Slight enhancement to 'Golfer'/'Season Stats' Pages

We've added the round scores to the results pop-ups on the golfer pages ('View Options' menu) and the season stats pages ('Stats Analysis' menu) on Golf Predictor. This brings them into line with the results tables on the prediction pages. Just another way to make Golf Predictor slightly better!

New Statistics Added to Charts

We have added some new statistics underneath certain charts on Golf Predictor. We now show the number of tournaments played and the average value for all round, scoring average and position charts on Prediction, Season Stats and Results by Player pages. The same information is also available for some other charts, e.g. world ranking. These new statistics are shown above for Tiger Woods' impressive performances in the 2009 season.

These statistics as shown above are only available to subscribers. Non-subscribers will only get to view the number of tournaments. So, sign up today to get the most out of Golf Predictor, the premier US & European PGA Tour statistics site.

New Statistics Added to Results By Player Page

It might be Christmas Day, but that doesn't mean we rest here at Golf Predictor! We have added a new season statistics table above the results table on the "Results By Player" page ("View Options" menu) in the member section. This is shown above for Tiger Woods' impressive results in the 2009 season.

These statistics as shown above are only available to subscribers. Non-subscribers will only get to view the top line. So, sign up today to get the most out of Golf Predictor, the premier US & European PGA Tour statistics site.

Happy Christmas Everyone!

Well, it's almost Christmas again, so we here at Golf Predictor would like to wish all our readers and members a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! We thank you for your support this year and we look forward to it continuing in 2010.

Like the golf tours, we're going to take a little hiatus for the holidays, but we'll be back in plenty of time to cover the golf on both the US and European PGA Tours next year.

Happy Christmas everyone!

2010 - Week 2 Winner

Richie Ramsay (ranked 21st by Golf Predictor) finished strongly to secure his maiden win on the European PGA Tour in the South African Open Championship. The former US Amateur Champion closed with the best score of the day (65) to to get into play-off in with India's Shiv Kapur (67). The Scot prevailed with a birdie on first extra hole to take the title and the top prize of €158,500. I guess we can call him Richie Rich now!

Our top ranked player, Charl Schwartzel, never recovered from an opening 77 to finish in tied 26th place, but we had six of the top fifteen plus ties (6/17) .

2010 - Week 2 Prediction Online

The predictions for this week, the South African Open Championship (European PGA Tour), are now available on Golf Predictor. Although this is the second week of the 2010 season, it is also the last event of the 2009 calendar year on both major tours. After this week, it's a well earned break for everyone for Christmas!

2010 - Week 1 Winner

Pablo Martin (ranked 79th by Golf Predictor) overcame poor 2009 form to win the first event of the 2010 European PGA Tour season. In doing so, the young Spaniard became the first player to win as an amateur and a professional on the tour. He also ensured that keeping his card for next season will be as big a problem as it was for him last season!

Our top ranked player, Ernie Els, finished very poorly with a 77 for tied 17th place, but we had nine of the top fifteen plus ties (9/16) to start the 2009 season on a high note.

2009 - Top 5 Easiest Courses/Tournaments on the European PGA Tour

Based on the average score in relation to par in the tournaments hosted on them, these were the 5 easiest courses on the European PGA Tour in the 2009 Season:

1. Centro Nacional de Golf (Madrid Masters)
2. Oceanico Victoria Clube de Golfe (Portugal Masters)
3. Club de Campo del Mediterraneo (Castello Masters)
4. Abu Dhabi Golf Club (Abu Dhabi Golf Championship)
5. St. Andrews, Kingsbarns & Carnoustie (Alfred Dunhill Links Championship)
   

This is a completely different list from the 2008 season. Interestingly, the Iberian peninsula seems to need to toughen up its courses! You can get more detailed information by looking at the 'Lowest Average Round vs Par' chart on the 'View Options/Tourn. Stats' page in the member section of Golf Predictor.

Click on the "Lists" category opposite to see more such lists.

2009 - Top 5 Easiest Courses/Tournaments on the US PGA Tour

Based on the average score in relation to par in the tournaments hosted on them, these were the 5 easiest courses on the US PGA Tour in the 2009 Season:

1. PGA West and sister courses (Bob Hope Chrysler Classic)
2. TPC Summerlin (Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open)
3. The Plantation Course (Mercedes Benz Championship)
4. Warwick Hills (Buick Open)
5. TPC Deere Run (John Deere Classic)

This list is almost the same as the one for the 2008 season. The Bob Hope, which is played on 4 courses and over 5 days, proved ridiculously easy in 2009 and easily reclaimed top spot in the list. You can get more detailed information by looking at the 'Lowest Average Round vs Par' chart on the 'View Options/Tourn. Stats' page in the member section of Golf Predictor.

Click on the "Lists" category opposite to see more such lists.

2009 - Top 5 Hardest Courses/Tournaments on the European PGA Tour

Based on the average score in relation to par in the tournaments hosted on them, these were the 5 toughest courses on the European PGA Tour in the 2009 Season:

1. Porto Santo Golfe (Madeira Islands Open BPI)
2. Bethpage Black (US Open)
3. Turnberry - Ailsa Course (British Open)
4. Hazeltine National (US PGA)
5. Beijing CBD International (Volvo China Open)

Granted, the weather and relatively weak field played a part in Madeira, but hopefully a useful list all the same. The Volvo China Open retains its spot in the top 5 and like last year, it is top heavy with major tournaments. Unsurprisingly, the US Open at Bethpage Black is the hardest of those. You can get more detailed information by looking at the 'Highest Average Round vs Par' chart on the 'View Options/Tourn. Stats' page in the member section of Golf Predictor.

Click on the "Lists" category opposite to see more such lists.

2009 - Top 5 Hardest Courses/Tournaments on the US PGA Tour

Based on the average score in relation to par in the tournaments hosted on them, these were the toughest courses on the US PGA Tour in the 2009 season:

1. Bethpage Black (US Open)
2. Turnberry - Ailsa Course (British Open)
3. Hazeltine National (US PGA)
4. Bay Hill Club & Lodge (Arnold Palmer Invitational)
   
5. Muirfield Village (Memorial)
   

This list is similar to last year's and is again top heavy with major tournaments. The beast that is Bethpage Black unsurprisingly ranked as the toughest. You can get more detailed information by looking at the 'Highest Average Round vs Par' chart on the 'View Options/Tourn. Stats' page in the member section of Golf Predictor.

Click on the "Lists" category opposite to see more such lists.

2010 - Week 1 Prediction Online

There's no rest for the wicked as the 2010 season kicks off again, just a couple of weeks after the end of the 2009 campaign. The predictions for this opening week, the Alfred Dunhill Championship (European PGA Tour), are now available on Golf Predictor.

This is the first of 4 European PGA Tour events in a row in South Africa, with two each side of Christmas. That'll give some golfers a final chance to earn some dough to pay for their holiday shopping or kick off the New Year on a good note!

2010 Tournaments in System

We are happy to announce that all the finalised 2010 European and US PGA Tour events have been entered into Golf Predictor. In addition to browsing the new tournaments using the three options in the 'Tournaments' page, you can now view the new tournament locations using Google Maps on the 'Tournament Locations' page. You can also see the new course information and charts on the 'Courses' pages. All these pages are available from the 'View Options' menu in the Golf Predictor Member section.

The Fall Series on the US PGA Tour has yet to be finalised, while information on the European counterpart is somewhat sparse at the moment. The European PGA Tour has been badly affected by the economic climate, so there are many gaps in the schedule. When more information becomes available, we will of course update our system.

2009 Season Stats Available

The 2009 season statistics are now available on Golf Predictor. As with other years, these stats show the performance of every golfer who played at least five events on the European/US PGA Tours this season. Unsurprisingly, Tiger Woods once again tops the ranking, even if his stats aren't quite as amazing as last year. This is because he missed a cut and played nineteen events this year (as opposed to seven last season, due to injury). Still, he manages to average a top ten result, which is terrific consistency for a top performer. Interestingly, Race to Dubai contenders Lee Westwood and Rory McIlroy came next in the rankings while Kenny Perry is the only player who played a full season not to miss a cut.

You can view these new stats by selecting one of the 'Season Stats' options on the 'Stats Analysis' menu in the member section of Golf Predictor.

2009 - Week 51 Winner

Lee Westwood (ranked 1st by Golf Predictor) finished off his Race to Dubai battle with Rory McIlroy in style with a comfortable victory in the Dubai World Championship presented by DP. Leading by two overnight, the English man played some of the best golf of his career in a flawless eight birdie round of 64 to win by six shots from Ross McGowan. McIlroy finished a shot further back in third place in the new season ending megabucks event on the European PGA Tour. Including predicting the winner, we had six of the top nine plus ties (6/11) to end the 2009 season on a high note.

The end of another season means a well earned breather from tournaments for us for a couple of weeks until the 2010 Euro season starts up again (in 2009 of course!).

2009 - Week 51 Prediction Online

The predictions for week 51, the Dubai World Championship presented by: DP World (European PGA Tour), are now available. There is a high quality field assembled in Dubai this week for the new season ending extravaganza, even if Paul Casey is injured and Anthony Kim decided not to bother turning up. It is also the last event of what has been a long season for the golfers and for Golf Predictor!

As this is the inaugural event, there are obviously no pre-2004 champions (Golf Predictor uses the results from the previous 5 years) in the field.

2009 - Week 50 Winners

The penultimate week of the 2009 Golf Predictor season (combined US/European PGA Tours) was a busy one, with three tournaments on three different continents. Tiger Woods (ranked 1st by Golf Predictor) won for the first time in Australia at the JBWere Masters on the European PGA Tour. Woods thereby added about €175k to his reported $3million appearance fee, which should be enough to pay for the private jet which took him on his Asian/Australian jaunt! Including the winner, we had nine of the top seventeen plus ties (9/20) in total.

Meanwhile in Asia, Grégory Bourdy (ranked 55th by Golf Predictor) held off a charge by Rory McIlroy to take his third European PGA Tour title at the UBS Hong Kong Open. The young Irishman will rue his three putt on the 17th, but can take solace in the fact that his second consecutive runners-up finish in Hong Kong propelled him to the top of the Race to Dubai rankings. Our top ranked player and former Race to Dubai leader, Lee Westwood, finished in tied 54th, but we had ten of the top eighteen plus ties (10/21) in total.

In the final event of the 2009 US PGA Tour season, Stephen Ames (ranked 6th* by Golf Predictor) won for the second time in three years at the Children's Miracle Network Classic. The Canadian mastered the difficult greens with a 64 in the final round to make the play-off with Justin Leonard and George McNeill. Ames took the title on the second extra hole after McNeill lipped out. Leonard, who had also lipped out on the 72nd hole had been eliminated at the previous hole. Our top ranked player, Zach Johnson, finished in tied ninth and we had four of the top nine plus ties (4/10) in total.


*Steve Marino was originally ranked sixth on Golf Predictor, but he didn't play.

Slight Navigation Enhancements

We have added links to the tournament page on all the main prediction pages (most of the options on the 'Stats Analysis' menu) on Golf Predictor. This means that you can now link directly to a tournament page from its prediction page. You can also now link to the tournament page from the 'Results By Year' and 'Results by Position' pages in the 'View Options' menu. You can now also link directly to the golfer details page from the 'Results by Player' page in the 'View Options' menu. Finally, for consistency, we have changed the course link on the prediction pages. It now points to the course details page, rather than the course map page (which is available from the course details page).

All these small changes should make Golf Predictor even easier to navigate!

Children's Miracle Network Classic - Memorable Moments

Here are the memorable moments for this week's US PGA Tour event, the family friendly Children's Miracle Network Classic (covered by Golf Predictor). These moments include a second career victory for Tiger Woods in 1996 after a titanic struggle with Taylor Smith and Payne Stewart. Smith actually tied with Woods after 72 holes but was farcically disqualified for an illegal putter grip. Tragically, both of Tiger's nearest challengers that day have since died well before their time. Other moments include Lucas Glover's first tour victory courtesy of a great bunker shot and Davis Love III finally chalking up the magic number of 20 PGA Tour wins in the Magic Kingdom!

2009 - Week 50 Predictions Online

The predictions for week 50 are now available. The 2009 season is thankfully (for us!) almost over, but it's a busy week this week all the same. With the recently co-sanctioned JBWere Masters in Australia added to the schedule, there are two tournaments on the European PGA Tour this week (the UBS Hong Kong Open being the other one). Interestingly, it is the second time in the unusual 2009 European PGA Tour season that both events have been held. Tiger Woods will grace the Australian event with his presence, no doubt attracted by the reported $3 million appearance fee. The more conventional US PGA Tour finishes up for the 2009 season this week with the Children's Miracle Network Classic.

The list of pre-2004 champions (Golf Predictor uses the results from the previous 5 years) in the Children's Miracle Network Classic includes David Duval (1997) and Jeff Maggert (1993). Although the JBWere Masters has only been on the European PGA Tour since 2007, it has been on the PGA Tour of Australasia for some thirty years. Michael Campbell (2000), Craig Spence (1999) and Craig Parry (1996, 1994 & 1992) are the past champions playing there this week. There is no pre-2004 champion playing in the UBS Hong Kong Open.

2009 - Week 49 Winner

Phil Mickelson (ranked 2nd by Golf Predictor) survived a nervy 72nd hole to win the newly upgraded WGC - HSBC Champions event on the European PGA Tour. Mickelson came under pressure in Shanghai from the charging Ernie Els, one of three players to shoot a new course record 63 in the final round. Despite his great round, Els will rue bogeying the last, as it allowed the American to win with a scrambled par at the last. Our top ranked player, Tiger Woods, had an off day on Sunday, but still managed to finish in tied sixth place. In total, we had eight of the top ten plus ties (8/16).

There was no event on the US PGA Tour this week.

2009 - Week 49 Prediction Online

The predictions for week 49, the WGC - HSBC Champions (European PGA Tour), are now available. There is a stellar field in China this week for this recently upgraded tournament. Now that there are four WGC events on the golf calendar, it gives Tiger Woods a chance to win even more of them!!

As this event only started in the 2006 season (in the 2005 calendar year!) there are no pre-2004 champions (Golf Predictor uses the results from the previous 5 years) in the field.

2009 - Week 48 Winners

In a good day for English golfers, Ian Poulter (ranked 5th by Golf Predictor) won for the first time in three years on the European PGA Tour at the Barclays Singapore Open. Poulter finished nervously, squandering a one time five shot lead during the third round to eventually hold off Chinese golfer Wen-Chong Liang by a single shot. Our top ranked player, Phil Mickelson finished in tied fourteenth place. In total, we had seven of the top fourteen plus ties (7/20). In the Volvo World Match Play Championship, English man Ross Fisher (ranked twelfth by Golf Predictor) defeated American Anthony Kim (ranked 11th) by 4&3 in the final after a marathon four days of golf.

The Viking Clasic on the US PGA Tour was cancelled due to inclement weather. Incessant rain made the course unplayable, which left the organisers with no choice but to call the whole event off. This was the first cancellation on the US PGA Tour since the the 1996 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

2009 - Week 48 Predictions Online

The predictions for week 48, the Viking Classic (US PGA Tour), the Barclays Singapore Open (European PGA Tour) and the Volvo World Match Play (European PGA Tour), are now available. Even though Golf Predictor is designed for stroke play events, we put the resurrected Volvo World Match Play through our wringer too!

The list of pre-2004 champions (Golf Predictor uses the results from the previous 5 years) in the Viking Classic includes Cameron Beckman (2001) and Steve Lowery (2000). Lee Westwood (2000) is the only pre-2004 champion playing in the Volvo World Match Play and although the Barclays Singapore Open is debuting on the European PGA Tour this year, it has been on the Asian Tour for some years. Adam Scott (2006 & 2005) and Thaworn Wiratchant are the past champions playing there this week.

2009 - Week 47 Winners

Michael Jonzon (ranked 82nd by Golf Predictor) won for the first time in twelve years on the European PGA Tour at the Castello Masters Costa Azahar. The Swede, who needed to finish in the top two to secure his card for next year, survived a nervy closing stretch to hold off defending champion Sergio Garcia and the returning Martin Kaymer. Garcia was our top ranked player and finished in fourth place. In total, we had five of the top eight plus ties (5/11).

It was a similar story on the US PGA Tour, where Troy Matteson (ranked 65th by Golf Predictor) tried his best not to secure his second US PGA Tour victory at the Frys.com Open. Matteson bogeyed the final two holes to fall into a three way play-off with Jamie Lovemark and Richie Fowler. However, he managed to prevail with a splendid approach to the second extra hole to two feet for birdie. Our top ranked player, Mike Weir, finished in tied sixth and we had eight of the top thirteen plus ties (8/22) in total.

2009 - Week 47 Prediction - Slight Update

Jeev Milkha Singh has been removed from the predictions for the Frys.com Open (US PGA Tour) as he is no longer in the field. The updated prediction list for that event is now available on Golf Predictor.

2009 - Week 47 Predictions Online

The predictions for week 47, the Frys.com Open (US PGA Tour) and the Castello Masters Costa Azahar (European PGA Tour), are now available. Martin Kaymer makes a welcome return to action in Spain after his karting accident. He'll have a job dethroning local boy Sergio Garcia though!

As both tournaments are relatively new, there are no pre-2004 champions playing this week (Golf Predictor uses the results from the previous 5 years).

2009 - Week 46 Winners

Lee Westwood (ranked 1st by Golf Predictor) made a welcome return to the winner's circle at the Portugal Masters on the European PGA Tour. The English man finished with an impressive 66 to win by two from Francesco Molinari and assume the lead in The Race to Dubai standings. Including the winner, we had six of the top twelve plus ties (6/15).

On the US PGA Tour, Martin Laird (ranked 60th by Golf Predictor) secured his maiden US PGA Tour victory at the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals Open. It took three extra holes for the Scot to triumph over Chad Campbell and George McNeill in a play-off after the trio finished on nineteen under par. Our top ranked player, Jim Furyk, finished a shot back in tied fourth. In an event where a lot of the bigger names failed to perform, we had four of the top fourteen plus ties (4/18) in total.

Justin Timberlake Shriners for Children Open - Memorable Moments

Here are the memorable moments for this week's US PGA Tour event, the Justin Timberlake Shriners for Children Open (covered by Golf Predictor). These moments include maiden tour victories for Tiger Woods and Jum Furyk and an incredible 59 by Chip Beck. The video also features some footage of the tournament host, so be warned if you don't like him!

2009 - Week 46 Predictions Online

Apologies for the delay in publishing this post. The predictions for week 46, the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open (US PGA Tour) and the Portugal Masters (European PGA Tour), are now available.

The list of pre-2004 champions playing in the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open (Golf Predictor uses the results from the previous 5 years) includes Stuart Appleby (2003), Jim Furyk (1999, 1998 & 1995) and Davis Love III (1993). The Portugal Masters is only in its third year.

2009 - Week 45 Winner

Ross McGowan (ranked 20th by Golf Predictor) built on a brilliant third round of 60 to win the Madrid Masters. The English man was seven clear starting the final day, but he had to survive a strong challenge from Mikko Ilonen (ranked 93rd) to record his maiden victory on the European PGA Tour. Our top ranked player, Sergio Garcia, finished in tied 17th position after a lacklustre weekend. In total, we had nine of the top seventeen plus ties (9/20).

Due to the Presidents Cup, there was no event the US PGA Tour last week.

2009 - Week 45 Prediction Available

The prediction for week 45, the Madrid Masters (European PGA Tour), is now available. There is no event on the US PGA Tour this week. However, Fred Couples and the newly single Greg "Narcissist" Norman lead strong teams in the President's Cup between the USA and the rest of the world (less Europe).

The list of pre-2004 champions playing in the Madrid Masters* (Golf Predictor uses the results from the previous 5 years) consists of Ricardo Gonzales (2003).


*The Madrid Masters took over from the Open de Madrid last year. Since they share the calendar slot, city and occasionally the same course, we count this as the same tournament for statistical analysis purposes.

2009 - Week 44 Winners

Simon Dyson (ranked 13th by Golf Predictor) built on a brilliant start on the final day to win the weather delayed Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. The English man was six under after his first seven holes on Monday and easily held on for his fourth victory on the European PGA Tour. Our top ranked player, Padraig Harrington, rallied in the final round, but could only finish in tied 26th position. In total, we had five of the top nine plus ties (5/15)*.

On the US PGA Tour, Matt Kuchar (ranked 16th by Golf Predictor) ended his seven year dry spell by winning the Turning Stone Resort Championship in a play-off. Kuchar overcome the dogged challenge of Vaughn Taylor (ranked 57th) at the sixth extra hole. Our top ranked player, Robert Allenby bombed and missed the cut, finishing in a tie for 100th place. In total, we had six of the top fifteen plus ties (6/17).


*Gonzalo Fdez-Castano withdrew, so we don't count him in the performance analysis.

2009 - Week 45 Prediction Delay

Due to the weather delay in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and to a lesser extent, the unfinished play-off in the Turning Stone Resort Championship, the prediction for this week's event (Madrid Masters) will be late.

We will have our prediction on Golf Predictor as soon as all the necessary data is available to us, probably early tomorrow (Tuesday).

Turning Stone Resort Championship - Memorable Moments

Here are the memorable moments for this week's US PGA Tour event, the relatively new Turning Stone Resort Championship (covered by Golf Predictor). These sparse moments include Steve Flesch successfully protecting a big lead in the inaugural event in 2007 and big hitter Dustin Johnson's maiden PGA Tour victory last year.

2009 - Week 44 Predictions Online

The predictions for week 44, the Turning Stone Resort Championship (US PGA Tour) and the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship (European PGA Tour), are now available. Although the US PGA Tour play-offs are over, the season trundles on in the shape of the Fall Series, where the lesser lights traditionally get a chance to shine. Meanwhile on the European PGA Tour, it's the European equivalent of the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, where the celebrities mingle with the pros. However, they have to do it in Scotland in October, so it won't be all fun and games!

The list of pre-2004 champions playing in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship (Golf Predictor uses the results from the previous 5 years) includes Lee Westwood (2003), Padraig Harrington (2002) and Paul Lawrie (2001). The Turning Stone Resort Championship (formerly known as the BC Open) has no pre-2004 champions in the field.

2009 - Week 43 Winner

Phil Mickelson (ranked 5th by Golf Predictor) bounced back to form by winning The Tour Championship pres. by Coca Cola on the US PGA Tour. The world number two hit a best of the day 65 (-5) to win by three shots. Our top ranked player, Tiger Woods, finished in 2nd position and had to console himself with winning the lucrative FedEx Cup again! In total, we had five of the top seven plus ties (5/8).

The Tour Championship - Memorable Moments

Here are the memorable moments for this week's US PGA Tour event, The Tour Championship pres. by Coca Cola (covered by Golf Predictor). These moments include David Duval during happier times in 1997, Phil Mickelson getting the better of Tiger Woods in 2000, Tiger making amends in 2007 to win first FedEx Cup and Sergio losing another play off to Camilo Villegas last year.

2009 - Week 43 Prediction Available

The prediction for week 43, The Tour Championship pres. by Coca-Cola (US PGA Tour), is now available. Only the top 30 in the FedEx Cup standings get a chance to play for the title (and the FedEx Cup) on the home course of the legendary Bobby Jones. There is no stroke play event on the European PGA Tour this week. However, Paul McGinley and Thomas Bjorn lead strong teams in the revamped Vivendi Trophy between Continental Europe and Great Britain/Ireland.

The list of pre-2004 champions playing in the The Tour Championship (Golf Predictor uses the results from the previous 5 years) include Mike Weir (2001), Phil Mickelson (2000) and Tiger Woods (1999).

2009 - Week 42 Winner

Rafael Cabrera Bello (ranked 32nd by Golf Predictor) hit an astounding final round of 60 to win the Austrian Golf Open on the European PGA Tour. The Spaniard's 11 birdie salvo allowed him to overcome an 8 shot deficit and overhaul long time leader Benn Barham for his first ever title. Cabrera Bello had a look at the first ever 59 on the European PGA Tour with a 30 foot eagle putt on the final green. However, it failed to drop and he had to be content with "only" a 60 and a one shot victory. Our top ranked player, Soren Hansen, finished in 3rd position and we had four of the top ten plus ties (4/13) in total.

2009 - Week 42 Prediction Available

The prediction for week 42, the Austrian Golf Open (European PGA Tour), is now available. There is no event on the US PGA Tour this week as the last thirty players standing get a week off before the FedEx Cup finale, the Tour Championship.

The list of pre-2004 champions playing in the Austrian Golf Open (Golf Predictor uses the results from the previous 5 years) include Alex Cejka (1995) and Mark Davis (1994, 1991). Note that the event was relegated to the Challenge Tour from 1997 to 2005.

2009 - Week 41 Winners

Despite missing the cut in his last four tournaments, James Kingston (ranked 52nd by Golf Predictor) won the Mercedes-Benz Championship on the European PGA Tour. The South African finally made some money with a play-off victory over Anders Hansen after they both finished on thirteen under par. Our top ranked player, Lee Westwood, finished in tied 8th position and we had seven of the top fifteen plus ties (7/17) in total.

On the US PGA Tour, Tiger Woods (ranked 1st by Golf Predictor) strolled to his fifth win at the BMW Championship. The world number one ran away with the title this year after destroying the field with a brilliant course record 62 on Saturday. In winning the third FedEx Cup play-off event, Woods reclaimed his place at the top of the FedEx Cup standings. Including the winner, we had six of the top eight plus ties (6/9)*.


*When the correct entry list is used.

2009 - Week 41 Prediction Update (BMW Championship)

While checking the results for the BMW Championship, it became apparent that the entry list available on Monday was significantly incorrect. Many golfers (including Sergio Garcia and Marc Leishman) were left out and other non-competing players inserted. We're not quite sure how the official list for the third leg of the FedEx Cup got so garbled, but we re-ran the prediction engine with the correct list. We apologise for any inconvience caused.

The new ranking list is now available on Golf Predictor. Note that you may have to refresh/reload the prediction pages to see the change.

BMW Championship - Memorable Moments

Better late than never! Here are the memorable moments for this week's US PGA Tour event, The BMW Championship (covered by Golf Predictor). These moments include Scott Verplank's win as a fresh faced amateur, four reasons why tiger is the overwhelming favourite this week and some unlikely putts to help Trevor Immelman and Camilo Villegas to victory.

2009 - Week 41 Prediction Update (Mercedes-Benz Championship)

Due to the fact that the final field for the Mercedes-Benz Championship is only 78 strong, we have removed the predictions for the entire entry list for clarity sake. Since the original entry list had almost 200 names, we thought it prudent to do so.

The new ranking list is now available on Golf Predictor. Note that you may have to refresh/reload the prediction pages to see the change.

2009 - Week 41 Predictions Available

The predictions for week 41, the BMW Championship (US PGA Tour) and the Mercedes-Benz Championship (European PGA Tour), are now available. It's the week of the upmarket German marque as a famous car maker sponsors the event on either tour! The FedEx Cup play-offs are down to the top seventy for the BMW Championship, the third event of the series. There is also a restricted field of seventy eight in the European event, so it represents an excellent chance for Bernhard Langer to get one over on the young guns!

The list of pre-2004 champions playing in the Mercedes-Benz Championship (Golf Predictor uses the results from the previous 5 years) includes Bernhard Langer (1989, 1991, 1997 & 2001), Michael Campbell (2000), Colin Montgomerie (1998), Darren Clarke (1996), Barry Lane (1992) and Jose Maria Olazabal (1988). The BMW Championship has only been in its current guise as a FedEx Cup play-off event since 2007, but pre-2004 winners of the Western Open in the field include Tiger Woods (2003, 1999 & 1997), Jerry Kelly (2002), Robert Allenby (2000) and Steve Stricker (1996).

2009 - Week 40 Winners

Alexander Noren (ranked 30th by Golf Predictor) maintained his overnight two shot lead to win the Omega European Masters. However, the Swede needed the assistance of a difficult holed bunker shot on the 15th for eagle to secure his maiden victory and the second successive success for Swedish golfers on the European PGA Tour. Our top ranked player, Lee Westwood, rallied in the final round, but could only finish in tied 23rd position. In total, we had five of the top seven plus ties (5/10).

On the US PGA Tour, Steve Stricker (ranked 2nd by Golf Predictor) went one better than last week and won the Deutsche Bank Championship. The likeable American sealed his one shot win with an almost tap in birdie on the 18th, the easiest finishing hole on the US PGA Tour. In winning the second FedEx Cup play-off event, Stricker overtook Tiger Woods at the top of the FedEx Cup standings. Woods, who was our top ranked player, finished strongly with a 63 to finish in tied eleventh place. In an event where many of the top players didn't perform, we had four of the top eleven plus ties (4/14) in total.

2009 - Week 41 Predictions Delay

Due to the Labor Day holiday in the US, the Deutsche Bank Championship is not scheduled to finish until today (Monday). Because of this, we probably will not be able to produce predictions this week until tomorrow, when the result is known and all the statistics are available.

We will of course update Golf Predictor and generate the week 41 predictions/statistics as soon as possible.

Tournament Listings Colour Coding Added to Golf Predictor

In addition to the results colour coding, we are pleased to announce similar functionality for the tournaments listings pages on Golf Predictor. These pages (tournaments with tournament type and tournaments with course) are available from the 'View Options' menu ('Tournaments' link) in the member section of the site. As shown in the screenshot above, future tournaments are now shown on a light green background, current ones on a light orange background and past events on a light grey background. This will make it easier to locate the current week's events at a glance and to spot suture/past/current events when sorting the columns.

Note that this colour coding is only used for the current season. Tournament listings for previous seasons on either of these pages will be unchanged. The event is deemed to be current if the current date* is one of the four (or five) scheduled days of the tournament. Late finishes due to weather delays etc. will not be reflected in the colour scheme. Finally, you may have to refresh/reload the tournament pages to see the changes.

Just another way to make Golf Predictor a little better!


*All Golf Predictor times are in US Mountain Standard Time (GMT - 7 hours).

2009 - Week 40 Prediction Updates

We have removed significant late withdrawals Soren Kjeldsen (Omega European Masters) and Paul Casey (Deutsche Bank Championship) from the relevant prediction lists.

The new rankings are now available on Golf Predictor. Note that you may have to refresh/reload the prediction pages to see the changes.

2009 - Week 40 Prediction Update (Deutsche Bank Championship)

Due to the breaking news that Kenny Perry has parted company with long time caddie Fred Sanders, we have revised his ranking for the Deutsche Bank Championship (US PGA Tour). Despite being known as a nice guy, Perry reportedly dumped Sanders via his agent, despite having had him on his bag at The Barclays. Not very nice, but perhaps his son needed a job! Due to the fact that he will now have to work with this new caddie (which also increases his chances of having a family squabble on course!), we have adjusted his rank downwards.

The new rankings are now available on Golf Predictor. Note that you may have to refresh/reload the prediction pages to see the change.

Deutsche Bank Champ - Memorable Moments

Here are the memorable moments for this week's US PGA Tour event, the Deutsche Bank Championship (covered by Golf Predictor). These moments include a typical Tiger Woods win in 2006, an atypical Tiger Woods loss in 2007 (to Phil Mickelson after a great tussle) and an impressive putting display by Vijay Singh to win last year.

2009 - Week 40 Predictions Available

The predictions for week 40, the Deutsche Bank Championship (US PGA Tour) and the Omega European Masters (European PGA Tour), are now available. The FedEx Cup play-offs are down to the top one hundred for the Deutsche Bank Championship, the second event of the series. In the weaker event on the European PGA Tour, there are a few big names, but the mainly lesser lights will be trying to steal a march on their more illustrious competitors as the Ryder Cup 2010 qualifying begins for the Europeans.

The list of pre-2004 champions playing in the Omega European Masters (Golf Predictor uses the results from the previous 5 years) includes Ricardo Gonzales (2001), Lee Westwood (1999), Sven Struver (1998) and Barry Lane (1993). There is no corresponding list for the Deutsche Bank Championship as it only began in 2003 and that year's champion Adam Scott failed to qualify this year.

2009 - Week 39 Winners

Peter Hedblom (ranked 29th by Golf Predictor) went one better than last week and won the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles. The Swede, who lost in a play-off last week in Holland, finished one shot ahead of fellow countryman Martin Erlandsson. Despite a charging Erlandsson, who finished with a superb 62 after birdieing nine of the first twelve holes, Hedblom was relieved to avoid another play-off. Our top ranked player, Soren Hansen, finished in tied 10th position and we had six of the top fourteen plus ties (6/15) in total.

On the US PGA Tour, Heath Slocum (ranked 71st by Golf Predictor) held off a bevy of big names to win The Barclays, the first FedEx Cup play-off event. Slocum, who barely made it into the field, holed an unlikely twenty footer for par at the last to edge out the big guns by a single shot. Steve Stricker and Tiger Woods both missed short putts at the last to stay in/join the lead. Despite tees being moved up due to the conditions, the long and difficult Liberty National course didn't appear to win many fans among the players, particularly with its undulating greens. As alluded to above, our top ranked player, Tiger Woods, finished tied for second. In an event where many of the top players didn't perform, we had three of the top nine plus ties (3/11) in total.

The Barclays - Memorable Moments

Here are the memorable moments for this week's US PGA Tour event, The Barclays (covered by Golf Predictor). These moments include a rare albatross by Bob Gilder in 1982, some typical Seve short game magic, an outrageous winning eagle putt on 18 by Padraig Harrington in 2005, a blubbering Steve Stricker on one of his comebacks in 2007 and poor old Sergio losing yet another play-off last year!

2009 - Week 39 Predictions Available

The predictions for week 39, The Barclays (US PGA Tour) and the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles (European PGA Tour), are now available. We apologise for the delay this week, which was due to the unexpected unavailability of key statistics from the usual source. We have had to source the information via a much more laborious process this week instead.

The Barclays marks the beginning of the FedEx Cup play-offs and with Tiger Woods possibly competing in all four events this year, it could be the most exciting yet. Let's hope the latest tweaks to the system work! I hope the players in Scotland wrap up well as the weather is promised to be bad. With high winds, rain and cold conditions, it should be challenging for the competitors.

Although played on different courses and not in the FedEx Cup, the list of pre-2004 champions playing in the The Barclays (Golf Predictor uses the results from the previous 5 years) includes Sergio Garcia (2001), Ernie Els (1996 & 1997), Vijay Singh (1995) and Lee Janzen (1994). There are no corresponding past champions in the Johnnie Walker Championship.

2009 - Week 39 Statistics Delay

Due to the late availability of key statistics and a family bereavement, there may be a delay in the production of predictions/stats this week.

We will run the Golf Predictor engine as soon as possible after the availability of these statistics. We apologise for any convenience caused and ask for your understanding at this difficult time.

2009 - Week 38 Winners

History repeated itself on the European PGA Tour as Simon Dyson (ranked 7th by Golf Predictor) won the KLM in a play-off on the first extra hole. On this occasion, the Englishman defeated Peter Lawrie and Peter Hedblom after the trio finished tied on -15 after 72 holes. Our top ranked player, Chris Wood, finished in tied 55th position, but we had seven of the top fifteen plus ties (7/22).

There was also a three man play-off on the US PGA Tour, when Ryan Moore (ranked 21st by Golf Predictor) overcame Kevin Stadler and the charging Jason Bohn. Moore sealed his first PGA Tour victory with a fine approach to six feet on the third play-off hole to deny Stadler. Bohn, who had finished with a fine 62, was eliminated on the first play-off hole after having trouble escaping from a greenside bunker. The third round leader and Golf Predictor top ranked player, Sergio Garcia, let another final round advantage slip, this time a three shot lead. Garcia could only finish with an even par round to miss out on the play-off by a single shot. In total, we had nine of the top seventeen plus ties (9/23).

Tournament Page Slightly Amended

A slight amendment has been made to the Tournament page on Golf Predictor. The hover text for the results table for completed events now shows the total score (number of shots), rather than the GP Score for the selected golfer. This change was made for performance reasons.

2009 - Week 38 Prediction Update (Wyndham Championship)

Due to the significant late addition of Sergio Garcia to the field, we have re-run the prediction engine for the Wyndham Championship (US PGA Tour). The new rankings are now available on Golf Predictor. Note that you may have to refresh/reload the prediction pages to see the change.

2009 - Week 38 Predictions

The predictions for week 38, the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro (US PGA Tour) and the KLM Open (European PGA Tour), are now available. As usual, the fields aren't great the week after a major. This is especially true in the US as the big guns rest up ahead of the FedEx Cup play-offs, which starts next week. Having said that, the hard working US Open champion Lucas Glover is playing again this week!

The list of pre-2004 champions (albeit on a different course) in the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro (Golf Predictor uses the results from the previous 5 years) includes Rocco Mediate (2002 & 1993), Davis Love III (1992), Mark Brooks (1991) and Steve Elkington (1990). The corresponding list for the KLM Open is Maarten Lafeber (2003), Stephen Leaney (2000 & 1998), Sven Struver (1997), Colin Montgomerie (1993) and Jose Maria Olazabal (1989). Note that Olazabal is the only player to have won on the same course as this year's event.

Week 37 Winner

Y.E. Yang (ranked 52nd by Golf Predictor) made history by becoming the first Asian major winner at the US PGA Championship (European/US PGA Tour). The 37 year old South Korean held his nerve admirably to hold off a misfiring Tiger Woods by 3 shots. Woods, who had never previously lost a major having lead at the 36 or 54 hole mark, simply could not buy a putt on Sunday and slumped to a crushingly disappointing 75. Yang, on the other hand, set up his victory with a chip in eagle at the 14th and sealed it with a fantastic birdie at the last after a majestic approach with a wood from the first cut.

In a cosmopolitan leaderboard, the top six plus ties featured an Asian, an African, two Americans and five Europeans. Cheief among the Europeans was another strong showing from Lee Westwood and a best ever performance from young Rory McIlroy, both of whom finished tied for third place. Padraig Harrington had yet another calamitous eight, this time on the par 3 8th hole to drop right out of contention. In total, we had seven of the top nineteen plus ties (7/23).

Updates to Google Maps on Golf Predictor

The Google Maps used on Golf Predictor to display course locations (and hence Tour events and player itineraries) have been slightly updated. As shown in the screenshot above, the maps now have the larger zoom control and you can now also choose the map type. Finally, you can now also use the mouse wheel (in addition to double clicking) to zoom in and out.

2009 - Week 37 Prediction

The prediction for week 37, the US PGA Championship (European/US PGA Tour), is now available. Tiger Woods will be going for three PGA Tour victories in a row and Padraig Harrington will be more optimistic of defending his title successfully, despite the calamity on 16 yesterday.

The list of pre-2004 champions in the US PGA Championship (Golf Predictor uses the results from the previous 5 years) is long, given that it is a major. It stretches all the way back to Bob Tway in 1986.

Predictions Availability Change Reversal

Due to feedback from some Golf Predictor members, we have decided to reverse the decision to move the prediction generation to Tuesdays. We hadn't picked a good week to change, with the final major of the year taking place!

The predictions will once again be available at around the usual time (Monday afternoon, GMT) from now on. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

2009 - Week 36 Winners

Tiger Woods (ranked 1st by Golf Predictor) followed up last week's victory in the Buick Open by winning the WGC -Bridgestone Invitational (European/US PGA Tour) for the seventh time. Tiger clenched his 70th PGA Tour title in style with a birdie on 18 for a 65 (-5). After wiping out his three shot overnight deficit early on, Woods and the steady long time leader Harrington were neck and neck until the fateful 16th hole. After the pair were put on the clock for falling out of position, Harrington proceeded to make a number of rushed shots as he hacked his way up the par 5 "monster". He ending up taking a disastrous triple bogey eight after blading a flop into the water. Woods, on the other hand, birdied the hole despite also having been in trouble off the tee. That was courtesy of a brilliant 180 yard 8-iron approach to one foot, which forced him to wait quite a while until he could tap it in! While Harrington graciously accepted his time warning afterwards, Woods was unusually critical of the official's decision. Woods becomes the first golfer to win seven times on the same course in PGA Tour history. That will take some beating, but I fancy him to do it next year! Including the winner, we had eight of the top fifteen plus ties (8/18).

In the second string event on the US PGA Tour, John Rollins (ranked 9th by Golf Predictor) won the Legends Reno-Tahoe Open after a topsy-turvy even par final round. Rollins, who had been well ahead of the field since his record equalling 62 on Friday, ended up winning by three shots as he fired enough birdies to cancel out his bogeys (and worse!). Our top ranked player, Kevin Na, finished in tied 5th place and we had three of the top nine plus ties (3/13).

Bridgestone Invitational - Memorable Moments

Here are the memorable moments for this week's WGC - Bridgestone Invitational (covered by Golf Predictor). These moments include a young Olazabal announcing his arrival in America in spectacular fashion, the memorable shot in the dark from Tiger Woods in 2000, an epic tussle between Tiger and Jim Furyk in 2001, and, err, Tiger again, this time 'slightly' overcooking a nine iron and ending up on a roof in 2006!

Predictions Availability Change

Further to this post some months ago, we have decided to move prediction generation from Mondays to Tuesdays. This decision is due to the recent spate of late withdrawals which has resulted in inaccurate prediction lists and/or more work for us here at Golf Predictor!

On the European PGA Tour, the tournament field is usually finalised on a Tuesday when the draw is made. I suspect that it is similar on the US PGA Tour. Almost all the late withdrawals happen on the Monday, so this should alleviate the problem. The terms and conditions for the site have been updated accordingly.

2009 - Week 36 Prediction Update (Reno -Tahoe Open)

Due to a spate of late withdrawals (including our number 2 ranked player Ben Crane) and some late additions, we have re-run the prediction engine for the Legends Reno Tahoe Open. Interestingly, for the first time in such circumstances, we have a new top ranked player. This is due to the late addition of the new number one to the field.

The new rankings are now available on Golf Predictor. Note that you may have to refresh/reload the prediction pages to see the change.

2009 - Week 36 Predictions

The predictions for week 36, the WGC - Bridgestone Invitational (European/US PGA Tour) and the Legends Reno-Tahoe Open (US PGA Tour), are now available. Tiger Woods will be going for PGA Tour win number 70 and WGC - Bridgestone Invitational win number 7 on the back of a confidence boosting victory in the Buick Open on Sunday. Like Warwick Hills, Woods obviously likes the Firestone layout, which is ominous for his opponents. The second string tournament in Reno unusually has a European on the top of our rankings*.

The list of pre-2004 champions in the WGC - Bridgestone Invitational (Golf Predictor uses the results from the previous 5 years) is Darren Clarke (2003) and Tiger Woods (2001, 2000 & 1999). There corresponding list for the Legends Reno-Tahoe Open is Kirk Triplett (2003), Chris Riley (2002) and Notah Begay III (1999).


*Not any longer, since we had to re-run the prediction engine due to late withdrawals/additions!

2009 - Week 35 Winners

Last year's Qualifying School winner Oskar Henningsson (ranked 86th by Golf Predictor) became the second rookie to win on European PGA Tour this season. Despite a closing bogey, the Swede won his maiden title at the Moravia Silesia Open by two shots from Sam Little and Steve Webster. Our top ranked player, course designer Miguel Angel Jimenez, finished in tied 17th position and we had eight of the top seventeen plus ties (8/21).

On the US PGA Tour, Tiger Woods (ranked 1st by Golf Predictor) got over his missed cut in the British Open by winning the Buick Open. Woods overcame an indifferent first round to blitz the field in the middle rounds and finish with a bogey free 69 (-3). It allowed Woods to improve his already formidable record at Warwick Hills and capture his third title at what is possibly the last staging of the event. Including the winner, we had five of the top fourteen plus ties (5/17).

Buick Open - Memorable Moments

Here are the memorable moments for this week's Buick Open (covered by Golf Predictor). These moments include the first televised hole in one (a barely visible 2 iron ace by Jerry Barber in 1962), a terrific duel between Vijay Singh and John Daly in 2004 and a 'besmigged' Tiger Woods racking up his 50th PGA Tour title in 2006.

2009 - Week 35 Predictions

The predictions for week 35, the Buick Open (US PGA Tour) and the Moravia Silesia Open presented by ALO Diamonds (European PGA Tour), are now available. In addition to the weak field, Miguel Angel Jimenez should have another advantage in the new event in the Czech Republic as he designed the course! In the US, unfortunately Kenny Perry won't be defending his Buick title due to his mother's grave condition. However, Tiger will be there to pick up the pieces from his dismal showing at the British Open.

The list of pre-2004 champions in the Buick Open (Golf Predictor uses the results from the previous 5 years) includes Fim Furyk (2003), Tiger Woods (2002), Rocco Mediate (2000), Tom Pernice Jr (1998), Billy Mayfair (1997), Justin Leonard (1996), Woody Austin (1995), Brad Faxon (1991) and Scott Verplank (1988). There is no corresponding list for the Moravia Silesia Open as it is the inaugural tournament.

2009 - Week 34 Winners

Chopping trees at home last week proved to be ideal preparation for Ricardo Gonzales (ranked 103rd by Golf Predictor), who won the SAS Masters on the European PGA Tour by two strokes. The 39 year old Argentinian sealed his fourth tour win with a fantastic finish on the Barsebäck course, at 7,665 yards the longest course ever used on the European PGA Tour. The "Axe Man" grabbed five birdies in the final six holes, including a holed bunker shot on 17 and an escape from the trees to five feet on the last. Our top ranked player, Henrik Stenson, was never in contention and finished poorly over the weekend for tied 73rd position. Despite poor performances by a lot of the bigger names, we had seven of the top seventeen plus ties (7/23)*.

On the US PGA Tour, Nathan Green (ranked 89th by Golf Predictor) grabbed his first title at the rain delayed RBS Canadian Open. The Aussie beat Retief Goosen (ranked 2nd) at the second play-off hole after Goosen came up very quickly after his final missed putt. After a great opening round, our top pick Camilo Villegas finished in tied 24th place and we had four of the top eight plus ties (4/15).


*There were 5 late withdrawals in the top 23 predicted places (S Hansen, Broadhurst, Drysdale, Cevaer and Foster) and therefore not counted in the analysis of performance.

RBC Canadian Open Delayed

The final round of the RBC Canadian Open has been put off until today (Monday), due to the heavy rain and thunder storms in Ontario. This caused play to be postponed several times over the weekend, leaving even the third round far from complete. The US PGA Tour will be trying their hardest to get the final two rounds played today, with play resuming at 7.30AM local time. If the weather holds, it will be a long day for the field.

We will of course enter the results into Golf Predictor as soon as they are available. This will also delay the publishing of our predictions for this week as the new world rankings will not be available at the usual time. We will endeavour to produce the predictions as soon as possible under the circumstances.

RBC Canadian Open - Memorable Moments

Here are the memorable moments for this week's RBC Canadian Open (covered by Golf Predictor), one of the oldest events on the US PGA Tour. These moments include an almost bitter Jack Nicklaus (after Greg Norman catches a lucky break during a "Seve" moment!), one of best long bunker shots of all time from Tiger Woods and an ace from Jim Furyk on the way to defending his title. It also features Vijay Singh overcoming home favourite Mike Weir and a partisan crowd to win in 2004.

2009 - Week 34 Predictions

The predictions for week 34, the RBC Canadian Open (US PGA Tour) and the SAS Masters (European PGA Tour), are now available. Most all of the big stars are taking the week off after the hardships at Turnberry last week!

The list of pre-2004 champions in the RBC Canadian Open (Golf Predictor uses the results from the previous 5 years) includes Bob Tway (2003), Scott Verplank (2001) and Billy Andrade (1998). The corresponding list for the SAS Masters comprises of Jesper Parnevik (1998, 1995) and Joakim Haeggman (1997).

2009 - Week 33 Winners

The fairytale just failed to come true at the British Open Championship (European/US PGA Tours). Stewart Cink (ranked 44th by Golf Predictor) won his maiden major title in an anticlimactic four hole play-off with legendary veteran Tom Watson (ranked 140). Needing a par up the last for the title, Watson over clubbed and his 8-iron went though the green. Despite the crowd willing him to succeed, he couldn't get up and down from just off the fringe and fell into the play-off with Cink. Despite having played superbly all week, this proved a bridge too far for the 59 year old Watson and Cink easily beat him by six shots with an impressive score of -2. This included him birdieing the 18th for the second time that day. England's Lee Westwood and Chris Woods were left kicking themselves after bogeying the last and finishing a single shot out of the play-off. Our top ranked player, Tiger Woods was out of sorts and missed his first cut in three years. In an event where many of the top players struggled in the in the windy conditions, we had six of the top thirteen plus ties (6/23).

On the US PGA Tour, Bo Van Pelt (ranked 21st by Golf Predictor) finally won a tournament after 229 starts. Van Pelt secured the second string US Bank Championship in Milwaukee at the second play-off hole after he finished tied with John Mallinger (ranked 5th). Our top pick Jerry Kelly finished in third place and we had three of the top seven plus ties (3/14).

2009 British Open - Round 3

Only seven players remain under par after the third round of the British Open Championship. After another strong finish, the old master Tom Watson still leads the young guns. The five time former champion is one shot clear of the field at four under par after again finishing with two birdies in his last three holes. On another breezy day in western Scotland, some notable players became croppers. Chief among them were the two time defending champion Padraig Harrington whose recent woes continued. Harrington birdied the first but it was all downhill from there and he ended up with a 76 for a +9 total. Joint second round leader Steve Marino also struggled to a 76 after a topsy turvy round. The field remains bunched with 26 players within six shots of the lead. It should make for an interesting final day's play!

2009 British Open - Round 2

It was a day of contrasting and unexpected fortunes at the 139th British Open for TW initialled legendary golfers! Tom Watson continued to defy Father Time at the top of the leaderboard while Tiger Woods missed his first cut since the 2006 US Open. In much more challenging conditions, Watson struggled on the more difficult front nine, dropping five shots to par. However, the wise old head and one of the finest links golfers of all time kept his composure to recover his round on the easier downwind inward nine. Two sixty foot bombs on 16 and 18 for birdie didn't hurt Watson's cause as he joined Steve Marino in the lead on -5. Marino hit a fantastic 68 in the worst of the conditions to deservedly lead in his maiden classic links tournament.

Meanwhile, Tiger Woods was again out of sorts and struggled to a 74 for a +5 total. Unfortunately, this was one shot too many as he missed the cut for the first time in 39 events. The world number one simply did not play well enough. A poor stretch of bogey, bogey, double bogey around the turn derailed his round and despite a valiant effort at the finish, Woods missed only his second ever cut in a major tournament.

Defending champion Padraig Harrington posted a 74 for +3 total to make the cut and keep his slim hopes for a hat trick of titles alive. The Irish man is eight shots behind and probably needs help from mother nature as well as a miraculous return to form to pull it off!

2009 British Open - Round 1

Five time former champion Tom Watson turned back the clock in the first round of the British Open Championship at Turnberry. Back at the scene of his 1977 classic "duel in the sun" success against Jack Nicklaus, Watson hit a flawless 65 (-5) for joint second place. The 59 year old golfing legend was prevented from coming the oldest man ever to lead a major by a 60 foot bomb from Miguel Angel Jimenez at the 18th. That unlikely birdie gave the affable Spaniard a record equalling low first round of 64. Kenichi Kuboya from Japan had an incredible finish of birdie-birdie-eagle-birdie (-5 for last 4 holes) to come home in 30 and match Watson and 2003 champion Ben Curtis on 65.

World number one Tiger Woods was out of sorts and struggled to a 71. Considering his recent form, defending champion Padraig Harrington positively sparkled on his way to a 69! On a perfect day for golf, it was amazing to see the number of golfers hitting into the wee burn guarding the 16th green. That bit of terrible course management usually meant double bogey. The weather won't be as benevolent for the rest of the week, so it will be interesting to see who copes best.

US Bank Championship in Milwaukee - Memorable Moments

Here are the memorable moments for this week's US Bank Championship in Milwaukee (covered by Golf Predictor). These moments include players declaring undying love for the event, an ace from Tiger as he embarked on his pro career, an impressive chip in from Scott Hoch and a record setting front nine from Corey Pavin on his way to victory in 2006.

Blog Back Up!

The Golf Predictor blog was inexplicably down for a while this week. This was due to the DNS settings spontaneously combusting! The situation was rectified as soon as possible, but unfortunately these settings can take up to a day to take effect.

The blog seems to be back up running again now. I suspect the site hosts caused this issue, which hopefully won't be repeated. I apologise for any inconvenience caused during the week of the British Open Championship.

2009 - Week 33 Predictions

The predictions for week 33, the British Open Championship (European/US PGA Tour) and the US Bank Championship in Milwaukee (US PGA Tour), are now available. The British Open is the big one as far as everyone on this side of the pond is concerned and we all look forward to an exciting week's play. However, the weather forecast is bad again this year, which should sort the men from the boys! Our system doesn't rate defending champion Padraig Harrington's chances of a hat trick of titles, but we hope we're proven wrong!

Competitors who were winners of the US Bank Championship in Milwaukee before 2004 ((Golf Predictor uses the results from the previous 5 years) include Jeff Sluman (2002, 1998), Loren Roberts (2000, 1996), Carlos Franco (1999), Scott Hoch (1997), Mark Brooks (1991) and Corey Pavin (1986). The corresponding list for the British Open is too long to list with practically every champion since the 1970s in the field for another go!

2009 - Week 32 Winners

Martin Kaymer (ranked 12th by Golf Predictor) won his second European PGA Tour title in a row (and fourth overall) at The Barclays Scottish Open. Playing steadily on the final day, the German secured the title as his nearest competitors crumbled all around him. Our top ranked player, Geoff Ogilvy, finished in tied thirteenth place and we had eight of the top thirteen plus ties (8/16).

On the US PGA Tour, Steve Stricker (ranked 2nd by Golf Predictor) easily won the rain affected John Deere Classic. After a sparkling 61 on Saturday, Stricker followed up with 68 and 64 in the two rounds on Sunday to win by 3 shots. We came very close to predicting the winner for the third straight week, but since our top pick Kenny Perry (finished in tied 59th) has a difficult personal situation to deal with, we couldn't really expect him to focus on golf. In a tournament where most of the more fancied golfers did not produce the goods, we had six of the top fifteen plus ties (5/21).

John Deere Classic - 'Memorable' Moments

Here are the 'memorable' moments for this week's John Deere Classic (covered by Golf Predictor). Aside from a quip from last year's winner Kenny Perry and a youthful Tiger Woods looking decidedly unhappy after tasting defeat to a paunchy Ed Fiori, the moments aren't terribly memorable this week!

Missed Cuts Stats Amended

We have had to update the missed cuts statistics on the prediction pages ('Stats Analysis' menu) on Golf Predictor. This was because MDFs (Made cut, Did not Finish) on the US PGA Tour were being erroneously counted as having missing the cut. This has now been rectified and the number of missed cuts by golfers in the current season, in the past five events, at the same tournament, on the same course and in the last twelve similar events are all now correct.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused. Note that you may have to refresh/reload some pages to see the updated information.

2009 - Week 32 Predictions

The predictions for week 32, the John Deere Classic (US PGA Tour) and The Barclays Scottish Open (European PGA Tour), are now available. This is the last chance for a final tune up before the British Open next week and a number of US based stars have entered the Scottish event. This is despite the fact that, beautiful enough as it may be, the course is nothing like the links challenge they will get at Turnberry!

The list of pre-2004 champions in the John Deere Classic (Golf Predictor uses the results from the previous 5 years) includes J.P. Hayes (2002), J.L. Lewis (1999) and David Toms (1997). The corresponding list for The Barclays Scottish Open comprises of Ernie Els (2003, 2000), Retief Goosen (2001), Colin Montgomerie (1999), Lee Westwood (1998), Thomas Bjorn (1996), Peter O'Malley (1992)* and Barry Lane (1988)*.


*Held at Gleneagles.

2009 - Week 31 Winners

Martin Kaymer (ranked 7th by Golf Predictor) won his third European PGA Tour title at the Open de France Alstom a in play-off with Lee Westwood (ranked 2nd by Golf Predictor). Playing the 18th again in sudden death, Kaymer barely made it over water with his approach while Westwood wasn't quite so lucky! That wet ball took the pressure off the German and he duly wrapped up the title he was contention for since his course equalling 62 in the opening round. Our top ranked player, Ian Poulter, finished very strongly over the weekend (66, 67) to end up in third place and we had four of the top six plus ties (4/9).

On the US PGA Tour, Tiger Woods (ranked 1st by Golf Predictor) played the ungracious host by winning the AT&T National! A fantastic record equalling 62 from Hunter Mahan couldn't stop Woods doing what he does best - winning from the front for PGA title number 68. In a good tournament for Golf Predictor, including forecasting the winner for the second week running, we had six of the top seven plus ties (6/10).

Season Stats Updated with Non-finishing Players Round Data

Famous last words at the end of the post about the prediction updates! A (hopefully!) final ramification of the recent changes in policy for handling scores for non-finishers was that some completed season statistics were also rendered incorrect. Originally Golf Predictor did not include the round scores for players who had withdrew or been disqualified from a tournament. However, since we included such scores, scoring averages, round counts and round averages became slightly incorrect for golfers who had not finished tournaments (but had recorded round scores) in the same season.

Therefore, we have updated all season statistics records for the completed seasons 2003-2008 (Golf Predictor has records for the 2003 season on) to correct these slight issues. These should definitely be the final tweaks because of the policy change and ensures that Golf Predictor is even more accurate than ever before!

Rounds Played Charts Added to Golf Predictor

We have added four new charts to Golf Predictor to show which golfers have played the most rounds in a season. These are similar to (but not the same as, as outlined below) the charts for most tournaments played. This charts are available from the "Season History" and "Season Stats" pages on the "Stats Analysis" menu in the member section. The chart on the former page shows the golfers who have played the most rounds in the current season up to the selected event. The three new charts on the "Season Stats" page show the golfers who have played the most rounds with at least event on the US PGA Tour, the European PGA Tour or any tour in any completed season since 2003.

The screenshot above shows the chart for the competitors who played the most rounds in the 2009 season leading up to the AT&T National. Of all the players, Michael Letzig has played the most golf, although he has not played the most tournaments (thanks to fewer missed cuts). As usual, hovering over a bar gives more information, as shown above for Rjuji Imada. This brings the total number of charts on the site up to 229. These 4 new charts are only available to subscribers so sign up today to get the most out of Golf Predictor, the premier US & European PGA Tour statistics site.

Cut Streak Stats Amended

We have updated the cut streak information on Golf Predictor. One of the reasons was due to a slight inaccuracy in the processing of one stroke play event with no cut (the 2009 WGC CA Championship). A small number of players whose cut streak encompassed this event (e.g. Tiger Woods) were not getting the credit for this tournament*. This has now been addressed.

As a consequence of fixing this small discrepancy, we have been able to make the cut streak chart and information available for every tournament that we have predicted (since March 2008). Previously, this was only available on the "Tourn Predictions" page ('Stats Analysis' menu) for all tournaments from the 2009 Masters on.

Finally, we have added the name, year, week and date of the last tournament where the golfer missed a cut on his 'Prediction Data' page. Note that you may have to refresh/reload some pages to see the new/updated information. All of these changes ensure that Golf Predictor is even better than ever before!


*Nowadays, players are deemed to have made the cut if they get paid. Therefore, stroke play tournaments that have no cut are counted in cut streaks. We do not count match play events.

Predictions Updated with Non-finishing Players Round Data

Another ramification of the recent changes in policy for handling scores for non-finishers (see here and here) was that some statistics were rendered incorrect on golfer 'Prediction Data' pages. Originally Golf Predictor did not include the round scores for players who had withdrew or been disqualified from a tournament. However, since we included such scores, scoring averages, round counts and round averages became slightly incorrect for golfers who had not finished related tournaments (e.g. events earlier in the same season or in the same event in previous years).

Therefore, we have updated all tournament prediction records since Golf Predictor began to correct these slight issues. We have also added a round counter on the 'Prediction Data' page for each golfer to display the number of first rounds played in similar tournaments (a number less than or equal to twelve, the maximum amount of similar tournaments that we analyse for a golfer). These should be the final tweaks because of the policy change and ensures that Golf Predictor is even more accurate than ever before!

2009 - Week 31 Predictions

We have published the predictions for week 31, the AT&T National (US PGA Tour) and the Open de France Alstom (European PGA Tour). A good quality field has entered the US event, hosted as ever by the Tiger himself. The Open de France has always been one of the strongest events on the European PGA Tour so it to boasts a strong field, with six major winners amongst the competitors.

The list of pre-2004 champions in the Open de France Alstom (Golf Predictor uses the results from the previous 5 years) includes Philip Golding (2003), Malcolm MacKenzie (2002), Jose Maria Olazabal (2001), Colin Montgomerie (2000), Paul Broadhurst (1995), Miguel Angel Martin (1992) and Eduardo Romero (1991). There is no corresponding list for the AT&T National as it is only in its third year.

2009 - Week 30 Winners

Despite a blistering finish from Rafa Echenique, Nick Dougherty (ranked 17th by Golf Predictor) won the BMW International Open on the European PGA Tour. Echenique came home in a record equalling 27 (including an albatross from 243 yards out at the last), but had to settle for second as Dougherty safely negotiated the last three holes to win by a shot. Our top ranked player, Henrik Stenson, finished in a tie for 35th place and we had seven of the top nineteen plus ties (7/20).

On the US PGA Tour, nice guy Kenny Perry went some way to putting his Masters disappointment behind him with a three shot win at Travelers Championship. Perry (ranked 1st by Golf Predictor) finished strongly with a 63 (-7) for a record breaking 258 total (-22). In a good tournament for Golf Predictor, including forecasting the winner, we had six of the top eleven plus ties (6/13).