Posts Tagged ‘FedEx Cup’
Sunday, April 4th, 2010
2010 has proven to be Ernie Els come back year. He broke his 2 year winless streak by capturing the WGC Championship in Doral in March. Ernie then followed that victory when he won the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill two weeks later giving him his 18th PGA Tour victory (two 2010 starts and two wins).
Back in 2006, Els put together a 3-year plan…. his goal: To challenge the his American rival…the number one player in the world….Tiger Woods. According to Els’ website, in 2007, he is quoted as saying… “I see 2007 as the start of a three-year plan where I totally re-dedicate myself to the game. I want to win more majors and start giving Tiger a run for his money. If you look at where he is at the top of the rankings, it’s a big lead so no one is going to get near him any time soon. I’ve got to give myself a three-year stretch to try to approach him and I really believe I can do it.” Needless to say, his may have become a little to aggressive in his planning process. Three years have since passed and Tiger remains number one.
However, with Tiger not in the equation the first 3 months of the 2010 golf season, Ernie reminded us of his golfing finesse. The Big Easy (nicknamed for his physical stature and effortless swing) showed his true talent that we all admired when he was on his game in the late 90’s and the early 2000 years. Despite his efforts and his knee injury of 2005, his last major win was at the 2002 Masters. That was eight years ago. Fast forward to 2010…..a year full of endless stories about Tiger’s fall from fame due to his “transgressions” resulting in his decision to take an indefinite (4 month) leave from the game of golf. With his “indefinite” leave coming to an end, Tiger has elected to return to golf at the 2010 Masters in Augusta.
This week, Tiger and Els will go head to head at the Masters. This is the first time Tiger is playing professional golf since November 2009. How will he fare? Will emotions get in the way of his true talent? Can Els give him a run for it? Els has finished as runner-up in six majors over the years. And, most notably runner-up finishes to Tiger (more than any other professional golfer). However, Els has always been described as the golfer with the right game to beat Tiger in a major.
Els is playing every shot and every hole for what it is – like he did before. Els currently leads the FedEx Cup point system and has won two of the four PGA Tour pre-Masters tournaments. The last person to win two of the four tournaments and go on to win the Masters was Tiger Woods in 2002. Can Els recreate Tiger’s 2002 tournament play record and come home with the Green Jacket this year?
Let the golf games begin…..this year’s Masters will certainly prove to be one of the most exciting tournaments of the year!
Posted by Marilyn Harris
Tags: Ernie Els, FedEx Cup, Masters, PGA
Posted in FedEx Cup, General Golf, PGA, Tiger Woods | No Comments »
Friday, October 2nd, 2009
Tiger not only has phenomenal talent on the golf course but has the earnings to show for it. Tiger just won his second career FedEx Cup title with prize money of $10 million dollars. According to Forbes.com, Tiger’s 2009 earnings pushed him over the billion dollar mark for career earnings. More importantly, Forbes is branding Tiger to be the first “athlete” to reach this status in career earnings. One could debate whether or not other almost billion dollar athletic notables, Michael Schumacher included, should truly fall into the category of athlete. So should race car driving really be considered an athletic sport? We’ll let you be the judge on that one.
Needless to say, hats off to Tiger for attaining the ultimate billion dollar earnings mark! Tiger has built his financial empire over the years. Not one but two… his playing empire and his non-playing empire. Tiger is not only savvy on the golf course with 71 PGA career championships but equally as talented within his business empire. For eight consecutive years Tiger has been the highest earning athlete. In 2002 he struck his endorsement deal with Nike. It is reported that Tiger earns $30 million a year for this partnership, which in turn has been extremely profitable for Nike as well with their $800 million golf business. Tiger also maintains endorsement contracts with PepsiCo and AT&T to name a few. He’s ventured into a likely profession designing golf courses with three courses currently under development: Al Ruwaya in Dubai, The Cliffs at High Carolina in Ashville, North Carolina, and Punta Brava in Ensenada, Mexico. He earns an estimated $10 million per project. With all the various venues Tiger has for earnings potential, it’s a wonder he did not achieve the billion dollar mark sooner.
Keep in mind, Tiger is only 33! If he continues at this rate, he’s sure to reach the billion dollar mark many times over. He has about 16 years left to potentially play on the PGA Tour and then could likely move to the Senior Tour at the age of 50. Do the math folks… there’s a lot of earnings potential between 2009 and Senior Tour retirement!
Posted by Marilyn Harris
Tags: Al Ruwaya, AT&T, FedEx Cup, Michael Schumacher, Nike, PepsiCo, PGA, Punta Brava, The Cliffs at High Carolina, Tiger Woods
Posted in Economy, PGA, Tiger Woods | No Comments »
Sunday, September 27th, 2009
Round 4 of the TOUR Championship proved to be all about Phil Mickelson with his bogey-free round of 65 for a -9 finish. This tournament was all about putting! From round one with Sean O’Hair’s putting expertise thanks to a tip from Tiger and Tiger’s missed putts in round two and Kenny Perry’s and Phil’s impressive putting in round three. Round 4 brought out the best of Phil with a hot putter and solid tee shots he moved from tied for 3rd to winning status for the tournament. His victory today moved him from the 14th top seed in the FedEx Cup standings to No. 2 in points and No. 2 in world rankings. He birdie holes 3 (15 feet), 4 (30 foot), 8 (tap in), 8, 9 (12 foot), and 16 (chip-in). Financially, it was a great day for Phil, too. He won $1.35 million for the TOUR Championship and another $3 million for his second place finish in the FedEx Cup. Despite his 6 week furlough to care for his wife and mother, both diagnosed with cancer, Phil proved today why he is the No. 2 player in the world. Congratulations Phil!
Tiger Woods finished in second place for the TOUR Championship with a round of 70 for a -6 for the tournament. His second place finish won him the FedEx Cup title with a total of 4,000 points and a little extra cash…$10 million. Tiger played in 17 PGA events this season to lead the way to his victory. He moved from the 142nd seeded position in FedEx Cup points to No. 1 throughout the 2009 season. Here’s how he accumulated points:
- The TOUR Championship – Earned 1,500 – Total To Date 4,000 (after points were reset)
- BMW Championship – Earned 2,500 – Total To Date 7,196
- Deutsche Bank Championship – Earned 315 – Total To Date 4,696
- The Barclays – Earned 950 – Total To Date 4,381
- PGA Championship – Earned 330 – Total To Date 3,431
- WGC-Bridgestone Invitational – Earned 550 – Total To Date 3,101
- Buick Open – Earned 500 – Total To Date 2,551
- British Open Championship – Earned (Cut) 0 – Total To Date 2,051
- AT&T National – Earned 500 – Total To Date 2,051
- U.S. Open Championship – Earned 101.333 – Total To Date 1,551
- The Memorial Tournament – Earned 500 – Total To Date 1,449
- The PLAYERS Championship – Earned 94 – Total To Date 949
- Quail Hollow Championship – Earned 135 – Total To Date 855
- Masters Tournament – Earned 98 – Total To Date 720
- Arnold Palmer Invitational – Earned 500 – Total To Date 622
- WGC-CA Championship – Earned 75.75 – Total To Date 122
- WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship – Earned 46.563 – Total To Date 47
This is Tiger Wood’s second FedEx Cup win since its initiation in 2007. In 2008, Tiger did not play due to surgery on his left knee. What a comeback! Congratulations, Tiger, on your FedEx Cup win!
Posted by Marilyn Harris
Tags: FedEx Cup, PGA, Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, Tour Championship
Posted in FedEx Cup, PGA, Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods | No Comments »
Saturday, September 26th, 2009
Is the TOUR Championship being over shadowed by the significance of player position for the FedEx Cup? Being the fourth playoff tournament of the FedEx Cup, there seems to be far more emphasize and speculation on who’s going to win the FedEx Cup versus who’s going to win the TOUR Championship, the final PGA tournament of the regular season and final tournment that determines the money list for the season. So after Round 3, let’s see how the players fair for the TOUR Championship and the FedEx Cup.
Kenny Perry shot a 64 (-8) and leads the tournment by 2 strokes over Tiger Woods who shot a 69 (-6). If Perry should win the TOUR Championship in order for him to win the FedEx Cup, too, there would need to be a 3-way tie for 2nd and this tie could not include Tiger or Stricker. Another scenario might be that Tiger finishes in a 3-way tie for 3rd or worse and neither Stricker or Furyk finish solo for 2nd place. What’s the probability of Perry taking it all?
Tied at 4 under are Phil Mickelson with a 66 (-4) and Sean O’Hair with a 70 (-4) followed by Steve Marino (67) and Padraig Harrington (71) both at 3 under. With Mickelson tied for 3rd and being the No. 14 seeded player within the FedEx Cup standings, what scenario would have to play out for him to win both the TOUR and the FedEx Cup? Tiger would need to finish in 8th position or worse in order for Phil to win both the TOUR Championship and the FedEx Cup.
Now, on the otherhand, if O’Hair were to win the TOUR Championship, what would it take for him to win the FedEx Cup too? Tiger Woods would need to finish in a 3-way tie for 2nd or worse and Steve Stricker ties for 2nd or worse. So many possibilities. What’s your prediction for the winner of the FedEx Cup?
Posted by Marilyn Harris
Tags: FedEx Cup, Heath Slocum, Jim Furyk, Kenny Perry, Padraig Harrington, PGA, Phil Mickelson, Sean O'Hair, Steve Marino, Steve Stricker, Tiger Woods, Zach Johnson
Posted in FedEx Cup, General Golf, PGA, Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods | No Comments »
Friday, September 25th, 2009
Round 2 of the TOUR Championship concludes with Tiger Woods in the lead by one stroke with a 68. He’s 5 under for the tournament. He had a chance to make a run for it but struggled with his putting for what should have been routine for the number one player. During the last 4 holes, Tiger missed a 4 foot putt for an eagle and another 4 footer for a birdie. To top off the missed putts he shot a bogey on the 18th hole. Is Tiger’s putting plagued as a result of his forthcoming putting tip to Sean O’Hair earlier in the week?
Padraig Harrington and Sean O’Hair trail Tiger by one stroke; respectively Harrington with a 69 and 4 under and O’Hair a 70 and 4 under. Other contenders who played well are Ernie Els just 2 behind with a 66; Kenny Perry just 3 behind with a 66; and Jerry Kelly just 3 behind with a 67.
With the emphasize being on who will win the FedEx Cup, based on today’s round, there are a number of scenarios that could play out. Tiger is in great position to win the Fed Ex Cup. Appears that the top five seeded players (Steve Stricker, Jim Furyk, Zach Johnson, Heath Slocum, Padrig Harrington) in FedEx Cup points after Tiger are not in the top ten positions for the TOUR Championship so the probabiliy of a win by any of them is unlikely. But there’s still a lot of golf to be played! Let’s see who makes the move in Round 3.
Posted by Marilyn Harris
Tags: Ernie Els, FedEx Cup, Heath Slocum, Jerry Kelly, Jim Furyk, Kenny Perry, Padraig Harrington, PGA, Steve Stricker, Tiger Woods, Tour Championship, Zach Johnson
Posted in FedEx Cup, PGA, Tiger Woods | No Comments »
Thursday, September 24th, 2009
Despite the 15 inches of drenching rain that saturated the East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta just two days earlier, the first day of round one of the TOUR Championship and final playoff of the FedEx Cup brought sunshine and overall good course conditions. The savior of the course’s condition was the SubAir system, an underground moisture removal system, that was installed at the course in 2005 as a measure to “drain” any excess water off of the fairways and greens. According to the players, the greens were definitely dried out, playing “like a brick”.
Sean O’Hair leads round one of the tournament by one stroke. As the story goes, during a practice round Tiger gave Sean a putting tip to help his friend out. Now the question is…will that tip lead O’Hair to win the tournament? Maybe. But let’s speculate a bit…if O’Hair wins the Tour Championship, how does he fair for taking the FedEx Cup title? Here’s how it could play out…if O’Hair takes the title at the TOUR Championship and Tiger places 2nd either solo or tied with another player, Tiger wins the FedEx Cup due to the points system. Tiger would remain the leader with 4,500 points while O’Hair finishes with 3,700 points. For Tiger a win worth $10 million! Now, if Tiger should make the charge during the next few rounds and win the TOUR Championship, what does he accomplish? A tournament win worth $1.35 million and another $10 million for the lead points in the FedEx Cup and best of all his 72nd PGA title. What’s your prediction for the Championship? And bigger question, who will win the FedEx Cup?
Round One Top Five: Sean O’Hair (-4); Tiger Woods – (-3); Stewart Cink – (-3); Padrig Harrington – (-3); Lucas Glover – (-2)
Posted by Marilyn Harris
Tags: FedEx Cup, Lucas Glover, Padrig Harrington, PGA, Sean O'Hair, Stewart Cink, Tiger Woods, Tour Championship
Posted in FedEx Cup, PGA, Tiger Woods | 1 Comment »
Monday, September 14th, 2009
The third leg of the FedEx Cup playoffs was a record setting event for Tiger Woods. He eased his way to his 71st PGA Championship win at the BMW Championship at Cog Hill. Tiger won with a 19 under for the tournament. After the first round he was tied for 5th with a 68 (-3). Round 2 he delivers a 67 to tie for first with Mark Wilson. Round 3 Tiger showed us why he’s number one as he makes every hole count with a course record of -9 for 62 and a 7 shot lead for the tournament. Imagine what he may have shot if he had not shot a bogey on the first hole!
In Round 4, Tiger maintained his lead for the win with a 67 (-4) regaining the number one position within the FedEx Cup point standings with 7,196 points. Steve Stricker remains number 2 in the standings with 5,692 points, followed by Jim Furyk with 3,108, Zack Johnson with 3,031 and Heath Slocum with 3,005. Despite the accumulated points, the FedEx Cup points are reset for the the top 30 players moving to the Tour Championship and fourth leg of the FedEx Cup playoffs. Here’s how the points tally up for the top five players…Woods – 2,500; Stricker – 2,250; Furyk – 2,000; Johnson – 1,800; and Slocum – 1,600.
The BMW Championship marks Tiger’s 71st PGA Championship over 14 years. Tiger’s focus is all about the win. Only two other golf legends have achieved more…. Jack Nicklaus had 73 wins over 25 years and Sam Snead 82 had wins over 30 years. Tiger continues to have his eye on his goal….to become the leader of all time in PGA victories!
To date Tiger’s championships include:
1. 1996 Las Vegas Invitational (-27)
2. 1996 Walt Disney World/Oldsmobile Classic (-21)
3. 1997 Mercedes Championships (-14)
4. 1997 Masters (-18)
5. 1997 GTE Byron Nelson Golf Classic (-17)
6. 1997 Motorola Western Open (-13)
7. 1998 BellSouth Classic (-17)
8. 1999 Buick Invitational (-22)
9. 1999 Memorial Tournament (-15)
10. 1999 Motorola Western Open (-15)
11. 1999 PGA Championship (-11)
12. 1999 World Golf Championships-NEC Invitational (-10)
13. 1999 National Car Rental Golf Classic/Disney (-17)
14. 1999 THE TOUR Championship (-15)
15. 1999 World Golf Championships-American Express Championship (-6)
16. 2000 Mercedes Championships (-16)
17. 2000 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am (-15)
18. 2000 Bay Hill Invitational (-18)
19. 2000 Memorial Tournament (-19)
20. 2000 U.S. Open (-12)
21. 2000 British Open (-19)
22. 2000 PGA Championship (-18)
23. 2000 World Golf Championships-NEC Invitational (-21)
24. 2000 Bell Canadian Open (-22)
25. 2001 Bay Hill Invitational (-15)
26. 2001 THE PLAYERS Championship (-14)
27. 2001 Masters (-16)
28. 2001 Memorial Tournament (-17)
29. 2001 World Golf Championships-NEC Invitational (-12)
30. 2002 Bay Hill Invitational presented by Cooper Tires (-13)
31. 2002 Masters (-12)
32. 2002 U.S. Open (-3)
33. 2002 Buick Open (-17)
34. 2002 World Golf Championships-American Express Championship (-25)
35. 2003 Buick Invitational (-16)
36. 2003 World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship (Match Play 2 and 1)
37. 2003 Bay Hill Invitational presented by Cooper Tires (-19)
38. 2003 100th Western Open presented by Golf Digest (-21)
39. 2003 World Golf Championships-American Express Championship (-6)
40. 2004 World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship (Match Play 3 up)
41. 2005 Buick Invitational (-16)
42. 2005 Ford Championship at Doral (-24)
43. 2005 Masters (-12)
44. 2005 British Open (-14)
45. 2005 World Golf Championships-NEC Invitational (-6)
46. 2005 World Golf Championships-American Express Championship (-10)
47. 2006 Buick Invitational (-10)
48. 2006 Ford Championship at Doral (-20)
49. 2006 British Open (-18)
50. 2006 Buick Open (-24)
51. 2006 PGA Championship (-18)
52. 2006 World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational (-10)
53. 2006 Deutsche Bank Championship (-16)
54. 2006 World Golf Championships-American Express Championship (-23)
55. 2007 Buick Invitational (-15)
56. 2007 World Golf Championships-CA Championship (-10)
57. 2007 Wachovia Championship (-13)
58. 2007 World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational (-8)
59. 2007 PGA Championship (-8)
60. 2007 BMW Championship (-22)
61. 2007 THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola (-23)
62. 2008 Buick Invitational (-19)
63. 2008 World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship (Match Play 1 up)
64. 2008 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard (-10)
65. 2008 U.S. Open (-1)
66. 2009 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard (-5)
67. 2009 the Memorial Tournament (-12)
68. 2009 AT&T National (-13)
69. 2009 Buick Open (-20)
70. 2009 World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational (-12)
71. 2009 BMW Championship (-19)
Be sure to watch the upcoming Tour Championship to see if Tiger can clinch his second FedEx Cup title, his 72nd PGA title, and his 3rd Tour Championship. Will Tiger be able to repeat his “make every hole count” run for the win?
Posted by Marilyn Harris
Tags: Bay Hill, BMW Championship, British Open, Cog Hill Golf Course, FedEx Cup, Heath Slocum, Jack Nicklaus, Jim Furyk, Mark Wilson, Masters, Sam Snead, Steve Stricker, Tiger Woods, Tour Championship, Western Open, Zach Johnson
Posted in General Golf, PGA | No Comments »
Tuesday, September 8th, 2009
The third FedEx Cup playoff tournament, The BMW Championship, is hosted by Cog Hill Golf and Country Club at the famous Dubsdread course. After a year off of the PGA tour, the Dubsdread course is back on track with a new face lift.
Dubsdread was originally built by Cog Hill founder Joe Jemsek in 1964 for $600,000. It’s the number four course on the pristine property of rolling hills, mature trees, and meandering creeks and ravines. It’s one of Tiger Woods favorite tour courses. Over the years, seventeen PGA Tour events have been held there and four USGA Championships. It’s rated one of the best public courses in the United States.
Frank Jemsek, owner of Cog Hill, decided in 2007 that Dubsdread needed to become more challenging to address the advancements in equipment and skill developed over the years. In 2007 Tiger Woods won the BMW Championship with 22 under. This triggered Jemsek to rethink how he could revive the course to challenge the golf professionals of today while making it a great golfing experience for the average golfer as well. One of the key changes made to the course was the redesign of the greens to make them faster and create more slope within the greens. In doing so that essentially meant rebuilding the greens for improved drainage. While revamping the greens, the surrounding sand traps to the greens were also deepened to add another dimension to the challenge of the course. Jemsek brought in Rees Jones to rehab the course for its $6 million dollar renovation.
The course also has had 6 teeing areas added to test golfers at all skill levels. Since it is a public course and one of the best in the Midwest, not only will the PGA Tour players find it challenging but the average golfer will enjoy its beauty and sculpture as well.
The BMW Championship begins this week at Cog Hill. Practice rounds are scheduled for September 8 and 9 with round one of the tournament beginning on September 10. The top 70 FedEx Cup points leaders will play in the BMW this weekend. There will not be the typical “cut” after the first two rounds. Of those top 70, thirty players will move on to the Tour Championship two weeks later at the East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Georgia.
Posted by Marilyn Harris
Tags: BMW Championship, Cog Hill Golf Course, Dubsdread, FedEx Cup, PGA, Tiger Woods
Posted in FedEx Cup, General Golf, PGA | No Comments »
Monday, September 7th, 2009
Steve Stricker takes over the lead in FedEx Cup points with his win today at TPC Boston in the Deutsche Bank Championship. Stricker makes his putts count with a 15 foot birdie putt on the 17th and a 3 foot birdie putt on hole 18 to win the tournament with a one shot lead over Jason Dufner and Scott Verplank.
Stricker has played in 20 PGA events in 2009 and made 17 cuts. The Deutsche Bank Championship is his third PGA win this year. He also has had two 2nd place, one 3rd place, ten Top 10 and fifteen Top 25 finishes this season. Stricker has earnings of $6,045,086 in 2009 and leads the FedEx Cup standings with 5,604 points. His win today earned him 2,500 points overtaking Tiger Woods by 909 points. Congratulations to Steve for an impressive tournament and the lead in the FedEx Cup standings.
Woods tried to make a run in the final round at TCP Boston with a 63…moving him to a -12 for the tournament. Despite the effort he fell short 7 strokes off the winning score. Next FedEx Cup stop….The BMW Championship at Dubsdread, Cog Hill Golf Course and Club in Lemont, IL…. a favorite of Tiger’s.
Posted by Marilyn Harris
Tags: BMW Championship, Cog Hill Golf Course, Deutsche Bank, FedEx Cup, Jason Dufner, PGA, Scott Verplank, Steve Stricker, TCP Boston, Tiger Woods
Posted in PGA | No Comments »
Monday, August 31st, 2009
The FedEx Cup playoffs kicked off this past week at The Barclays and an underdog, Heath Slocum, rises to the occassion to capture the tournament title and 2,500 FedEx Cup points. His win took him from the 124th position on the FedEx Cup Points Standing to 3rd! Now, that’s quite a feat going from barely making the cut for the playoffs to only two behind Tiger Woods. Slocum trails by 1,526 points behind Tiger.
On the 18th hole, what should have been a routine six foot putt for Tiger turned out to be a two putt keeping him at 8 under for the tournament. Heath, on the otherhand, made his par save 20 foot putt to clinch the tournament title on the 72nd hole for a one-shot victory and jumped on the FedEx Cup Points board to third place with 2,855 total earned points.
Had Slocum missed the winning putt, he would have forced a playoff with quite a cast of golf greats that would have been fun to see… Tiger Woods, Steve Stricker, Ernie Els, and Padrig Harrington. But Slocum shut them all out with his spectacular long putt on the 18th.
Slocum turned pro in 1996. In 2009, he played in 24 events and made the cut in 14 with average scoring of 70.55 and earnings of $1,885,815. He’s an alumni of the University of South Alabama.
Congratulations to Heath Slocum in his big victory in the first 2009 FedEx Cup playoff!
Posted by Marilyn Harris
Tags: Ernie Els, FedEx Cup, Heath Slocum, Padraig Harrington, Steve Stricker, The Barclays, Tiger Woods, University of South Alabama
Posted in PGA | No Comments »
