Matthew Fitzpatrick Wins the 2015 British Masters

After leading for a good portion of all four rounds, 21-year old Englishman Matthew Fitzpatrick has won the 2015 British Masters at Woburn Golf Club with a score of 15-under and a two shot lead over Soren Kjeldsen, Shane Lowry, and Fabrizio Zanotti. This is his first European Tour win (it's also his rookie season on the European Tour) however the Sheffield-native is no stranger to doing well at "Masters" titled event, having finished second in the Omega European Masters earlier this year in Switzerland. He also takes home a prize of £500,000.

Things were getting close towards the end of the final round today, mostly between Fitzpatrick and Soren Kjeldsen, who at one point on the back nine needed a birdie to co-lead. Unfortunately a bogey by Soren on the 16th and two birdies and a bogey by Fitzpatrick sealed the deal for him. Chances were also had by Fabrizio Zanotti (who needed a hole out on the final hole from a greenside bunker to force a playoff) and Shane Lowry.

Woburn continued it's trend of not to easy, not to hard golf, with the average scoring range in the high 60's on the weekend. The low round today was a 65 shot by Tommy Fleetwood, who carded six birdies during his round today. In fact, Fleetwood didn't make a single bogey since his front nine yesterday and has carded a total of ten birdies since then. He finished with a score of 9-under T13.

Our picks this week also did very well. Luke Donald finished off the weekend by shooting a 65/69 and finished at T5, one of his best finishes of the year. Lee Westwood finished off just behind him at 8-under. And tournament host Ian Poulter finished off in a respectable T33, after many missed opportunities on his home course.

That wraps up our coverage this week. Next week, we'll be heading back over to the PGA Tour for the start of the 2015-2016 PGA Tour season at the Frys.com Open from Silverado Country Club in Napa, California. Stay tuned for our picks next week.


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

Matthew Fitzpatrick Wins the 2015 British Masters

Kjeldsen, Fitzpatrick Co-Lead Halfway at 2015 British Masters

After two rounds of play at Woburn Golf Club, two players lead the British Masters, in the form of Soren Kjeldsen and Matthew Fitzpatrick. Both lead with a score of 9-under and a single shot lead over Richard Bland and Kiradech Aphibarnrat. The cut has also been set at 1-over.

Nearly twenty years separate the two leaders and despite co-leading, both are in very different situations, career-wise. Fitzpatrick is in his rookie year on tour but is certainly no stranger to professional golf, having played in many of the recent majors as an amateur, his most notable was the 2013 Open Championship where he finished as the low amateur. Kjeldsen is the posterperson of a golf veteran on the European Tour, having been on tour for almost as long as Fitzpatrick has been living. He's won already this year, after a 6-year dry spell, at the Irish Open, and is also one of the nicer players on tour. Despite the differences, both are fighting for a win this week.

Woburn played very well both days, not too hard and not too easy, with wet and soft conditions (typical English weather some would say). The scoring average for Thursday was 70.7 and today was a bit tougher at 71.3. The low score today was a 65, shot by Robert Rock (Rock moved up 59 places on the leaderboard due to this score). No one is bogey free throughout their rounds.

Our picks this week are doing well. Luke Donald sits at T33 3-under, shooting a 67/72 so far, as does Lee Westwood, who shot a 69/70. Woburn professional and tournament host Ian Poulter leads them by a shot at 4-under T23. He also made news today by making an incredible up and down, which Poults said was one of his best. TGR favourite Graeme McDowell sits at T13, after shooting a 67 today.

Be sure to check out our results post Sunday evening to see who won,


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

2015 British Masters Picks

This week is a special week for the European Tour, it's the return of the British Masters. This tournament hasn't been played on the European Tour since 2009 and returns to Woburn Golf and Country Club in Woburn, UK this year. It's being hosted by Ian Poulter, who is also the club's touring professional, and brings a purse of 3 million euros to the table.

The British Masters was first contested in 1946 as a restricted event at the end of the year. It reached peak popularity in the 80's, where the tournament was won by the likes of Greg Norman (81, 82), Seve Ballesteros (86, 91), Nick Faldo (89), and more. However, popularity for the tournament declined in the years after and it was cancelled after 2008, due to a lack of sponsorship. In the past it's been played on courses all over the UK, like The Belfry, Woburn, Royal St. George, Wentworth, St. Andrews, etc. This week, Woburn will play as a par 72 at just under 7,000 yards.

The return of the British Masters has brought many of the European Tour's elite players to the field this week. Tournament host Ian Poulter is on many pick lists this week. He knows this course better than anyone else in the field this week, hands down. Add in the fact that he hasn't won in over three years and we might see some of that Ryder Cup Ian Poulter in the field this week. There's probably no other place he'd like to win too.

Poulter is one of our picks this week, among others:

1) Ian Poulter
2) Luke Donald
3) Lee Westwood

It's an all English pick list this week, some of England's best in recent years. Two former World Number One's in the form of Luke and Lee and a Ryder Cup legend in the form of Ian. Surely one of them will win this week...

 

Play kicks off early tomorrow morning and it's sure to be filled with good golf. Be sure to check out our Weekend Update post to see who's leading at the halfway point.


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

Ian Poulter is playing his home course this week. Could he win this week?

Thorbjorn Olesen Wins the 2015 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship

A breezy cloudy fall afternoon on the Old Course at St Andrews, there's no better place to finish a round, let alone win a tournament. That's just what Danish golfer Thorbjorn Olesen did earlier today, winning the 2015 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship with a score of 18-under and a two shot lead over Brooks Koepka and Chris Stroud. This is Thorbjorn's third European Tour victory, his first since the 2014 ISPS Handa Perth International. It also makes him the youngest Dane to win three times on the European Tour.

At the start of his round, things weren't looking promising for Olesen. He double bogeyed the second then bogeyed the third at the Old Course. He fought back though with back-to-back birdies on the next two holes. At this point, the top of the leaderboard was full of players, every update had a new person tied for first or second. Olesen wouldn't make any more birdies until the 15th hole but that was more than enough to secure his victory. Ironically enough, Olesen does have some history with the name Alfred Dunhill. In 2010, he finished second at the Alfred Dunhill Championship in South Africa.

St. Andrews was in pristine conditions as always and at times had to rely on the elements to make it tough. Good score were found here on the weekend though, mostly on Saturday. The scoring average today was probably right around 70, which may seem high. The low score of the day was a 6-under 65 shot by Chris Wood.

Newly turned pros Paul Dunne and Jimmy Mullen didn't score the best weekend, but still finished very well considering it's their professional debut. Dunne finished at 12-under T19 and Mullen at 10-under (T30). It may be too early to say, but I think we'll be seeing a lot more of these two in upcoming European Tour events.

Finally, here's how our picks did:

1) Tommy Fleetwood: T13 at 13-under
2) Graeme McDowell: T19 at 12-under
3) Danny Willett: T52 at 5-under


Tommy Fleetwood slipped under the radar this weekend and scored himself a nice T13 finish. Earlier today, GMac was T2 at one point after shooting a 31 on the front nine. Unfortunately he bogeyed the last three of four holes. It's still one of GMac better finishes though this year. Better luck next week to Danny Willett too.

And there you have it, sadly another edition of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship has come and gone. Join us for more European Tour coverage next week at the British Masters from Woburn Golf Club.


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

Thorbjorn Olesen Wins the 2015 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship

Mullen and Wall Co-Lead at Alfred Dunhill Links Championship

Halfway through this year's edition of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship (being played cross-course at Kingsbarn, Carnoustie, and the Old Course at St. Andrews), both Jimmy Mullen and Anthony Wall co-lead with a score of 11-under. Behind them, a log jam of players, including Ryder Cup hero Jamie Donaldson, new professional Paul Dunne (who first made headlines at this year's Open Championship, where he led a portion of it), etc. The cut will be set tomorrow, giving all players a chance to play each course once.

Jimmy Mullen is making his debut as a professional golfer this week, and doing it in good style. The young golfer is from Devon, UK (affiliated with Royal North Devon Golf Club) and had a good amateur career. He played on this year's Walker Cup team, along with Paul Dunne. This week, he shot a 64 at Kingsbarn and a 67 at St. Andrews today. His opening round consisted of seven birdies, an eagle, and just one bogey.

On the other hand, Anthony Wall has been playing on the European Tour for twenty years. He's one once during his professional career, ironically the 2000 Alfred Dunhill Championship in South Africa (a co-sanctioned event between the European Tour and Sunshine Tour), with several 2nd place finishes over the years. He also has a T12 finish at this year's Open Championship. Wall played the same courses as Mullen and shot a 65/68.

Those who watched the Open Championship this year at St. Andrews will surely remember the then-amateur Paul Dunne. He co-lead the tournament after the first three rounds, becoming the first amateur since 1927 to do so. He also makes his professional debut this week and shot a 64/70 at the same course as Mullen and Wall. He also made a hole-in-one on the 15th at Kingsbarn.

On the pro-am side of things, Rafael-Cabrera Bello (partnered with businessman Dermont Desmond) and Jared Harvey (partnered with businessmanMichael Zamkow) lead with a score of 19-under over Jimmy Mullen and businessman Miguel Duenas.

Finally, here's how our picks are doing,

1) Tommy Fleetwood: T52 at 3-under
2) Graeme McDowell: T13 at 7-under
3) Danny Willett: T66 at 2-under

Good scores from GMac, who hasn't had the best season so far. Remember that the cut will be set tomorrow, with the final round of the tournament being played on Sunday at St. Andrews. Stay tuned for our results post to see who's won.


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

New pro Jimmy Mullen could win his first tournament as a pro this week

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

David Love III Wins 2015 Wyndham Championship

The four rounds of this year's Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club have come and gone and the winner this year was surprising to say the least. 51-year old and 2012 US Ryder Cup Captain, David Love III won with a score of 17-under par and a single shot lead over Jason Gore. He shot a final round of 64 (his lowest of the year) which included four birdies and two eagles. This is the North Carolina native's 37th PGA Tour win and first win since 2008. It's also his third Wyndham Championship win.

Win this win, Love becomes the third oldest golfer to win on the PGA Tour, just behind the likes of Sam Snead in 1965 (who won his last event here at Sedgefield) and Art Wall in 1975.
"Any victory now is going to be really sweet when you're over 50," Love said afterwards. "To have your name thrown out there with Sam Snead at any point is incredible". It's always great to see an older golfer win professionally. It shows how great the longevity of golf can be and that the older guys can still keep up with the younger generation.

Equally important, Love now moves from 186th on the FedEx Cup Rankings up to 76th, putting him safely above the cut off of 125th for the PGA Tour Playoffs. After all, many players in the field the week had the intention of making it into the playoffs and a few were successful. 2nd place finisher Jason Gore moved from 166th to 98th, T3 Charl Schwartzel moved from 125th to 96th, T10 Jonas Blixt from 135th to 121st, T26 Camilo Villegas from 129th to 123rd, and Rio Ishikawa from 130th to 124th.

Sedgefield continued to play relatively benign over the weekend and many low scores were shot (which always makes the tournament more interesting). One player of note who didn't finish as well as we would of liked though is Tiger Woods. After promising weekday rounds, Woods shot a 68/70 on the weekend to finish at T10. Unfortunately, this was not enough to get him into the playoffs, as he only moves from 187th to 178th. His next tournament will be the Frys.com Open in October, the first event of the new PGA Tour season.

Finally, here's how our picks finished off:

1) Martin Kaymer: T14 at 12-under
2) Camilo Villegas: T26 at 10-under
3) Brooks Koepka: T6 at 14-under

Not too bad actually. Kaymer's finish though wasn't good enough to get into the playoffs (149th to 139th) but Camilo's was. Koepka was in contention with his final round of 65 (he was safely above the playoff cut-off already).


And there you have it, the last regular event of this season's PGA Tour is over. Next week the PGA Tour Playoffs kick off with The Barclays from Plainfield Golf Club in New Jersey. Stay tuned for our picks shortly.


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

 With his win, Davis Love III becomes the third oldest PGA Tour winner

(Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Woods and Hoge Lead Halfway Thru 2015 Wyndham Championship

We're two rounds through this year's Wyndham Championship and the leaderboard is very interesting to say the least. Tied for the lead is Tiger Woods and Tom Hoge at 11-under. They lead by one against Davis Love III and Chad Campbell. The cut has also been set at 3-under.

Tiger Woods and Tom Hoge are probably two of the most different players on Tour. It's a great contrast really. On one hand you have a multi-major winning golfer, who is believed to be the best golfer in recent times. On the other, you have a relatively new and unheard of golfer looking to make a name for himself. And yet, here they both sit tied for the lead going into the weekend, probably with the same goal in mind; win or at least finish well enough to make it into the PGA Tour Playoffs. Hoge started off strong on Thursday with a 62 and a 67 today. Woods shot a 64 yesterday and a 65 today, but his front nine today was up and down, with two bogeys and three birdies. He made up with a 31 on his back nine though.

Sedgefield play very vulnerable over the first two days. Very low rounds were shot by many on both days, with the low round of the tournament so far being a 61 shot by Brandt Snedeker, which included a three hole birdie streak on 14-16 and no dropped shots. In fact, Hoge's 62 on Thursday was the best debut round in the tournament's history.

Finally, here's how our picks are doing:

1) Martin Kaymer: T11 at 8-under
2) Camilo Villegas: T32 at 5-under
3) Brooks Koepka: T22 at 6-under

Pretty good so far and great going into the weekend. It's worth noting that there's a log jam of players tied at 9-under, about six of them. But given how benign the course has been, being within a few shots of the lead will definitely put you in contention.

Stay tuned for our results post come Sunday,


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

Tiger Woods Co-Leads Going Into the Weekend at the Wyndham Championship

2015 Wyndham Championship Picks

We're entering the final week of the regular PGA Tour season with the Wyndham Championship, played at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina. This event is mainly known for being the last regular PGA Tour event of the season, before the FedEx Cup Playoffs, and thus offers golfers one last chance to score enough points to complete in the playoffs. Despite it's fame, it offers one of the smaller purses on tour ($5.4 million) with just under $1 million going to the winner.

This tournament was first played in 1938 as the Greater Greensboro Open and held that title for nearly 50 years. It's been played at Sedgefield for a good portion of that time, but only returned to regular play there in 2008. History has also been made here over the years, particulary by Sam Snead, who holds the record of winning a tournament the most times, eight. He also became the oldest winner on the PGA Tour when he won this event in 1965, at age 52.

The big story this week is Tiger Woods, who entered this event last minute. As it stands now, Woods sits at 168th on the FedEx Cup Rankings. He needs to achieve a minimum ranking of 150th to become eligible to play in the first of the PGA Tour Playoff events (The Barclays) next week. He's hoping for a good result this week to make this possible.

The field this week might not be as elite or full of top-ranked golfers as we're used too, but it's full of talented and competitive players who are probably all looking to secure their playoffs spot. Given that, here's our picks for the Wyndham Championship:

1) Martin Kaymer
2) Camilo Villegas
3) Brooks Koepka

Kaymer is currently ranked 124th on the rankings and will no doubt bring his A-game this week. He's also one of the top-ranked golfers on the World Golf Rankings in the field this week at 21st. Camilo Villegas won this event last year and might do so again, seeing at he's ranked 102nd. Brooks Koepka sits safely at 6th in the rankings, but has been playing excellent golf these past few weeks (T6 at the Bridgestone Invitational and T5 at the PGA Championship).

Play kicks off early tomorrow morning but be sure to check out our Weekend Update post this Friday evening,


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

Our top pick this week is 2014 US Open Champion Martin Kaymer

Shane Lowry Wins the 2015 WGC Bridgestone Invitational

After four rounds of play on Firestone Country Club's South Course, this year's edition of the WGC Bridgestone Invitational has concluded, with the winner being Shane Lowry. The Irishman finished with a final score of 11-under and a win by two shots over Bubba Watson. This is Lowry's first WGC win and first win in three years. He also takes home many World Golf Rankings points which will boost his ranking from 48th (as he stood when he entered the tournament) and has earned a PGA Tour card for three years.

Lowry shot a 66 for his final round today, which consisted of four birdies, including one on the final hole. However, he did run into trouble a few times today but recovered, or rather, "escaped" well. One incident involved a severely hooked tee shot, followed by a pitch over a tree, then a birdie putt. Another involved a bunker and a shot through a tree which led to his birdie on the 18th. He played solid golf all week and went low at times when many players could not. That was key to his success this week.

On a whole, the weekend rounds scored significantly better than the weekday rounds. Low scores were shot all around the South Course and the low round was a 63 shot by Justin Rose and Steven Bowditch. Saturday AKA Moving Day, really lived up to it's name as we saw a mish-mash on the leaderboard as the day progressed. Sunday's rounds were more toned down, but still full of exciting golf.

Our picks didn't finish off too well. Dustin Johnson shot a 75/76 on the weekend (in contrast with the theme of low scores on the weekend) to finish T53 at 7-over. Victor Dubuisson finished a shot ahead of Johnson. And Adam Scott finished a shot ahead of Dubuisson. TGR favourite Graeme McDowell did finish well however, at T17 (1-under). This is one of GMac's best finishes of the year, which is always a good sign.

Next week is the last major of the year, the PGA Championship, which will return to Whistling Straits for the first time since 2010. The storylines are already flowing, with Dustin Johnson being at the centre of them (remember how he would have won if it wasn't from a certain bunker?). That's all coming next week, so be sure to check out our daily coverage of the tournament next week.


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

Irishman Shane Lowry Wins the 2015 Bridgestone Invitational

Furyk Leads by Four Halfway Through WGC Bridgestone Invitational

After two rounds of play on Firestone's South Course, PGA Tour veteran Jim Furyk holds a four shot lead at the WGC Bridgestone Invitational, going into the weekend. He sits at 8-under; behind him, a three-way tie for second between Irishman Shane Lowry, Bubba Watson, and our pick Dustin Johnson. There is also no cut this week since this is a WGC event.

The South Course wasn't giving up much in the form of low scores over the first two days and played tough. The scoring average of the field was probably around even par or just slightly less, but some low scores were found by some. Australia's Danny Lee shot a 65 in the opening round and our leader Jim Furyk shot back to back 66's. Jim's round today was back and forth, a real battle, consisting of seven birdies and three bogeys. The course today played a bit tougher than yesterday however, with more players shooting over par rounds than sub par rounds.

Another round of note was that of TGR favourite Graeme McDowell, who sits T5 at 3-under. GMac went 66/71 for his first two rounds but despite his higher score today, he admitted in his post-round interview that he still played great and is happy to be in the position he's in. This is the first time in quite a bit where GMac's been in contention. Best of luck to him this weekend.

Finally, here's how our picks are doing so far:

1) Adam Scott: T26 at 1-over
2) Dustin Johnson: T2 at 4-under
3) Victor Dubuisson: T34 at 2-over

Good considering the conditions. Scott opened with a 72 but came back with a 69 today. Johnson once again is showing us why he's the best golfer in the world who hasn't won in the past few months. He shot a 69/67 so far and always seems to be T5 or higher at some point in every tournament he plays in. Dubuisson started strong with a 68 but faltered slightly today with a 74 (which included three straight bogeys).

There's still lots of golf to be played, so anything can happen. Stay tuned Sunday evening for our Results post...


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

Can Jim Furyk hold onto his lead for his second win this year?

2015 WGC Bridgestone Invitational Picks

Just one week before the season's last major, the world's top players flock to the South Course at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio, for the 3rd WGC event of the season, the WGC Bridgestone Invitational. This is one of the more elite tournaments played on tour and offers one of the largest purses, at $9.25 million. And being a WGC event, it also offers many World Golf Rankings points for the winner and good finishes.

Like other invitational events on Tour and other WGC events, the field at the Bridgestone Invitational is restricted, in this case to just 75 players; most of which are some of the world's best players. The top 50 players on the World Golf Rankings automatically get an invite. Playing members of the last Presidents/Ryder Cup also get an invite. Specific winners on the PGA Tour of Australasia, Sunshine Tour, Asian Tour, and Japan Tour are also invited, resulting in a truly multi-national, diverse, and dense field this week, which is a trait of WGC events.

The South Course has hosted the Bridgestone Invitational since it's inception as a tournament (except for a single instance in 2002). It's the oldest course at Firestone, having been opened in 1929 (designed by Bert Way at the time). In 1960, it underwent a major renovation by Robert Trent Jones and today plays as a par 70, measuring at just under 7,200 yards. It's infamously known as "The Monster", a name given to the South Course by Arnold Palmer due to it's difficulty. One of the more notable holes is #16, a 667-yard par 5, which measures as one of the longest on tour.

This is one of my favourite tournaments to make picks for but also one of the harder ones, due to the top class players in the field. Given that, here's my picks this week:

1) Adam Scott
2) Dustin Johnson
3) Victor Dubuisson

Adam Scott won this tournament in 2011; his first win with his new caddie Steve Williams. Dustin Johnson is on fire at the moment but hasn't capitalized much. And Victor is our dark horse pick this week.

Play kicks off tomorrow morning so stay tuned for our Weekend Update post,


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

Adam Scott is our top pick this week

2015 Quicken Loans National Picks

This week the PGA Tour stops off in Gainesville, Virginia for the Quicken Loans National. The tournament is being held at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club for the first time this year and is hosted by Tiger Woods, with benefits going to his charity, the Tiger Woods Foundation. This is a relatively new tournament on the PGA Tour schedule, having first been played in 2007 (when it was known as the AT&T National).

The Quicken Loans National is one of the more unique tournaments played by the pros, due to it's "invitational" status; a designation given to only five tournaments on tour. What this means is that the field is usually smaller and a greater variety of players usually participate in it; it doesn't follow the normal PGA Tour Priority Ranking System that designates who can play in a tournament.

Robert Trent Jones Golf Club was designed by course namesake and iconic golf course architect Robert Trent Jones and opened in 1991. It's said that the famous architect often refered to this course as "my masterpiece" which really speaks for itself, given the numerous courses Jones has designed/redesigned over the years (Spyglass Hill, Augusta National, Olympic Club, Firestone (which will host the WGC Bridgestone Invitational next week)). It's also been a Presidents Cup favourite; having hosted the event in 1994 (it's inaugural year), 1996, 2000, and 2005. As of today, it stretches to about 7,425 yards and plays as a par 72.

Given the invitational status of a tournament, the field this week is unique and so are our picks:

1) Jimmy Walker
2) Cameron Tringale
3) Tony Finau

Walker's been a bit quiet since his T2 finish at the HP Byron Nelson in May, but he may make some noise this week. Tringale has also been pretty quiet. And Finau is our dark horse pick, who could do damage with his colossal distance. Also, since this is the first time the tournament has been played at Robert Trent Jones' course, the field should be pretty even this year I think.

Stay tuned for our weekend post on Friday to see who's leading halfway through.


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

 Jimmie Walker is our top pick this week

Jason Day Wins the 2015 RBC Canadian Open

We seem to be on a bit of a roll with our picks this season...

It was only a matter of time before our pick Jason Day won again on Tour and this week he did just that up here in Canada. That's right, Jason Day has won the 2015 RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Course in Oakville, Canada. He shot a final round 68 and birdied the final three holes of the Jack Nicklaus designed course to get to that number. This proved just enough, as he finished with a one shot lead over Bubba Watson and a two shot lead over Canadian David Hearn. Though he's struggled recently with vertigo, Day has some how managed to maintain his world class golf game and it's paid off this week. This is Day's 4th PGA Tour win and second this year (Farmers Insurance Open).

The more prominent story of the weekend though was that of David Hearn, who was leading the tournament for most of the weekend. Unfortunately, he parred most of the holes on the back nine today at Glen Abbey while other players took advantage of a vulnerable back nine. David Hearn would have been the first Canadian since Pat Fletcher in 1954 to win the Canadian Open if he held on to his lead. Bubba Watson also went on a birdie streak on the back nine, birdieing five of the six last holes.

Glen Abbey once again showed us why it's been the host of the Canadian Open so many times. It played as great as a course could play in a tournament setting; being vulnerable at times yet also playing tough at times. Today's scoring average was in the high 60's, which resulted in some exciting shots and scores alike.

To finish off, here's how our picks placed:

1) Jason Day: WINNER
2) Luke Donald: T74 at even par
3) Brenden De Jonge: T76 at 1-over

That's another pick win for us and our second in two weeks. Given his recent performances in majors and other tournaments and the fact that he's struggled health-wise, the whole golfing world has been rooting for Jason Day. He was most deserving of his win this week without question. Better luck to Luke and Brenden, who didn't seem on point this week.

That wraps up our coverage of the Canadian Open. Be sure to join us next week for the Quicken Loans National. Stay tuned for our picks...


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

Jason Day Wins the 2015 RBC Canadian Open

2015 RBC Canadian Open Picks

It's that time of the season, where the PGA Tour heads north for one week to play the Canadian Open (formally RBC Canadian Open but also referred to as "The Open" by Canadians). Like many national opens, the Canadian Open venue changes from year to year. This year, the iconic Glen Abbey Golf Course in Oakville, Ontario will play host. Since RBC started sponsoring this event, the quality of players in the field has increased dramatically and today the tournament boasts world class players and a nearly $6 million purse.

The Canadian Open is the oldest non-major tournament played on the PGA Tour. It was first contested in 1904 and since then has been played and won by some of the biggest names in golf. In 1955, a young Arnold Palmer won his first PGA Tour event at the Canadian Open. In 2000, the Open was won by Tiger Woods (also at Glen Abbey) who was in the midst of completing his Triple Crown of Golf (three consecutive majors) at the time. Lee Trevino also won it three times ('71, '77, '79).

Glen Abbey is one of the most famous courses in all of Canada and has hosted the Canadian Open a record 25 times. The Jack Nicklaus-designed course measures 7,273 yards today and plays as a par 72. One of the more unique features of Glen Abbey is it's "Valley Holes", holes 11 to 15, which feature prominent elevation changes and water hazards. For example, on the par 4 11th, players tee off on top of a cliff and must hit their tee shot to the fairway below. Next, players must clear a creek separating the fairway from a tough green. The course was also the site of a PGA Tour record, when Mark Calcavecchia birdied nine consecutive holes in 2009. The record still holds today.

The field this week will feature a few players who played last week's Open Championship, as RBC charters a flight for players willing to play the Canadian Open. Given that, here's our picks for the week:

1) Jason Day
2) Luke Donald
3) Brenden De Jonge

Jason Day is coming off a great week at the Open and is really on top of his game at the moment. So is Luke Donald, who's also been playing well this past month. And Brenden De Jonge is our dark horse pick, who could have his first win this week.

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


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

 Coming off a great week at the Open Championship last week, Jason Day is our top pick this week