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

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)

2015 Shell Houston Open Picks

With just one week until the Masters, the PGA Tour travels to Houston, for the 2015 Shell Houston Open, being played at the Golf Club of Houston. The course itself is one of the longer ones on tour, playing at just under 7,500 yards, including an almost 240-yard par 3 9th hole. The purse this week is also set at $6.6 million, with $1.188 million going to the winner.

Being the tournament before the Masters, a variety of players often compete at the Shell Houston Open. Some this week will be playing in order to get their golf game up to par for Augusta next week. Some this week will be playing in order to get into the Masters next week, as a good finish or a win allows for this in some cases. There's also quite a few more European Tour members this week, as I mentioned last week as well. Given this, the Shell Houston Open has always been a tournament where excellent golf is played, I think due to what's on the line for some players.

It was tough choosing my picks this week. There's just so much depth in the field this year that I could have easily picked 10 players and given them all equal chances to win. But I did manage to narrow it down to three:

1) Victor Dubuisson
2) Martin Kaymer
3) Patrick Reed

Dubuisson is my dark horse pick, but has shown that he reacts well under pressure, as we've seen in the WGC Match Play and Ryder Cup last year. I have a feeling he'll do really well this week. Martin Kaymer has always been a player who flies under the radar and could sneak up and win it this week. Reed is another young player who is playing great golf at the moment as well.

Those are my picks. Let us know what your picks are by commenting below,


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

Victor Dubuisson knows how to handle pressure and still play great golf

Henrik Stenson Defends at The 2014 DP World Tour Championship

Stenson's new favourite city is probably Dubai right now...

That's right, for the second year in a row Henrik Stenson has won the DP World Tour Championship, the final European Tour Playoff event, at the Earth course at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai. He finished with a score of 16-under par and a two-shot lead over his fellow Ryder Cup teammates Victor Dubuisson, Justin Rose, and Rory McIlroy. This is Stenson's 9th European Tour (ironically his last win being this tournament last year) victory and with it he moves to 2nd in the World Golf Rankings.

This is an impressive feat for Stenson, considering the status of his game just a few years ago. At the end of the 2011 season, he was ranked over 200th in the world and things weren't looking good for him. I remember watching opening rounds of European Tour tournaments and seeing Stenson's name at the bottom of the leaderboard, most of the time shooting over-par rounds. I thought at that time that we would be seeing the last of Stenson, but I was wrong. It's great to see how much he has improved over the past years and him becoming the second ranked golfer in the world really accents this change.

As we knew before, due to the about of points he accumulated before this tournament, Rory McIlroy officially wins the 2014 Race to Dubai Points Race, his second win of it in two years.

Again we saw low scores during the weekend rounds, with 5-6 under being a popular score amongst many players. On the other hand, Rafa Cabrera-Bello, who was in the final grouping with Stenson and who played phenominal golf Friday and Saturday, faltered with a final round of 75.

Frenchman Victor Dubuisson also had a good week. His T2 finish was enough to raise him to 17th in the World Golf Rankings, the highest he has ever been. 

Finally, here is how our picks finished the tournament:

1) Rory McIlroy: T2 at 14-under (-14)
2) Justin Rose: T2 at 14-under (-14)
3) Mikko Ilonen: T55 at 4-over (+4)

Rory and Rose both gave Stenson a run for his money this week and were really close to winning it.

And that's it, the 2013-2014 European Tour Season is now over. Personally, I think this has been one of the better seasons of the European Tour and certainly one of the most entertaining. The Tour will take a one week break before the 2014-2015 season starts with the Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa.


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

Henrik Stenson wins the DP World Tour Championship for the second year in a row

2014 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship Weekend Update

The weekday rounds have now concluded at this year's Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, which is being played at Carnoustie, Kingsbarn, and the Old Course at St. Andrews. The leader going into the weekend is Frenchman Rafael Jacquelin who holds the leader at 9-under (-9), with a one shot lead over the likes of Shane Lowry, Ryder Cup vice captain Padraig Harrington, and more. Rafael shot a 7-under 65 at Kingsbarn and a 2-under 70 at Carnoustie over the two days.

It seems like out of the three courses being played, Kingsbarn is playing the easiest. So far, we've seen many low scores coming from here including a 64 shot by Oliver Wilson. However since each course plays and scores differently, come Sunday morning we could see a different looking leaderboard.

We're also seeing some good rounds from last week's Ryder Cup players. Stephen Gallacher seems to be playing very well in front of his home (Scottish) crowd. He's currently T9 at 6-under (-6) after shooting a 68 70 at Kingsbarn and Carnoustie, respectively. Padraig Harrington is also doing really well, as mentioned above. Even the Captain himself, Paul McGinley isn't doing too bad at T40.

On the pro-am side of things, Peter Lawrie and Kieran McManus (son on Irish businessman JP  McManus) lead with a score of 20-under. They have a two shot lead over Gregory Bourdy/Andrew White and George Coetzee/Rurik Gobel.

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

1) Victor Dubuisson: T20 at 4-under (-4)
2) Martin Kaymer: T110 at 2-over (+2)
3) Simon Dyson: T79 at even par (E)


No surprises here from Dubuisson, who knows, he might make a run come the weekend rounds.


The day to watch will be Sunday, where all players will be playing the Old Course at St. Andrews, which will be filled with good golf for sure. Stay tuned for our post on Sunday, recapping the weekend rounds and who the winner is.


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

Rafael Jacquelin leads the 2014 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship

2014 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship Picks

One of the most exciting European Tour events is set to start tomorrow. We are of course talking about the 2014 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. This tournament is unlike any other tournament on the European Tour and is personally one of my favourites to watch every year.

What makes this tournament so different? Well to start, it's played at three separate courses over the course of the four day 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 part 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. In fact, the British Open will be returning to St. Andrews in 2015; it was last held there in 2010.

There will also be several Ryder Cup members playing this tournament as well, including European Captain Paul McGinley. The likes of Rory McIlroy, Stephen Gallacher, Martin Kaymer, Vice-Captain Padraig Harrington, Victor Dubuisson, as well as Ryder Cup Royalty Colin Montgomerie and Sir Nick Faldo.

Given that, here is who we think will win the individual part of the tournament:

1) Victor Dubuisson
2) Martin Kaymer
3) Simon Dyson

It's risky choosing Kaymer and Dubuisson. They might still be on a high from winning the Ryder Cup (hopefully this means better golf), or they'll be drained from it. We'll have to wait and see...

Stay tuned for our weekend update of the tournament on Friday,

-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

The famous 700-year old Swilcan Bridge at the Old Course at St. Andrews

Europe Wins The 2014 Ryder Cup

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

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