Danny Lee Wins the 2015 Greenbrier Classic

Yet again another playoff was needed to decide the winner this week at the Greenbrier Classic at the Old White TPC. After four rounds of golf, four players were tied for the lead at 13-under: Brampton, Ontario native David Hearn, Robert Streb, Kevin Kisner, and New Zealander Danny Lee. After two holes of sudden death, Danny Lee emerged as the winner. This is Lee's first PGA Tour win and only his third professional win. It's also his first pro win in four years. This is a major step in his career as he becomes the first New Zealander in 10 years to win on Tour and earns exemptions into the British Open, PGA Championship, and next year's Masters.

In most tournaments, the quality of players atop the leaderboard is often looked at the most, however what surprised many this week was the quantity of players at the top. At the end of it all, 22 players were within three shots of the lead. It was one of the biggest log jams we've seen so far this season and during today's round, there was much movement between the top spots. This was largely a result of how benign Old White TPC had being playing (even as rain fell towards the end of today's round). A playoff seemed inevitable almost from the start of the final round...

The playoff started on the par 3 18th hole over water. Both Lee and Hearn landed their tee shots on the green in pretty much the exact same spots as when they played the hole in regulation. Both subsequently made birdies. Kisner and Streb both barely overshot the green and missed their birdie attempts. To the par 5 17th hole Hearn and Lee went, where an error on Hearn's part resulted in him bogeying the hole. Lee parred and won it. Hearn's playoff loss is the closest a Canadian has come to winning on tour in recent years.

Finally, here's how our picks finished off the tournament:

1) Graham DeLaet: T37 at 6-under
2) Kevin Na: T32 at 7-under

David Heard seemed to pick up the slack of top Canadian in the field when DeLaet struggled. Both DeLaet and Na finished okay, but will probably be disappointed with their weekend performances.

That's it for our coverage this week. Join us next week for some links golf in Gullane, Scotland for the Scottish Open at Gullane Golf Club.


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

Representing New Zealand, Danny Lee Wins the 2015 Greenbrier Classic

2015 Greenbrier Classic Weekend Update

As the third round of the 2015 Greenbrier Classic begins, the lead is currently held by two players; Jhonatten Vegas and Scott Langley. Both stand at 9-under with a one shot lead over numerous players (including Canadian David Hearn). The cut has also been set at 2-under.

Scott Langley shocked some of us with an opening round of 62 and followed it up with a 69 yesterday. His story is one to note and one of inspiration. He was part of the First Tee (a program which helps promote life and ethical values through golf) and is the first person to be part of this program and make it to the PGA Tour. He turned pro in 2011 and earned his PGA Tour card in 2013 via Q school. He also had a stellar amateur career.

Vegas' story is a bit different. He burst onto the Tour scene after winning the Bob Hope Classic (now Humana Challenge) in 2011 after just his 2nd start as a PGA Tour member. After a relatively successful 2011 where he achieved 69th place on the World Golf Rankings, he's struggled in recent years, partially due to shoulder surgery. He shot a 66/ 65 so far, including hitting all greens in his 2nd round?

Tiger Woods is also making news, the good kind this time. The iconic golfer sits at T27 after rounds of 66 and 69. This is far better than the last few times he's competed. Who knows how he'll finish off the tournament.

Finally here's how our picks are doing:

1) Webb Simpson: CUT
2) Graham DeLaet: T10 at 7-under
3) Kevin Na: T27 at 5-under


Canadian Graham DeLaet's round is currently in progress and as of now, he's birdied 5 of 6 holes. It is Moving Day and he's definitely on the move. Hopefully Na can pull off a similar feat.

Stay tuned for our Results post tomorrow evening,


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

2015 Greenbrier Classic Picks

This week, the PGA Tour stops by the Old White TPC at the Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia for the Greenbrier Classic. This is a newer tournament compared to other tournaments on tour, having first been played in 2010 when it replaced the Buick Open. It boasts a $6.7 million purse with about $1.2 million going to the winner.

Despite being a new tournament, it is played on the historic Old White TPC, which was built in 1914. Since then, it has hosted the first current format of the Ryder Cup on US soil (1979) and the Solheim Cup (1994); the only course to host both at the time. The course even has ties to modern golf legend Tom Watson, who is it's pro emeritus. Today, it measures at just under 7,300 yards for tournament purposes. 

Due to it's close proximity to the Open Championship, a win or good finish this week could result in eligibility to play in the Open Championship for some golfers. Some will also use the tournament to check if their game is up to par for the upcoming major. That's why we'll be seeing a variety of players in the field this week. Given that, here's our picks for the week:

1) Webb Simpson
2) Graham DeLaet
3) Kevin Na

Play kicks off early tomorrow morning, but be sure to check our Weekend Update post Friday night. On another note, Happy Canada Day to all our Canadian readers! 


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

Webb Simpson is our #1 pick this week

Bubba Watson Wins the 2015 Travelers Championship

72 holes of golf just wasn't enough to decide the winner of this year's edition of the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands. 2010 Champion (and one of our picks this week) Bubba Watson and Englishman Paul Casey both finished the tournament tied for the lead at 16-under and battled it out over two extra holes. Eventually, Bubba Watson emerged as the winner. This is his 8th PGA Tour win and first since November 2014 (HSBC Champions). With this win, he extends his PGA Tour playoff record to 5-1. He's also the four player this season to have multiple wins.

Bubba was up and around the top of the leaderboard all week. Today, his round was relatively quiet until an unlikely eagle on the 13th hole, where he hit his second shot from a fairway bunker onto the green, then holed the eagle putt. He was leading by three shots at one point but a bogey on his part and a few birdies on Casey's part leveled them out. Paul Casey went for a more direct route to the playoff, shooting rounds of 64 and 65 on the weekend. His round today consisted of four birdies and a hole-out for eagle on the 3rd hole.

The playoff started on the 18th hole, where Casey hit a good drive but Bubba hit his tee shot way right into deep grass and on a hill. Oddly enough, Casey hit his 2nd shot into a greenside bunker and Bubba hit his on the green to about 20 feet from the hole. However, Casey got up and down and Bubba two-putted, so back to the 18th tee box to replay the hole they went. This time around, Casey hit his tee shot into a fairway bunker (near the lip of the bunker) and Bubba found the fairway. Casey went from a fairway to the same greenside bunker via his second shot and again Bubba found the green, landing his shot about 8 feet from the hole. Shockingly, Casey mis-hit his greenside bunker shot over the green (double his intended distance) onto the nearby cart path, giving Bubba a golden opportunity to finish. And he took advantage of it, holing his birdie putt for another playoff win.

The weekend saw it's fair share of rain, which fell right up until the last playoff hole. The course still saw low scores all around though, with the lowest today being Paul Casey's 65. Canadian Graham DeLaet also made his name known on the leaderboard, finishing solo 4th at 14-under, aided by a 64 on Saturday. Interestingly, the cooler temps and light drizzle that were present during the final round were reminiscent of the weather you'd expect on a links course. And as commentator Sir Nick Faldo said, the atmosphere during the playoff was a little Ryder Cup-like, given the nationalities of Bubba and Casey and the weather; and you did get that feeling a bit.

Finally, here's how our picks finished:

1) Louis Oosthuizen: CUT
2) Bubba Watson: 1st at 11-under
3) Francesco Molinari: T25 at 7-under

A top notch finish from Bubba and a good one from Molinari. Molinari didn't have the best weekend at even par through his last two rounds, but it's still a good finish.

That's it for our coverage this week. Join us next week at The Old White TPC in West Virginia for the Greenbrier Classic.


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

JB Holmes Wins the 2015 Shell Houston Open

It came down to another playoff finish this week at the 2015 Shell Houston Open. This time, it consisted of JB Holmes, Johnson Wagner, and Jordan Spieth, all who finished the tournament at 16-under, with a two shot lead over Russell Henley. The playoff consisted of two extra holes, where the par 4 18th was played twice. The first time, Holmes and Wagner settled for par whereas Spieth bogeyed. The second time, Wagner bogeyed and Holmes parred, for the win. This is JB's first win of the year and his first since the 2014 Wells Fargo Championship.

Holmes started his final round today six shots off the lead. Despite this, he fired off a spectacular round of 64, which consisted of 9 birdies and a bogey and a course record 29 on the front nine. He posted that good number early and watched the rest of the field chase him. Today was the second time JB's been in a playoff at the Shell Houston Open, his first was in 2009, where he lost to Paul Casey. This is also his second playoff of 2015. Earlier this year JB lost to Jason Day at the Farmers Insurance Open. He also stunned us all at the WGC Cadillac Championship by shooting a 10-under 62 on a day where a low 70's round was good. This time around, he sealed the deal, showing us again that he's found a new high-point in his career.

The Golf Club of Houston played a bit tougher on the weekend, where the scoring averages were slightly higher. This shook up the leaderboard throughout each of the rounds.  For example, top Canadian in the field Graham DeLaet was tied for 4th going into the weekend but finished T42 after a 75 and 73. Victor Dubuisson, one of our picks this week, shot a 78 on Saturday, but rallied back today with a 66. Even Scott Piercy, who shot a 63 in the opening round, dabbled in and out of the the top of the leaderboard each round.

As for our picks, here is how they finished:

1) Victor Dubuisson: T17 at 9-under (-9)
2) Patrick Reed: T17 at 9-under (-9)

I mentioned in the Weekend Update that Dubuisson had the best chance of winning out of my picks but not to count Reed out yet. In the end, they finished tied for 17th, partially due to Dubuisson's bad Saturday round (78), then excellent Sunday round (66), and due to Reed's good Saturday round (67) and okay Sunday round (73). It just goes to show you how funny this game of golf can be sometimes.

Next week is of course The Masters, but unfortunately we will not be able to cover it. We may be tweeting some news though so be sure to check our Twitter page (@TOGolfReviews) constantly next week.


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

JB Holmes's excellent golf finally pays off this week

(Erich Schlegel-USA TODAY Sports)

2015 Shell Houston Open Weekend Update

With today's round now complete, we're halfway through the 2015 Shell Houston Open. Our weekday leader is Andrew Putnam at 12-under with a one shot lead over Austin Cook (who qualified for the tournament on Monday) and 2011 winner Phil Mickelson. The cut has also been set this week at 4-under.

Putnam fired off a stellar round of 65 today, which consisted of 7 birdies including four in a row on the front nine. Ironically, the PGA Tour rookie made his tour debut last year at the Shell Houston Open. I wonder if Putnam ever thought last year, he'd be leading going into the weekend in just a year's time? Andrew's older brother, Michael, is also a PGA Tour player and is also in the field this week; he's tied for 12th at 8-under.

The Golf Club of Houston was playing very well on Thursday and Friday. Low scores were shot all around and the low round so far was a 63, shot by Scott Piercy. Piercy carded a 5-hole birdie streak as well as a 32-foot birdie putt on the last hole, all which contributed to that low score. Unfortunately, he followed that score with a 74 today. Thursday's round also saw several players holing out from the fairway for eagles, some on par 4's and some on par 5's.

In a headline that's a little closer to home, Canadian Graham DeLaet is currently tied for 4th place at 10-under. Graham shot a pair of 67's, including 6 birdies and a bogey on today's round. At the moment, Graham is Canada's highest ranked golfer on the World Golf Rankings at 69th as well as one of the best Canadian golfers at the moment. The Saskatchewan native has yet to win on tour, but that could change this week.

And here's how our picks are doing so far:

1) Victor Dubuisson: T6 at 9-under (-9)
2) Martin Kaymer: CUT
3) Patrick Reed: T41 at 5-under (-5)

Excellent play from Dubuisson, who has the best chances of winning out of my picks. Patrick Reed could still be in the mix of things, depending on how he plays as well at the other players. Better luck next week for Kaymer also.

Lastly, in other news, it's been confirmed that Tiger Woods will be playing in The Masters this year. Now whether he's looking to compete or just play for the sake of things is another question. 

Stay tuned for our Results post Sunday night to see who's won the Shell Houston Open,


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

Andrew Putnam, a former Web.com player, will have a huge field chasing him this weekend 

(Stan Badz/PGA TOUR)

James Hahn Wins the 2015 Northern Trust Open

Well four rounds of play just weren't enough to decide the winner at this week's Northern Trust Open at Riviera Country Club. But after a three man playoff consisting of Paul Casey and Dustin Johnson, James Hahn emerged victorious, after three holes of play. The trio finished the tournament at 6-under.

This is the South-Korean born's first win on the PGA Tour and only his 4th professional win, his last coming in 2012 on the Nationwide Tour (the year which he graduated from it). He also played on the Canadian Tour for a bit and won twice on it, both in 2009. More recently however, he became known around the world for dancing the "Gangnam Style" dance after holing a putt at the 2013 Waste Management Phoenix Open. His public image is sure to change now.

Like we said before, Riviera played tough this week. It's not too often, aside from majors perhaps, that we see a winning score this high. Still, some good scores were shot over the weekend and a score of a few shots under par or more pretty much guaranteed you a good finish.

For Dustin Johnson, it certainly looks like he's broken off that rust that he mentioned he had a few weeks back. There were a lot of people who speculated that it would take DJ a long time to regain his pre-leave form, but he's disproved them all this week. Rounds of 67 and 69 on the weekend (while others were shooting much higher scores) ensured him a spot in the playoff.

Saskatchewan-native Graham DeLaet also finished well this week at T8. He hasn't won yet on the PGA Tour but I think that might change this year, perhaps sooner than later.

Finally, here is how our picks finished off:

1) Bubba Watson: T14 at 2-under (-2)
2) Brenden de Jonge: CUT
3) Nick Watney: T11 at even par-(E)

Both Watson and Watney shot rounds in the 70's on the weekend, after being in good positions during the week.

That's it for us this week and it's also the end of the West Coast swing on the PGA Tour. Next week marks the start of the Florida Swing, with the Honda Classic at the infamous PGA National. Be sure to check out our picks for that tournament.


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

James Hahn Wins the 2015 Northern Trust Open

2015 Northern Trust Open - Weekend Update

It's Friday, which means it's time for our weekend update of this week's tournament, the 2015 Northern Trust Open, which is being played at Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles, California. As it stands now, the second round has been suspended due to darkness, but pretty much all players (except Alex Prugh) have finished their second round. The leader going into the weekend is South African Retief Goosen who leads at 6-under (-6) with a one shot lead over Ryan Moore, Canadian Graham DeLaet, and Justin Thomas. The projected cut this week is 3-over.


Riviera was playing firm and fast this week, which resulted in some higher than expected scores. It looks like it's going to be this way right through the weekend as well. Our player of note this week, Fred Couples, currently stands at 3-over and will unfortunately be cut. Better luck next year hopefully for Fred.

Goosen shot a 66 70 during his rounds; a 66 just happened to be the low score of the week, but was also shot by several players. Canadian Graham DeLaet shot a 70 67 which was the low score today, in a round that contained 5 birdies and one a single bogey. He's in a good spot for the weekend and anything can happen over the weekend, considering the difficulty of the course.

Finally, here is how our picks are doing:

1) Bubba Watson: T6 at 3-under (-3)
2) Brenden de Jonge: CUT
3) Nick Watney: T11 at 2-under (-2)

Pretty good so far. De Jonge unfortunately shot an 80 during his first round and didn't improve much today. Better luck to him next week.

Stay tuned for our results post come Sunday and see who ended up winning,


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

Can Retief Goosen hold onto his lead over the weekend? (Todd Warshaw/Getty Images)

Sang-Moon Bae Wins the 2014 Frys.com Open

And just like that the first tournament of the 2014-2015 PGA Tour season is over. The winner of the Frys.com Open this year is Korean golfer Sang-Moon Bae, with a score of 15-under (-15) and a two shot lead over Australian Steven Bowditch. This is Bae's second PGA Tour win and first since his 2013 HP Byron Nelson Championship win.

He played excellent golf all week and had a several shot lead on Saturday evening, after shooting 66/69/65. However, Bae stumbled slightly during today's final round with a score of 73 and several bogeys. Some good pars and a few birdies however saved his round and eventually helped him win. Silverado Country Club played very good for the players too this week, with low scores being shot all around.

As we said before, new PGA Tour member and Canadian Adam Hadwin made his debut this week as a full time member. Unfortunately, Hadwin shot a 72/75 on the weekend to finish the tournament at T53 at 2-under (-2). Let's hope Hadwin will do better in the weeks to come. There were a few other Canadians in the field this week too, with the highest finisher being Graeme DeLaet (T39 at 4-under).

Lastly, here is how our picks finished the tournament:

1) Lucas Glover: CUT
2) Cameron Tringale: T26 at 6-under (-6)
3) Hunter Mahan: T3 at 12-under (-12)

An excellent finish from Mahan, who is probably being underrated at the moment due to his play at the Ryder Cup. It's hard to believe that the first tournament of the new season is already over. Based on the golf that was played this week, it looks like this season's going to be very exciting, with good golf being played for sure.

-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

Sang Moon Bae Wins The 2014 Frys.com Open

2014 BMW Championship Picks- Weekend Update

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

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

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

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

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


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


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

Stay tuned for out results post Sunday evening,

-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

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

2014 Canadian Open Results

The final round of the 2014 RBC Canadian Open has just concluded and this year's winner in South African Tim Clark. Clark shot a final 65, which was good enough for a one shot victory over American Jim Furyk, who held the lead for most of the tournament. He finished the tournament at 17-under (-17) in this his second PGA tour win, and first win since winning the 2010 Players Championship. For Furyk however, this marks the seventh tournament he has lost after leading going into the final round.

Saturday's round was suspended slightly towards the end due to inclement weather, but this seemed to have been a positive for today's rounds, as it brought some of the lowest scores of the tournament; the low round of the day being a 63, shot by American Dicky Pride.

Several Canadians also did very well in "their Open", such as Graham DeLaet who finished at T7 (10-under) and Brad Fritsch who finished T9 (9-under). As for our picks, here is how they finished:

1) Graeme McDowell: T9 at 9-under (-9)
2) Charl Schwartzel: T43 at 3-under (-3)

Mike Weir: T66 at 2-over (+2)

That's another good finish for McDowell, let's hope Mike Weir will have a better outcome in his next tournament.

Stay tuned for more PGA Tour/European Tour coverage,

-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

Tim Clark wins the 2014 RBC Canadian Open (Paul Chiasson / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

2014 Canadian Open Predicitons - Weekend Update

And just like that, the weekday rounds of the 2014 RBC Canadian Open have concluded at Royal Montreal Golf Club in Montreal, Canada. The co-leaders going into the weekend are Americans Jim Furyk and Tim Petrovic, who are both at 10-under (-10). Both have a two shot lead over Canadian Graham DeLaet and others.  The cut has also been set at even par for the week.

Conditions were no doubt optimal for scoring, especially during the today's round, where the low round of the day was a 63, incidentally shot by both Furyk and DeLaet.

According to many golf experts and analysts, if a Canadian were to win their Open, the odds are that it would be Graham DeLaet, who is without question the top Canadian in mens professional golf at the moment, being ranked 38th in the World Golf Rankings. As we've seen in the past two days, he sure does have the skills and game needed to win.

RBC apart from being the title sponsor of the Canadian Open also sponsor a number of players on the PGA, such as Matt Kuchar, Graeme McDowell, Jim Furyk, Ernie Ells, etc. A good number of these players are doing pretty well in the tournament, such as Jim Furyk and Graeme McDowell.

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

1) Graeme McDowell: T5 at 7-under (-7)
2) Aaron Baddeley: CUT
3) Charl Schwartzel: T37 at 2-under (-2)

Mike Weir: T63 at even par (E)

Graeme McDowell has been doing pretty well, shooting a 68 65, which included a chip-in eagle during his first round. We're hoping he can hold onto this good position and hopefully win! If Graeme can't do it, the hopefully the other Graham can win, of course Graham DeLaet. A Canadian winning the Canadian Open would be something special.

Simply put, the first two rounds of the Canadian Open have been nothing short of exciting. Stay tuned to see who will win the tournament come Sunday evening.

-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

Can Graham DeLaet pull off a win on home soil? (Paul Chiasson / The Canadian Press)

2014 HP Byron Nelson Championship Predictions - Results

Yesterday evening, the 2014 HP Byron Nelson Championship concluded, with American Brenden Todd taking the win with a final score of 14-under (-14), two strokes ahead of Canadian Mike Weir (see more below). Here is how our predictions fared:

1) Louis Oosthuizen T11 at 6-under (-6)
2) Graham DeLaet T7 at 8-under (-8)
3) Aaron Baddeley T29 at 3-under (-3)

Not too bad, but...

(Getty Images)

A few words must be said about Canadian and 2003 Masters Champion Mike Weir. Weir, who hasn't won on tour since 2007 and has been plagued with injury after injury over the years, finished a solo second; a result which propelled him to 238th on the World Golf Rankings, from his position last week of 605th. I was actually hoping that Weir would win, but considering what he's been through, a solo second is probably just as good.

Let's hope this is the comeback in Weir's career that we have all been waiting for,

-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

2014 HP Byron Nelson Championship Predictions - Weekend Update

The cut has now been drawn at the 2014 HP Byron Nelson Championship at 1-over (+1). Here is how our predictions stand. Also, the leader going into the weekend rounds is Brendon Todd at 8-under (-8).

1) Louis Oosthuizen T15 at 4-under (-4)
2) Graham DeLaet T2 at 6-under (-6)
3) Aaron Baddeley T31 at 2-under (-2)

It's also worth noting that Graham DeLaet is a Canadian from Weyburn, Saskatchewan. Also, fellow Canadian and Master Champion Mike Weir is also at T2. It's good to see Weir back on top given all that he's been through with injuries and such.

For now, let's hope one of the Canadians can win it,

-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

(Click for PGA Tour Leaderboard)

2014 HP Byron Nelson Championship Predictions

So the first round of this years HP Byron Nelson Championship in Irving, Texas is in the books, with Peter Hanson of Sweden leading the field at 5-under. After a quick look at the players competing in this year's tournament, here are my predictions for this year's winner, in no particular order.

1) Louis Oosthuizen
2) Graham DeLaet
3) Aaron Baddeley 

Stay tuned to see how these players fare as the week progresses,

-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews