FJ Blog

Jason Dufner Claims First PGA Tour Victory in Louisiana

Jason Dufner has been on the cusp of winning several tournaments in the past two years and today he fulfilled his potential by claiming the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. 

Through the first three rounds of play, Dufner shot rounds of 67-65-67 to sit atop the leaderboard at 17-under par, two clear of his competition heading into Sunday's final round.

Dufner, wearing XPS-1 and FJ Apparel, started off the day with five straight pars before a bogey on the sixth hole that dropped him from the lead.  He rebounded quickly with back-to-back birdies on seven and eight to retake the top spot.  Dufner added another birdie at 10 to retain his lead.  Then after several gutsy back nine par saves, Dufner's drive on the par four 16th found a hazard.  With an alligator lurking nearby, Dufner wisely took a drop and hit his ball to the right side of the green.  Now looking at 40-plus feet for par to stay tied for the lead, Dufner calmly rolled in the improbable putt to keep his momentum.  After grinding out two more pars on 17 and 18, Dufner was headed to a sudden death playoff.

Both players exchanged pars on the opening playoff hole and they headed back to the 18th tee for the third time today.  This time Dufner seized the moment, hitting the par five 18th in two shots and making a routine two putts for birdie and the victory.  This is Dufner's first PGA Tour win.  Post round Dufner stated of his winning performance, "I am really, really excited and to get the monkey off my back is a great feeling".

Luke Donald (FJ ICON MyJoys) also put on an impressive performance, shooting a final round 67 to finish solo third and retaking the number one spot on the Official World Golf Rankings. 

Wiesberger Wins Ballantine's Championship

FJ Ambassador Bernd Wiesberger won his first European Tour title in fine style at the Ballantine’s Championship as the Austrian cruised to a five shot victory in FJ ICON MyJoys and StaSof Glove.

Five shots clear overnight after consecutive course-record rounds of 65, the 26 year old was coolness personified as he compiled a closing round of 68. Twice a runner-up on The European Tour last season, there was never any danger of Wiesberger missing out this time as he played his final 59 holes without dropping a shot at Blackstone Golf Club.

Wiesberger, a runner-up in Scotland and South Africa last season, started with a pitch to six feet at the long fifth for a first gain of the day after opening with four consecutive pars.
Four further pars saw Wiesberger turn in 35 and still five clear, and he clocked up five further pars

He certainly finished off in style as he drained a 15 foot birdie putt at the last for good measure to finish with an 18 under par total.

“I just tried to enjoy it and I had the three best rounds of my life,” said Wiesberger. “I tried not to make bogeys and I did that pretty well, it was awesome.

“My game plan was to hit as many greens as possible and try to make putts, and they dropped in the end.

The victory earns him €367,500 which moves him to €438,464 in The Race to Dubai. It could also potentially move to around 95th in the Official World Golf Ranking from 170th.

Curtis Returns to the Winner's Circle in Texas

Former British Open Champion, Ben Curtis captured an emotional victory in San Antonio this week at the Valero Texas Open.  Curtis in head to toe FJ performance apparel, opened the week with back to back 67's, racing up the leaderboard with the 10-under par total.  Blustery winds made scoring difficult on Saturday as Curtis shot a one over par 73, despite the over par score Curtis retained the lead heading into the final round.

The tough scoring conditions from Saturday carried over to the final round, but Curtis (DryJoys Tour and StaSof) kept his head down and grinded out a front nine 35 to remain ahead of his challengers.  Then Curtis made early bogey's on the back nine to drop into a tie for the lead.  He fought back, making a string of pars before holing an unlikely 23-footer on the 17th hole to remain one ahead of his competition.  On the final hole, Curtis's challengers failed to make birdie giving Curtis two putts for the win.  He would finish the tournament out in style, holing the 12-footer for birdie and a two stroke victory.

This is Curtis's fourth PGA Tour win and first in the last six years adding post round, "It's been a tough couple of years just fighting through it." The win moves Curtis to the 28th spot on the FedEx Cup rankings.

This was part of a 3 win weekend for FJ. Lee Westwood (FJ Sport & SciFlex) successfully defended his Indonesian Masters tournament. It was his first title of the year and 38th in total for his career.

The World Number Three golfer completed a marathon of 32 holes as he returned on Sunday morning to finish the third round before closing with a final round 74 for a winning total of 16 under par at the Royale Jakarta Golf Club.

The trio of Wins was completed on the European Tour at the Volvo China Open.

Oosthuizen Wins in Malaysia!

Second at last week’s Masters Tournament. Third in Houston two weeks ago. But after two near misses and over 10,000 miles travelled, FJ ambassador Louis Oosthuizen (DryJoys Tour & SciFlex) finally clinched the victory his recent form richly deserved at the Maybank Malaysian Open.

The 29 year old South African defied the psychological fatigue of being pipped to a second Major Championship by fellow FJ loyalist Bubba Watson at Augusta National last Sunday and the physical tiredness of a 30-hour journey to win by three shots at Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club.

And all of that before you factor in the jet-lag of travelling across 12 time zones, made harder by the storm disruptions on Friday and Saturday which left the 2010 Open Champion with 26 holes to play on the final day. Truly this was a remarkable performance as Oosthuizen carded a closing 68 for a 17 under par total, with all four of his rounds sub-70.

One clear overnight, Oosthuizen ground down his nearest challenger, who remained in contention right until the closing stretch but struggled to make birdies in a bogey-free round of 70.

Oosthuizen began the day by playing the last eight holes of his third round in level par, and was briefly caught when his nearest competitor birdied the 15th and 16th.

He turned in a two under par 34, with his nearest challenger staying in touch with birdies at the fifth and tenth - both par fives - but crucially Oosthuizen was able to raise his game on the back nine and sink a ten foot birdie putt at the 13th.

A fifth European Tour title was all but secured after a slice of good fortune on the 16th - Oosthuizen’s drive almost went in the water, but having got lucky he took full advantage with a pitch to two feet and birdied.

“I thought I was going to be a lot more tired,” said Oosthuizen, after recording the fifth victory by a South African on the 2012 Race to Dubai. “It was a long journey to get here and I have to be honest and say that I didn't expect to play this well because of the tiredness.

Follwing his fantastic win Oozthuizen moves to €1,293,705 in The Race to Dubai, and 12th in the World Golf Rankings.

Elsewhere for FJ Spain’s Rafael Cabrera-Bello continued his good form with a closing 71 for a 12 under total sixth on 11 under and defending champion Matteo Manassero also recorded top-ten finishes after rounds of 71 and 69 respectively.

Hoey Captures Trophee Hassan Title

FJ Loyalist Michael Hoey shot a final-round 65 to win the Hassan Trophy in Morocco by three shots.

Hoey (FJ ICON #52005) began the final round two behind the leader, but three birdies inside the last five holes ensured Hoey took home the title.
Hoey’s three shot victory lifts him inside the top 15 on The Race to Dubai and puts him back in the hunt for a Ryder Cup debut later this year.
The winner of last year's Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, had begun with an opening-round 74 but a 67, followed by successive 65s, gave the 33-year-old his fourth European Tour victory.
"It's amazing," said Hoey. "It's a great golf course, and the weather has been great the last two days.
"I knew it was going be tough and I thought it would be tighter at the end, but I was happy to see my last approach land on the 18th green.
On his chances of qualifying for the European Ryder Cup team, he added: "I haven't really been thinking about it but I'm in contention now.
Elsewhere Fellow FJ wearer Jamie Donaldson carded a course record 61 - 11 under par - to finish in a tie for third, a further shot back.
He was joined on 13 under by fellow FJ ambassador Phillip Price. FJ Sport and StaSof wearer Matteo Manassero, who needed to win in order to qualify for the Masters in April, was in contention at the beginning of the final round, but had to settle for a tie for sixth

Hoey is now second in The Ryder Cup qualifying campaign, and  his €250,000 first prize moves him to €316,798 in The Race to Dubai.

Double Win for FJ!

Luke Donald Reclaims the World Number One Ranking
 

Two weeks ago Luke Donald lost the world number one ranking to Rory McIlroy (FJ Sport & PureTouch) after holding it for 40 consecutive weeks.  This week, Englishman Luke Donald, wearing custom FJ ICON MyJoys, emerged from a four man playoff to win the Transitions Championship at Innisbrook Golf Resort to reclaim the world number one ranking.

Beginning the day three strokes off of the 54-hole lead, Donald shot a flawless bogey free, five under par 66 to tie Robert Garrigus (FJ SPORT) and two other competitors for a sudden death playoff.

Donald, teeing off last in the playoff, narrowly missed his tee shot to the right rough. Hitting his approach shot first, Donald took dead aim striking a mid iron to within five feet of the hole.  His playing competitors could not muster similar brilliance on their approaches and fell outside of Donald.  With all of his playing competitors missing their birdie bids, Donald had the five footer for the win and the world number one ranking.  Luke stroked the putt and watched it curl into the left side of the cup for the victory.

Luke Donald still has his eyes on this seasons first major stating, "I feel like I've achieved a lot in my career but this is perfect preparation. I've got two weeks off now and can look forward to Augusta."

Rory McIlroy also chimed via twitter on the Englishman supplanting him as the top ranked golfer, "Well I enjoyed it while it lasted! Congrats @LukeDonald! Impressive performance!"

Brilliant Quesne Claims maiden Title

FJ Loyalist Julien Quesne produced the round of his life on the final day of the Open de Andalucía Costa del Sol and with it walked away with the €166,660 winner’s prize.

The 31 year old Frenchman, who graduated from last season’s Challenge Tour wearing FJ ICON Wave had never before won more than the €22,464 he took home for finishing 17th at last month’s Avantha Masters in a European Tour event.

But an eight under par 64 – matching the Aloha course record – took him to 17 under par and neither FJ ambassador Matteo Manassero (FJ Sport and StaSof) or the rest of the field could catch him.

Quesne birdied four of the last five holes, his magnificent approach to the difficult 18th leaving him a five foot putt which he nervelessly holed.

The two-time Challenge Tour winner, never previously higher than 16th in a European Tour event and 322nd in the Official World Golf Ranking, finished two clear of Italian teenager Manassero,

Quesne birdied both par fives on the front nine, and rolled in mid-range birdie putts at the eighth and ninth to turn in 32.

After five consecutive pars he sunk a 12 footer at the 14th to spark his decisive run, rolling in a 15 footer at the 15th and two-putting from 60 feet at the long 16th before producing one of the shots of the week into the final green.

Quesne moves to around 180th in the Official World Golf Ranking from 322nd and becomes the 400th different winner in European Tour history.

Mahan Captures the WGC Accenture Match Play

In this week's WGC Accenture Match Play, 64 of the world's best players competed at the rugged Dove Mountain Course in Marana, Arizona.  After four days of competition only four players remained.  All four players choose FJ shoes and gloves to help them compete week in and week out on the worldwide stage. 

With the all FJ final four set, Hunter Mahan (FJ ICON and StaSof) took on Mark Wilson (FJ ICON and SciFlex) in the first match this Sunday.  Hunter Mahan, playing some tremendous golf, took down Wilson 2 & 1 to to be the first competitor in the Championship match.

Rory McIlroy (FJ SPORT and Pure Touch Limited) would take on Lee Westwood (FJ SPORT and Sciflex) in the other semifinal match.  Falling three down through the first four holes, McIlroy responded brilliantly winning four of the next five holes taking a one up lead into the back nine.  Rory did not look back, eventually defeating Westwood 3 & 1.  

In the Championship match and potential Ryder Cup preview, the red hot Hunter Mahan; who led the field in birdies, took on the world number two golfer in Rory McIlroy. Both players showed nerves on the opening hole exchanging bogies.  On the next three holes both players went birdie, birdie, bogey to remain all square.

Mahan then beat McIlroy on the sixth, seventh, and eighth holes to open a three up lead.  He would add the tenth hole to go four up.  Fighting back, McIlroy won the eleventh with a chip in for eagle.  Keeping the pressure on Mahan, Rory birdied the fourteenth to further wear away the Mahan lead. It would not be enough, as the players would halve the next three holes to give Mahan a 2 & 1 victory over McIlroy.

Mahan, showing some humility, "I got hot there in the middle of the week and was able to ride it out," adding, "He’s (McIlroy) the best player in the world right now, I knew he’d made a charge, and he did.” 

McIlroy also spoke highly of Mahan, " He was solid as ever. He’s a deserving champion.”

This is Hunter's second World Golf Championship win and the victory moves Hunter into the top ten on the official world golf rankings. 

In the consolation match, Wilson defeated Westwood one up to finish third and fourth respectively for the Championship.

Delhi Delight for Kruger

Jbe Kruger shot a final round 70 claim his first European Tour victory at the Avantha Masters in New Delhi.

Overnight leader Kruger wearing FJ ICON #52005 and SciFlex Glove started with a birdie at the fourth from 12 feet. Kruger then holed a birdie putt from 20 feet at the eighth to enter the back nine with a one shot lead, and the decisive fourth birdie of the day followed at the par three 11th

A wayward drive at the last then struck a camera, and his second went left in to trees, but faced with a daunting third over the water Kruger displayed nerves of steel to stick his approach to ten feet.

“I’m very relieved to win for the first time,” said Kruger, who putted beautifully all week. “If you want to win you need to make putts on the final day and I did that today.

The 25 year old South African’s final score of -14 insured him of taking home a prize total of € 300,000. This takes him up to 110th in the world and propels him up the Race to Dubai standings to 4th place.

Haas Wins in Dramatic Fashion at Riviera CC

Haas, two strokes down at the beginning of the final round, shot a two under par 69 to claim the clubhouse lead.  Haas would then wait for the players chasing him to finish up their final rounds, eventually leading to a three way tie at the top. 

With a three man playoff set, Haas wearing FJ ICON would hit the fairway and narrowly miss the green on his approach.  Haas, no stranger to pressure, calmly chipped his ball to within five feet of the hole and brushed in the par saving putt to extend the playoff. 

Moving onto the short and treacherous driveable par 4 10th, Haas pulled a driver and went for the green only to end up long and left of the 312-yard heavily guarded hole.  Instead of playing his upcoming pitch directly at the tricky pin, Haas played the percentage shot to the middle of the green where he could easily make a par.  Haas then sized up the 43-footer with several feet of break and poured it straight into the center of the cup for birdie.  Both of his playing competitors would fail to convert their birdies making Bill Haas the 2012 Northern Trust Open Champion. 

Rafael Cabrera-Bello Shines In Dubai

Today Rafael Cabrera-Bello shot a bogey-free, four under par 68 at the windswept Emirates Golf Club to claim the Omega Dubai Desert Classic by one stroke over fellow FJ Ambassador Lee Westwood (FJ Sport).  Rafa captured the first round lead courtesy of a flawless nine under par 63, that included birdies on nine of the first eleven holes.  Over the next two days, he stayed one stroke off Westwood's 54-hole lead by adding rounds of 69 and 70.
 
Cabrera-Bello strode to victory in the style and comfort of FJ ICON #52005 and FJ RainGrip.  During the final round Rafa's style on the course translated to his golf game, making 3 birdies over the final nine holes, including a crucial birdie on the 17th to win by one stroke. 
 
Rafa was elated after the win, "With so many big, big names I felt really proud of myself. I wanted to fight, I stayed calm, I did everything that I’ve read we should do in these type of situations," continuing, "Just the fact that I was able today to be successful just proves to me that I'm working on the right line...It's just a huge, huge confidence and huge morale boost.”
 
This is Cabera-Bello's second European Tour title.  It, also, gains him an exemption through the 2014 season on the European Tour and secures him a place in the 2012 Bridgestone Invitational and 2012 WGC - HSBC Champions.