FJ Blog

Wilson Early Season Magic Continues

On his third start to the 2012 PGA Tour season, Mark Wilson, with memories of his two wins early last year, wrapped up a two stroke victory by holding off a slew of contenders at the Humana Challenge. 

Wilson, at 21 under par, began the final round with a three stroke lead over fellow FJ Ambassadors Zach Johnson, Robert Garrigus and Ben Crane.  Garrigus gave Wilson the biggest challenge on Sunday as Garrigus took the lead from Wilson on the par four tenth hole with a birdie. 

Wilson wearing FJ ICON and SciFlex, responded with an up-and-down birdie from over the green on the par five eleventh hole to regain a share of the lead at the top of the leaderboard.  On the next, Wilson hit his approach shot into a greenside bunker, only to hole out the 49 foot bunker shot for another birdie to retake the lead.  He added two more birdies on his way in, including a birdie on the last to seal the deal on the victory.

This is Wilson's fifth career PGA Tour victory.

Wagner Wins at Waialae

This weekend Johnson Wagner emerged from a crowded leaderboard to win the Sony Open in Hawaii.  Wagner wearing FJ ICON and SciFlex, started the day two strokes off of the 54 hole lead and with many players in the hunt, Wagner would need to play steady - level headed golf to give himself a chance for the win.  Playing his last 12 holes in four under par, Wagner closed with a three under 67 to finish the tournament at 13 under par.  The 13 under par total gave him a two shot victory over fellow FJ player Harrison Frazar.

Despite playing the front nine in one over par for the week, Johnson relied heavily on his back nine play to carry himself to victory.  Wagner did not make a single bogey on the back nine over the four rounds. He also made two eagles the par-5 18th to contribute to his 14-under par back nine total. 

This is Wagner's third PGA Tour victory and the win also earned him an invitation to the 2012 Masters.

Oosthuizen retains Africa Open

FJ Ambassador Louis Oosthuizen (FJ ICON & SciFlex) began The 2012 Race to Dubai in style as he successfully defended his Africa Open title at East London Golf Club.

The South African won on home soil for the second year running with a closing 67 to hold off the challenge of compatriot and fellow FJ loyalist Tjaart Van der Walt.

The former Open Champion held firm on the back nine as his playing partners struggled for birdies, Oosthuizen running out a two shot winner on 27 under par.

Oosthuizen was by far the most aggressive player in the final group, and asked about his decision to try and drive the greens on the shorter par fours said: “On six, I go for that green every time, so to me it was a good driver today with the wind into me.”

A huge drive at the 11th set up Oosthuizen for a two-putt birdie on the 11th, and a 30 foot birdie at the penultimate hole all but sealed a victory that was confirmed when he got up-and-down from the back of the 18th green for par.

OOsthuizen scooped the prizes of €158,500 which provisonally places him top of the Race to Dubai standings.

Double Win for FJ!

FJ Ambassadors Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter both strode to victory at the Thailand Golf Championship and The Australian Masters respectively.

Ian Poulter's win was at the beautiful Victoria Golf Club.   Poulter captured the early lead, opening the tournament with a six-under par 65 in benign conditions.  He followed that with another under par round of 68 to remain in control of the tourney. 

On the third day, fellow FJ loyalist Geoff Ogilvy torched his boyhood course shooting an eight-under par 63 to overtake Poulter at the top of the leaderboard.

Playing together in the final pairing on Sunday, Poulter was two strokes back of the Australian with 18 holes to play.  Poulter, a tenacious matchplay competitor, fancied his chances despite it being a home game for Ogilvy. 

On the first hole, Poulter in custom FJ Icon MyJoys and a SciFlex glove drove the green and sank the 15 foot putt for eagle to tie Ogilvy for the lead.  The always honest Ogilvy commented post round on Poulter's eagle at the first, "There were 17 hard holes to play. You obviously want to...increase your lead, but there is not much you can do when a guy hits a great shot and makes an eagle."

Poulter stated plainly that the eagle was, "crucial" to him overtaking the Australian.  Playing in windy conditions the rest of the way, Poulter played brilliantly creating a two shot cushion through the first nine holes.  Poulter would shoot even par over the remaining nine holes for a three stroke victory.

Lee Westwood cruised to a seven-shot victory on Sunday in the Thailand Golf Championship.  Westwood wearing FJ Sport and SciFlex set the pace early, opening the tournament with a 12 under par 60 on the Amata Springs course.  He then followed the stellar round with an impressive eight-under par 64 to open a 11 shot lead through two rounds of play. 

"I've amazed myself really...It's been staggering, it all came together well. It's probably the best I've ever played." Westwood said of his blistering start to the tourney.

Despite his massive lead, Westwood felt the pressure of holding onto it, "I've never had an 11-shot lead before and it was difficult to come out and refocus and reset goals...it's yours to lose really with an 11-shot lead. There was pressure involved. Yesterday, I didn't know how to approach it or handle it."  Westwood handled the pressure just closing with a three under par 69 to win by seven shots.  The win moves Westwood to number two on the official world golf rankings. 

Luke Donald's historic Double

FJ ICON loyalist Luke Donald strode to a historic money list double as he captured The Race to Dubai title at Jumeirah Golf Estates.

The World Number One had already won the US PGA Tour money list, and added European Number One to his CV when his last remaining challenger, Rory McIlroy (FJ Sport) ,failed to win the Dubai World Championship.
Donald birdied the last three holes for a second successive 66 and took third place in the tournament, one behind Scot Paul Lawrie (FJ ICON) and three behind the eventual World Dubai Championship winner.

It completes a remarkable year for Donald, who becomes the first player to win the money list on both sides of the Atlantic.

"It's funny to sum up how I feel," said Donald.  "This is something I've wanted for the last few months - to try and win both Money Lists.  Obviously with my come from behind win at Disney, this really became possible.

Having captured the World Golf Championship –Accenture Match Play title in Arizona in February, he added The European Tour’s flagship BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, beating Lee Westwood in a play-off and becoming World Number One in the process.
The 34 year old Englishman added a third title at the Barclays Scottish Open before winning the Children’s’ Miracle Network Classic at Disneyland to secure the US PGA Tour money list crown.

Only when he was being interviewed afterwards did the tears well up in Donald's eyes as he was asked what his father would have thought and done.

"He would have been very proud and he would just give me a big hug," he said.

The season ending climax was poised perfectly between Donald and McIlroy, but try as the US Open Champion and FJ loylist Rory McIlroy did to try to catch him at the top of The Race to Dubai, Donald was not to be denied on his return.

"I didn't really look at a leaderboard until the 13th, but didn't see Rory's name and so knew it was mine."

All that can make 2012 better, of course, is if that first Major victory follows.

It would shock nobody if it does. That is how far Donald he has come this year.

McIlroy Storms from Behind in Hong Kong

FJ Ambassador Rory McIlroy won the Hong Kong Open with a bogey free, five under par - 65 for a two shot victory.
McIlroy admittedly did not have his best game the previous days, "This week there have been glimpses of really, really good golf...On Friday and Saturday, I really did struggle."
Without his A-game, the Northern Irishman was still only three-strokes back beginning the final round.  Through nine holes, McIlroy, wearing FJ Sport and Pure Touch Limited, would birdie two holes to draw even at the top of the leaderboard.  Continuing his superb play, McIlroy then birdied two more holes on the back nine to take a one shot lead into the final hole.  On the last, McIlroy's approach shot would land in a green-side bunker, only to hole his next shot for a birdie and the two shot victory.
This win was special for McIlroy, "To come from behind, and to draw level after nine holes and then to play very solid golf on the back nine and be able to close it out, it's something I probably haven't done before." Continuing on, "It was a different win - it would be nice to be walking up the last with a four shot lead every time, but that's just not going to happen. It was nice to finish it off like this."
The win puts McIlroy into second place on the European Tour money list behind fellow FJ Ambassador  Luke Donald (FJ ICON), who is trying to becoming the first ever player to win both the PGA Tour money title and European Tour money title in the same calendar year.  World number one (Donald) and World number two (McIlroy) will go head to head at the Dubai World Championship later this week to close out the European Tour season.

Joost enfin !

Notre ambassadeur FJ Joost Luiten (FJ Sport 53139 et gant RainGrip) remporte son premier succès sur l'European Tour avec un coup d'avance sur un autre ambassadeur FJ, Daniel Chopra (FJ ICON et gant SciFlex glove) à l'Iskandar Johor Open.

Parti quatre coups derrière Chopra, Luiten signait une carte de 65 (-5) pour recueillr le prix de ses efforts et de sa ténacité sur le circuit depuis plusieurs années avec un total de -15.

Après la réduction du tournoi à trois tours en raison de multiples interruptions dûes aux orages et à la pluie, Chopra ne pouvait faire mieux qu'un score de 70.

Drrière eux, d'autres "artistes" FJ, Padraig Harrington terminaient à -13.

Après un premier 63, le jeune Néerlandais de 25 ans reculait avec un 70 au second tour avnt de rebondir avec un dernier tour avec cinq birdies et sans aucun bogey.

Luiten avait terminé dans le top-15 dans huit de ses derniers tournois et sa victoire était d'autant plus attendue que son début de carrière avait été perturbé par des problèmes de poignet. Un talent enfin couronné !

Chalmers che lui

Notre ambassadeur FJ Greg Chalmers (FJ DryJoys Tour) a remporté un Emirates Australian Open de classe mondiale, et ce pour la deuxième fois, avec un dernier tour en 69 en défense contre la charge de ses principaux rivaux. Il avait commencé sa journée deux coups derrière le leader, mais trois birdies rapides lui ont donné l'avantage, maintenu avec des pars dans les trois derniers trous, dont une merveille de bunker-putt au 18.

Luke Donald sur tous les fronts

Numéro 1 mondial, Luke Donald s'est inscrit au dernier moment au Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Classic, pour tenter de s'y imposer et de remporter la Money List du PGA Tour. Actuellement en tête du circuit européen, avec une grosse avance sur Rory McIlroy, Donald cherchera à devenir le premier à s'imposer des deux côtés de l'Atlantique la même année.

Ses chances paraissaient pourtant minces quand il débutait le dernier tour avec cinq coups de retard sur les leaders, et deux sur le leader de la Money List, Webb Simpson, mais Donald (FJ ICON MyJoys) réussissait un retour exceptionnel avec six birdies pour parapher une carte de 64, terminant le tournoi disputé chez Mickey, sur les parcours de DisneyWorld Orlando à -17. En dépit de ses efforts, Simpson ne pouvait que finir à la sixième place, laissant échapper le titre. 

Pour Donald, c'était la seconde victoire de la saison sur le PGA Tour, son 14ème Top-10.

The 2011 McGladrey Classic

Ben Crane was an afterthought beginning Sunday's final round three strokes off the 54 hole lead.  Crane wearing DryJoys Tour and Pure Touch Limited, started his final round with seven straight pars before switching his game into overdrive on the par-4 eight by making his first birdie of the day.  He would follow the birdie on eight with three more birdies over the next three holes.  A bogey on number 12 only momentarily slowed Crane, as he made four more consecutive birdies from 14 through 17 to enter a tie at the top of the leaderboard with the two time 2011 winner Webb Simpson

Both players would complete 72 holes at 15 under par to force the 18th playoff of the year on the PGA Tour.  Beginning the playoff both players had something to prove; Crane, to win his first tourney of 2011 and Simpson a possible PGA Tour money title.  Crane made the first move hitting his approach shot into the par-4 18th to six feet.  Simpson would respond, hitting a tricky greenside bunker shot into tap in range.  Crane's birdie putt narrowly missed the hole and both players left with a par.  Both players would find the green on the par-3 17th.  Simpson would putt first, lagging his put to three feet.  Playing more aggressively, Crane ran his putt five feet by the hole, leaving himself a tough putt for par, but poured it into the center of the cup putting the pressure on Simpson.  With a short putt to extend the Playoff Simpson would miss making Crane the 2011 McGladrey Classic winner.