Siem, Moore and Park are your winners in the Far East..Live scoreboards, all tours

At this time of year you have to be up early to watch golf as most of the action is in the Far East where the first of four very lucrative events in the European Tour's Race to Dubai has already completed 4 rounds at the BMW Masters on the Lake Malaren GC in Shanghai meanwhile the PGA Tour's Fall Series with the CIMB Classic on the Kuala Lumpur GC in Malaysia is now over


Live scoring from Shaghai click http://espn.go.com/golf/leaderboard?tour=euro
Red hot Frenchman Alex Levy 65 66 63 had opened up a 4 shot lead over Jamie Donaldson from Wales who shot -10 62 to get to -18 going into today's final round but it was Germany's Marcel Siem (73) who caught and eventually beat him in a 3 way playoff  on a very windy day on the very long Lake Malaren course. Levy could only manage 78 and Ross Fisher who started the round 11 behind the Frenchman shot 67 to join the playoff... Siem chipped in for birdie from the fringe and neither Fisher or Levy could match him leaving the ponytailed German with his 4th European Tour win.

Meanwhile a no cut field of 78 in muggy Malaysia defending champion Ryan Moore 68 69 67 and Kevin Na 69 68 67 started the day in the lead at -12, however there were 11 players within 4 shots of them including Sergio Garcia and Billy Hurley at -11.
It was Moore who prevailed with another round of 67 -17, to win by 3 shots over Sergio Garcia (69), Gary Woodland 967) and Kevin Na (70) all at -14
Canadian Mike Weir 73 68 72 68 , T21 -7
Live scoring click http://espn.go.com/golf/leaderboard?tour=pga

Finally from the Far East, the travelling LPGA Tour was in Taiwan this week for the Fubon LPGA Championship on the Miramar GC where world #1 Inbee Park blew her 4 shot lead but after Stacy Lewis missed a crucial 6 footer on the 17th for birdie and Park made hers for a 2 shot lead with 1 to play, she prevailed for the win.
Live scoring click http://espn.go.com/golf/leaderboard?tour=lpga



Stateside, the Champions Tour wrapped up it's year this week with the Charles Schwab Cup Championship on the Desert Mountain Club in Scottsdale Arizona where it took four extra holes, but Tom Pernice, Jr., two-putted for birdie to outlast Jay Haas and  win the 25^th Charles Schwab Cup Championship. Haas put the pressure on Pernice on the 72^nd hole when he rolled in a 37-foot birdie putt from the front fringe to grab a one-stroke lead. Pernice answered moments later when he made a birdie to tie Haas and send it to a playoff. After each birdied the first extra hole, they each matched pars on the ensuing two holes before Pernice ended Haas’ bid for his second win in his last three starts. After Haas made his 15-footer for par, Pernice stepped up and drained the winner, giving him his second playoff win this year.


Bernhard Langer’s Charles Schwab Cup title was the second of his career (he won in 2010) and his 4,152 points were the second most points accumulated in a season. Only Tom Watson with 4,370 in 2003 earned more points. His winning margin of 845 points was the largest by a winner since Tom Watson won by 1,324 points over Jim Thorpe in 2003.


He also won his sixth Arnold Palmer Award as the Tour’s leading money winner in the last seven years (did not win in 2011) and he also won the Byron Nelson Award as the Champions Tour’s scoring leader at 68.03. It was the third time he had won that award (2008, ’09).
Live scoring click http://espn.go.com/golf/leaderboard?tournamentId=2139




Bryan Angus

Bishop's dismissal inevitable, but hardly necessary

Ted Bishop who had a month left in his term has been sacked as president of the PGA of America over what in this day and age has been interpreted as sexist tweet and Facebook post directed at Ian Poulter. Unhappy with comments Poulter made in his book about the Ryder Cup captaincy of Nick Faldo in 2008 and Tom Watson last month at Gleneagles. Bishop was with Faldo at The Greenbrier for the Faldo Series when he tweeted to Poulter, “Faldo’s record stands by itself. Six majors and all-time RC points. Yours vs. His? Lil Girl.”

Also on his Facebook page, Bishop stated “athletes with lesser records or accomplishments in a sport never criticized the icons.” and objected to Sir Nick and Watson getting “bashed” by Poulter saying “Really? Sounds like a little school girl squealing during recess. C’MON MAN!” He deleted the tweet and the Facebook post later but he never apologized.

Nor should he in my opinion ! C'mon man ! This is hardly worth getting the sack for is it ? Saying someone who has the right to openly criticize Bishop's selections as Ryder Cup captain in his book sounds like a little girl squealing is every day language, not demeaning at all to women, nor intended to offend any little girls.

Why should Poulter have the right to write it for public consumption and of course to sell copies, but Bishop not have the right to criticize and of course you are saying has the right to criticize but should have chosen his words more carefully, I am saying in the realms of racist or religious or in this case sexist remarks this one is as innocent and unintended as Mary had a little lamb.. 

After sacking him the PGA of America, stuffy as always had this to say “The PGA of America understands the enormous responsibility it has to lead this great game and to enrich lives in our society through golf, we must demand of ourselves that we make golf both welcoming and inclusive to all who want to experience it, and everyone at the PGA of America must lead by example.”

Derek Sprague, expected to be voted in as the next president at the Nov. 22 annual meeting, was appointed the interim president and he had more of the same to say..

“The members and apprentices of the PGA of America must uphold the highest standards and values of the profession, as well as the manner in which we conduct ourselves at all times and we apologize to any individual or group that felt diminished, in any way, by this unacceptable incident.”

Poulter now in China had this to say “Is being called a `lil girl’ meant to be derogatory or a put down.That’s pretty shocking and disappointing, especially coming from the leader of the PGA of America.”

For the record Poulter said that Watson’s decision-making “completely baffles me.” and if you missed it Faldo during his Ryder Cup coverage said that Sergio Garcia was “useless” in 2008 during the European loss at Valhalla and that he had a “bad attitude.”which pissed off both Sergio and his team mates.

In the book Poulter noted “Faldo has lost a lot of respect from players because of what he said,” pointing out that it was Europe’s only loss in the last 15 years and Faldo was the captain. “So who’s useless? I think Faldo might need to have a little look in the mirror.”

In this day of political correctness it doesn't surprise me Bishop got the sack, but C'mon man it was hardly necessary.


Edit...A day after I wrote this Ted Bishop issued the following statement...

I want to apologize to Ian Poulter and anyone else that I might have offended with my remarks on social media that appeared on October 23, 2014. Particularly, I have great remorse that my comments contained the words “little girl” because I have always been a great advocate for girls and women in golf.

My two children, both girls, have made their careers in golf. I have a 4-year old granddaughter who I hope will someday play the game. In my 37-year career in golf, I have worked with many women to grow the sport and I have been a champion for inclusion and equal rights for women in golf.

However, this is a classic example of poor use of social media on my part and if I had the chance to hit the delete button on the things that I sent out yesterday, I would without hesitation. The PGA of America asked me to avoid any interaction with the media in the past 24 hours and that is why I did not issue a formal and public apology, which I have wanted to do since early this morning.

This afternoon I was asked by my fellow Officers to resign my position as President. I declined because I wanted to speak to our PGA Board of Directors, offer a personal apology and let the due process take place in this matter. The Board heard me out and then voted to impeach me as the 38th President. That is the due process and I respect that, as painful as it might be.

The PGA has also informed me that I will not become the Honorary President nor will I ever be recognized as a Past President in our Association’s history. These, along with the impeachment are drastic consequences for the offense I have committed, but I must live with them. I take great pride in what we were able to accomplish in the last 23 months. Hopefully, we laid the groundwork for a successful future for the PGA of America. Today, all I have left is my PGA membership and that will always mean the world to me.

Bryan Angus

(notes from AP, BBC, Reuters..)

Final scoreboards, stories from the weekend , Canadians Q school results

Here's the wrap from the weekend's play..






PGA Tour  McGladrey Classic, Sea Island, Georgia
Robert Streb made10 birdies, including one on the second extra hole, winning a three-way playoff in the McGladrey Classic for his first PGA Tour victory. He rallied from five-shots behind with a 7-under 63, his best round on the PGA Tour by two shots, and then beat Will MacKenzie and Brendon de Jonge in the playoff at Sea Island. He will now play in his 1st major atthe Masters in April. Canadians Adam Hadwin T81  and Nick Taylor T86 both missed the second cut. Roger Sloan 70 74 MC.
Live scoring http://espn.go.com/golf/leaderboard?tour=pga




EUROPEAN Tour  ISPS Handa Perth International
Norway's Thorbjorn Olesen 64 69 67 71 -17 won the Perth International by 3 shots over Victor Dubuisson Olesen for his 2nd Euro Tour win in the final qualifying event to decide top 111 players on the money list who will get their 2015 cards.
Live scoring http://espn.go.com/golf/leaderboard?tour=euro


LPGA  Blue Bay LPGA..China
Sensational South African Lee Anne Pace won the rain shortened Blue Bay LPGA at -16 with Caroline Masson second at -13 and Michelle Wie and Jessica Korda 3rd at -11. The event was reduced to 54 holes due to incessant rain. The players have now all flown to Taiwan for this week's event.
Live scoring click  http://espn.go.com/golf/leaderboard?tour=lpga


CHAMPIONS Tour  AT&T Championship  TPC San Antonio, Texas
Michael Allen made a 5-foot birdie putt on the final hole for a 6-under 66 and a two-stroke victory in the Champions Tour’s AT&T Championship, and Bernhard Langer wrapped up the Charles Schwab Cup title.

Allen birdied three of the final four holes finishing at 15-under 201 for his second victory of the season. Marco Dawson was second after a 71. He bogeyed Nos. 16 and 18. Woody Austin had a 71 to finish third, three strokes back.

Langer closed with a 69 to tie for sixth at 10 under. He has a tour-high five victories two of them majors and leads the money list. The top 30 on the money list qualified for the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship next week in Scottsdale, Arizona

As for our 2 Canadians, Rod Spittle tied for 33rd at 3-under 213. Stephen Ames tied for 47th at even-par 216
Live scoring click http://espn.go.com/golf/leaderboard?tour=champions


WEB.com Tour  Q School 1st Stage
Wrapped last week at 3 locations, California, North Carolina and Florida. Here are the results
Beaumont, Calif.,
Top 30 and ties advance
Matt McQuillan, Kingston, Ont., T5, (-13)
Seann Harlington, Vancouver, T20, (-7)


Pinewild CC,
Pinehurst, N.C.,
Top 32 and ties advance
Mackenzie Hughes, Dundas, Ont., T12 (-1)
Cam Burke, New Hamburg, Ont., T12 (-1)
Albin Choi, Toronto, T16 (E)
Taylor Pendrith, Richmond Hill, Ont. T25 (+2)
Derek Gillespie, Oshawa, Ont., T32 (+4)


St. Johns G&CC,
St. Augustine, Fla.,
Top 32 and ties advance
Beon Yeong Lee, Montreal, T20 (-4)








http://pgatq.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/pgatq14/schedule/upcoming.htm




BryanAngus

Dufner returns after recovering from a "pain in the neck"...

Jason Dufner is set to return to tournament play for the first time since August 11 down under at the Perth International. Dufner was experiencing muscle tightness in his shoulder and neck, which tweaked a nerve and resulted in him having a "kind of dead, numb arm".

Having received treatment and totally stepping away from the game for nearly 3 months he started practicing at home 2 weeks ago and starting with today's pro-am will play 5 rounds in a row, hopefully pain free for the first time in 2 years.

He headlines the field at #32 in the world along with French sensation Victor Dubuisson who just arrived in Perth yesterday and Charles Schwartzel who has also been away from the game as he and his wife have been joined by a brand new baby girl, Geoff Ogilvy is also in the field as spring in Australia is well under way.

Perth incidently was hammered by strong winds and rain over the weekend.

Bryan

Rory's lawsuit ' A pain in the grass"...

AP... Rory McIlroy said Monday that mediation in a lawsuit with his former management company has failed, and he will skip his next two tournaments in China because he needs time to prepare for the trial.

McIlroy will not play the BMW Masters, which starts Oct. 30 at Lake Malaren, or the following week at the HSBC Champions. Those are the opening two events in the final series of the Race to Dubai on the European Tour. The HSBC Champions is a World Golf Championship.

The world’s No. 1 player has been involved in an acrimonious dispute with Dublin-based Horizon Sports Management. He left Horizon in the spring of 2013, about six months after signing a lucrative contract with Nike. Both groups have sued each other, and McIlroy’s attorneys have sought evidence that Graeme McDowell was getting a better deal from Horizon. A judge recommended mediation to keep sensitive documents from going public.

“I’m going to need time away from tournament golf to prepare for the trial over my legal dispute with Horizon Sports Management,” McIlroy said in a statement. “The court-direction mediation process failed over the weekend to resolve the issue.”

The trial is expected to begin in February.

McIlroy has virtually locked up the Race to Dubai. He is not expected to play until the DP World Tour in Dubai on Nov. 20-23. He also plans to defend his title in the Australian Open, which would be his final tournament of the year.

McIlroy won the British Open, a World Golf Championship and the PGA Championship in consecutive starts, which enabled him to win PGA Tour player of the year for the second time in three seasons. He also won the Vardon Trophy and the PGA Tour money title.

He played in the PGA Grand Slam of Golf last week in Bermuda, a 36-hole made for TV exhibition among current major champions. McIlroy finished a distant third.

The Sunday Story...Hearn and Hadwin finish in top 10

European Tour


Scott Hend beat Angelo Que of the Philippines in a playoff to win the Hong Kong Open and become the first Australian to win the event since Greg Norman in 1983.

Que and Hend both ended the final round tied on 13-under 267 to force a playoff on the par-four 18th hole of the Fanling Course at the Hong Kong Golf Club.

Hend held his nerve to win on the first playoff hole with a par putt from five feet having watched Que bogey after failing to reach the green with his approach shot http://espn.go.com/golf/leaderboard?tour=euro

PGA Tour


Ben Martin made a 45-foot eagle putt to regain the lead and finished with a 20-foot birdie putt for a 3-under 68 and his first PGA Tour victory in the Shriners Hospital for Children Open.Martin played his final four holes at the TPC Summerlin in 4-under par, though no shot was more important than the eagle.

Kevin Streelman ran off five birdies in a six-hole stretch to overtake Martin for the lead, and Streelman hit a wedge into 5 feet on the 18th hole. Martin, who led by as many as four shots on the back nine, hit a 6-iron over the water to the back of the green on the par-5 16th.

His eagle putt broke back to the left over the final few feet and dropped in the cup to put Martin back in the lead.Moments later, Streelman missed his short birdie attempt.

Martin two-putted for par on the 17th, and then rolled in a birdie putt he didn’t need for a two-shot victory. The 27-year-old from South Carolina won in his 56th career start.

Canadians David Hearn and Adam Hadwin both cracked the top 10. Hearn tied for 7th at 14-under 270, six shots off the lead. Hadwin finished tied for 10th at 13-under 271.

The other Canadian in the field was Nick Taylor. He tied for 56th at 5-under 279 http://espn.go.com/golf/leaderboard?tour=pga

LPGA


Kyu Jung Baek of South Korea won a three-way playoff to claim the LPGA’s KEB-HanaBank Championship. Making the first LPGA start of her career, she shot a final-round 67 to finish tied at 10-under 278 with Brittany Lincicome of the United States and compatriot In Gee Chun, then birdied the first playoff hole on the Ocean Course at the Sky72 Golf Club to take the title.

In the playoff, Lincicome and Baek hit third shots to four feet on the par-5 18th. Lincicome missed her birdie putt while Baek calmly made hers for the win. Chun’s hopes for the title were dashed when her approach shot went into the greenside water.http://espn.go.com/golf/leaderboard?tour=lpga

CHAMPIONS Tour
Jay Haas became the 18th player to win a Champions Tour at 60 or older, closing with a 5-under 66 on Sunday for a two-stroke victory in the Greater Hickory Kia Classic.

The 60-year-old former Wake Forest player has 17 victories on the 50-and-over tour after winning nine times on the PGA Tour. He also won the event in 2005 and 2009.

Haas extended his streak of under-par rounds to 23 and finished at 17-under 196 on Rock Barn Golf and Spa’s Champions Course. He ended a 27-month, 49-event winless streak since June 2012. Joe Durant and Kirk Triplett tied for second. Durant and Triplett, the winner last week in Cary, shot 66.

Calgary’s Stephen Ames tied for 6th after a final round 65 left him at 11-under 202 for the championship. Rod Spittle of St. Catharines, Ont. finished tied for 26th at 6-under 207. Jim Rutledge of Victoria, B.C. tied for 55th at even-par 213. http://espn.go.com/golf/leaderboard?tour=champions

EUROPEAN Tour

Mikko Ilonen became the first Finnish player to win the Volvo World Match Play Championship after a hard-fought victory over Number One seed Henrik Stenson at London Golf Club.
Ilonen carded four birdies and no bogeys despite the windy conditions to win 3 and 1 and secure the first prize of 650,000 euros, almost double his previous biggest payday from winning the Irish Open in June.

In the third/fourth place play-off, Luiten beat Coetzee on the 19th hole after they were locked at all square.

http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/season=2014/tournamentid=2014082/leaderboard/index.html






Bryan Angus
(  files from europeantour.com, BBC Reuters, AP )

Birthday boy Els leads in Hong Kong

Ernie Els on his 45th birthday has taken a 2 shot lead in Hong Kong after 2 rounds. A second round 65 in Fanling took the South African to nine under par, two shots ahead of Frenchman Raphaël Jacquelin and Australian pair Scott Hend and Cameron Smith.

“I played quite nicely and 65 is what I needed to do,” said Els. “I’m looking forward to the rest of the week and obviously in a good position.
“I won’t have any alcohol to celebrate, but I’ll have a bit of cake and relax back at the hotel and see what we do for dinner tonight.”

Four-time Major winner Els started the day two behind Jyoti Randhawa, but swiftly took the lead with four birdies in five holes from the 13th after starting his round at the 11th.


Live scoring click  http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/season=2014/tournamentid=2014083/leaderboard/index.html

Bae bids for Presidents Cup...weekend winners..

As I was going on TSN1050 for my Sunday morning golf report my colleague Tim Haffey, veteran sports broadcaster asked me if it was correct to say that the Fry's.com was the first event of the 2015 PGA Tour season... it is confusing isn't it !


Yes Tim the 2015 season is now underway and Korean sensation Sang Moon Bae had this one under control most all the way, stretching his lead to as many as six shots, he closed with a 1-over 73 at Silverado in sunny Napa, California, for a two-shot victory over Steven Bowditch, who had a 67. Bae had gone 36 straight PGA Tour events without so much as a top 10.


Final scoreboard http://espn.go.com/golf/leaderboard?tour=pga


None of our Canadians had great weekends. Graham DeLaet T39th at 4-under 284 worth $23,400 while after a promising start Adam Hadwin could only manage a 75 on Sunday for $13,890 T53rd at 2-under 286. David Hearn T68th at 3-over 291,worth $12,120


Speaking of 2015, the Presidents Cup goes to Asia for the first time next year at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea in Incheon, by far the country's biggest golf event and Bae really wants to be a part of the International team “I think it’s most important to me because it’s in Korea next year. It really means a lot,” he said.


If you were wondering, the majors in 2015 are the Masters of course at Augusta, April 9-12, the US Open is at Chambers Bay in Washington June 18-21, the Open Championship is at St Andrews July 16-19 and the PGA is at Whistling Straits in Kohler Wisconsin August 13-16.


CHAMPIONS Tour .. In Gary, NC Kirk Triplett won the SAS Championship for his second victory of the year and fourth in three seasons after he closed with a 3-under 69 for a three-stroke victory over Tom Lehman. Triplett finished at 14-under 202 at Prestonwood Country Club.


Jim Rutledge carded a final round 2-under 70 to tie for 50th ($5,712) as the leading Canadian at even-par 216. Rod Spittle tied for 55th ($4,200) at 1-over 217, while Stephen Ames tied for 65th at 3-over 219 ( $2,415)


Final scoreboard http://espn.go.com/golf/leaderboard?tour=champions


With 3 events left to go in the Charles Schwab Cup race Bernhard Langer who T3, extended his lead, adding 138 points this week. He has a tour-high five wins, two of them majors, and leads the money list. Colin Montgomerie finished outside the top 10, earning no points this week. The German star now holds a 771-point lead over Montgomerie


EUROPEAN Tour ..It did nothing but rain at Vilamoura in the Algarve, and that is most unusual for this popular golf resort in Portugal. In 8 previous year's there hadn't been a drop of it.


Alexander Levy of France won the shortened Portugal Masters after the third and final round was abandoned because of further bad weather Thunderstorms and water-logged greens had already led to the event being reduced to 54 holes Friday, and more rain Sunday saw it finally cut to 36 holes.

Levy’s rounds of 63 and 61 on Thursday and Friday left him on 18-under 124 – three shots ahead of Belgium’s Nicolas Colsaerts

Final scoreboard http://espn.go.com/golf/leaderboard?tour=euro

LPGA...In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia China’s Shanshan Feng rallied to win the LPGA Malaysia for her fourth Tour title, playing a six-hole stretch on the back nine in 6 under. Feng, four strokes behind Thailand’s Pornanong Phatlum entering the round, closed with a bogey-free 8-under 63 for a three-stroke victory over Phatlum

The tournament was the second in the tour’s six-event Asian swing. The LPGA KEB-HanaBank is next week in South Korea, followed by the Blue Bay LPGA in China.

Final scoreboard http://espn.go.com/golf/leaderboard?tour=lpga


PGATour LatinoAmerica.. Tyler McCumber a 23-year old from Jacksonville, Florida defeated Argentina's Jorge Fernández Valdés in a playoff to claim the Mazatlan Open title in Mexico..


Final scoreboard http://www.pgatourla.com/leaderboard/m2014130/?lg=en#.VDu7HjpMvMw includes Canadian scores..

Bryan Angus 

(notes from europeantour.com, BBC, Reuters, AP )

Canadian results a mixed bag so far this week

Yesterday I wrote of the record 6 Canadians in a PGA Tour event, the Fry's.com out in Napa California, and after 2 rounds their results are mixed.


Adam Hadwin who has full exemption this year after winning the money title on the Web.com tour is off to a great start, T12, 70,69 -5. Graham DeLaet, now well established on tour is T36 71 70 -3 and David Hearn T63 72 71 -1 made the cut..


Unfortunately Brad Fritsch, using up a minor 1 event injury exemption MC 70 74 and now will head back to the Web.com tour for 2015. Nick Taylor who also earned his card also MC 74 72. He doesn't have full exemption like Hadwin so needs to get off to a quick start so he doesn't lose status after the first re-shuffle. Mike Weir who turns 45 next year, MC 73 75 and is hoping life with his new swing coach Martin Ayers will bring back the consistency in his game he has been striving for. He finished 109 in money earned last year so needs a good stetch of golf having used up his two career money list exemptions. Roger Sloan did not get into the field.


Scotland's Martin Laird leads 67 67 -10..


Live scoring click http://espn.go.com/golf/leaderboard?tour=pga




Meanwhile on the Champions Tour, Stephen Ames playing his second event, the SAS Championship in NC is T43 at +1 73, Rod Spittle is T62 75 +3 and Jim Rutledge is T79 78 +6
Guy Boros in his rookie year leads 66 -6


Live scoring http://espn.go.com/golf/leaderboard?tour=champions


The European Tour Portugal Masters has been reduced to 54 holes, there are no Canadians in the field http://espn.go.com/golf/leaderboard?tour=euro, Frenchman Alexander Levy leads with round 2  being completed today 63 61 -18. Nicholas Colsaerts left a putt on the lip for 59 in his first round of 60 is in 2nd spot at -15


Commentator Ken Brown, a delightfully eccentric player in his day, is armed with a delightfully dry sense of humour described the flying ants that swarmed the course on Friday, crawling all over the greens as "bacon sandwiches for the sea gulls" that had arrived to devour them..


Later when asked if when he played he would have flicked them aside or crushed them with his putter he said " I was a flicker, live and let live was my motto....unless I missed the putt of course !"


Listen for my report on TSN1050 Sunday morning at 830am




Bryan Angus

Fall brings lots of important, exciting golf..Live scoreboards..

There is no doubt in my neck of the woods that Fall has arrived, the temperature is just 5*c this morning, and for many the pro golf season was over after the PGA Championship, if not then certainly after the euphoria of the Ryder Cup.


In fact nothing could be further from the truth, as Fall in the northern hemisphere, spring in the southern brings tons of important, exciting meaningful golf.


The Race to Dubai continues at the Portugal Masters this week, ( live scoring http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/season=2014/tournamentid=2014080/leaderboard/index.html ) and after the Volvo World Match Play in Kent next week travels to Hong Kong, Australia then the Final Series with 2 huge events including a WGC in China, then Turkey and the $10m finale in Dubai..


The aptly named Fall Series begins today on the PGA Tour in Napa, California at the Frys.com ( live scoring click http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/frys-com-open/leaderboard.html ) where a record 6 Canadians, Mike Weir, David Hearn, Graham DeLaet, Brad Fritsch, Adam Hadwin and Nick Taylor are in the field with a  seventh, Roger Sloan as the fourth alternate, followed by the Shriners in Las Vegas, the McGladery Classic at Sea Island in Georgia, before flying to Malaysia for the CIMB then to China for the WGC- HSBC and any money won here counts fully in 2015..


With 4 events left to go in the Charles Schwab Cup race,the Champions Tour continues with the SAS this weekend in North Carolina (live scoring http://www.pgatour.com/champions/tournaments/sas-championship/leaderboard.html,) the LPGA continues their 6 event Asian swing in Malaysia at the Sime Darby (live scoring http://www.lpgascoring.com/public/Leaderboard.aspx) and they still have Q School looming, Stage 1 of the Web.com Q school gets underway this weekend (live scoring http://pgatq.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/pgatq14/schedule/upcoming.htm ), while the PGA Tour LatinoAmerica carries on through December in Mexico then South America. ( http://www.pgatourla.com/leaderboard/m2014130/?lg=en#.VDZ6qzpMvMx)


Rory McIlroy will join Adam Scott and all the Aussies, Kiwi's, Springboks and a handful of invited Americans playing the Australasian Tour starting next week culminating in their PGA, Masters and Open championships..


Then there is the silly season invitational events like the Nedbank Challenge in Sun City and Tiger's challenge event in California..


I'll have it all right here, live scoring, stories galore. Pro golf is a global game these days, huge prize money, big fields, big names all this Fall..




Bryan Angus..

Wilson, Mickelson..."Winning cures all ills"..

In the aftermath of all the acrimony that was bound to follow the US loss in the Ryder Cup, even before Phil Mickelson virtually called out his captain in the post loss presser, then again yesterday as I watched one of golf's good guys Oliver Wilson finally get his first win after 10 years, with 9 runner-up finishes no less, I was reminded once again of the old adage,  winning cures all ills..


First Wilson.. Dougie Donnelly is a very fine Scottish sports broadcaster and I trust his analysis and judgement. His main bailiwick these days is golf and I could tell from the emotion in his voice as Olly as he is known hung on until his playing partner Tommy Fleetwood missed a 12 footer on the final hole to give Wilson his win that his struggles, especially in the last 2 years have touched everyone on the European Tour.


He held off Rory McIlroy for a one-shot victory in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, shooting a 2-under 70 in the final round on the Old Course at St. Andrews. Wilson finished at 17-under 271, with McIlroy (68) in a three-way tie for second with Richie Ramsay of Scotland and Tommy Fleetwood of England.

Now 34 he is currently ranked 792nd in the world, had finished second nine times in his 227 previous tour events, but lost his card two years ago and was competing this week on an invitation. He was once ranked in the world top 50 and was a member of the European Ryder Cup team at Valhalla in 2008 before losing his game..

Barely able to speak, overcome with emotion in his post round interview, he did manage to say it had been a long, long time coming, but the win while yet to sink in would wash away all those bad times, and probably change his life forever !!

Now for the Ryder Cup acrimony... Let's be honest, if the US had of played better in the afternoon foursomes, they lost 7 and only halved 2, and had gone on to win the Cup, Captain Tom Watson, Hall of Famer, straight shooting, no nonsense, fully committed, would have been hailed as just the tonic the spoiled, pampered US players needed.

Did he make a mistake in not playing Speith and Reed in Thursday's foursomes, probably, did he make a mistake in sitting Mickelson and Bradley all day Saturday, probably, not that either were playing all that well both last week and all year long.

However to now to suggest on many fronts, including from Mickelson, that he was too old, out of touch with modern systems like Azinger's pods, unsympathetic, praising only his rookies while leaving out others just smacks of a team that just got their asses kicked, for the 8th time in the last 10 outings.

Phil Mickelson is great for golf and is a great golfer and will be a Ryder Cup captain soon. What he had to say at that press conference should have been said behind closed doors and to Tom Watson directly.

This Cup from the get go was conducted by all concerned including captains McGinley and Watson in the gentlemanly manner that I feel Samuel Ryder envisaged way back in the mid 1920's.

While a bitter pill for the American's to swallow, I saw them all doff their caps and shake their victorious opponents hands after every match..that's the way it should be. Remember from 1926 - 1983 it was the Yanks who won all but 3 times with one other match halved in 1966 and on each occasion it was the players from GB & Ireland who were offering their hands... the way it should be

For it to end with Mickelson's well thought out public criticism of his captain, and therefore the PGA was wrong and sadly disappointing..

Like I said if the US players had of played better in the foursomes and went on to win I wouldn't be writing this because after all is said and done winning cures all ills..

Bryan Angus