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).