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Post by misternic on Jan 1, 2015 1:02:06 GMT -5
January 5, 2015 - v1.1 Welcome to the TGCTOURS Pin High with the PGA. This periodical will delve into the TGCTOURS.com PGA Tour’s results, players, standings and all manner of happenings. Join us most weeks as we go Pin High with the PGA. With the new 2015 season upon us the PGA tour is hosting a prestigious invitation only event in Hawaii, while other members head across the pond to join their European cohorts in South Africa. The first full PGA field event will commence on 1/12 at the Sony Open in beautiful Hawaii. So 15 days ago we passed out 126 PGA Tour cards. It was the culmination of weeks of practice, months of preparation and years of dreaming for many of the recipients. Now that the calendar has turned to 2015, the future dreams are now the present performances. Let’s learn a little bit more about the members of the 2015 PGA tour. Before we learn where the players are going this week, let’s find out from whence they came. The 2015 PGA tour is made up of players from 11 countries, with the US producing the largest number (68%). Canada accounts for 19, Europe 15, Australia 4, and Brazil 2. United States 86 Canada 19 England 5 Australia 4 UK 3 Brazil, Sweden, Scotland 2 Austria, Italy, Switzerland 1 With the limited invitation Tournament of Champions happening this initial week on the PGA, the tour participants seem to be heading in three directions. Currently 27 PGA card holders are slated to be heading to the TOC in Hawaii. They will most certainly stay in Hawaii for the following week’s event as well. As of the New Year, 44 members of the PGA tour have registered for the European event in South Africa, many having already begun their arduous travel of the new season. TOC – 27 Members South Africa – 44 Members (currently registered) Awaiting Week 2 – 55 members Certainly the number staying home in preparation of next week’s event in Hawaii will change over the next few days as we approach the South African Open Championship, but currently it appears the majority have decided the negatives in circling the globe in 3 weeks (South Africa, Hawaii, US West Coast) outweigh the positives. We will certainly have a lot to discuss in the next issue after week 1 has completed. Join us then as we aim to always leave you Pin High.
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Post by misternic on Jan 6, 2015 14:51:50 GMT -5
Things are starting to heat up here at the Tournament of Champions. As the top players attacked the course we saw some great scores in round one and those scores have only gotten better as round 2 numbers start coming in. David Williams has seen his lead tighten some, as four players have posted sub-60 rounds in rd 2. In addition, Marco Raterink who finished round 1 in 2nd place has yet to tee up his second round. Everybody shot in the 60’s (or better) in round 1, and only one 70+ score in round 2, and even that round was under par. These are definitely the cream of the TGCTours.com as this course is far from easy. Still about 15 players yet to tee off to start their tournament as well. Without a cut line we may see more show up late to battle it out in this inaugural Tournament of Champions.
Over in South Africa, PGA member Mark L. Touring is showing consistency trumps the record setting rounds. A pair of 59’s has Mark in the lead by one stroke over a pair of Euro’s, Chris Bird and 1st round leader Damian Caccaviello. 131 players have posted at least one round, with 40 others getting set to tee off. We might see a -50 pull out the win and the cut could be as high as -15 or -16.
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Post by misternic on Jan 13, 2015 0:14:35 GMT -5
January 12, 2015 - v1.2 Fame. Prestige. Glory. To win, the singular definition of success. To conquer, achieve, and excel. Any win on the PGA tour is special. To dream to win a PGA Tournament of Champions title, unimaginable. To win the first TGCTours.com Tournament of Champions? Immortal. Such is the realm of American Nick Russell. The first winner on the PGA tour. The first millionaire in the TGCTours.com and the first target for the masses as the PGA tour comes together this week in Hawaii. Much has been made about the quick start by James Gemmill, with some describing his weekend play as a collapse. I think that is completely unfair to the greater story being told in the Tournament of Champions. Gemmill did shoot the worst round of any of the top 22 performers, posting a disappointing 70 on Sunday, but the real story here is the efforts of Nick Russell on the weekend. Nothing was handed to Russell on the weekend, he earned it. Even if Gemmill had shot a 60 (instead of 70) on Sunday it would not have been enough to overcome the hot irons of Russell. Down the stretch he buried the nerves, and made some noise on the backside to shoot 59. Noone else in the tournament put together 3 rounds in the 50’s, and Russell did it on Friday (58), Saturday (58), and Sunday (59). That looks like grabbing the event by the throat and not letting go. Tyler Harris, Deric Moore and Bradley Garcia rounded out the top 4 with Gemmill finishing 5th. Roddy MacDougall filled his pockets on Sunday with a round low 57 to finish in the top 10 (T9). This round added $74K more to his bank account then his 3rd round allotment. The Scottish phenom will keep his 75 Fed Ex points as he stays on the PGA Tour. The rest of the PGA tour will be chasing the 35 participants at the Tournament of Champions and their 36 (or more) Fed Ex Point lead. While every player will enjoy the cash rewards, the Fed Ex points will be the key measurable on the PGA tour to decide the eventual champion and the tour cards for next season. We are only on week one of this journey, so a long way to go as the PGA tour comes together in mass for the first time this week at the Sony Open. The Sony open will allocate a full field of Fed Ex Points, paying out to everyone who makes the cut (70+ ties). The course has much more of a precision agenda for the players, as many tee shots involve placement over sheer power. The landing areas will test the players, and putts over 10 feet will involve a lot of nerve. Look for an update as we progress through the cut and into the weekend.
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Post by misternic on Jan 21, 2015 9:56:44 GMT -5
Hawaii – The first full field PGA event is now behind us, as is the sun, breeze and ocean breeze of the Hawaiian islands. Scotland’s Roddy MacDougall was able to secure the victory with a consistent -44. Roddy needed birdie on 18 to win, as last week’s winner Nick Russell was leading in the clubhouse at -43 under, having posted a blistering 59 earlier in the day. A blasted drive down the right side, left him with a tough 8 iron over the bunker to the tucked 18th pin. “I have seen plenty of people hit that one short and bounce it back into the bunker” said spectator Charles Norris who had a prime seat just off the green at 18 all day. Roddy’s iron shot was perfect leaving him with a makeable birdie putt and his first victory. The tie for 2nd left American Nick Russell with a comfortable lead in both the money and fed ex point tables. Deric Moore (T2) pulled in his 2nd top five of the season shooting 59 on Sunday alongside Roddy MacDougall. American Fred Parrow and Canadian Brodie Neilson rounded out the top 5. It was the first PGA event for both as they failed to qualify for last week TOC. We talked last week about consistency being a key on tour. It was again the factor in the win this week. The tournament featured 3 rounds in the 59’s (2 on Sunday), but none of them were by the eventual winner, MacDougall. The Pominville course forces you to be precise, off both the tee and fairway, but the real key is making birdie. Roddy MacDougall did that more often than his competitors. We also saw the scores drop this week, as the winner was 8 shots “worse” than last week -52. A tougher field met a tougher course. It is worth noting that juggernaut Scott Doyley did not compete this week on the PGA, instead warming up in the deserts of Dubai and securing victory. His -44 was good for a comfortable five shot lead on the European Tour. While certainly earning some early Order of Merit credit he is falling behind the likes of Nick Russell with two top 2 finishes. This week the tour moves on to the desert and the Tomahawk golf course. This course is expected to be pleasing to many of the player’s eyes, and practice and early rounds have shown a lot of excitement for the fans with some great shots and low scores. Hard not to like Nick Russell to be close the pinnacle again, as Scott Doyley stays overseas one more week.
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Post by misternic on Jan 27, 2015 11:57:38 GMT -5
v1.3 Humana Challenge – 1/27/2015 Welcome to the desert. After a couple of island stops, the tour arrived this week at the desert. The warm air certainly helped the field light up the course, posting record numbers. After last week’s winner Roddy MacDougall earned the win without shooting sub-60, this week winner needed lots of 50’s to hold off the surging field. American Jeremy Blaylock came from behind on Sunday afternoon, burning through the back nine on way to a 2 shot win at -57. Trailing Tyler Harris by 1 shot heading into the final round, Jeremy shot a blistering 55 to clear Harris by 5 shots, and stay ahead of Swede Mattias Karlsson who also posted a Sunday best 55. Blaylock was far from a boastful prognosticator, picking 5th place James Gemmill to win the tourney before it began. He also shot 9 strokes better than his prediction for his own result. The field combined for 95 rounds in the 50’s, including two players who shot all 4 rounds sub 60 (Karlsson and Mike McCrary). After Blaylock, Karlsson, and Harris, Michael Engleder (4th) and Adam Stanclift, Andrew Sikorski, Gemmill and McCrary (T5) rounded out the top 5. In order to compete at this highest level you had better bring your A game each week. Add to that the 5 new faces that earned PGA cards through the exemption process, and a tough tour is getting tougher (as it should). Brian Lemons joins the PGA tour with two Web.com tour wins already on his resume. At the top, Blaylock is the 3rd winner in 3 weeks, a trend that should hold for a few more weeks. Scott Doyley has won the last two weeks in Europe, and is heading home this week to the Waste Management Phoenix Open and several key stars have yet to notch their first win on the PGA tour. In the middle the cut line is always a tight race. This week was no exception with dozens of players within a shot of making or not making the cut, which landed at -17. Looking ahead, I expect more of the same in Phoenix this week in regards to scores. Coyote Canyon has a lot of birdie opportunities, and the top and middle of the boards had better put it together to play the weekend and compete for the 4th title on the tour. We are only 6 events away from the first WGC event, and 11 from the first major. Time to earn as many Fed Ex points as possible.
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Post by misternic on Jan 28, 2015 13:05:08 GMT -5
PGA TOUR MIDWEEK REPORT WASTE MANAGEMENT PHOENIX OPEN COYOTE CANYON (DM) – Scottsdale, AZ The PGA TOUR makes its annual stop in the Valley of The Sun at Coyote Canyon GC for the Waste Management Phoenix Open. This year’s event features 131 registered entrants including the entire top 10 in the FED EX points race, as well as the much anticipated return of one of the superstars of the TOUR. No, not the man with the famous Sunday red, but Scott Doyley, fresh off his two week tear through the desert on the European Tour where he came away with 2 victories and nearly a million dollars in prize winnings. With 30 players left to tee off in the event, probably attending some of the Super Bowl festivities in nearby Glendale, AZ, the action is tight at the top of the leaderboard, and a few big names may be sweating out the cut, and left to join the biggest galleries in all of golf for the weekend. Mid-way through the week, Tyler Harris surged into the lead with a spectacular 2nd round 55 to post a halfway score of -30, to take the lead from Rob Foyster who backed up a first round 56 with a solid 59 to stand one back at -29, and tied for second with Andrew Kulchar, and David Williams. Harris, who has finished in the top ten each week thus far in the season, is looking to notch his first victory, while Foyster and Kulchar are looking for their first top-ten finish of the season, Williams is looking to better his ninth place finish at the SONY. Last weeks winner at HUMANA, Jeremy Blaylock posted steady rounds of 61-57 and is 4 strokes back heading into the weekend. SONY OPEN winner Roddy MacDougall is tied for 12th 6 shots back of Harris. Other notables include 2 time WEB.COM winner Brian Lemons who opened with a 59-60 and is stands at T7. FED-EX Cup leader and leading money winner on tour this year Nick Russell currently stands in 57th and dangerously close to the cut line at -18. Another top 10 money winner, Dale Burger started with an 8 under 64 in round one, and probably needs to improve on that score to be around for the weekend. Currently 70 players are at -16, and with 30 players left to begin the tournament, and 11 others yet to post a 2nd round score the cut line should move to closer to -18 before all is said and done. by djdavefl
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Post by misternic on Jan 31, 2015 17:41:02 GMT -5
Waste Management Pheonix Open - Photo Finish 1/31
Things are heating up in the desert to blast furnace proportions. Currently after the 3rd round we have 3 players tied for the lead, 2 others 1 back and a total of 9 players within four shots heading into Sunday. All of the top 5 would be first time winners, each looking to close it out against a top notch field. Lurking right behind them is PGA winner Jeremy Blaylock, and 2 time Champions tour winner Brian Lemons.
The leaders are Rob Foyster, Tyler Harris and Brian Dickerson at -42. Foyster started the barrage on Thursday with tidy 56. Harris countered on Friday with a tournament best 55. Dickerson has been consistent and currently holds the lead should things stayed tied among this trio having posted the best Sat. score, a 57. "All" Dickerson has to do is match his fellow two competitors at the top, and hold off any charges from behind him. Both Foyster and Harris have to eclipse Dickerson on Sunday. Looking forward to the rounds as they come in tomorrow.
In the middle, Dan Moody has maximized his weekend so far, shooting a 56 on Saturday after having just made it over the cut line. Dan can now look for a possible top 25 finish with another good Sunday showing. Look for a final update from PGA reporter Dan Mills on Monday and an indepth statistical analysis of the first month on the PGA on Tuesday from myself. Including my first release of a PGA only power ranking. I factor in several things that the WG rankings do not including scoring average, Sunday deviation (better or worse when it counts?), and other unique factors. We will also look at performances by country.
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Post by djdavefl on Feb 2, 2015 12:06:12 GMT -5
(DD) – Scottsdale, Az There was an exciting finish in the deserts of Arizona on Sunday. And we don’t mean the Super Bowl. The Waste Management Phoenix Open came down to the wire with many of the top players on the PGA TOUR gunning for the title. It was nearly a repeat of the “Gunfight at the O.K. Corral” the famous Old West gun battle that took place in Tombstone, Arizona not far from hear, as nearly a dozen players had a legitimate shot at winning. Tyler Harris, Rob Foyster, and Brian Dickerson entered the final round tied for the lead, and the first playoff on the PGA Tour looked imminent. However as the day progressed one by one, contenders fell by the wayside. Craig LaVassuer began the day 1 off the lead and was poised for a top 10 finish but dropped from contention with a final round 64. Dickerson matched that 64 and dropped from a tie for 1st to finish in a tie for 6th. Foyster fared a little better with a 61, but even that wasn’t going to be enough to keep the lead, and he finished solo 3rd. Harris needed a birdie at the 72nd hole for a final round 58, to fend off a strong final day charge mounted by Aussie Andrew Kulchar, whose final round 58 vaulted him into second place and his first top 10 finish of the year. Also making his first appearance in the top 10 was Stephen Nesbit whose 57 equaled the low round of the day, moving him up to a tie for 4th with HUMANA Challenge winner Jermey Blaylock. Andrew Sikorski made the top 10 for the second straight week at T-6, along with David Williams, and Scott Doyley, fresh off his two straight wins on the Euro Tour. SONY OPEN winner Roddy MacDougall and 2 Time Web.COM winner Brian Lemmons, along with Steve Lillico and Daniel Waring made up the rest of the top 10. Harris, with the win should move to the top of both the Money List, and the Fed Ex points list when released later. Next up the tour moves to The FARMERS INSURANCE OPEN to be played at the beautiful Bailiwick Grand course, outside San Diego, California.
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Post by misternic on Feb 3, 2015 10:31:42 GMT -5
SUPER STATS SPECTACULAR - PGA Tour - Month 1
All right we are month in, a perfect time to look at some of the unique numbers related to the PGA tour. In this edition, we will review our first PGA "Power Rankings", see who excels in the pressure of Sunday afternoon vs who crumbles under pressure, and break the tour down by country.
Lets start with some national pride. The number in parenthesis next to each country is the number of players represented.
As you would expect, the larger respresentation finds itself in the middle of the pack, as averages revert to the mean. Scotland leads the way highlighted by the stellar play of Roddy MacDougall and James Gemmill. One outlier is England with 8 players still able to keep their scoring average low.
The Pin High with the PGA Power Rankings are made up of a lot of various criteria. These include Scoring average, avg finish, number or rounds, rounds in the 50's (60's and 80's), Sunday performance (vs scoring average), top 10's, wins, etc. It does not factor in some of the important factors in the WGC. It also takes into account recent events. One category of importance is finishing position average. Through four weeks here are the best finishing averages.
Best Sunday Deviation. These are the players who play well on Sundays compared to their overall scoring averages. Quite a few unique names. Some of these encountering only 1 Sunday Round (but maximizing it.)
And the counterpart (worst Sunday Deviation) where the pressure appears to take its toll.
Here are the players with the most rounds in the 50's...
And last but not least the first edition of the power rankings..... (top 10)
It should come as no surprise to see Tyler Harris at the top. Tyler leads in many of the categories we have reviewed, he is consistent, and coming off his 1st win. This is ALL players who have appeared on the PGA tour (you will see Euro Bradley Garcia off of his successful TOC campaign). Swede Mattias Karlsson is the highest ranked without a win. He will certainly break through soon on the PGA tour.
In closing, one final statistical oddity. 3 players have swung over 1000 strokes on the PGA tour. That may seem like a dubious honor but it is not. To achieve this, you need to play every tourney, make every cut, and be consistent on the tour.
Will update the stats in a few weeks. Please continue to come back to PIN HIGH with the PGA for all your PGA tour information
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Post by djdavefl on Feb 6, 2015 16:13:43 GMT -5
(PH) – LA JOLLA, CA FARMERS INSURANCE CLASSIC MID WEEK UPDATE FOR PIN HIGH We’re midway through the Farmers Insurance Classic at Bailiwick Grand Golf Club and there is some tight action at the top of the leaderboard, and it has nothing to do with “activating glutes”. 6 of the top 10 in the World Golf Rankings chose to tee it up at Bailiwick and found the course in excellent condition. Rob Dallas coming off a top 25 finish in Phoenix continued his great play with a masterful 55 in the first round, and followed that up with a fine round of 58 to take the midway lead at -29. Scott Doyley showed off some of the form he displayed on the Euro tour with back to back rounds of 57 and stands just 1 off the lead after 36 holes. The two men atop both the World Golf Rankings and the FedEx Cup point list Nick Russell and Tyler Harris, join Andrew Kulchar and European Tour regular Marco Raternick in a four way tie for third at -27, just 2 strokes off the lead. Sony Open winner Roddy MacDougall stands 3 back at -26 in seventh place alone. While world number 8, Mattias Karlsson joins Charles Chapman, who made the cut for the second straight week, and Mark Wood, looking to make it 3 straight top 20 finishes to round out the Top 10. As mentioned 6 of the top 10 in the WGR are playing this week, PGA TOUR members James Gemmill and Jeremy Blaylock chose to tee it up at the Maybank Classic on the Euro Tour. While 5th ranked Deric Moore chose to sit this one out. Other names to note, Rob Foyster may drop from the top ten in the FedEx Cup standings after a less than stellar 67 in round 2 dropped him to 64th at the mid-point in the tourney. Pin High’s very own Nic Zaiser bounced back after two missed cuts to be around for the weekend, an Bailiwick co-designer Job Fickett makes his first cut on the PGA TOUR. It is shaping up to be an exciting weekend, will we see if we have our first 2 time PGA TOUR champion, or will another new champion emerge.
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Post by djdavefl on Feb 9, 2015 16:14:59 GMT -5
(PH) – LaJolla, CA FARMERS INSURANCE OPEN WRAP-UP Bailiwick Grand lived up to its name as it was a grand venue for the fifth stop on the PGA TOUR for the FARMERS INSURANCE OPEN. And Scott Doyley was the model of consistency, as he earned his first PGA TOUR title, and third worldwide win with four straight rounds of 57 to hold off a strong charge by Tyler Harris the FedEx Cup points leader entering this event by one stroke. Doyley led Harris by 2 strokes heading into the final round, as the two were paired together for the final 18. Harris was able to cut the lead to a single stroke as the two started the final 9 holes, but both players matched each other shot for shot down the final stretch. Andrew Sikorski notched his third straight top ten finished with a career high 3rd place finish, but is probably asking himself what might have been, after opening with back to back rounds of 60, then shooting a course record 54 in the final round. Nick Russell, finished alone in 4th. Russell’s finish, combined with Harris’ second place finish will tighten the race for the Number 1 World Rankings, and Mr. Doyley may have something to say in that conversation as well. Andrew Kulchar dropped from 3rd to 5th over the weekend after a costly 61 in the third round put him four strokes off the pace. Roddy MacDougall and European Tour crossover player Marco Raternick finished in a tie for 6th, five strokes back. Midway leader Rob Dallas fired a disappointing 63 in the third round but fought back with a respectable 59 in the final round to record his first top ten finish as he tied for 8th. Steve Lillico, finished with a 57 to charge up the leaderboard, finishing 9th. In the last four events, Steve has finished 12th, 11th, T-10th, and now 9th. There was a four-way tie for 10th place with David Williams recording his 3rd Top 10 finish of the year, and three first timers in the top 10, Chris Capcara, Tim Russell, and Daniel Coates. In addition to Raternick, three other European Tour regulars made it through the weekend, Tom Morgan, Bill Rader and Jeff Botkin. Seven Web.com tour players used a sponsor’s exemption this week, but none were able to make it to the weekend. Coming up there is a full field ready to take on Yeti National as Sasquatch Pointe for the ol’ Crosby clambake that is now the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. Tried to sneak a peek at the pairings sheet to find out who would be paired up with Bill Murray, but the TOUR official snatched the sheet away before I could find out.
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Post by djdavefl on Feb 13, 2015 12:46:09 GMT -5
(PH) – CARMEL, CA AT&T PEBBLE BEACH NATIONAL PRO-AM AT YETI NATIONAL AT SASQUATCH POINTE MIDWEEK REPORT One of the oldest events on the PGA Tour returns to the Monterey Peninsula. What began as a small get-together by legendary entertainer Bing Crosby for some of his golfing buddies in the 1930’s became one the most anticipated stops on the the TOUR. This week is no exception as 140 players entered the field of the 2015 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, contested over the beautiful Yeti National at Sasquatch Pointe. The weather has been absolutely perfect this week and the scoring has been stellar. Jeremy Blaylock was showing no signs of jetlag after a 2nd place finish last week in Malaysia, and set the early pace with a nearly flawless round of 55 that featured 17 birdies, and 10 in a row. Blaylock bested Daniel Coates, and Andrew Greet by two shots after the first eighteen. In the second round, Blaylock could only muster a 62, to fall three off the pace. Greet did slightly better with a 59, but Coates matched his day one total, with a second round 57 to take a 2 stroke lead into the weekend. Coates, fresh off his first top ten of the season at the Farmers Insurance Open is now trying to become the sixth different winner on the PGA TOUR this season. The Australian Greet is a regular on the European Tour, but may be familiar to fans of the PGA TOUR after a top 10 finish in the opening event of the year, The Hyundai Tournament of Champions. Canadian, Steve Lillico joins Greet two off the pace heading into the weekend. Lillico has steadily improved each week on tour, after a 15th place finish in the TOC, he went on the in successive weeks to finish 12th, 11th, T10th, and 9th. Could this be the week he moves into the winners circle? Seven of the top ten in the World Golf Rankings are in action this week, and all made the cut with varying degrees of success. Number 1 in the world Nick Russell started with solid rounds of 60-61 but finds himself seven strokes distant from the leader. World Number 2, Tyler Harris stands three back, while Number 3, James Gemmill goes into the weekend five back, along with 10th ranked Mattias Karlsson. Last weeks champion Scott Doyley, and SONY winner Roddy MacDougall have their work cut out for them as they both have to overcome an eight stroke deficit over the weekend.. 16 European Tour members made the pilgrimage to The AT&T National, and 10 are going to be around for the weekend, while 12 Web.com players made use of their sponsor’s exemptions, and 7 made the cut. There is sure to be plenty of excitement out on Sasquatch Pointe, as the conditions are expected to remain perfect and low scoring becomes the order of the day.
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Post by misternic on Feb 16, 2015 12:51:27 GMT -5
COATES HANGS ON, BUTTONS UP 1st WINPebble Beach, CA Daniel Coates started his TGCTours career on the Web.com tour. After just 6 weeks he is walking off with PGA hardware after winning the prestigious AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. Daniel posted great rounds on Thursday and Friday to to grab a 2 shot lead heading into the weekend. On moving day Coates left the field in his wake as he posted a 55 good enough for a five shot lead heading into the final round. He appeared to take his foot off the gas on the back side on Sunday playing defense against a course that was full of birdie cheers. Steve Lillico who has been on the top of the leaderboard in recent weeks was able to close to a single shot late on Sunday, but could never close the gap, finishing two strokes back in second place. Steve has now posted three straight top ten finishes and all six PGA events in the top 15. His win will come shortly. But this week belonged to Coates whose 57, 57, 55 start left few able to stay in striking distance. Coates has seen his WGR go from 67 to 41 to a most likely top 20 after this weeks performance. Jeremy Blaylock locked up a stand alone 3rd, 5 shots back. Scott Doyley was 4th and James Gemmill, Roddy MacDougall, and Andrew Greet rounded out a tie for 5th. It will be interesting this week to see how the WGR stack up. World #1 Nick Russell finished 8th, adding to some recent struggles after his win at the HTOC. This will be his 3rd time in four weeks outside the top 5 (and 2 of those were outside the top 10). #2 in the world, Tyler Harris finished well back in 17th place, easily his worst finish of the year (prev was 6th). With Gemmill at #3 currently, Doyley at #4 and Blaylock at #8 all finishing in the top five we could see some change at the top of the WGR. Around the tour: - Brionne Beaumont-Thomas showed he is not a Euro specialist, posting a top 10 in the PGA this week after his win in Europe last week.
- 7 players earned PGA tour cards this week, with David Messier leading the way at -38 under
- Nick Nedvesky shot a 59 on Thursday and missed the cut when he failed to break par on Friday while using a sponsors exemption.
- Tim Russell (WGR 24), Rob Foyster (27), Dale Burger (29), Brian Dickerson (30), Michael Engleder (32), and Rob Dallas (44) all failed to make the cut.
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Post by djdavefl on Feb 20, 2015 17:07:10 GMT -5
Northern Trust Open Mid-Week Report TGC at the Bavaro (PH) Riviera, California The stars of the PGA Tour meet the stars of Hollywood at the Northern Trust Open here in Los Angeles. Come Sunday, the Oscars won’t be the only award being handed out, as the big trophy, and the check that comes with a PGA Tour win will be at stake. Near perfect weather conditions have kept the scores low here this week, with a leader board filled with players that we have not seen on the first page of the board this season. While these players may be new to the casual fan, they have been consistently in the top 30 during the season. Could this be the week one of them breaks through, or will we finally see a repeat winner. Turning to the 36 hole leaderboard, we find Daniel Coates looking to not only become the first two time winner on the PGA Tour, but to do it in back-to-back weeks. Daniel began the week with a solid 59, but turned in a stellar 55 in the second round, to hold a slim one stroke advantage on the field at the mid-point at 28 under par. There is a three-way tie for second at -27, all newcomers to the top of a leaderboard. Brad Martin is returning from a three week hiatus and showing no rust. Chris Barson is finding life on the PGA Tour as being feast or famine, as its either a top 30 finish or missed cut so far. We have become used to the name Russell near the top of the leader board, and usually it’s Nick. This week Tim Russell takes a top spot heading into the weekend, coming off a missed cut last week. At 26 under par we find another trio of good players not used to the rarified air of the top ten. Ryan O’Donnell has made excellent use of his sponsor’s exemption putting him into that tie for 5th place along with Jek Melo who comes off a T-17 finish at the AT&T, and Ronnie Barr, who may not be a household name, but has had three top 30 finishes on tour this year. At 25 under par, we find another trio of players, Chris Gilbert who has made the cut in every event he has entered this year highlighted by three top 20 finishes. Mark L. Touring makes his fifth straight cut and seeking his third top 15 finish. Scott Doyley just three strokes back entering the weekend, as he seeks his second PGA TOUR victory and fourth worldwide win. Seven of the world’s top ten are in action this week at the Northern Trust Open, with varying degrees of success. Only Doyley has cracked the top ten at the 36 hole mark. World number 1 Nick Russell, is tied with 3rd ranked James Gemmill in 11th place heading to the weekend. Number 6, Roddy MacDougall is in 15th, Matthew Greet is back in 31st. 7th Ranked Jeremy Blaylock finds himself eleven off the pace at the halfway mark. The biggest surprise is that FedEx Cup point leader and World Number 2, Tyler Harris could not find his stride here, and missed the cut for the first time this year. Also missing the cut was Matthias Karlsson who may drop out of the top 10 in the FedEx Cup. Five of the seven European Tour members who crossed over this week made the cut, led by Andrew Greet of Australia. Sixty players entered the tournament this week using Sponsor’s Exemptions, of those only ten will be around for the weekend. Will there be a Hollywood ending for a first time winner, or will some of the big names make the Northern Trust a sequel to earlier successes. We will know on Monday.
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Post by misternic on Mar 5, 2015 22:13:31 GMT -5
Europe Has Arrived – Heading into Moving DayWGC Cadillac Championship - Doral Much has been made about the European tour holding a secondary status in the rankings and player quality. In our first full event featuring the best of the best, Europe has arrived, and in force. 11 of the top 20 players hail from the European tour, and the two leaders tied at the top both are from European countries. One of the players at the top, Brionne Beaumont-Thomas (BBT) is right where many expected, tied for first. His 58-59 leave the #2 player in the world at 27 under. The other player tied for first is much less known, Austrian Michael Engleder. Michael has matched BBT stroke for stroke shooting the same 58-59. Heading into the week, he was ranked 112th in the world. Canadian Steve Sloan is one stroke back and Andrew Sikorski sits 3 back heading into Saturday. 10 more players sit within 5 strokes of the lead. Barring a decent setback or something really special it is hard to see anyone further back than 5 strokes catching Beaumont-Thomas or Engleder. The two exceptions to keep an eye on are World #1, Scott Doyley, and #6 James Gemmill who have yet to tee off in Round 1. In other PGA news, David Messier leads the way at the Puerto Rico Open. In a tournament devoid of most of the tours stars, this Puerto Rican stop could be a real stepping stone in the career (or careers) of many in the tours middle pack. Vijay Benakal sits 2 back with 7 other players within 5 strokes.
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