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?

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 Scottish Open Weekend Update

With just two rounds left to play at Gullane Golf Club, the leader going into the weekend of this year's Scottish Open is Englishman Daniel Brooks. He holds a three shot lead over a number of players including the likes of TGR favourite Graeme McDowell and defending champion/our pick Justin Rose. The cut has also been set at 1-under.

Brooks shot an excellent 64/65 and has only made a single bogey over both his two rounds. He's also carded 10 birdies and an eagle, which give him some great momentum moving into the weekend.

Despite the challenge that is links golf, many players were able to take advantage of Gullane Golf Club over the first two rounds. Scores in the mid 60's were common all around and the low round so far was a 63, shot by Thorbjorn Olesen. From the weather forecast though, it looks like the winds will pick up over the weekend and some rain will fall tonight and tomorrow. Maybe this will make Gullane more vicious?

Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell seems to be showing signs of recovery this week, shooting a pair of 66's so far. After three straight missed cuts, the 52nd World Ranked players has had a rough season so far and risks falling out of WGC contention if his trend continues. A win or a good finish for the 2008 champion this week would be hugely beneficial.

Finally, here's how our picks are doing:

1) Padraig Harrington: T34 at 4-under
2) Justin Rose: T2 at 8-under
3) Rickie Fowler: T13 at 6-under

It's good to see Harrington doing well again; he's certainly still in contention given the upcoming weather. Rose has an excellent chance to defend his win and can probably pull it off seeing how he's been playing. It's also good to see Fowler playing well on links courses again.

With just two more rounds to go and upcoming weather conditions, we might see some movement in the leaderboard over the last two rounds. Stay tuned for our Results post Sunday to see who ended up winning.


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

Can Daniel Berger hold onto his lead for the win this week?

Spieth and Reed Lead at Chambers Bay

With just two rounds to go, things have started to get a bit more interesting at the 115th US Open. Chambers Bay responded to those early scores in Thursday's round and gave the golfers more difficult conditions for Friday. As it stands now, the leading score still remains at 5-under, but it is now held by 2015 Masters Champion Jordan Spieth and the notorious Patrick Reed, closely followed by opening round co-leader Dustin Johnson and Branden Grace at 4-under. The cut has also been set at 5-over.

Spieth held his ground during his round and struggled with his driver; he's hit only 9 of 28 fairways thus far at Chambers Bay. Reed on the other hand has been driving the ball excellently, and said in an interview that he feels that he could hit the ball as hard as he wants and it'll find the fairway. This confidence is great and a must-have when playing Chambers Bay and it's what makes Reed such a fierce competitor.


TGR favourite Graeme McDowell wasn't really in the running this week, but did show us why he is a world class player on the par 3 207 yards 3rd hole. GMac landed his tee shot short and watched it roll up the right side of the green, nearly falling in the bunker, before rolling down the hill towards the pin stopping about a few inches from the hole for an easy birdie.

Apart from the golf, one of the biggest headlines yesterday was Jason Day's (physical) collapse on the 18 hole (which was a par 4). Day was walking on the sloped 18th fairway when he suddenly fell to the ground in a state of dizziness. Vertigo was to blame and it has been an issue for Day for the past few months now. After staying down for a few minutes, Day got back up, walked with some assistance to the greenside bunker where his ball lay, and went on to hit the best bunker shot I've seen, given the circumstances of his. To give you an idea of the state he was in, there was a loose stone behind his ball in the bunker and Day needed the rules official to remove it for him, as his hands were too shakey. He missed the par putt and finished off his round with a bogey, whereafter he was immediately taken to his onsite trailer. Despite this, Day sits at 2-under and is by all means still in contention scoring-wise. We hope Jason will be able to recover so he can continue playing, but his health is of course the most important.

Yet again Tiger Woods had a new milestone, this time it was his highest score in the US Open to date, a 16-over. His game was all over the place yet again and he was subsequently cut from the tournament. Also, amateur Brian Campbell is also in the mix at 1-under T12. He's currently the low amateur in the field and was close to leading at one point during his opening round.

Finally, here's how are picks are doing:

1) Phil Mickelson: T35 at 3-over
2) Rickie Fowler: CUT
3) Justin Rose: T28 at 2-over

Phil battled through his second round and it's resulted in him still being in the mix of things. So did Justin Rose. Fowler on the other hand was cut due to his surprising play, which was still a shock to us all.

Today is "Moving Day" and with the uncertainty that Chambers Bay brings every round, there's bound to be some movement on the leaderboard. Stay tuned for our recap post tomorrow morning,


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

Jordan Spieth aims to go 2/2 in majors this year

Soren Kjeldsen Wins the 2015 Irish Open

Well we've seen everything Royal County Down had to offer this week, both the good and the bad. Despite its toughness, a victor has emerged in the form of Danish golfer Soren Kjeldsen after a playoff between Bernd Wiesberger and Eddie Pepperell. This is Soren's 4th European Tour victory and his first in six years. The win also allows him to play this year's Open Championship at St. Andrews.

Looking at the leaderboard going into the weekend, you couldn't help but get the feeling that the scoreline wasn't going to change much and that a playoff would probably decide the winner. And that's exactly what happened. After 72 holes of golf, the leading score had increased from the halfway point up to 2-under par, something which we rarely see in a golf tournament. A playoff then ensued between Bernd, Eddie, and Soren.

Sunday was probably the toughest day all week with 25-30 mph winds all day. All three played very well to get to the playoff with Soren shooting a 76 but fighting Royal County Down every shot along the way, Bernd shot a 73 in a up and down round, and Eddie stunned many with a 69, which was one of a handful of sub par rounds and bogey-free rounds today.

The single hole playoff took place on the par 5 18th hole. Both Soren and Bernd found the fairway with their tee shots while Eddie hit his into the right rough. Soren then found the green with his second shot and had a putt for eagle. He missed the eagle putt and was left with a tricky 3 footer for birdie (and ultimately the win as Eddie and Bernd both parred after some incidents). Soren nearly missed the putt as the ball did a 360 degree turn around the hole before dropping in; Royal County Down had one more trick to pull before tournament's end. Soren has always been a golfer that I've liked over the years so it's great to see him win again.

The average score in today's final round was probably a few shots over par, due to the high winds. On that note, here's how our picks finished the tournament:

1) Lee Westwood: T53 at 12-over
2) Miguel Angel Jimenez: T43 at 10-over
3) Tommy Fleetwood: T21 at 5-over

1) Graeme McDowell: T30 at 7-over


Not too bad in the end. Ironically, Miguel (who's friends with Soren) was one of the first people to congratulate Soren on his win after he walked off the tee. Tommy Fleetwood had another good finish and GMac too.

And that's all for our coverage this week. Next week, our coverage heads across the pond to the Jack Nicklaus hosted Memorial tournament. Stay tuned for our picks for that.


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

Soren Kjeldsen Wins the 2015 Irish Open

WATCH: Soren Kjeldsen's winning putt

2015 Irish Open Weekend Update

We're two rounds into the Irish Open and we've already gotten a taste of how tough Royal County Down can be. The leading score is just 3-under and is held by six players including the likes of Chris Wood, Bernd Wiesberger, Soren Kjeldsen, and more. The cut has also been set at 6-over par.

To say Royal County Down is playing tough so far is actually an understatement. I mentioned in my Picks post that unpredictability would be a key factor in the difficulty of the course and that was just the case in the weekday rounds. Conditions started off favourable for the early Thursday rounds but steadily worsened as time passed. During today's round, only 15 out of 156 players managed to break par and a round in the low to mid 70's was considered average.

Irishman Padraig Harrington didn't let an injury and withdrawal from the BMW PGA last week hinder him this week. He's currently tied for 2nd place with Luke Donald. Padraig predicted earlier this week that an Irishman would win the tournament and so far it's looking like it could be him!


Tournament host and World Number One Rory McIlroy shot a 80/71 and missed the cut for a 3rd straight year. His opening round of 80 was his worst professional round since 2011. Many will probably attribute this to fatigue and that's looking like the case.

Continuing with the trend of bad scores, American Jonathan Moore made headlines for all the wrong reasons. The 2007 Walker Cup hero knows Royal County Dawn well, but carded a Kevin Na-esque 13 on Royal County Down's par 4 13th hole, which included four lost balls (three off the tee) and an encounter with a bunker. He finished the tournament in last place and was subsequently cut.

Finally, here's how our picks are doing:

1) Lee Westwood: T39 at 4-over
2) Miguel Angel Jimenez: T19 at 2-over
3) Tommy Fleetwood: T39 at 4-over

1) Graeme McDowel: T55 at 5-over

I really didn't expect all of my picks to make the cut this week considering how tough the course has been. Good results from all though, but yet again GMac just barely makes the cut. He still gets to play the weekend though, which is certainly a plus.

Given the log jam of leaders expect even better golf to come this weekend. Who knows how Royal County Down will play? Stay tuned for our results post on Sunday.


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

2015 Irish Open Picks

This week the European Tour visits the coasts of Northern Ireland specifically at Royal County Down in Newcastle for the 2015 Irish Open (formally the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open Hosted by the Rory Foundation). As the title says, this year's Irish Open is being hosted by World Number One and Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy, who will also be donating his winnings to charity this week.

Royal County Down is a links golf course with a rich history. The Old Tom Morris-built course opened its doors in 1889, making it one of the oldest golf courses in all of Ireland. Over that time, it's hosted tournaments such as the Senior British Open, the British Amateur, British Ladies Amateur, the Walker Cup in 2007 (where some say the McIlroy vs Fowler rivalry started) and much more. In fact, the last time Royal County Down hosted the Irish Open was 80 years ago in 1935. It was also ranked the best golf course in the world outside the US in 2005 and 4th best in 2007, by Golf Digest. It goes without saying that we're getting a chance to see a top notch course this week.

Not only is Royal County Down a links course (which in it's own right usually leads to an excellent display of golf) it's one of the best and purest in the world. Expect nothing short of typical links golf this week, i.e. changing weather/wind, firm fairways, massive slopes in almost every spot, thick rough, dangerous patches of gorse, and above all, unpredictability. While change in conditions are bad for the players, it's always great to watch as a spectator. The winner this week will be the player who can overcome these changes the best.

We have a great field this week, partially due to it being the Irish Open, being hosted by Rory McIlroy, and being played at Royal County Down. Due to this, we've put a little more thought into our picks this week:

1) Lee Westwood
2) Miguel Angel Jimenez
3) Tommy Fleetwood

1) Graeme McDowell

Lee Westwood has traditionally played pretty good on links courses. So has Miguel, who has had good finishes in the past British Opens (also played on links courses). He also may have some momentum from that 2nd place finish last week at the BMW PGA. Tommy Fleetwood may have some as well. We'll also be watching TGR favourite Graeme McDowell, who had a T6 finish last week.

Play kicks off early Thursday morning at around 2 AM Eastern Time. A notable group to watch is GMac, Jimenez, and Westwood, who tee off at around 2:50AM EST.

Stay tuned for our Weekend Update post on Friday,


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

Royal County Down in Newcastle, Northern Ireland

Byeong Hun An Wins the 2015 BMW PGA Championship

From the start of this week, I'm sure no one had this man in mind to win the tournament, especially the way he did. Against all odds though, Byeong Hun An AKA Ben An has won the 2015 BMW PGA Championship at the Wentworth Club, with a score of 21-under par, six shots ahead of Miguel Angel Jimenez and Thongchai Jaidee. This is the Korean-born's first European Tour win only his second professional win.

An's final aggregate score was 267, which was just one shot shy of tying the tournament record of 266, set back in 1961 by Brian Bramford. To par however, his score of 21-under is the lowest in tournament history, going back to the start of the under-par format. On top of that, he's also the first winner in 39 years to win on his tournament debut. He shot this final score with rounds of 71, 64, 67, and 65. His final round consisted of five birdies and an eagle. This, combined with a struggling Molinari, led to his large victory. This is definitely a career changing win for An, as he's now exempt into the next three British Opens and next US Open and receives mega WGC points (he was previously ranked 132 in the world).

Speaking of Molinari, he was leading going into the final round and was in the final group, along with An. However, he shot a 74 today (in a round the was up and down all day) which was very high considering the average round for a good finisher was a couple of shots under par. He finished the tournament in solo 5th.

Saturday's rounds were also filled with much excitement. To start, Tommy Fleetwood (who finished T6) scored an albatross (double-eagle) on Wentworth's par 5 552 yard 4th hole. And if that wasn't enough, TGR favourite Miguel Angel Jimenez made an ace on the par 3 154 yard 2nd. This was Jimenez's 2nd hole in one in just two weeks (his last was at last week's Spanish Open) and his 3rd one this season. That's why they call Saturday "Moving Day".

Finally, here's how our picks finished:

1) Graeme McDowell: T59 at 2-over
2) Danny Willett: T38 at 2-under
3) Chris Wood: 4th at 13-under

A poor finish yet again for GMac, who didn't have a sub-70 round all week. Willett finished off pretty decent, but the best week goes to Chris Wood, who shot a final round of 66, which included 7 birdies and a hole-in-one of the par 3 179 yard 14th (due to the ace, he also wins a new BMW i8).

And that's a wrap on what's been a very exciting week, especially this weekend. Our coverage will be staying in Europe next week for the Irish Open (formally the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open Hosted by the Rory Foundation) at Royal County Down in Newcastle, Northern Ireland.

Stay tuned for our picks for the tournament on Wednesday,


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

Ben Am Wins the 2015 BMW PGA Championship by a staggering six shots

2015 BMW PGA Championship Weekend Update

We're two rounds into the BMW PGA Championship with two more to go at the Wentworth Club in Surrey, England. As it stands now, the leader going into the weekend is Italian Francesco Molinari at 10-under. He holds a one shot lead over Challenge Tour player Byeong Hun An AKA Ben An (who currently holds the record for younger winner of the US Amateur, which he won in 2009 at age 17.) The cut has also been set at 2-over this week

Conditions were perfect at Wentworth over the past two days, which led to good scores all around. Molinari started the tournament off with a 65 and followed it up with a 69 today. Ben An shot a 64 earlier today in a round that consisted of 8 birdies with four of them in a row. TGR favourite and former winner Miguel Angel Jimenez is also in the mix of things at 6-under T6. Many players were eager to put in a good round before the weekend.

World Number One Rory McIlroy is also making headlines this week, but for the wrong reasons. The Northern Irishman missed the cut after shooting a 71 76, but is also receiving a fine from the European Tour after throwing one of his clubs after a bad shot on the 17th on Thursday. In a post round interview, Rory stated that he was mentally angry and showing signs of fatigue.

Also in the news, the other older Molinari brother, Eduardo, and Padraig Harrington have withdrew from the tournament due to injuries; a shoulder injury for Padraig and a wrist injury for Eduardo.

Finally, here's how our picks are doing:

1) Graeme McDowell: T62 at 1-over
2) Danny Willett: T25 at 2-under
3) Chris Wood: T17 at 3-under

Good work from Willett and Wood, they're in good positions going into the weekend. Though it looks like GMac needs a couple of big rounds to have a run at the title.

Stay tuned Sunday for our Results post to see who's won,


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

Francesco Molinari is on track for his first European Tour win in three years

(David Cannon/Getty Images)

2015 BMW PGA Championship Picks

This week we turn our coverage to a European Tour event, in fact, the flagship event of the European Tour, the BMW PGA Championship, which is played yearly at the West course at the Wentworth Club in Surrey, England. This is one of the most elite and biggest events on the European Tour, with a large money prize, 64 WGC points, and exemptions into this year's US Open and the next 3 Open Championships given to the winner. It's roughly the equivalent of The Players Championship on the PGA Tour.

This is also one of my favourite tournaments to watch on the European Tour since it was the setting an amazing moment in golf. In the 2011 edition of the tournament, World Numbers One and Two, Lee Westwood and Luke Donald had finished their final rounds tied for 1st place and had to go to sudden death on the par 5 1st hole of the West course. On the line was not only the tournament win but also the title of World Number One. They both started the hole well and both had roughly the same distances for their approach shots. Luke went first and landed his ball safely on the green, close to the hole. Lee responded by landing his shot just inside Luke's but then watched his ball roll off the water-lined green into the water, resulting in Luke winning the tournament and the title. So much was on the line at that moment and that's why I'll never forget it. But moments like this seem to only happen at big tournaments like this.

Being a more elite tournament, all of the European Tour's (and some PGA Tour) top players will be playing this week. It situations like this, it's always hard to make picks, but we've narrowed it down to three players:

1) Graeme McDowell
2) Danny Willett
3) Chris Wood

Hopefully one of these players will win it this week. Play starts very early tomorrow in the morning in EST time. Stay tuned for our weekend update post on Friday to see who's leading going into the weekend.


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

Will GMac be able to win this week?

2015 Players Championship - Weekend Update

We're halfway through this year's edition of the Players Championship and the co-leaders going into the weekend are Kevin Na and Jerry Kelly at 8-under (-8), with a two shot lead over Branden Grace, Canadian David Heard, Chris Kirk and Rickie Fowler. The cut has also been set this week at even par.

Both Na and Jelly had good rounds today, shooting 69 and 65 respectively. Na, who was the 54 hole leader just a few years ago, had 6 birdies and three bogeys. He's had an interesting past couple of years Kevin Na. He battled a severe case of the yips during his final round of the 2012 Players, where he was seen taking many practice swings and backing off many shots. He struggled careerwise, reaching a low point in 2013. In his post round interview today, Na said he's a changed person, and his score reflects it.

PGA Tour veteran and 48-year old Jerry Kelly's story is a little different. He opened the tournament this week with a decent 71, but followed it with a 65 in a round consisting of 8 birdies and 1 bogey (one of these birdies came on the infamous "Island Green" 17th). This was good enough for the low round of the day as well.

Canadian David Heard is also in the mix at T3 after opening rounds of 67 and 71. The Brampton native also birdied the 17th today. Hearn has been having an up and down season thus far, with his best finish occurring at the RBC Heritage (T6). Best of luck to him this week as well.

TPC Sawgrass was of course in excellent condition, with the front nine playing slightly easier than the back nine, and the final three finishing holes playing the toughest overall. The Island Green 17th again showed us how dramatically it could affect a players score. For example, Ernie Els was 4-under for his round going into 17, having made several birdies and a bogey thus far. With today's far back hole location, Els landed his tee shot pin high then watched his ball slowly roll off the green and into the water. He ended up double-bogeying the hole.

Finally, here's how our picks are doing:

1) Justin Rose: CUT
2) Jordan Spieth: CUT
3) Dustin Johnson: T61 at even par

Rose and Spieth were a bit off on both days, with Rose showing a bit of (rare) anger in his opening round, kicking his golf bag and throwing his club after hitting a ball into the water. Dustin's round was a bit more interesting. He went birdie/bogey and vice verse on many occasions, resulting in back to back 72's. TGR favourite Graeme McDowell also recovered from an opening round of 73 with a 70 today. He sits at 1-under (T46).

There are two more rounds left in The Players, which will no doubt be filled with excitement and good golf. Check out our Results post Sunday evening to see who won this year.


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

PGA Tour Veteran Jerry Kelly is on track for his first win in 6 years at The Players

2015 Players Championship Picks

It's finally here, the biggest event on the PGA Tour and the pinnacle of the golf season, golf's "5th major", the one, the only, the Players Championship, which is contested yearly at the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Everything about this tournament screams elite, from it's $10 million purse (with $1.8 million going to the winner) to it's world class field to TPC Sawgrass itself.

Many often wonder why The Players Championship is such a big deal on tour, so here are a few reasons. Aside from a large amount of money, winning The Players results in a large amount of World Golf Rankings points, a 5 year exemption on the PGA Tour, a 3 year invitation/exemption to the Masters, the Open Championship and the US Open, as well as an exemption into the PGA Championship later on in the season. Talk about a career starter...

Another reason why The Players is such a big deal is the course, the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass that is. The Stadium Course was designed by Pete and Alice Dye, for the sole purpose of hosting The Players. Widely recognized as one of the toughest courses played on Tour, the Stadium Course brings water into play on many of it's holes and is known for it's tough finishing holes. Perhaps the most famous part of the course is the par 3 17th, known as the "Island Green". And it is just that; you tee off with a lake in front of you and must land your ball on a small 70-foot green in the middle of the lake. The Island Green is hands down the most famous and iconic hole in golf and has been known to make or break a players round.

The field at The Players is usually more distinct and deeper than the average PGA tournament, as it includes top-ranked golfers, as well as past winners of notable tournaments such as the Senior Players, Tour Championship, WGC events, etc. Given this, it was a little harder to make our picks this week, but we've narrowed down the 144-man field to three players. Here's who we think might win this week:

1) Justin Rose
2) Jordan Spieth
3) Dustin Johnson

Justin Rose is an all round safe pick. He plays great golf, is a world class player, and always a favourite in my books when he's playing well. Speaking of playing well, Jordan Spieth is a pick for most people and myself, after winning the Masters and for probably being the best player in golf for the last 6 months. Dustin has a handful of top-10 finishes (including one at the Masters) as well as a win this year. Needless to say, he is playing pretty good golf at the moment and he also drives the ball a long way; that's why he's our last pick this week.

Also we'll be watching TGR favourite Graeme McDowell (who almost won The Players a few years ago).

To close, one thing I found interesting about this tournament was that since 2011, the winning score has been 13-under par. It'll be interesting to see if this trend continues this year. Play is set to start tomorrow morning at just after 7AM EST and is sure to be filled with excitement, especially at the 17th. Stay tuned for our Weekend Update post on Friday evening to see who's leading going into the weekend.

Who are your picks this week? Comment below and let us know...


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

The iconic "Island Green" at the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass

WGC Cadillac Match Play Picks

This week's PGA Tour event is the World Golf Championships Cadillac Match Play (formerly the WGC-Accenture Match Play), being played this year at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco, California. Being a World Golf Championship (WGC) event, it is exclusive to the top 64 players in the World Golf Rankings. It also boasts one of the largest purses on Tour at $9.25 million.

As I mentioned in my last post, this is one of my favourite events on tour, for two reasons. Firstly, like I said it is a WGC event, so we get to see a unique field filled with the world's best players, which by it's nature bring world-class golf. Secondly, it's a match play event. Briefly, match play is a format of golf in which two players face each other at a time, rather than the entire field. Each hole is allocated one point and the player with the lowest score (compared to their fellow player) on each hole wins the hole and receives/takes away one point from their competitor, depending on if they are winning or losing overall. Whoever finishes ahead at the end wins. In a tournament format, match play differs from traditional stroke play in that the event is structured in a round-robin-like style, with each player having to win to advance to the next stage. The matches are far more exciting as well, since greater risks can be taken shot-wise as your score on one hole doesn't affect your overall score.

This is the first year that TPC Harding Park is hosting the WGC Match Play, but it has hosted a WGC event in the past (Cadillac Championship in 2005). It has also hosted a Presidents Cup (2009) and several Charles Schwab Cup Championships for the Champions Tour. Today, it measures at just under 7200 yards at a par 72.

My picks this week focused around one main factor; experience in match play, naturally. Since the match play format isn't seen too often on Tour, I chose picks who had contested in past match play events (and had done well) such as the Ryder Cup, etc. Here they are:

1) Graeme McDowell
2) Martin Kaymer
3) Rickie Fowler

GMac is a natural choice when it comes to match play. He's made it to the quarter finals in the past two years of this event and played excellently in past Ryder Cups, having holed the winning putt for Europe in 2010 and contributing points in 2014. He also won the Volvo World Match Play Championship in 2013 on the European Tour. Similarly Kaymer has also had excellent finishes in this event, his best being a 2nd place in 2011 (where he was the best player in the world at the time and rocked a snood that had everyone golf fashion expert talking). He also holed the winning putt for Europe in the 2012 Ryder Cup AKA the Miracle of Medinah. Lastly, Rickie Fowler is young, confident and has Ryder Cup experience, all of which combined make him excellent at match play.

Being a match play event, there is no cut as players are eliminated after each round. We'll still be posting on Friday to let you know what's going on at the halfway point of the tournament. Stay tuned for that and enjoy some great golf this week!


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

GMac has done well in past match play events

2015 Valero Texas Open - Weekend Update

We're halfway through this year's edition of the Valero Texas Open at TPC San Antonio. The leader going into the weekend is Texas native Jimmy Walker, at 6-under, with a one shot lead over Aaron Baddeley and Charlie Hoffman. The cut has also been set at 6-over par, which is very high, compared to other events.

Jimmy's putter was hot throughout his second round today and in front of a home crowd. In total, he shot a 67 on the day, which consisted of 6 birdies and a single bogey. He's recently been through a putter change earlier this year, in which he returned to an older model of putter that he had success with in the past. It's doing him well this week, as he's also leading the event in strokes gained via putting (-6.536). And let's not forget that Jimmy is also the current FedEx Cup Points leader and a winner this year already (Sony Open), probably due to that putter change too. 

Monday's rounds saw TPC San Antonio playing very tough, due to 30+ mph winds. This resulted in a scoring average of 76.69, which is probably why the cut this week was so high this week. The high round of the day was an 89, shot by amateur Sam Burns. There were better conditions today and many players took advantage of this.

Also in the mix (and in the headlines) is tour veteran Phil Mickelson, who's at 2-under (T6). During his opening round, one of Phil's clubs broke as he hit a bunker shot. As he swung, the clubhead snapped right where it connects to the shaft, sending the head flying out of the bunker, as well as the ball. Earlier today, Lefty chipped in for a birdie, which aided in a score of 72 today. As you probably know, Phil always seems to play better in the weeks prior to a major, especially the Masters. He's won the Shell Houston Open (before the Masters) and the Scottish Open (before the British Open). We haven't seen too much of Phil this year, but maybe that might change this week?

In other news, TGR favourite Graeme McDowell has withdraw from the tournament, due to an injury he sustained during a practice round earlier this week. This is the first year that GMac is playing the Valero Texas Open and he stated afterwards that, due to the upcoming Masters, he didn't want to risk playing with the injury. He also planned on playing the Shell Houston Open next week, but that's now injury pending. Let's hope GMac can get better as soon as possible.

Lastly,  here's how our picks are doing :

1) Jim Furyk: T66 at 6-over (+6)
2) Jordan Spieth: T4 at 4-under (-4)
3) Sean O'Hair: CUT

It's almost a weekly this to see Speith near the top of the leaderboard; he really is on fire at the moment. Furyk and O'Hair struggled this week and weren't able to capitalize on the favourable conditions today.

With Moving Day tomorrow and the final round on Sunday, there's still lots of golf to be played. But be sure to check out our results post Sunday evening to see who's won.


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

 Jimmy Walker's already won this year but can he win again this week? 

(Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

2015 Arnold Palmer Invitational Weekend Update

We're halfway through this year's edition of the Arnold Palmer Invitational from Bay Hill Club and Lodge in Orlando, Florida. It's been an interesting few rounds with some pretty low scores all around. The leader going into the weekend is Morgan Hoffman at 13-under (-13), with a three shot lead over Harris English, Henrik Stenson, and 2014 winner Matt Every. The cut has also been set at 2-under (-2), which is the lowest cut in the tournament's history

Bay Hill has been playing perfect scoring-wise, especially this morning, where the greens were soft and vulnerable with no wind at all. Many players took advantage of this, including Morgan Hoffman, who make nine birdies (6 alone on the front nine) which aided in a 65 on the day. The low round of the day however was a 64, shot by Australian Danny Lee (T6).

Probably one of the most common picks this week was Henrik Stenson and for good reason. He's probably playing the best golf of his career right now and always seems to be in contention. I'm confident he'll get another win in no time. He shot a solid 68 66, which included 4 hole birdie streak on the last few holes today. This is really good considering that the back nine at Bay Hill has seen less scoring than the front nine so far.

A less common pick this week was Rory McIlroy, who is 8-under T6. Rory shot a 66 today, which was his first sub-70 round for him in 8 rounds on the PGA Tour. He also had a nice 5 hole birdie streak on the front nine today. This is Rory's last event before the Master's, which is the major that he's yet to win.

Finally, here's how our picks are doing:

1) Billy Horschel: T23 at 5-under (-5)
2) Henrik Stenson: T2 at 10-under (-10)
3) Graeme McDowell: CUT

Good work from Billy and Stenson. It looks like GMac might be in a little slump as of now, considering how he's playing. Hopefully it's just a temporary thing!

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


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

Can Hoffman hold on to the lead for his 1st PGA Tour win? (Charles King/Orlando Sentinel)

2015 Arnold Palmer Invitational Picks

This week the PGA Tour stops off in Orlando, Florida at Bay Hill Club and Lodge for the 2015 Arnold Palmer Invitational. As the name says, this is an invitation-only tournament, with the top 70 players on last year's FedEx Cup rankings being guaranteed an invite and only a 120-132-man field. Due to this, we're seeing some of the best golfers on tour playing this week. This also makes the AP Invitational one of the more prestigious events on tour, due to it's "invitation" status.

This tournament is probably best known for being won by Tiger Woods eight times; the first four of those wins coming in 2000-2003. He also won this tournament in 2012 and 2013. This year, however, marks the 2nd year that Tiger won't be playing in the tournament. In 2013, he withdrew shortly before the start of the tournament, due to back issues. This year, it's due to swing issues.

Bay Hill itself is one of the longer courses played on tour, stretching to about 7,400 yards. It also takes water into play on a few holes, which always makes for interesting golf. It's also been reported that the greens are not "100 percent healthy" due to the tough winter that Florida faced. Who knows how this will affect the tournament. The greens at Bay Hill are set to be replaced sometime after the AP invitational, however. The course itself is also owned by tournament namesake and golfing legend Arnold Palmer.

As I said before, there's a few more elite players in the field. Based on this, here are our picks for this week:

1) Billy Horschel
2) Henrik Stenson
3) Graeme McDowell

Stay tuned for our Weekend Update post to see who's leading going into the weekend,


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

Bay Hill Club and Lodge

JB Holmes Goes Low at WGC Cadillac Championship

This week's PGA Tour event is the WGC Cadillac Championship which is being played at the Blue Monster course at Trump National Doral in Miami, Florida. Being a WGC event, it's hosts the top players in the world, specifically the Top 50 in the World Golf Rankings, as well as top players on respective tours. The tournament boasts a nearly $10-million purse with over $1.5 million going to the winner.

The Blue Monster course has historically been one of the tougher courses played on the PGA Tour. Just last year though, it was made even tougher by golf architect Gil Hanse, who brought water in play on a lot more holes and near some fairways. Just last year, the final (winning) score was a 4-under, albeit due to some poor weather conditions.

You can imagine then how shocked the golfing world was when none other than JB Holmes posted a 10-under (62) during the opening round of the tournament, good enough for a four shot lead. His rounded consisted of eight birdies and an eagle; he only came close to a bogey on the last hole, where he made an 8-foot putt to save par. In an interview afterwards, JB credited his low score to being able to hit the shots he had in mind as well as a hot putter, all of which result in a good round. Holmes is on record saying that he didn't like the old Blue Monster course because it was too easy.

To justify his 62, that's over 11 shots lower than the scoring average of the field, which was a 73.4. Combine that with the fact that he's up against the world's best golfers had said golfers stunned. Many of his fellow players, such as Luke Donald and Shane Lowry, jokingly wondered if they were even playing the same course. He also received much praise from fellow competitors

JB leads over Ryan Moore, who shot a 66; an excellent score in it's own right, but diminished by JB's round. He stated that the course was tough, but birdies were possible. Some notable rounds were Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell (+1, T27), Dustin Johnson and Rickie Fowler (-4, T3), Patrick Reed (-1, T13).

Unfortunately we weren't able to make any picks this week, but we'll still be providing updates of the tournament. Remember that there is no cut this week too since its a WGC event.


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

How will JB Holmes play the rest of the WGC Cadillac Championship?

Padraig Harrington Wins The 2015 Honda Classic

We said earlier last week that a win at the Honda Classic at PGA National wasn't going to be easy and boy it sure wasn't...

After several weather delays, postponed tee times, a Monday finish, and two holes of sudden death, a winner has finally emerged; Irishman Padraig Harrington. Both him and PGA Tour newcomer Daniel Berger were tied at 6 under after 72 holes and had to replay the 18th and 17th; the former saw Berger place his tee shot in the water and a solid par from Harrington. The two finish with a one shot lead over Paul Casey, Russell Knox, and Ian Poulter, who was the 54 hole leader, but shot a 74 on Monday which included several balls landing in the water. The cut was set at +4.

For Padraig, this win was huge. This is the 43-year old's first PGA tour win since his win of the 2008 PGA Tour Championship; almost 2,400 days! To put things in perspective, Padraig's last three wins were the 2007, 2008 British Open and the 2008 PGA Championship. 2008 was the pinnacle of the Irishman's career and after winning back to back majors and the same major in consecutive years, we all expected him to keep on winning.

Unfortunately this didn't happen. A few swing changes and a case of the yips saw his game fall dramatically, as well as his earnings. At his lowest, he was ranked 353rd on the World Golf Rankings (late 2014) and things weren't looking good for him. But with some perseverance and hard work, he managed to pull of the win this week, which changes everything for him now. He doesn't have to rely on sponsor exemptions for a few years, gets to play in this year's Masters, and is currently ranked 82nd on the rankings now.

With some similar perseverance, Daniel Berger was en-route to making a some history. The 2014 Web.com Tour graduate started his final round nine shots behind the leader, but shot an excellent 64 to get himself into the playoff. If he won the playoff, it would have been one of the biggest comebacks in PGA Tour history. This is Berger's 4th top-10 finish this season; very impressive!

Probably just as big a story was that of Ian Poulter's meltdown during his final round. Poulter lead by three shots going into his final round. On a few holes, he shanked a few balls into the water, which resulted in a bogey, two double bogeys, and a very bad triple (which was on the verge of a +4 if it wasn't for a good putt by Ian). However, two late birdies were not enough to put him in the playoff, as he ended up one shot short of it, shooting a 74 on the day.

Finally, here is how our picks finished the tournament:

1) Rory McIlroy: CUT
2) Dustin Johnson: CUT
3) Graeme McDowell: CUT

Wow, a very bad week for my picks all of which who had pretty bad rounds in tough weather conditions. That's too bad, better luck next week!

And that wraps up a hectic week! The Honda Classic is a tournament that will never be dull; there will always be several story-lines and some exciting golf, as we saw this week. Stay tuned for coverage of the WGC Cadillac Championship from Doral, Florida.


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

Padraig Harrington Wins the 2015 Honda Classic