2015 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship Picks

One of the European Tour's most exciting events starts tomorrow. We are of course talking about the 2015 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. This tournament is probably the most unique event on the European Tour and is personally one of my favourites to watch every year.

The Alfred Dunhill Links Championship was first played in played in 2001. What makes this tournament so different from others? Firstly, it's played at three separate courses over the first three of four days of the event; Kingsbarn Golf Links, Carnoustie Golf Links, and the Old Course at St. Andrews, with all Sunday rounds being played at St. Andrews. Over the course of the tournament, players travel from course to course to play their round for the day. You'll also notice that these courses are all in links-style, which always makes for a much more interesting round of golf.

This tournament is also a pro-am (similar to the AT&T National Pro-Am) meaning that amateur golfers (usually celebrities or persons of note) get the chance to play on a team with professional golfers. Thus there are two parts to this tournament, the individual (professional) part, which is just like a normal professional tournament where the lowest combined 4-day score wins with a monetary reward (one of the largest on the European Tour). The last part is the pro-am portion where a single amateur is paired with a single pro, and the pro-am duo with the lowest score wins this portion of the tournament. Both parts are played consecutively and both the pro and the amateur travel from course to course.

Lastly, this tournament is special since half of it is played at the Old Course at St. Andrews, the physical home of golf. It's filled with so much history and the course itself is such an icon in the golfing world. We saw a bit of what the Old Course has to offer earlier this year at the British Open, but this time around conditions will be cooler. However, the weather and thus the course will probably still be unpredictable as per usual.

Some notables in the field this week are: John Daly, Erik Compton, Ryder Cup Captain Darren Clark, and TGR favourite Graeme McDowell. Will one of them win, who knows, but here are our picks this week:

1) Tommy Fleetwood
2) Graeme McDowell
3) Danny Willett

Play starts very early tomorrow morning on all courses. Be sure to check out our Weekend Update post Friday evening to see who's leading.


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

 Graeme McDowell is winless in 2015 thus far, could that change this week?

Jordan Spieth Wins Tour Championship and FedEx Cup

He was on fire when he started the season and that's exactly the way he ended it. That's right, Jordan Spieth has won the 2015 Tour Championship, finishing with a score 9-under and a four shot lead over Danny Lee, at East Lake Golf Club. The win also makes him the winner of the FedEx Cup and most certainly the PGA Tour Player of the Year.

This caps off a truly stellar season from one of golf's elite, yet still emerging talents. Let's go through the year Spieth has had. In December of 2014, he won the World Challenge and went on to finish T10 or better in his next 7 of 8 tournaments, winning one of them (Valspar Championship). Three of these were in the three weeks before the Masters, and already, the golfing community was united in saying that, over the past few months, Jordan Spieth was playing the best golf in the world. Then came his Masters win, one of the youngest winners to date, putting his name up their with golfing legends.

He continued to play great golf after Augusta and had a few more close wins, including a T2 at Jack Nicklaus' Memorial Tournament. At this point, it seemed that Spieth was lingering around the top of the leaderboard in every tournament he played in. Next, was his US Open victory. Although he did not win in the same illustrious fashion as he did at Augusta (Dustin Johnson's collapse almost out-shined his win), he was now 2/2 in majors, something only seen, again, by the golfing greats. He followed up his win with another at the John Deere Classic.

All eyes were on Spieth again at the British Open, where he played excellent golf and needed to hole his final putt to make it to the playoff (let's also not forget his chip that almost holed out and would have most definitely rewritten history). His quest for the career Grand Slam was over, but Spieth was not ready to thrown in the towel yet...

At the last major of the year, the PGA Championship, Spieth rallied against a tough Whistling Straits to finish solo second, capping off an excellent season, even as of then. He finished 1st, 1st, T2, 2nd in majors this year; finishes many players could only dream of. After this, Spieth cooled off a bit, missing the cut at both The Barclays and the Deutsche Bank Championship, before surging again to win today. At the end of it all, he won five times in twenty-five events on the PGA Tour this year, bringing in over $10.5 million plus an additional $10 million for winning the FedEx Cup.

Spieth has shown the world this season that he is the world's best golfer (he also reclaims the title with today's win). He's shown us that he can go toe to toe with golf's elite and break the records they set. He's shown us that he can do all this, while still remaining a humble and down to earth person. Could we be seeing the next Tiger Woods or Jack Nicklaus? Many think so and that may just be the case.

And there's no better way to finish off a season than to give off a message like that...

In other news, our picks finished off well. Jason Day fell short this week, finishing T10. Dustin Johnson made it to T5 by shooting a low round 6-under today. Rickie Fowler shot a 4-over on his way out of contention.

On that note, that's the end of the 2014-2015 PGA Tour season. Don't worry though, next season is set to start October 12 with the Frys.com Open, just after the President's Cup. Unfortunately we won't be covering the Presidents Cup.

On the European side of things, be sure to check out our picks for this week's Alfed Dunhill Links Championship (one of my favourite tournaments) as well as our European Tour Playoff coverage at the end of October.


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

Jordan Spieth: 2015 FedEx Cup Champion

Stenson in a Familiar Place at the 2015 Tour Championship

With just two more rounds of play left, a familiar face has appeared atop the Tour Championship leaderboard. It's that of Henrik Stenson, winner of the 2013 FedEx Cup. He leads with a score of 9-under (63/68) with a three shot lead over Jordan Spieth. All though there is no cut this week, the score halfway down the leaderboard is about even par.

Stenson started off hot during his opening round, carding a total of six birdies, an eagle, and only a single bogey, by the end of it. He's been in great form all throughout the playoffs, finishing solo second at both The Barclays and the Deutsche Bank Championship. He's in a good position to win his second FedEx Cup, his first since 2013 (a year where he made golfing history by winning both the FedEx Cup on the PGA Tour and the Race to Dubai on the European Tour).

East Lake has been playing pretty well over the first couple of rounds and good scores (as well as bad ones) were found all around. However, as in years before, the courses that the PGA Tour Playoffs are played on have received a bit of criticism by a few, who say that they're playing too easy and should be challenging the players more. I'm not to sure if I agree with that. I think that we see players golfing in tough conditions so many times during the season that a change is nice once and awhile. In easier conditions, players can really take advantage of the course and it will always be exciting to see who does this the best.

There's also been criticisms that the Tour Championship awards too many FedEx Cup points and that the winner of the tournament is usually the winner of the FedEx Cup due to this. This is the case of Stenson, who will win both with a win this week, but also has a good chance at winning with a second place finish.

Finally, here's how our picks are doing:

1) Jason Day: T9 at even par
2) Dustin Johnson: T12 at 1-over
3) Rickie Fowler: 8 at 1-under

Pretty good scores, but remember that the field's only thirty full this week. It's going to take some good work over the weekend for Day to end up winning the FedEx Cup. Hopefully he'll be able to do it!

Today's round will kick off in several hours. Be sure to check out our site Sunday evening to see who's won it all.


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

Can Stenson hold off a tough field for the win this week?

2015 Tour Championship Predictions

Well it's finally here, the last tournament of the playoffs and the PGA Tour season, the 2015 Tour Championship by Coca-Cola, being played at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Georgia. Only the top 30 players of the FedEx Cup Rankings are playing in the tournament this week and up for grabs is not only the standard purse of $8.25 million, but an extra $10 million of a $35 million purse for the winner of the FedEx Cup. This makes it one of the most elite and most competitive tournaments of the year.

The Tour Championship has been played since 2007 as a playoff event, but was first played in 1987 in the month of November. During that period it was still only played by the Top 30 money leaders on Tour. The tournament switched to it's current format and date in 2007. It's also been played at a variety of courses over the years, such as Pinehurst No. 2, Pebble Beach, The Olympic Club, etc. and at East Lake since 2004.

East Lake Golf Club was built in 1906 and was slowly added to and redesigned over the years, before eventually being returned to it's original design. It was also the longtime home course of Bobby Jones and a tribute was made for him inside the clubhouse in the 90's. This week, the course will play as a par 72 at 7,374 yards. There will also be no cut this week.

Since this is the final tournament of the season, I'll be making two sets of picks this week: three for the tournament winner and one for the FedEx Cup winner. Despite the small field this week, these players are the best of the best (statistically speaking) so the picks were hard to make:

Tour Championship Picks:
1) Jason Day
2) Dustin Johnson
3) Rickie Fowler

FedEx Cup Pick:
1) Jason Day

Jason Day is without doubt the best golfer in the world at the moment and really has a great chance of winning it all, giving all the momentum he'll have going into his opening round. He doesn't even need to win this week to win the FedEx Cup, a top 5 finish will gives him a good chance. Of course if Rickie wins the tournament, he'll win it all. Dustin needs a win and for Jason Day to finish T3 or worse. There are a few other scenarios of other players and it really does come down to who finishes where. A full list of the scenarios can be found HERE.

Play kicks off tomorrow just before noon and it should be a good one. Be sure to check out our Weekend Update post on Friday evening, so see who's leading.


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

Jason Day is our top pick this week

Jason Day Wins the 2015 BMW Championship, Becomes World Number One

It may have been pretty clear from the start, but Jason Day dominated the entire field this week for an easy victory at the BMW Championship at Conway Farms Golf Club. He finished off with a score of 22-under thanks to a pair of 69's over the weekend, a six shot lead over rookie Daniel Berger.  With it, he maintains his top spot on the FedEx Cup Rankings and also ousts Rory McIlroy to become the World Number One golfer on the World Golf Rankings, the youngest Australian to do so in history.

This is Day's second playoff win this year, and fifth PGA win of the year (including a major)! His streak kicked off near the end of July with his win at the Canadian Open. As of now, he's won four of his last six tournaments he's played in, a feat which has only been done by the likes of Tiger Woods, Nick Price, Vijay Singh, and a few more.

I've been saying this for years, but for most of Jason's career he's had great finishes but barely any wins. You could always count on him to have a great finish, especially in majors where we calculated that he had a 50% chance of finishing in the top 10 of any major he played. His win at the Farmers Insurance Open in February was his first in four year, and only his second of his PGA career. Many have called him the best player to not win a major or the best player who hasn't won a lot of tournaments, but he silenced them all these last couple of months. And considering his past and how golf has helped him get through it, there's no one more deserving of this success.

Like we said in our previous post, it's going to be hard to decide who the player of the year is. Is it Jordan Spieth, who won two majors, and nearly could have had them all? Or is it Jason Day, who's last couple of months has been career defining, full of broken records? Both are equally deserving, but who will it be?

Lastly, our picks finished pretty well too:

1) Louis Oosthuizen: T19 at 10-under
2) Rory McIlroy: T4 at 14-under
3) Justin Rose: T13 at 11-under

Funny enough, it was Rory who just a year ago was having a winning streak like Jason Day.

Next week is the final tournament of the playoffs and the season, the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club. Up for grabs is the FedEx Cup and over $10 million. Only the top 30 as of this week are invited, making it one of the most action-packed tournaments of the year. Be sure to check out our picks for it.


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

Jason Day: World Number One

Jason Day Holds Steady Going Into Weekend at BMW Championship

Two rounds have been played at the BMW Championship at Conway Farms Golf Club, although with the current scoreline, you'd think four have been played...

That's right, the current leading score is an 18-under, which is held by none other than Jason Day. The Australian shot an impressive 61/63 on his opening rounds and was actually on 59 watch most of the time. With that, he tied the PGA Tour record for lowest 36-hole score. In fact, due to the weather delay, Day had to finish his opening round yesterday morning. On his final hole, he had a 44-yard pitch shot, which he needed to hole to shoot that 59. It would have been the first 59 shot since Jim Furyk's 59 two years ago at this event.

Day's second round yesterday included seven birdies, an eagle, and a bogey; good enough to earn him a five shot lead over Daniel Berger and Brenden Todd. At this rate, Day's on track to win his second playoff event of the year. If he does (or finishes a solo second), he'll surpass Rory McIlroy as World Number One on the WGC rankings and may even beat out Jordan Spieth for PGA Tour Player of the Year (keep in mind that Spieth won two majors this year).

Weather conditions at Conway Farms were not the best and did result in the suspension of the opening round as we said. They didn't seem to affect the players too much though, as low scores were shot all around. Traditionally, players seem to always score low at Conway Farms (see Furyk's 59 in 2013) and the score average this year seems to be around the high 60's .

In other news, a unique streak is on the line for Hunter Mahan this week. He is the only player to play in every Tour Championship event (since it's inception in 2007). Mahan sits at T29 as of now and is projected to finish at 52nd on the FedEx Cup Rankings. He likely won't make it into the Tour Championship this year (keep in mind that only the Top 30 make it), unless he can do something big.

Finally, here's how our picks are doing:

1) Louis Oosthuizen: T34 at 5-under
2) Rory McIlroy: T9 at 9-under
3) Justin Rose: T12 at 8-under


Pretty good results so far!

The third round is set to start later today. Be sure to check it out!


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

Jason Day is playing some of the best golf of his career at the moment

2015 BMW Championship Picks

We're back from our little break this week to give you coverage of the third event in the PGA Tour Playoffs, the BMW Championship, being played this year at Conway Farms Golf Club in Lake Forest, Illinois. Since it is the third stage of the playoffs, the field only consists of the top 70 players on the FedEx Cup Rankings, as of last week, making it one of the smaller fields in golf. On the line is a $8.25 million purse as well as entry into the final playoff event next week, the Tour Championship (only open to the Top 30 in the rankings).

The BMW Championship was historically played as the Western Open, before the Tour went to the current playoff format. The Western Open was one of the oldest events on tour, first being played in 1899, and was won by many golfing greats like Tiger Woods, Tom Watson, Jack Nicklaus, etc.

This is the first time that the BMW Championship has been played at Conway Farms Golf Club since 2013. During that edition of the tournament, Jim Furyk set the course record with a stunning 59, which was also only the 6th 59 ever shot in PGA Tour history. The club has also hosted many amateur events in the past, like the USGA Junior Amateur, as well major qualifying events. This week, the course will measure 7,149 yards long and play as a par 71.

As for our picks, though the field is getting smaller and smaller every week, the decision for making picks becomes tougher, since the field is filled with so many quality players who earned their way into the tournament. Given that, here's our picks this week:

1) Louis Oosthuizen
2) Rory McIlroy
3) Justin Rose


Play starts Thursday morning but be sure to check out our Weekend Update post Friday evening,


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

Louis Oosthuizen is our top pick this week