Snedeker wins Farmers Insurance Open in Playoff

Kyle Stanley waves after a par on the fifth hole during final round of the Farmers Insurance Open Golf tournament in San Diego, Sunday, Jan., 29, 2012. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

24-year-old Kyle Stanley triple bogeyed hole number 18 at the Torrey Pines South Course to send the Farmers Insurance Open into a playoff.

Stanley had a 5–shot lead against the rest of field heading into the final day.

Brandt Snedeker, who began the day 7 shots behind Stanley, shot a final round 67 (5-under par).

Stanley had a three shot lead against Snedeker going onto the final hole of the tournament.

Stanley then folded under pressure and then triple bogeyed the hole sending him and Snedeker into a two-player sudden death playoff.

They started on the 18th hole and both Stanley and Snedeker birdied the par-5 first playoff hole.

They then went  to the par-3 16^th hole. Stanley hit first, landing his ball on the front of the green. Snedeker launched his ball behind the green, took a bounce, and landed near one of the tents.

Snedeker was awarded a free drop, and landed his chip 5 ½ feet from the pin and ended up par-ing the hole.

Stanley then had a short putt to send the playoff into a third hole, but lipped out his 5 foot putt for par to make Snedeker the winner of the Farmers Insurance Open.

This is Snedeker’s first win of the new PGA Tour season. He won the RBC Heritage last year after defeating world number 1 Luke Donald in a playoff.

Brandt Snedeker celebrates with his wife Mandy and their 11-month-old daughter after winning the Farmers Insurance Open on the South Course at Torrey Pines on Jan. 29, 2012 in La Jolla, California. (AP Photo/Scott A. Miller)

Nationwide Tour graduates top-25 to PGA Tour

The Nationwide Tour has given the top-25 players their PGA Tour card for the 2012 season.

The top-25 were based on how the players finished at the end of the years’ money list.

Among the 25 players receiving their PGA Tour card, 13 are 30-years-old or younger.

The youngest graduate is 21-year-old Danny Lee. Lee led the Nationwide Tour with the lowest scoring average, 68.82 shots per round.

Lee finished 6th on the Nationwide Tour’s money list.

Leading the Nationwide Tour’s money list was 30-year-old J.J. Killeen.

Killeen won back-to-back tournaments, the Utah Championship and the Cox Classic. Killen also had 11 top-25 finishes this year and only missed the cut at four events.

Some of the graduates from last years class includes Jhonattan Vegas, Hunter Haas, Tommy Gainey, Brendan Steele and  two-time PGA Tour winner Keegan Bradley.

The Nationwide Tour helps develop professional golfers who have either failed to score well enough at Qualifying School (or referred to as Q-School) or have not made enough money on the PGA Tour to retain their membership.

To learn more about Lee or Killeen and to see the full list of Nationwide Tour graduates, click here.

Making of the Golf Boys pt. 2

While the first “Making Of” video featured Rickie Fowler, Ben Crane, Bubba Watson, and Hunter Mahan dancing their way to the top, the second shows off the Boys’ vocal abilities.

Their singing skills are quite like their dancing, a little rough around the edges but full of personality.

In the video, Crane claims that singing is a  “pitch and tone thing” and that being in a boy band is what he was bred for.

Also in the video Mahan stated that “I have been singing since I can remember”.

Mahan was very confident in his vocal talent, and even went about calling the lyrics “legendary”.

Fowler said in the video that singing “has been nothing I have to work at…I just wake up and I’m great. It’s as easy as that.”

Watson stated in the video “I have always wanted to be a dancer. And then singing was the easy part.”

While each of the Golf Boys thought they had the best vocal talent, it is obvious they all just were their to have some fun.

The music video itself is not just for fun. Farmers Insurance is donating $1,000 per 100,000 views on the Golf Boys music video for “Oh Oh Oh”.

You can watch the music video on YouTube or download the song off ITunes.

Making of the Golf Boys pt. 1

The “Making Of” videos of the Golf Boys’ hit song “Oh Oh Oh” may be just as comical and entertaining as the music video itself.

Rickie Fowler, Ben Crane, Bubba Watson, and Hunter Mahan are all still dressed as their rock star persona while learning the moves to their song hit song

In addition to the four golfers, they are joined by an over-the-top choreographer that seems to have key phrases for all of the boys’ new moves.

While the video starts off slow, the more you get into it the funnier it gets.

Some of the phrases the choreographer comes up with are “stick, stick, bounce bounce stick” and “Ha-llo? Ascuse me? We are closed for business”. Yes, in the choreographers eyes those are ways to describe the dance moves.

When the choreographer calls out Crane on his “dragon” moves and tells him to “pop”, his band mates struggle with not laughing and hold back their smiles.

Crane was not the only one who was called out. During the shooting of the video, Fowler always seemed to be a second or two late with his “I have power so show it” opening move.

Also, Fowler claimed in the video that the song will “top the charts” and Watson claimed that “everybody is inside the box” and that their “minds are outside the box”.

If you agree with the two Golf Boys members, feel free to watch the music video on YouTube or download the song from Itunes.

For every 100,000 views the song gets on You Tube, Farmers Insurance will donate $1,000 to charity.

Ben Crane has third child

Winning a golf tournament might be the highlight of someone’s career, but for Ben Crane winning the McGladrey Classic last weekend was overpowered with his excitement of welcoming his third child to the family on Monday.

Crane and his wife Heather welcomed 7.6 lbs baby girl, Saylor Mackenzie Crane to the world on Monday.

This is Crane’s third child with his wife, and second daughter. Both child and mother are doing well.

Crane, who is one of golfs more entertaining golfers off the course, is sure to be a fathers who lets their kids have fun and go show them all the fun stuff they can have.

Case and point, this video.

Now imagine having that person as your father, fun right?

Odds are little Saylor will grow up in a fun-filled and less-than-boring family with having Crane as her father.

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Rpry McIlroy will be joining the PGA Tour next year.

The Northern-Irish lad will bring some new flavor and pizazz to the Tour.

Not only will he bring his golf game with him, but hopefully he will bring some of his food customs as well.

In this interview, we learn some or McIlroy’s favorite things in the world, including his favorite dessert.

To see what McIlroy has to say about his favorite dessert, fast forward to to about 55 seconds.

While we may have never heard of Sticky Toffee Pudding before, it seemed like a dessert that was worth trying to bake.

Here is how you can make Sticky Toffee Pudding.

 

Young golfers lead way at McGladrey Classic

Simpson waves to the crowd after making a birdie putt during the first round og the McGladrey Classic. (Photo Credit: AP Photo/Stephen Morton)

Another fall series event is underway but we are starting to see some familiar actions.

At the end of the first day 26-year-old Webb Simpson is tied for the lead at the McGladrey Classic in Sea Island, Georgia.

Simpson, who shot a 7-under 63, recorded an almost flawless day making eight birdies and one bogey.

Simpson started the day on the back nine, and his only bogey came on the par-4 18^th hole.

Tied with Simpson for the lead is 27-year-old Zach Miller.

Miller started on the back nine like Simpson and Miller recorded three birdies and an eagle to shoot 4-under for his first nine holes of play.

Miller’s back nine was just as impressive, making two birdies and having a bogeyless round of golf and tying Simpson for the lead.

Two shots behind Simpson and Miller are 26-year-old Michael Thompson and 24-year-old Cameron Tringale.

Fowler watches his second tee shot at the McGladrey Classic. (Photo Credit: AP Photo/Stephen Morton)

Thompson recorded a bogeyless round of play, making five birdies putting him at 5-under for the day.

Tringale posted six birdies and his only blemish on his score card came on the par-4 ninth hole that he bogeyed.

Tringale’s roommate, Rickie Fowler, did not play as well as he would have like coming off of his first pro win this past week at the Korea Open.

Fowler shot 3-over, posting four bogeys and one birdie, putting him tied for 117.

The future of golf shines during Fall Series

During the PGA Tour’s fall series events, the young players have been making their presence known.

Cauley tips his hat to the gallery after his thrid place finish at the Frys.com Open. (Photo Credit: AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

 

Twenty-eight year old Kevin Na, winner of the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospital for Children Open, won his first tournament after being on the Tour for eight years in the first of four fall series events.

Bud Cauley also made a splash during the Frys.com Open this past weekend.

The 21-year-old got third place and earned himself a spot in this weekend’s tournament, the McGladrey Classic in Sea Island, Georgia.

This weekend’s tournament has a major lineup of players under the age of 30.

Two-time PGA Tour winner this year Webb Simpson and last week’s winner of the Korean Open Rickie Fowler headline the list of players under 30.

Fowler reads a putt during the Korea Open. (Photo Credit: AP Photo/Yonhap Yang Young)

Look for Fowler to carry some momentum back into the states and try for his first PGA Tour event win.

He finally broke the barrier of being able to play well on Sunday, so look for him to have some new, re-gained confidence.

Simpson ended the year hot, only missing the cut in one of his last 10 events he played in. Simpson also had six top-10 finishes in his last 10 events.

Simpson tied for 12^th place at the McGladrey Classic last year.

Look for Simpson, Fowler, and Cauley to play well this weekend in Sea Island, Georgia and continue showing the golf world why they are the future of golf.

To view more on the McGladrey Classic, click here.

Fowler wins first pro tournament

Rickie Fowler kisses the trophy after winning the Korea Open in Cheonan, South Korea. (Photo Credit: AP Photo)

Rickie Fowler has finally won his first tournament as a pro golfer, winning the Korea Open in Cheonan, South Korea.

Fowler has been a PGA Tour member since 2009 and has yet to win a tournament on the PGA Tour. He did, however, win this past weekend very convincingly shooting 16-under par for the four-day tournament.

Fowler was one of seven players to shoot under par for the entire tournament.

While not many would say this is a legitimate win for Fowler because this was a Korean Tour event, some well known names did participate.

Rickie Fowler, left, of the United States is congratulated by Rory Mcllroy. (Photo Credit: AP Photo)

Two other well known golfers that played in the Korean Open were Rory McIlroy and Y.E. Yang.

McIlory, defending U.S. Open Champion and Fowler’s next closest competitor, placed second behind Fowler and finished at 10-under par, six shots behind Fowler for first place.

Yang finished at 5-under par, shooting 4-over par on Sunday, pushing him back to fourth place.

Fowler remained in control of his fate the entire weekend with having rounds of 67, 70, 63, and having a final round score of 68 (3-under par).

Fowler held his composure on Sunday, which has been a weakness for him while on the Tour. Fowler has gone into multiple events on Sunday with a chance to take the lead or keep the lead and win tournaments, but has always fell short.

Could this be a turning point for one of the PGA Tour’s young golfers?

Look for Fowler to play well this weekend and carry momentum into the McGladrey Classic this weekend in Sea Island, Georgia.

Rickie Fowler holds the trophy after winning the Korea Open in Cheonan, South Korea. (Photo Credit: AP Photo)

Practice does make perfect

While every hardcore golfers ultimate dream is to make it on the PGA Tour, they first must start out by learning all the basics.

A PGA teaching professional can teach and help any golfer, from a person picking up a set of clubs for the first time to an experienced golfer who is playing at a collegiate level or even a member of the PGA Tour.

Meet William Dixon, a PGA teaching professional based in Phoenix, Arizona.

Many of his students are in high school and wanting to play collegiate golf. He does also have some collegiate level golfers as his students.

Dixon offers lessons for both individuals and groups of golfers.

Watch and listen to the photo slideshow below to learn more about Dixon, his lessons, and some tips he has for starting golfers.