Nike markets the ball as a good all around golf ball (where it has a lot of competition) but it would probably be better off marketing it as a distance golf ball (like their Distance SFT model. I would rate the ball higher if it was marketed as a ball made solely for distance. However, I'd still recommend using it for driving holes or long holes that require a good and long tee shot, as well as to all golfers who want a ball that goes father and punches through wind. Thinking about it now, this would probably be a good ball for a links golf course.

Feel free to leave a comment if you've played this ball and share your experience with it,

-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

 

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2014 BMW Championship Picks - Results

The final round of the 2014 BMW Championship has just concluded at Cherry Hills Country Club in Denver, Colorado. The winner this year is Billy Horschel who, despite shooting a 69 on his final round, ended up winning the tournament by two shots over Bubba Watson (who finished solo second). This is just Billy's second win on the PGA Tour and perhaps his biggest and most important, with his other win being the 2013 Zurich Classic of New Orleans. With this win, Horschel moves from 20th to 2nd on the FedEx Cup Rankings, a position which puts him in a very good spot for next week's Tour Championship.

Horschel has been playing well in the past two weeks, having finished T2 at last week's Deutsche Bank Championship; he certainly is deserving of this win.

Another big story this week was Rory McIlroy. Rory, who was playing well all week, shocked everyone by making a four-putt on the par 3 12th hole on Saturday. Unfortunately for him and even more surprising to golf fans was the fact that he fout-putted the same hole again just hours ago. I guess this proves that he is human after all.

In other news, two members of Tom Watson's US Ryder Cup team have withdrawn from the tournament due to poor performance; Phil Mickelson and Captian's pick Keegan Bradley. This is the first time Phil will miss the Tour Championship in quite awhile, but he says he withdrew so he could have more time to focus on the Ryder Cup. This caps off a poor year for Mickelson all together.

Finally, here is how our picks finished the tournament:

1) Justin Rose: 35th at even par (E)
2) Webb Simpson: T53 at 5-over (+5)
3) Rickie Fowler: T4 at 9-under (-9)

1) Graeme McDowell: T36 at 1-over (+1)

Again, Rickie Fowler has played well when it matters. 

Stay tuned for our coverage of the final FedEx Cup Playoff event the Tour Championship next week,

-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

2014 BMW Championship Picks- Weekend Update

The first two rounds of the 2014 BMW PGA Championship at Cherry Hills Country Club in Denver, Colorado have now concluded, leaving just the two rounds of this four-day event to be played. The 36-hole leader going into the third round is Sergio Garcia with a lead of 8-under (-8). Garcia shot a 6-under 64 today, which was good enough for a one shot leader over Ryan Palmer. Canadian Graham DeLaet is also in the mix and is T5 (4-under(-4)).

As a reminder, there is no cut in this event, since the field is already so small. Scoring conditions were also good over both days. Today, the low round of the day was a 6-under 64, which was shot by Garcia and Palmer.

Australian golfer Jason Day has also withdrawn from the tournament, due to back injuries which flared up after hitting a shot on Friday. Day has been plagued with injuries all season, but is still doing surprisingly well. He started the week ranked 11th in the FedEx Cup points rankings and is expected to still compete in the Tour Championship next week, meaning he won't fall under 30th in the rankings.

Finally, here is how our picks are doing going into the final round:

1) Justin Rose: T20 at even par (E)
2) Webb Simpson: T58 at 5-over (+5)
3) Rickie Fowler: T8 at 3-under (-3)


1) Graeme McDowell: T58 at 5-over (+5)


Rose and Fowler are playing nice and consistently, but it looks like McDowell and Simpson are struggling. Unfortunately it looks like GMac won't be competing in the Tour Championship next week.

Stay tuned for out results post Sunday evening,

-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

 Can Garcia hold off his fellow players and win it all tomorrow? (Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

2014 BMW Championship Picks

The third playoff event of the FedEx Cup Playoffs is set to start in just a few hours, The BMW Championship, which is being played at Cherry Hills Country Club in Denver, Colerado (7,348 yards/par72). This is the last Playoff event before the final event; the Tour Championship. This tournament features the top-70 of the FedEx Cup points ranking and due to this has no cut. Tee times also start a little later. The top-30 after this week then move on the the Tour Championship next week.

Due to there only being 70-players, the field is dense with talent and packed with skill. We will see some very good golf being played this week and next week. On that note, here are our picks for the winner this year:

1) Justin Rose: Going on a lucky guess here
2) Webb Simpson: Maybe that Ryder Cup pick might give him some confidence?
3) Rickie Fowler: It's only a matter of time with him.

And new father Graeme McDowell is also in the field, we'll be watching him of course. Stay tuned for our weekend update!

-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

2014 US Ryder Cup Team Confirmed

Just a few minutes ago, 2014 US Ryder Cup Captain Tom Watson confirmed his twelve man squad for the 2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneagles, Scotland, which is being played from September 26th to 28th.

Here is the full squad on the US side:

2014 US Ryder Cup Team
Captain:
Tom Watson

Vice-Captains:
Raymond Floyd, Steve Stricker, Andy North

Team (qualified):
Rickie Fowler
Jim Furyk
Zach Johnson
Matt Kutchar
Phil Mickelson
Patrick Reed
Jordan Speith
Jimmie Walker
Bubba Watson

Captain Picks:
Keegan Bradley
Hunter Mahan
Webb Simpson


The US side also has a great team and will definitely not let the Europeans win without a fight. Let's start with Rickie Fowler, who is making his second appearance (2010 - captain's pick). As we've said many times on this site, Rickie is almost as hot as McIlroy at the moment, or it certainly shows that way. He's an asset to the team for sure. Jim Furyk brings experience to the team, making his ninth appearance this year, as does Phil Mickelson, who is making his eleventh appearance, and Matt Kuchar, making his second appearance. The US team this year also has a few rookies who have played their way onto the team this year in spectacular fashion; Patrick Reed, Jordan Speith, and Jimmie Walker (Speith is the second youngest team member in American history). Zach Johnson and Bubba Watson round out the nine who qualified, and are also assets to the team as well.

As for the picks, Keegan Bradley's game is consistent and very good at the moment, as he makes his second appearance. Hunter Mahan, is the most experienced of the picks and has experienced the highs and lows of the Ryder Cup, having lost the winning point to Graeme McDowell back in the 2010 Ryder Cup. Despite this, his match play record is outstanding and he'll be a valuable player to the team if he can put his bad memories behind him. Webb Simpson rounds out the picks as another consistent player and one with a very good record in his last inaugural Ryder Cup (2012).

It may be played only once every two years, but the Ryder Cup is without a doubt one of the most anticipated events in golf. As always it is sure to make for some great entertainment and feature a type of golf that we might not see on the regular tours.

We know the full teams now, but it's still hard for me to make a pick on who will win the 2014 Ryder Cup. As of now, I'm giving the edge to Europe, but just barely. It's hard to beat the spirit they bring to each Ryder Cup (as Poulter would probably agree). Don't count the US out though, they'll be looking for redemption after the 2012 Ryder Cup AKA the "Miracle at Medinah".

What do you think of the picks? Who do you think will win come the end of September? Leave a comment and let us know,

-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

2014 European Ryder Cup Team Confirmed

At 7:30AM EST this morning, the twelve players of the 2014 European Ryder Cup Team were confirmed by European Captain Paul McGinley. The 2014 Ryder Cup this year is being played at Gleneagles, Scotland (the second time the Ryder Cup has been played in Scotland)

Here is the full team as it stands:

2014 European Ryder Cup Team
Captain:
Paul McGinley

Vice-Captains:
Sam Torrance, Des Smyth, Padraig Harrington, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Jose Maria Olazabal

Team (qualified):
Rory McIlroy (NIR)
Henrik Stenson (SWE)
Sergio Garcia (ESP)
Justin Rose (ENG)
Martin Kaymer (GER)
Victor Dubuisson (FRA)
Thomas Bjørn (DEN)
Jamie Donaldson (WAL)
Graeme McDowell (NIR)

Captain Picks:
Ian Poulter (ENG)
Stephen Gallacher (SCO)
Lee Westwood (ENG)

Wow, this is a very good team with lots of depth and character from it. You have Rory McIlroy, who's just white-hot on fire as of now with his two major wins and WGC win, making his third Ryder Cup appearance (2010, 2012). Henrik Stenson also had an amazing season last year, with both the PGA and European tour money lists, as well as having good major finishes his year. This is Stenson's third Ryder Cup appearance (2006, 2008). Then there's Sergio Garcia, who seems to always be a shot behind Rory and is a Ryder Cup star in his own right. This is Garcia's seventh Ryder Cup appearance (1999, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2012).

Justin Rose also played a major part in the 2012 European Ryder Cup team's comeback two years ago and is a top-level golfer as well as Martin Kaymer, who has won twice this year, including the US Open. Victor Dubuisson will be making his first appearance, but played will in the WGC match-play this year. Jamie Donaldson is also making his first appearance this year, well deserved without doubt. Thomas Bjørn also brings much experience to the team. Finally, Graeme McDowell is also a Ryder Cup hero and sealed the European team's with back in 2010, with a key putt.

As for the three Captain Picks, it was expected that Ian Poulter and Stephen Gallacher would be picked, Poulter simply because he is the embodiment of the Ryder Cup and brings so much energy to it, and Gallacher who literally played his way on the team with impressive golf this year, and especially last week at the Italian Open (this will be his 1st appearance and 1st on home soil). The name Gallacher is also famous in Ryder Cup history. Stephen's uncle Bernard Gallacher was a Ryder Cup non-playing captain back in 1991, 1993, and 1995, and played in eight Ryder Cups before. It was really between Lee Westwood and Luke Donald, who are both great Ryder Cup players. Captain McGinly said in his press conference that it ultimately came down to the form of the two players. This is Lee's ninth Ryder Cup appearance.

Within the next 48 hours, the last two vice-captains will also be picked by Paul McGinley. Stay tuned for that and for the American Ryder Cup team Captain Picks, later on this evening.

This should make for a very exciting Ryder Cup this year, come the end of September,

-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

UPDATE (09/03/14): Captain McGinly announces his last three assistant captains: Padraig Harrington, Miguel Angel Jimenez, and 2012 captain Jose Maria Olazabal.

2014 Deutsche Bank Championship Picks - Results

The final round of the 2014 Deutsche Bank Championship at the Tournament Players Club of Boston in Norton, Massachusetts has just finished and the winner this year is Chris Kirk, who won the tournament by two shots over Geoff Ogilvy, Russel Henley, and Billy Horschel. His final two rounds consisted of a 64 and a 66, which were good enough to make him win the tournament at 15-under (-15). This is Kirk's third PGA tour win and his first since 2013 (The McGladrey Classic).

With this playoff win, Kirk now leads the FedEx Cup Rankings (ousting Hunter Mahan from the top spot), having started ranked 17th earlier this week. Geoff Ogilvy and Billy Horschel have also played themselves into the BMW Championship next week, which features the top-70 in the FedEx Cup rankings as of the end of this tournament. Ogilvy moved from 100th (just making it into this week's event) to 24th, and Horschel from 82nd to 20th.

I think the FedEx Cup playoffs is a true test of a golfers skill and ability to work under pressure and its cases like those of Geoff Ogilvy and Billy Horschel that prove it. Both of these players had to have a good week in order to make it to the next level of the playoffs and the way they played this week showed that they were able to handle this pressure. These situations also and excitement and sometimes nervousness to spectators of the sport, given the fact that just a few extra shots here and there could determine so much. The stakes are very high during the playoffs.

Finally here is how our picks finished this week:

1) Rickie Fowler: T23 at 7-under (-7)
2) Keegen Bradley: T16 at 8-under (-8)
3) Phil Mickelson: T45 at 2-under (-2)

Good play from all the picks this week. All of them will also be playing in next weeks BMW Championship too,

Stay tuned for our coverage of the BMW Championship later on this week,

-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

Chris Kirk Wins the 2014 Deutsche Bank Championship (Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)

Nobleton Lakes Golf Club Renovates Green on Woods #1

Here's a little local golf course news that's currently in the works. Nobleton Lakes, a golf course that we reviewed last year (and one I personally play often) is renovating the green on one of it's holes.

The hole is the 1st on their "Woods" nine, a 519-459 yard par 5 downhill slight dogleg right (see satellite image below). The renovation primarily includes resurfacing the entire green and fixing the greenside bunkers, among other things.

The green is expected to be completed for the start of the 2015 season, but the hole is still playable. A temporary green has been set up about 100 yards closer and is cut into the fairway. I last played the Woods nine just a few days ago and from what I saw, the new green so far looks very nice and looks like it might make for a nice challenge (as are most Nobleton Lakes greens) come next year.

We will definitely be playing the new green next year, so stay tuned for a review or update on it. We'll also be posting about any updates about the renovation too.

-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

**UPDATES** 

09/20/14: The green is pretty much finished as of now, but will not be playable until the start of the 2015 season, according to a marshal during my last outing there. It's also rumoured that the staff are really happy with the way the green turned out and that more greens might be renovates in the upcoming years.

06/22/15: For some reason, the green is still not playable. Work still appears to be going on in and around the bunkers. The hole still uses the temporary green set up on the fairway.

08/26/15: There is no more construction on the hole and it is playable.

08/13/20: The hole has been completed for a few years now. Recently had the chance to play it and was very impressed. Although there was a lack of fringe on the green, not sure if this is intentional or not.

Ariel View of Nobleton Lakes Golf Club - Woods #1 (photo via Bing Maps)

Also, be sure to check out our review of Nobleton Lakes Golf Club too by clicking HERE