Friday, November 07, 2014

Graeme McDowell Leads Going Into The Weekend At The HSBC Champions

We're halfway through the rounds of the 2014 HSBC Champions (with the third round set to start shortly due to the time difference) at Sheshan Golf Club in Shanghai and one of our picks (and TGR favourite) Graeme McDowell leads going into the weekend with a score of 10-under and a three shot lead over Ian Poulter.

The Northern Irishman started his week of with a pair of 67's and had a combined total of twelve birdies through those rounds. Gmac seems to be playing very good golf in the past few weeks. While it's still too early to say, a win for GMac this week could prove helpful in the last few weeks of the European Tour Playoffs. He leads ahead of Ian Poulter who birdied four out of his last five holes to gain second place.

Sheshan was slightly vulnerable in the first few rounds, with good scores being shot all around. The low round of the week so far was shot by Japanese golfer Hiroshi Iwata, with a 7-under 63. Some players were not so lucky in their opening rounds, such as another TGR favourite Miguel Angel Jimenez, who shot a 78 in his opening round.

Even more unlucky was Australian Brody Ninyette, who shot a 86 90 and is in last place with a score of 32-over (+32). Brody battled through stomach issues before and during his rounds. The main reason he continued to play though was the guarenteed $40,000 he would get; since this even has no cut, all players get a paycheck. However a scorecard signing error resulted in Brody being disqualified. Ninyette's second round score of 90 was a tournament record and beat the old one by six shots.

Also in the news was Patrick Reed, who during his opening round muttered homophobic remarks to himself that were caught by Tv microphones, after three-putting the 10th hole. He has since apologized via Twitter.


Finally here is how our picks are doing so far:

1) Graeme McDowell: 1st at 10-under (-10)
2) Martin Kaymer: T11 at 3-under (-3)
3) Adam Scott: T15 at 2-under (-3)

Good results all over the board. I would personally like to see Adam Scott win another tournament before the year ends.

Stay tuned for our Sunday post on who won the tournament,


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

http://torontogolfreviews.blogspot.com/2014/11/graeme-mcdowell-leads-weekend-hsbc-champions.html
Can GMac hold onto his three shot lead and win the HSBC Champions?

Wednesday, November 05, 2014

2014 WGC HSBC Champions Picks

The second event of the European Tour Playoffs and last WGC event of the year has begun, we are of course talking about the WGC HSBC Champions, being played at Sheshan Golf Club in Shanghai, China. This week, we'll be seeing 79 of the top players from all parts of the globe playing for valuable WGC points as well as points for other merits.

The HSBC Champions is probably one of the most prestigeous tournaments of the entire season, mainly because of what's needed to get an invite. Invitations are sent out to basically players who have won top-ranked tournaments on their respective tours and anyone in the Top 50 of the WGC. The Top-15 on the European Tour Race to Dubai Ranking as well the Top-5 players from the previous FedEx Cup also get an invite. Due to this, the field is full of the world's best golfers; you're pretty much getting the best of the best in this tournament. It's for this reason that I think it's one of the best stroke play tournaments of the year; it really shows how global the game of golf is too.

The tournament returns to Sheshan Golf Club again this year, after being played in 2012 at Mission Hills Golf Club in Shenzhen, China. Sheshan has hosted the HSBC Champions ever since the tournament was created.The course is also known for it's lengthly par-3's as well as it's 8th hole, a 603-yard par 5.

As I mentioned before, given the immense depth of players in the field this week, it was hard to choose three picks to win. Ultimately here is who I ended up choosing:

1) Graeme McDowell
2) Martin Kaymer
3) Adam Scott

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


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

Sunday, November 02, 2014

Marcel Siem Wins the 2014 BMW Masters

It really came down to the wire this week at Lake Maleran, but after a single hole of sudden death German golfer (and one of our picks) Marcel Siem has won the 2014 BMW Masters in Shanghai, China with a score of 16-under (-16). The playoff hole was between Siem, Ross Fisher, and Saturday leader Alexander Levy. Siem birdied the 18th hole while the others parred, and did so in some fashion with a chip-in, a chip-in which earned him roughly $2 million USD and major playoff points. This is Siem's first European tour win of the year and last win since the Hassan II Golf Trophy in 2013.

As we reported yesterday, the storyline of the tournament looked quite different. Levy was leading by four shots and on track to make tournament history, but a final round of 78 drastically changed this. This just shows you that even when things look for certain, they can always change. On the bright side though, Levy still takes home a paycheck of $1 million USD.

It wasn't just Levy who stumbled during the final round. In general, scores were much higher today than in the first three rounds, due to strong winds. Look at Rafa Cabrera-Bello for example, who's Friday's round and Sunday's round differed by nearly 20 strokes (66 and 84)!

Today was particularly bad for TGR favourite Miguel Angel Jimenez. "The Mechanic" hit four balls into the water on his final (9th) hole, which earned him a 13 on the par 4.

As for the rest of our picks, here is how they finished up:

1) Graeme McDowell: T16 at 10-under (-10)
2) Miguel Angel Jimenez: T77 at 19-over (+19)
3) Marcel Siem: WINNER


That's a wrap for this week so stay tuned for the second European tour playoff next week and WGC event, the HSBC Champions, also in Shanghai,


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

http://torontogolfreviews.blogspot.com/2014/11/marcel-siem-wins-2014-bmw-masters.html
Marcel Siem chips in to win the 2014 BMW Masters in Shanghai, China

Saturday, November 01, 2014

2014 BMW Masters Update

The first of the European Tour's Final Series is currently underway (the European Tour's version of year-end playoffs). We are talking about the BMW Masters of course, which is being played at Lake Maleran Golf Club in Shanghai, China. Going into the final round, the leader is Alexander Levy at 22-under (-22) with a four shot lead over Jamie Donaldson. As of now, Levy's on track to shoot the lowest score to par in the history of the tournament.

This is a unique event for a few reasons. To start, it is home to the largest first prize reward in golf, with a whopping $2 million USD going to the winner, from a $7 million USD purse. Also, it only hosts a small field consisting 78 of the top players from the European and Asian Tour. Its also a relatively new tournament, having first been played in 2011.

Conditions were optimal for scoring all week so far. We've seen many low scores like a 62 from Donaldson today. When the course is set up this way, it's always more exciting to watch, I think.

Since this is the European Tour playoffs, the field is of course packed with the top European Tour players such as Ian Poulter, Victor Dubuisson, Justin Rose, etc. Given this, it was hard to choose our picks this week, but since our favourites are playing this week, we had to choose them. Here is how they stand going into the final round:

1) Graeme McDowell: T7 at 12-under (-12)
2) Miguel Angel Jimenez: T69 at 3-over (+3)
3) Marcel Siem: 3RD at 17-under (-17)

That's some really good golf being played by GMac and Siem, but who knows if Levy's lead is too large to over come. As for Jimenez, he started with an opening round 77 and hasn't been able to recover from then.

Stay tuned for our tournament recap and the winner, tomorrow,


-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

http://torontogolfreviews.blogspot.com/2014/11/2014-bmw-masters-update.html
Alexander Levy's on track to with the 2014 BMW Masters

Saturday, October 25, 2014

MAWGRIP: The Golf Club Grip Cover Product Review

Name: MAWGRIP Golf Club Grip Cover
Price: $15.95 USD (see website to order)
Features: Made of water-resistant yet durable thin cell neoprene, keeps grips dry and clean, attachable to golf bag, comes in different colors
Website: http://www.mawgrip.com/ 

Pros: It actually keeps grips dry and clean, easy to put on and remove from your golf club, sleek/durable in design, can extend grip life
Cons: Hand can become slightly wet when taking the MAWGRIP off if it's really wet.

http://torontogolfreviews.blogspot.com/2014/10/mawgrip-golf-club-grip-cover-review.html

Value:
Build/Quality:
Effectiveness:
Features:

Overall Rating:  4.7 out of 5

Our grip on the golf club is probably one of the most important aspects of the golf swing. In fact, some experts say that most errors in our swings, and thus in the results of our shots, can be traced back to our grip as we swing. This is why it's important to make sure that our grip is always consistent and that nothing can change it. Now picture this scenario. You're playing a round of golf in wet conditions, say in early morning dew or during/after a bit of rain. You approach your ball with two clubs, because you're unsure of which one to use, and put one on the wet ground and grip the other, then switch because you're unsure, then switch again and so on... You'll now notice that your grips are wet or in most cases completely soaked. When you finally take your shot your club's grip is now slippery and will influence your grip on the club and in most cases your shot. Luckily, there's a product to prevent this: the MAWGRIP Golf Club Grip Cover.

The idea behind the MAWGRIP is simple. It's a cover for your grip that's designed to keep them dry and clean in wet conditions. All you do is slip the MAWGRIP onto the grip of your club (like how you would a sock cover over the head of your club) and that's it. Your grips now stay dry and clean in the rain or when placed on the ground. It's been permitted under the Rules of Golf by the USGA too. Also, the MAWGRIP fits most normal sized grips and another model, the MAWGRIP "Biggy" for oversized grips, is planning on being released before Christmas. It also comes in several colors to match your bag, clubs, etc.

Since this is a newer product, I decided to test it out more thoroughly that I've done with previously reviewed products. I conducted two tests on the MAWGRIP; a real-life test, where it was tested on the course in a variety of situations where grips might become wet, and an unrealistic extreme test, to push the limit of it and see how it responds. Here's how the tests went:

First Impressions: At first glance, the MAWGRIP to me looks well made, sturdy, and professional; by that I mean that it doesn't look like a prototype or test model that's just been thrown together quickly, it's been thought out and done right. The base of the MAWGRIP is rigid, which I find made it easier to put on and off my grips. The material looks strong and waterproof and the stitching is neat. The attached clip makes it easy to remove and attach to and from a golf bag. It's a product that I could see being made by big name golf companies and hanging up at your local proshop or golf store.

Real-World Test: I went to play an early morning round of golf just after an overnight rain and brought the MAWGRIP with me. The scenarios I set up involved having to put a club down on various "wet" surfaces around the course such as the fairway, tee boxes, thick rough, etc. In each scenario I tested two different clubs that had the same grip (same club brands as well), one that had the MAWGRIP on it and one that didn't, to see how well the MAWGRIP worked in comparison. In all these scenarios, the MAWGRIP was very effective and kept my grips 100% dry; better than what I was expecting, whereas the normal clubs' grips became wet and dirty and still weren't as dry even when dried with a towel or my shirt. Also, when put on really wet ground such as thick rough for a long time, the MAWGRIP itself becomes wet and my only complaint with this product is that if the MAWGRIP is too wet, your hand gets wet when taking the MAWGRIP off. However it's easier and quicker to dry your hand that it is your club's grip and the MAWGRIP itself dries relatively quickly (faster in hotter conditions obviously).

Unrealistic Extreme Test: For this test, I put the MAWGRIP on one of my clubs at home and then hosed it down with a garden hose for a minute straight. Again, the MAWGRIP performed better than what I was expecting. Upon removing the MAWGRIP, my grip was for the most part dry with a couple of small damp spots (mostly near the vertical stitch). The grip was not soaking wet as it would have been without the MAWGRIP and these damp spots quickly dried after about a minute. Again, this is probably a scenario that you'll never see on the golf course, but it's good to know what the MAWGRIP can hold up to.

Conclusions: This is a great/useful product and an excellent solution to a problem that every golfer will encounter at least once in their golfing lives. It's simplicity is what makes it so usefel; it's a product that was designed to fix a problem and does just that. In all wet conditions that you'll encounter on the course, the MAWGRIP will protect your golf grips from dirt and wetness (which will probably extend their life) and help you play the best golf you can. I recommend it to all golfers.


 -Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

 The MAWGRIP will also be featured in next year's PGA Mechandaise Show in January of 2015.

Thursday, October 23, 2014

European Tour Playoff Coverage Notice

Just a notice to everyone, instead of our usual weekly PGA Tour coverage, for the next several weeks we'll be covering the European Tour Playoffs, which start next week with the BMW Masters in Shanghai, China and end with the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.

We'll resume our normal PGA Tour coverage as soon at these playoffs are over.

-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

P.S. Also stay tuned for our next review, the MAWgrip Golf Club Grip Cover which will be posted in a couple of weeks.

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Mikko Ilonen Wins the 2014 Volvo World Match Play Championship

Our site is now up and running again! As we said before, we suspended posting here for several days in order to revamp and update a few things on the site. We apologize for the lack of posts during this time.

Anyway, the tournament that we were supposed to cover this week was the 2014 Volvo World Match Play Championship. This is a match play event on the European Tour that's unique for only having a 16-player field (usually consisting of golf's elite). The tournament rotates venues in Europe year after year (last year being played in Bulgaria and being won by TGR favourite Graeme McDowell) and was played for the first time this year in Ash, England, at The London Golf Club.

The winner this year was Finnish golfer Mikko Ilonen, who defeated Henrik Stenson in the final match with a score of 3&1. Both player held the lead at one point in the match but a late surge by Ilonen paid off for him. This is the Ilonen's second European Tour win of the year, his first being the Irish Open just a few months ago.

The field this year consisted of Ilonen, Stenson, Joost Luiten, George Coetzee, Jonas Blixt, Victor Dubuisson, Pablo Larrazabel, Patrick Reed, Paul Casey, Thongchai Jaidee, Shane Lowry, Graeme Mcdowell, Jamie Donaldson, Stephen Gallacher, Alexander Levy, and Francesco Molinari.

The European Tour Playoffs, known as the Final Series, starts in just a couple of weeks, so we'll be alternating back and forth between PGA Tour and European Tour coverage, depending on which tournaments are being played that week. Stay tuned for those!

-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

http://torontogolfreviews.blogspot.com/2014/10/mikko-ilonen-wins-2014-volvo-matchplay-championship.html
Mikko Ilonen Wins the 2014 Volvo World Match Play Championship

Sunday, October 12, 2014

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

http://torontogolfreviews.blogspot.com/2014/10/sang-moon-bae-wins-2014-fryscom-open.html
Sang Moon Bae Wins The 2014 Frys.com Open

Friday, October 10, 2014

2014 Frys.com Open Weekend Update

The weekday rounds of the first tournament of the new PGA Tour season have now concluded and the leader going into the weekend is Scotsman Martin Laird. He shot a pair of 67's at Silverado Country Club and leads the tournament at 10-under (-10) with a one shot lead over Sang-Moon Bae. The cut has also been set at 1-under (-1).

Conditions were really good for scoring for the first two rounds, especially earlier today. The low round of the day was a 7-under 65 shot by Mark Hubbard, as well as a few 66's and 67's by other players. It looks like Silverado Country Club was a good choice for hosting the Frys.com Open this year.

As we mentioned before, Canadian Adam Hadwin is making his debut this week as a full-time PGA Tour member. He's currently T12 and played great golf throughout both of his rounds. His game was on par, when he stumbled a bit with a bogey, he would quickly bounce back with a birdie. Let's hope he does well in the next two rounds!

Here is how our picks are doing so far:

1) Lucas Glover: CUT
2) Cameron Tringale: T8 at 6-under (-6)
3) Hunter Mahan: T8 at 6-under (-6)

Good golf being played by Mahan and Tringale. Let's see how they'll finish some Sunday evening,

-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

Martin Laird leads the 2014 Frys.com Open (AP/Eric Risberg)

Thursday, October 09, 2014

2014 Frys.com Open Picks

After a three week break, the 2014-2015 PGA Tour season officially kicked off today with the start of the Frys.com Open, being played at the North Course of Silverado Country Club in Napa, California. This is the first time that the Frys.com Open is being played here, having traditionally been played at CordeValle Golf Club, also in California.

In the past, the Frys.com Open was part of the PGA Tour Fall Series, a series of tournaments played after the Tour Championship during the off season. The Fall Series was dissolved at the end of 2012 and after a bit of rearranging of tournaments, the Frys.com Open became the starting tournament of the PGA Tour season, starting in 2013.

In other news, a Canadian golfer with a great story is making his PGA Tour debut this week. Adam Hadwin of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan (residing in BC though) has been a Web.com regular for a few years now. Earlier this year, he earned his PGA Tour card after an impressive season (including winning the Chile and Chiquita Classic) and a Top-5 finish at the Canadian Open. Let's hope he's continues to play well and make a great debut this week.

Also, here are our picks for the winner this week:

1) Lucas Glover
2) Cameron Tringale
3) Hunter Mahan

Stayed tuned tomorrow for our weekend update of the 2014 Frys.com Open,

-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

Sunday, October 05, 2014

2014 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship Results

The four rounds have now concluded at the 2014 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, which was played at Old Course as St. Andrews, Carnoustie, and Kingsbarn, in Scotland. The winner this year is Oliver Wilson, with a score of 17-under (-17) and a one shot lead over the likes of Tommy Fleetwood, Rory McIlroy, and Richie Ramsie. This is Wilson's first European Tour win in over 220 European Tour events, nine of which he has finished in a runner up position. The cut this year was set at 3-under (after three days of play instead of the usual two).

Conditions at the Old Course were very benign on the weekend, with scores of 62 being shot by Louis Oosthuizen and Tommy Fleetwood. Kingsbarn and Carnoustie were also benign as well. On Saturday, Player of the Year Rory McIlroy was on track to shoot the lowest score of his professional career, but ended up faltering slightly during his final round (many would say due to fatigue). On Sunday, only the Old Course was being played, as per Alfred Dunhill Links Championship tradition.

On the Pro-Am side of things, Peter Lawrie and Kieran McManus were the winners, with a score of 37-under (-37). The cut for the pro-am event was also set for the top-20 pro-am teams.

As for the Ryder Cup members playing this week, Stephen Gallacher and Captain Paul McGinley both had good finishes, as T32 and T42. Good to see both of them playing well.

As for our picks (Victor Dubuisson, Martin Kaymer, and Simon Dyson), all of the were cut. Hopefully they'll play better in the next few events.

Congratulations once again to Oliver Wilson, a well deserved win! Stay tuned for more European Tour coverage,

-Nick
Toronto Golf Reviews

http://torontogolfreviews.blogspot.com/2014/10/2014-alfred-dumhill-links-championship-results.html
Oliver Wilson finally wins on the European Tour

Friday, October 03, 2014

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


http://torontogolfreviews.blogspot.com/2014/10/2014-alfred-dunhill-links-championship-weekend.html
Rafael Jacquelin leads the 2014 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship

Wednesday, October 01, 2014

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

http://torontogolfreviews.blogspot.com/2014/10/2014-alfred-dunhill-links-championship-picks.html
The famous 700-year old Swilcan Bridge at the Old Course at St. Andrews