Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
This list put together by Golf Digest shows just how uneven the playing field is for men and women golfers! When a golfer like Jason Dufner (who is no slouch on the golf course) is ahead of World #1 Lydia Ko in earnings, that is just wrong! Folks, start watching the LPGA Tour on TV, and you will find these women can really play! Just as exciting and competitive as the men.
For the first 12 years of the Golf Digest 50 all-encompassing money list, Tiger Woods was No. 1, usually by a wide margin. But reduced play because of injuries and the loss of more than half a dozen A-list endorsement partners after the 2009 scandal caught up to him in 2016, when he fell to No. 3 behind Jordan Spieth and Mickelson. This year, Woods is No. 4 behind Rory McIlroy, Arnold Palmer and Mickelson.
10.) GARY PLAYER
Certainly surprised me!
PREVIOUS RANK: 10
ON COURSE: — $0.00
OFF COURSE: $15,000,000
TOTAL: $15,000,000
9.) ADAM SCOTT
Money does not seem important to him!
PREVIOUS RANK: 18
ON COURSE: $8,160,920
OFF COURSE: $6,900,000
TOTAL: $15,060,920
8.) JASON DAY
Has never quite fulfilled his potential!
PREVIOUS RANK: 7
ON COURSE: $8,845,112
OFF COURSE: $10,750,000
TOTAL: $19,595,112
7.) DUSTIN JOHNSON
Thought he would have been much higher.
PREVIOUS RANK: 13
ON COURSE: $12,664,185
OFF COURSE: $7,100,000
TOTAL: $19,764,185
6.) JACK NICKLAUS
Did not build an empire like Arnie!
PREVIOUS RANK: 6
ON COURSE: $42,000
OFF COURSE: $20,000,000
TOTAL: $20,042,000
Who are these guys – They say they played in the Ryder Cup – Really?
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
We are all looking forward to the Ryder Cup next week, and as I’m writing this, I have not heard who Davis Love III has chosen for his final Captain’s Pick. I hope it is Ryan Moore after watching his courageous performance in the Tour Championship. I think he will be a huge asset to the team and will have a steadying and calming influence on whoever he is paired with.
But some Captain’s picks have been a little questionable, and we even had a player who was 68th in the world rankings was selected. Go figure! Here is a list of strange captain picks through the years by Alex Myers of Golf Digest. Thanks for sharing!
You probably don’t remember these guys playing for Team USA at the Ryder Cup.
1. Jeff Overton (2010)
The only U.S. team member of the modern era without a PGA Tour win, Overton did have four runner-up finishes when he qualified for the 2010 squad. He left his mark on the event with his fiery “Boom, Baby!” reaction after holing a shot on the eighth hole at Celtic Manor in a Friday four-ball. Overton played fairly well, going 2-2 in his matches, but the U.S. fell to Europe by a point.
NEWPORT, WALES – OCTOBER 03: during the Fourball & Foursome Matches during the 2010 Ryder Cup at the Celtic Manor Resort on October 3, 2010 in Newport, Wales. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)
2. Boo Weekley (2008)
OK, so you might remember him doing the “Happy Gilmour” bull ride dance down the fairway” during the 2008 Ryder Cup at Valhalla. Weekley qualified for the team only because of Tiger Woods being injured, but he went 2-0-1 in helping the U.S. score an unlikely win.
3. J.B. Holmes (2008)
If Weekley only made the 2008 squad because of an injury, Holmes, 18th in the Ryder Cup standings at the time, was only at Valhalla because Paul Azinger let the players make three of the captain’s picks. In what Azinger dubbed the “redneck” pod, Kenny Perry, Jim Furyk and Weekley chose Holmes. Due to his Kentucky ties, Holmes seemed like a good fit, and he was, matching Weekley with a 2-0-1 record during the Americans’ resounding victory. Davis Love was hoping for a similar outcome when he made Holmes a pick on this year’s squad. Holmes is certainly not obscure anymore, but he’s probably still the most surprising two-time Team USA member.
A case for NOT keeping your head down – Be like Henrik!
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
One of the biggest myths about the golf swing is, “Keep our head down!” I always like to say, keep your head level. That way, there is no up and down movement to throw off your timing. But some golfers like Henrik Stenson, David Duval, and Anika Sorenstam actually rotate their heads through impact to help them generate more rotation through the ball. Check out this article and then head to the range and give it a try. You might be pleasantly surprised!
Not how the head rotates through impact!
We all know that Henrik Stenson is an elite ball-striker.
He proved it again at the BMW International Open in Germany, capturing his 10th European Tour title with a three-shot victory over Darren Fichardt and Thorbjorn Oleson.
Stenson’s prowess with his irons — he hits his 7-iron 195 yards with almost no curve — comes from both natural athleticism and body movements that don’t get in the way of his speed.
“A lot of weekend players hold on to a terrible piece of advice, which is to keep the head still during the swing,” says Golf Digest Best Young Teacher Shaun Webb, who is based at the David Toms 265 Academy in Shreveport, La. “If you lock your head down, it stays that way after the ball is gone and keeps you from rotating your body through the shot. That costs you lots of speed.”
A History Lesson – Learn about all 9 Open Championship Venues!
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
Everyone loves the beauty of Augusta National and the toughness of a US Open course, but none can compare with the history of the Open Championship! These venues are hundreds of years old and are on every golfer’s bucket list! Alex Myers of Golf Digest has put together the complete list of Open Championship courses used in the rotation. Learn a little history!
A crash course on the nine venues that comprise the current Open rota.
Royal Troon Golf Club
Where: Troon, South Ayrshire, ScotlandTimes hosting:9, including this year
You know it as: “That place with the ‘Postage Stamp’ green.”
Unique features: Has both the shortest (Pictured left, the par-3 eighth “Postage Stamp”) and longest (Par-5 sixth “Turnberry”) holes in the Open rota; Colin Montgomerie played here often during the summers growing up. His dad was the club’s secretary, and his house was just a half-mile down the road.
In 1973, Tom Weiskopf won his lone major championship by holding off Johnny Miller and Jack Nicklaus. And yes, Todd Hamilton and his hybrid that he used to chip and got up-and-down 13 of 14 times that week won in 2004 by beating Ernie Els in a playoff. In fact, Troon’s past six winners have all been American.
Old Course At St. Andrews
Where: St Andrews, ScotlandTimes hosting: 29 (last in 2015)
You know it as: “The Home of Golf.” There’s not much more to say than that.
Unique features: The “Road Hole” (left), on which a road and a hotel come into play; Swilcan Bridge (think Jack Nicklaus waving goodbye); Hell Bunker, large double greens, Valley of Sin, etc.
Noteworthy moments: This course has so much history that five players (Bob Martin, J.H. Taylor, James Braid, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods) have won two Open titles. None were more impressive than Woods’ eight-shot romp in 2000, though, when his 19-under-par total set a major championship record. Five years later, Woods would win again here during a week that also saw Jack Nicklaus play in his final major.
Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Hoylake
Where: Merseyside, EnglandTimes hosting: 12 (last in 2014)
You know it as: “That place where Tiger Woods cried.”
Unique features: A short drive from Liverpool’s Penny Lane of Beatles fame; Site of the first contest between Great Britain and the U.S. in 1921, an event known as the Walker Cup the following year.
Noteworthy moments: In 2006, Tiger Woods won the British Open just two months after his father passed away. He accomplished the feat by only using his driver once all week. The previous time Hoylake hosted the Open — 39 years before — Roberto De Vicenzo managed to sign a correct scorecard to claim his lone major title.
What is your take on the study on increased distance on Tour?
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
The USGA and the R&A stated that there were no immediate plans to change the rules on equipment. Using the words “slow creep” regarding increased distance on Tour, the governing bodies see no need to panic at the moment. I completely disagree with that! At the current rate of a 1% gain in distance each year, it would mean that in 17 more years (not that long, considering this study is over 13 years), the Tour Pros will be hitting the ball over 400 yards! We’re talking average here. The longer hitters will be driving short par 4’s with ease. And turning 500-yard par 4’s into a drive and a lob wedge. The time to act is now. Not like the anchored putter debacle when they waited too long to change the rule. I agree with Jack. Change the ball for the pros, but let the amateurs play with regular balls to enjoy an extra few yards and thus increase participation in the game!
USGA/R&A publishes research on driving distance gains on PGA Tour
It seems that everyone, from media critics to former players, has a solution for the problem of distance gains in golf today, whether it’s to dial back the golf ball, change regulations on equipment or to continue to lengthen golf courses. Even Jack Nicklaus offered his advice: “Change the friggin’ golf ball.”
On Thursday, the USGA and R&A published research from a joint study on driver distance that may put those concerns to rest for the near future.
The study looked at data on driver distance across seven major professional golf tours — the PGA, European, Japan Golf, Web.com, Champions, LPGA and Ladies European. As presented in the research, distance gains are at a “slow creep,” as opposed to what some critics have suggested.
The chart below was used in the research study, showing yearly driving distance averages across the seven major tours — data for the PGA Tour dates back to 1980.
Also included is a look at yearly scoring averages, which the report also refers to as a “slow creep” downward.
The Rise and Fall of the Wentworth Club’s PGA Events!
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
WOW, talk about a comedown! From those heady days back in the ’60s and 70’s when the Piccadilly Match Play at the Wentworth Club attracted the top 8 golfers of the day. Gary Player, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Tony Lema were just a few. World-class golfers who took time out of their busy schedules to compete on this impeccable golf course! Later came the prestigious European Tour PGA Championship. The tournament represented the very best of European Tour golf, with all the top 50 players entering.
It was a “must play” event! It was a course I dreamed of playing as a young lad starting to play this game called golf! This year, Danny Willett, the 2016 Masters Champion, is the only world top 20 players on the field! A sad state of affairs, to be sure, and I hope Keith Pelly can bring The Wentworth Club back to the Flagship Status it rightfully deserves!
Wentworth is no longer the “Flagship” event on the European Tour!
“I’m telling you our flagship event, right here, is the DP World Championship, which is $8m plus a bonus prize,” said European Tour CEO Keith Pelley in November ahead of the circuit’s lucrative finale in Dubai. “I’m not sure how you couldn’t say this wouldn’t be our flagship event.
“It [the BMW PGA Championship] has a fund of €5m. It’s a terrific event with wonderful fan engagement with 125,000 fans that experience the game of golf, and the way that we actually present it should be applauded. The tournament committee under Jamie Birkmyre has done just a fantastic job. But I don’t see it as our flagship event.”
For years that title was universally bestowed upon the PGA at Wentworth. Where the championship has taken permanent residence since 1984. Such a statement would have been unthinkable during the previous leaderships of George O’Grady and his long-serving predecessor Ken Schofield. But times have unfortunately changed for the historic event within the continually evolving dynamics of the modern professional game.
Pelley, the bespectacled Canadian who took charge of the flat-lining tour last year.
He has made his ambition clear of increasing prize money significantly to attract the leading players from the PGA Tour at key points of the season. The winter and autumn sojourns to the Middle East have proven to be strongholds in the face of the overwhelming competition from Tim Finchem’s eye wateringly rich organisation in the United States, with many of the classic events beginning to slip away.
It has become incumbent on the likes of Rory McIlroy and Sergio Garcia to support the Irish and Spanish Opens respectively. Two important tournaments that would otherwise face an uncertain and ominous future had it not been for that star power lending a rescuing hand. Coincidentally, both of those players are two of the most notable absentees from Wentworth.
That has become the most telling hallmark of the PGA’s quiet decline. For whatever reason, whether it be in the face of an increasingly busy schedule or personal preference, Wentworth is no longer a must-play for the game’s best. While the likes of Faldo, Seve, Langer and Woosie dominated in the ‘80s and ‘90s, Masters champion Danny Willett, sure to receive a rapturous reception from the English galleries, is the only player in this year’s field who is ranks inside the world’s top 20.
European Tour players attempting to play the Worlds Fastest Hole!
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
Breaking a World Record, any record is quite an accomplishment.
It means that you have done the test better, faster, or higher than anyone in the history of the world! So when Sergio Garcia, Raphael Jacquelin, and Thorbjorn Olesen decided to try and break the record for the fastest hole ever played, the European Tour videotaped the entire episode.
I was on the team trying to break the world’s fastest 18-hole round at Port Elizabeth Golf Club in 1983. The goal was to get the ball around the course from the first tee shot to the final putt in as short a time as possible. Players were situated on each of the 18 tees. A player on the fairway hit the second shot as soon as it stopped rolling, a person to chip on, and a person to putt. As soon as the ball fell into the hole, the person on the next tee would immediately launch the next drive! What fun we had.
We gave it 3 tries but unfortunately did not break the record. Looks like these guys had just as much fun on one hole. I would like to see the entire European Tour get involved in trying an 18 hole record. Now that would be fun. Thanks to the European Tour for sharing this fun video!
Open de España tournament host Sergio Garcia, Raphaël Jacquelin and Thorbjørn Olesen captained four-man teams from Spain, France and Denmark this week in a bid to break the Guinness World Records title for the Fastest hole of golf by a team of four.
Miguel Angel Jimenez wins the title of Golf’s Most Interesting Man!
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
If there is one man I would like to have as a friend on both the PGA and European Tour, it is Miguel Angel Jimenez. To play golf with him would be an adventure, and sharing a meal, along with a glass of wine with him, would be a relaxing and entertaining experience. In a world where many players just don’t connect with their audience, Miguel is the fan’s man. How can you not enjoy watching this player warm-up before a round?
Miguel Angel Jimenez turns 52 today, but the “the Most Interesting Man in the World” continues to emit a unique zest for life. How does the Spaniard remain a nimble soul in the face of rising age? Here are Jimenez’s tricks for staying forever young:
He owns a sense of adventure.
Most view a wall as an obstacle; Miguel sees an opportunity:
He can dance
And baby, those hips don’t lie.
He doesn’t put up with any gruff
Confrontation amongst golfers is a rarity, and Miguel’s questioning of a Keegan Bradley drop was a tad bizarre. However, you have to respect his conviction in the rules, and for those who think it was gamesmanship, well, it worked. Bradley ended up losing the match.
He keeps things in perspective.
From an interview with SI’s Alan Shipnuck, regarding a bad round at Augusta: “I am here with the sun shining, I’m surrounded by friends and family, tonight I will eat good food, drink good wine, smoke a good cigar and make love to my beautiful wife. It’s a good life, no?”
He doesn’t care what you think.
From that same interview, on haters: “I come from a different generation. And I’m not a hypocrite. I don’t hide the way I am. If I want to have a drink, I have a drink. Why shouldn’t I? Is it illegal to drink alcohol? Is tobacco illegal? So why should I care if people see me smoking? I do what I do out in the open. If people have a problem with that they can stick their tongue up their ass and let the rest of us do what we want to do.”
He likes to go fast
Miguel Angel Jimenez of Spain with his Ferrari, circa 2000. (Photo by Phil Sheldon/Popperfoto via Getty Images/Getty Images)
While the publics knows Jimenez as “the Most Interesting Man in the World,” his fellow players refer to him by a different moniker, “the Mechanic,” for his love of cars, most notably Ferraris. He also briefly worked in a repair shop.
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
I have only played 4 of the 18 toughest holes on the European Tour for 2015, and I must admit, that is enough! These holes, put together by Will Pearson, Editor of the European Tour’s website, have proved to be more than a challenge for the best players in the world!
As another year comes to a close, europeantour.com has crunched all the numbers to bring you this – a definitive guide to the 18 most testing, most challenging, most terrifying holes to feature in The 2015 Race to Dubai.
From the Gary Player Country Club at Sun City to Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai, The European Tour travelled to almost every corner of the globe in the 2015 campaign, taking in a multitude of different countries and styles of golf courses in the process.
Excluding the Major Championships and the American World Golf Championships events, we have dug deep into the statistics and scorecards to identify a complete golf course’s worth of what are technically the hardest holes on The European Tour.
Hard hats on? Then let’s begin.
By Will Pearson, europeantour.com
Which are the 18 toughest holes on the Euro Tour?
In descending order…
18) 9th at Delhi Golf Club
Tournament: Hero Indian Open
Par/length: 4/445 yards
Average: 4.40
Birdies or better vs bogeys or worse: 25/147
The highest score recorded in the 2015 event: 8 – Mark Tullo, Abhinav Lohan
Narrow and bush-lined, the historic Delhi Golf Club has long hosted the Indian Open with the ninth hole one of two entries in the 18 hardest in The 2015 Race to Dubai. As a testament to just how difficult this tight par four is, eventual winner Anirban Lahiri was two-over-par on this hole alone during the course of the week back in February.
17) 2nd at Golf du Palais Royal
Tournament: Trophee Hassan II
Par/length: 3; 208 yards
Average: 3.40
Birdies or better vs bogeys or worse: 28/155
The highest score recorded in the 2015 event: 7 – Richard Green
The first of two entries in this list for the unique Moroccan venue. One of four par threes at Golf du Palais Royal, situated in the grounds of the Royal Palace in Agadir, with each quartet measuring a testing 200 yards or above. Precision from the tee is key at the first of the four short holes with steep run-offs surrounding the raised putting surface. 2015 winner Richie Ramsay escaped with a par here in each of the four rounds en route to victory.
16) 9th at PGA Sweden National
Tournament: Nordea Masters
Par/length: 4; 476 yards
Average: 4.42
Birdies or better vs bogeys or worse: 33/178
The highest score recorded in the 2015 event: 7 – Seven players
With the deep blue yonder of a sizeable lake bordering the entire right-hand side, and bunkers aplenty to gobble up even the slightly errant ball, the ninth is a brutally tough hole to close out the front nine at PGA Sweden National’s Lake Course. Swedish amateur Marcus Kinhult led after 36 holes this year, and, as if to exemplify his massive potential, the 18-year-old was a remarkable three under par on this par four for the week back in June.
15) 5th at The Montgomerie Maxx Royal
Tournament: Turkish Airlines Open
5th at The Montgomerie Maxx Royal
14) 18th at Golf du Palais Royal
Tournament: Trophee Hassan II
Par/length: 4; 484 yards
Average: 4.43
Birdies or better vs bogeys or worse: 31/168
The highest score recorded in the 2015 event: 7 – five players
With two bunkers down the right to be wary of from the tee, plus an elevated green that slopes viciously from back to front towards a dangerous bunker, there’s plenty to occupy the mind on the finishing hole in Morocco. With blue and black numbers peppering the cards of The European Tour’s finest this year, as in many before it, Messrs Pelle Edberg and Matteo Manassero bucked the trend by going two-under on this hole over the week in Agadir.
13) 8th at Royal County Down Golf Club
Tournament: Dubai Duty-Free Irish Open hosted by the Rory Foundation
Par/length: 4; 429 yards
Average: 4.43
Birdies or better vs bogeys or worse: 30/186
The highest score recorded in the 2015 event: 7 – Six players
One of the finest holes on one of the world’s great links courses and the first of two entries for Royal County Down. Sitting atop the dunes, the eighth is one of the highest points on the layout with its tight fairway, trouble down the left and right and a long, narrow green that is incredibly tough to find. Played into the wind most of the week back in May and briefly threatened to de-rail Soren Kjeldsen’s bid for victory as the Dane made a double bogey here during the final round before eventually winning in a play-off.
12) 18th at Genzon Golf Club
Tournament: Shenzhen International
Par/length: 4; 456 yards
Average: 4.43
Birdies or better vs bogeys or worse: 29/141
The highest score recorded in the 2015 event: 9 – Benjamin Lein
The first of an astonishing three entries in the 18 most difficult holes in The 2015 Race to Dubai for Genzon Golf Club – proving without a doubt that the China layout is one of the most challenging seen on The European Tour. With the sizeable Dragon Lake dominating down the right-hand side of the closing fairway, bunkers left, and a gargantuan putting surface to deal with, winner Kiradech Aphibarnrat holed a 12-foot birdie putt here in the first extra hole to beat home favorite Li Hao Tong to the title.
11) 11th at East London Golf Club
Tournament: Africa Open
Par/length: 4; 477 yards
Average: 4.44
Birdies or better vs bogeys or worse: 26/189
The highest score recorded in the 2015 event: 8 – Tom Lewis
Played as a par five for the regular members, the 11th at East London is a lengthy, testing par four for the European Tour’s finest during the Africa Open. Despite the wide fairway and prevailing helping wind, plenty of towering pine and gum trees are ready to accept a wayward ball. Extraordinarily, England’s Seve Benson made eagle here on the third day.
10) 9th at Hong Kong Golf Club
Tournament: UBS Hong Kong Open
Par/length: 4; 493 yards
Average: 4.44
Birdies or better vs bogeys or worse: 19/186
The highest score recorded in the 2015 event: 7 – Three players
Dogleg left, narrow as anything with trees encroaching either side of the fairway and almost 500 yards in length to boot. To put it another way, the world-class trio of winner Justin Rose, plus his Ryder Cup teammates Graeme McDowell and Ian Poulter, were a combined seven over par on this hole in October. Testing.
2015’s Top 10 Moments on the Euro Tour – #2 was my Pick!
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
2015 will go down as one of the more exciting years of golf for a very long time! Jordan Spieth’s run at history, Jason Day finally getting his Major, and Rickie Fowler making a statement that he belongs with the world’s best. But some great things happened on the European Tour as well. Alistair Tait of Golfweek puts together his list of Top 10 moments. One of the top moments for me was watching an amateur almost win the British Open! The final round had all the drama you could ever wish for! Check out this great list!
Tom Watson finished his final British Open at St. Andrews in a bit of Scottish sunlight. ( Getty Images ) By Alistair Tait
From the GB&I squad’s Walker Cup victory to Tom Watson’s final British Open, here are the top 10 moments from the European Tour and European amateur golf in 2015, according to Golfweek’s Alistair Tait:
Thomas Pieters won the 2015 Czech Masters for his first European Tour victory.
10. Former NCAA champion Thomas Pieters won twice.
He establishes himself along with Sullivan, Broberg, and Fitzpatrick as a possible future Ryder Cup star. Don’t be surprised if the Belgian makes the team sooner rather than later.
9. Kristoffer Broberg showed why many insiders have long been talking up his talents.
He won the BMW Masters. Many feel he could be the player to challenge Henrik Stenson as the world’s best Swede.
8. England’s Andy Sullivan was the only player to win three times on the 2015 European Tour.
Best of all, he did it with a smile on his face. No surprise there: he’s one of the friendliest European Tour players.
7. Scots have taken many Americans to their hearts over the years. Add Rickie Fowler to that list.
His Scottish Open victory was one of the year’s most popular wins.
Matthew Fitzpatrick, shown at the 2015 British Masters following his first European Tour win
6. Matthew Fitzpatrick stole Ian Poulter’s show.
He won his first pro tournament at Woburn Golf Club, Poulter’s home course. An Englishman winning an English tournament was very popular.
To see the other 5 “Top 10 Moments on the European Tour for 2015.” Go here!
