Page Titles/Descriptions Edited on Golf Predictor

The titles and introductory text of most of the pages available from the "Stats Analysis" menu of Golf Predictor have been edited. The titles were mainly changed for clarity purposes and some of the descriptions were edited to be more appropriate if looking at data from a previous season. Just another way to make Golf Predictor slightly better for the new season ahead! Note that you may have to refresh a recently viewed page to see the changes.

Win/Top Ten/Missed Cut/WD Percentages Added to Golfer Pages

Luke Donald's Performance Data (before the 2011 Dubai World Championship)

The three main pages with golfer information ('Prediction Data', 'Season Stats' and 'Golfer Details' pages) on Golf Predictor have been updated to include the win/top ten/missed cut/withdrawl percentages for the golfer in question. Previously, some of this information (charts and data) was visible on the 'Golfers' page ('View Options' menu) or on the percentage charts on the 'Season Stats', 'Season History' and 'Similar Tournament History' pages ('Stats Analysis' menu). However, you can now see this useful information for any golfer by going to any of the three main golfer pages named above.

The screenshot above shows Luke Donald's performance information on his 'Prediction Data' page in advance of the 2011 Dubai World Championship. It shows how the table in the Performance panel has been updated with the percentages for each statistic. It also shows just how impressive Donald's amount of top ten finishes were in the recent past. For the 'Prediction Data' page, the percentages have been placed underneath the actual numbers in a smaller font and different colour for maximum clarity. On the other two pages, the percentages have been placed alongside the actual numbers in the same font, size and colour.

Just another way to make Golf Predictor even better for the new season ahead! Note that you may have to refresh a recently viewed page to see the changes. All users can see these new percentage statistics for golfers they can access. For subscribers, this means all pages in the system. For non-subscribers, it means golfers ranked 11-25 in the prediction and season statistics rankings and all golfers on the Golfers page. So, sign up today and reap the full benefits of Golf Predictor, the premium professional golf statistics site.

More 2012 European PGA Tour Events Added to Golf Predictor

Further to an earlier announcement, eighteen more 2012 European PGA Tour events have been added to Golf Predictor. There are still several events and courses to be confirmed for next season and only one new event (the Perth International Golf Championship in Australia). I have taken the liberty to add Carton House as the venue for the Irish Open, as it is widely being reported as such here in Ireland today.

Five of the newly added events (Irish, Scottish, Austrian and Italian Opens and the Andalucia Masters) are currently without sponsors, a situation that is likely to change in the coming months. When that happens, their new names will be updated on the system.

Now that the European PGA Tour have finally managed to get a complete season into a calendar year, there will be around five less weeks in the combined US/European PGA Tour season this year. In addition to meaning less work for me, it also means an off-season two weeks longer than before. Yippee!

Season Statistics Data Added to Golfer Pages

Tiger Woods' Season Stats Since 2003

The 'Golfer Details' page on Golf Predictor has been updated to include the completed season statistics for the golfer in question. There is now a Completed Season Statistics data table with sortable columns at the bottom of the page. This table displays an overview of all the completed seasons since 2003 in which the golfer played at least five events. This is shown above from Tiger Woods' page on Golf Predictor. It shows just how much off the boil he has gone in the last two seasons, after all his injuries and personal issues. Clicking on the year in the season column will bring up more detailed statistics for the year in question.

Just another way to make Golf Predictor even better! Note that only subscribers can view this new season statistics data on the 'Golfer Details' page. So, sign up today and reap the full benefits of Golf Predictor, the premium professional golf statistics site.

2012 European/US PGA Tour Events on Golf Predictor

The complete 2012 US PGA Tour schedule is now on Golf Predictor. Luckily for me this year, there was a surprisingly small number of changes from the 2011 season! Bar a few tournament name changes (including a really long one for what was the Bob Hope Classic!), it is almost identical to last year.

The 2012 European PGA Tour schedule is far from finalised at this stage, but the twenty confirmed events have been added to the system. The remaining ones will be added as soon as possible.

2011 Season Statistics Available on Golf Predictor

Following the conclusion of the long season in Dubai yesterday, the statistics  for the 2011 season are now available on Golf Predictor (Stats Analysis menu, Season Stats options). The numbers have been crunched for all 569 golfers who played at least five tournaments (excluding non-finishes) on the European/US PGA Tour during the course of the season

Unsurprisingly, Luke Donald leads the way, with Tiger-like (in his prime!) statistics, posting an incredible 19 top tens in 25 events (76%) and the highest win percentage (16% of events entered). Meanwhile, Tiger himself has slipped way down to 26th after his less than impressive curtailed effort this year. While it was no surprise that Donald topped the stats chart, it was somewhat surprising how little the gap was to his nearest competitor. Without setting the world on fire this year, Steve Stricker has also had an incredibly consistent year. He has the best cut record on either tour and made the cut in all twenty of his events*. Tim Clark preformed well in in the few events he was actually able to play and Rory McIlroy also had an impressively consistent year. Despite dengue fever and a terrible carbon footprint, the Northern Irishman had the next highest percentage of top tens to Donald (59.1%) and of course secured his first major in wonderful style. Another very notable performance was by the amateur Patrick Cantlay, who finished with the 13th best average and no missed cuts, albeit from just five events. Clearly one for the future!


*Some events, e.g. WGCs, did not have cuts!

2011 - Week 51 Winner

Alvaro Quiros (ranked 18th by Golf Predictor) won The Dubai World Championship pres. by DP World on the European PGA Tour. The 28 year old big hitting Spaniard won in style, closing with an eagle three on the final hole for a two shot victory. While Quiros completed the "Dubai Double" this season, it was our top ranked golfer, Luke Donald, who trumped him with his third place finish. That allowed the ultra-consistent Englishman to make history by becoming the first player to top the money list on both sides of the pond in the same year. His achievement is all the more impressive given the recent passing of his father and birth of his new daughter). Overall, we had nine of the top eleven plus ties (9/15) in total. 

That's another long season over and I'm looking forward to a few free weekends! I'd like to thank all the Golf Predictor users this year and here's to a great 2012!

2011 - Week 51 Predictions/Statistics Online

The predictions and statistics for this week, The Dubai World Championship pres. by DP World (European PGA Tour) are now available on Golf Predictor. It's the last event of a long year and Rory McIlroy has added some interest to the season finale with his great victory in Hong Kong yesterday. That win gives him an outside chance of denying Luke Donald the money list double. However, he still has his work cut out for him!

2011 - Week 50 Winner

Rory McIlroy (ranked 1st by Golf Predictor) won the UBS Hong Kong Open on the European PGA Tour. The Northern Irish sensation overcame recent illness and a crazy schedule to take the title with a brilliant closing 65 (-5). McIlroy finished in style, holing out from a bunker, and will now keep Luke Donald on his toes in the season finale in Dubai next week. Including the winner, we had eleven of the top seventeen plus ties (11/20)* in total.


*Three non-starters above them brought Lara and Derksen into the top twenty in the rankings.

Results by Player Page Updated/Enhanced

Rory McIlroy's 2011 Carbon Footprint!

The 'Results by Player' page on Golf Predictor has been changed and enhanced. This page is available from the 'View Options' menu in the Member section and has been changed in the following ways:

1. Similar to the new chart display on the three main data pages, the charts now open in a pop-up modal window over the underlying page, rather than in their own page. This is shown in the screenshot above for Rory McIlroy in 2011 (up to today). Note that the map can be dragged or the magnification adjusted to see tournaments in other parts of the world.
2. Access to the player results has been restricted for non-subscribers. Now, such users will only see up to the first five results for the chosen golfer/season/tour. Subscribers will still see all results, sorted by the latest first, as before.
3. The charts on this page have been restricted to subscribers. Non-subscribers will now get a pop-up message to this effect when clicking on the chart links.

The availability of stats on this page was changed because non-subscribers could conceivably use this page to access what is deemed to be subscriber information. So, sign up today and reap the full benefits of Golf Predictor, the premium professional golf statistics site.

2011 - Week 50 Predictions/Statistics Online

The predictions and statistics for this week, the UBS Hong Kong Open (European PGA Tour) are now available on Golf Predictor. It's the last regular event of a long season and the last chance for some to get into the season ending cash cow event next week. While Irish world number two Rory McIlroy is headlining the field, his fellow Irish major champion, Padraig Harrington, is among those scrambling to qualify for Dubai.

2011 - Week 49 Winner

Hennie Otto (ranked 9th by Golf Predictor) won the South African Open on the European PGA Tour. The 35 year old South African secured his second tour win in over 200 starts despite a nervy finish. Our top ranked player, Ernie Els, finished in 69th after a poor weekend and we had seven of the top twenty plus ties (7/24)* overall. 


*Due to two late withdrawals above him, Peter Whiteford was ranked in the top 24.

Chart Display on Data Pages Enhanced

Rory McIlroy's 2011 results ahead of the WGC - HSBC Champions event

The three data pages with charts on Golf Predictor have been updated to increase usability. These three pages are the main 'Prediction Data' page for each golfer participating in a tournament, the 'Season Statistics' page for each golfer for a given season (minimum of five events played) and the 'Tournament Details' page for each tournament in the system. As shown above in the image of the chart for Rory McIlroy's 2011 results ahead of the WGC - HSBC Champions event, the charts now open in a pop-up modal box. Previously, these charts opened on a separate web page which made navigating to the different charts available on the data page somewhat cumbersome. Now, the underlying page stays in the browser window, but is greyed out when a chart is displayed.

I believe this is a significant improvement, but I await user feedback with interest. Note that the charts on the other pages (generally pages with tables of players/courses/tournaments directly accessible from a menu) still open up in a separate web page. Depending on reaction, I may update these charts also to work in a similar manner. Just another way to make Golf Predictor even better!

2011 - Week 49 Predictions/Statistics Online

The predictions and statistics for this week, the South African Open (European PGA Tour)  are now available on Golf Predictor. It's the second running of his national championship this season and no doubt serial winner Ernie Els would like to win it both times! The Omega Mission Hills World Cup is also on this week, but Golf Predictor does not not cover team events.

2011 - Week 48 Winners

Joost Luiten (ranked 3rd by Golf Predictor) won the Iskandar Johor Open on the European PGA Tour. The 25 year old Dutchman capped his recent good form by securing his maiden victory at the second weather shortened event in a row held in the Asian rainy season. Our top ranked player, Louis Oosthuizen, finished in 8th and we had nine of the top fifteen plus ties (9/22) overall.

Garth Mulroy (ranked 30th by Golf Predictor) won the Alfred Dunhill Championship on the European PGA Tour. The 33 year old South African won his maiden tour event on home soil, despite having been caught twice during the final round. Our top ranked player, George Coetzee, finished in tied 3rd and we had eight of the top fifteen plus ties (8/19) in total. 

2011 - Week 48 Predictions/Statistics Online

The predictions and statistics for this week, the Alfred Dunhill Championship (European PGA Tour) and the Iskandar Johor Open (European PGA Tour), are now available on Golf Predictor. The season is winding down, but that doesn't stop the European PGA Tour season putting on two minor events this week! The Malaysian event is co-sanctioned with the Asian PGA Tour while it's the second running of the Alfred Dunhill Championship this season. This is because from next year, the European PGA Tour season will start and finish in the same year.

2011 - Week 47 Winner

Gonzalo Fdez-Castano (ranked 35th by Golf Predictor) won the Barclays Singapore Open on the European PGA Tour. The 31 year old Spaniard finally prevailed in the playoff on Monday against Juvic Pagunsan, despite letting a four shot lead slip on the final day of the weather shortened event. Our top ranked player, Phil Mickelson, finished in tied 33rd and we had six of the top nineteen plus ties (6/22) in total.

2011 - Week 47 Predictions/Statistics Online

The predictions and statistics for this week, the Barclays Singapore Open (European PGA Tour) are now available on Golf Predictor.With the US PGA Tour finished for the season as far as Golf Predictor is concerned, only the practically never ending European PGA Tour remains. Including this week, there are another six events (the World Cup is not covered) before the end of season in Dubai. The European PGA Tour pitches its tent in steamy Singapore this week, one of my old stomping grounds. I don't envy the golfers out in that insufferable heat and humidity!

2011 - Week 46 Winner

Martin Kaymer (ranked 1st by Golf Predictor) won the WGC - HSBC Champions on the European/US PGA Tour. The 26 year old German turned around his recent indifferent form in spectacular fashion, birdieing nine of his last twelve holes to sweep dramatically to victory. Our top ranked player, Lee Westwood, finished in tied 13th and we had eleven of the top sixteen plus ties (11/18) in total. 

IE 9 Compatibility Issue Fixed

I just noticed that there were some minor display issues with the landing pages (Home, About GP etc.) on Golf Predictor with IE 9. This was only noticed today as, up until now, I haven't been checking those pages often and I use IE even less often! Microsoft, in their infinite wisdom (according to a Google search), appear to have messed with the display of certain fonts in the latest incarnation of their browser. This includes the font used on Golf Predictor and it had the effect of reducing the size of the text. This in turn altered the layout of the pages, causing some pop-ups to appear less than perfectly (e.g. outside the bounds of the content area). This issue also meant the drop down menu was too narrow on the top of each landing page.

Happily, this issue has been corrected without the need for separate pages for a particular browser or having to juggle text to get it to work on multiple browsers. Apologies to any IE affectionados out there - I will certainly be more vigilant for future releases, although the fix should prevent any such issues from occurring.

2011 - Week 46 Predictions/Statistics Online

The predictions and statistics for this week, the WGC - HSBC Champions (European/US PGA Tour) are now available on Golf Predictor. Just the one tournament this week and even though some of the bigger US stars aren't playing, there is still a strong field for the last WGC of the season in China.

2011 - Week 45 Winners

Sergio Garcia (ranked 1st by Golf Predictor) won the Andalucia Masters on the European PGA Tour. The 31 year old Spaniard won his second event in a row on home soil after ending a three year winless drought last week. Our top ranked player, Martin Kaymer, finished in tied 23rd and we had twelve of the top twenty three plus ties (12/27)* in total. 

Bo Van Pelt (ranked 3rd by Golf Predictor) won the CIMB Asia Pacific Classic Malaysia on the US PGA Tour. The 36 year old American birdied five of the last eight holes for a comprehensive six shot victory. Our top ranked player, Brandt Snedeker, finished in 13th and we had ten of the top thirteen plus ties (10/18) overall. 


*2 higher ranked players didn't play, thus promoting Cabrera Bello into the top 27.

2011 - Week 45 Predictions/Statistics Online

The predictions and statistics for this week, the Andalucia Masters (European PGA Tour) and the CIMB Asia Pacific Classic Malaysia (US PGA Tour), are now available on Golf Predictor. Even though the European PGA Tour season keeps going until December, this week sees the last event actually held in Europe. The remaining 8 events are held in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Starting this week, the last two events sanctioned by the US PGA Tour are also off continent. Malaysia gets a US PGA Tour event this week, just 3 weeks before the European PGA Tour set up camp there!

2011 - Week 44 Winners

Sergio Garcia (ranked 1st by Golf Predictor) won the Castello Masters on the European PGA Tour. The 31 year old Spaniard ended his three year winless drought with a runaway victory in his home event. Garcia finished with a nine shot cushion after tearing up his home track three days in a row with rounds of 63, 64 and 63. Including the winner, we had ten of the top twenty plus ties (10/26) in total. 

Luke Donald (ranked 1st by Golf Predictor) won the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Classic on the US PGA Tour. The 33 year old Englishman reeled off six birdies in a row on the back nine in a fantastic final round of 64 (-8) to overcome a five shot final day deficit. It was a sterling effort from Donald who needed a top two finish to overtake Webb Simpson at the top of the US PGA Tour money list. That keeps his historic bid to top the money list on both sides of the pond on track. Including the winner, we had eight of the top twenty plus ties (8/27). 

That makes it a rare double victory! In the 3.5 year history of Golf Predictor, I believe it's just the second time that the top ranked players (and bookie favourites) in both events won in the same week. It may even be the first!

New Predictions Page with Odds on Golf Predictor

New Predictions Page with Odds

GP video tutorial on this page

Thanks to an excellent user suggestion, a new predictions page has been added to Golf Predictor. This new "Predictions - Tournament Rankings (Odds)" page is identical to the main "Predictions - Tournament Rankings" page except for the last column of the table. The GP Score has been replaced with the approximate unbiased odds for the golfer to win the event. Clicking on the prediction page for any golfer will show the GP Score and approximate odds side by side in the general tab. This new page is accessible from the 'Stats Analysis' menu (second option) in the member section of the site. The screenshot above shows a snippet of the new page for this week's Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Classic. Note that the link to the main predictions page has been renamed to "Predictions" on the same menu.

This new functionality allows you to easily see if the price offered by your bookmaker for a golfer is fair or too generous/miserly, based on the golfer statistics. Note that the odds on this new page are only the approximate unbiased odds, based on an algorithm that generates them from the GP Score. This algorithm has been calibrated using the pre-event odds and GP Scores for several past tournaments and may need tweaking over the coming months. Note also that I have no prior expertise in odds settings, but have endeavoured to make these odds as accurate as possible.

As shown above, the book percentage and the overround/underround are also calculated and displayed on the page. The book percentage is the sum of the winning probabilities for each golfer in the event and would add up to 100% in a fair book. The overround* is the positive divergence from a fair book (i.e the amount over 100% that the book percentage is) and is essentially the bookie's profit in the ideal situation of a matched book. Similarly, the underround is the amount under 100% the book percentage is.

A fair book is very hard to achieve in an event with up to 210 participants! On examination of the book for several tournaments, I found that the bookies didn't even come close (around 160% in most cases)**. Because of this, I decided against adjusting the odds for a fair book, as the resulting prices would be so large as to be practically useless when comparing against your bookie's prices (which are far too low for the more accomplished golfers compared to their mathematical probabilities). Instead, I use the calibration approach outlined above so that value bets might be easier to spot. Depending on the composition of the field (e.g. percentage of no hopers and/or strong performers), the book percentage of my approximate odds can vary from close to fair (i.e. near to 100%) or widely skewed (e.g. 200%). Should enough users prefer the fair book with larger odds (ala Betfair - see below), then I will consider implementing that instead.

You can set your desired odds format on the member profile page (Member section, "My Golf Predictor - Edit/View Profile" menu option). The options are fractional (e.g. 7/1), decimal (e.g 8.0) or US (e.g. +700). If not set, fractional odds will be used. Like the main predictions page, only subscribers will be able to see the entire field. Non-subscribers will only see the approximate odds for those ranked 11-25.

Hopefully, this new page will add useful functionality for golf punters. It is available for all tournaments from this week on (week 44, 2011 season - The Castello Masters and the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Classic). So, sign up today and reap the full benefits of Golf Predictor, the premium professional golf statistics site.


*Very similar to what is known as the "juice" or the "vig" (short for vigorish) in North America.

**This is because they have each way markets which can pay out at generous odds. The betting exchange Betfair gets pretty close to a fair book in its winner market. However, its fields seem to be smaller than those used for Golf Predictor (which includes alternates), which is an issue especially for European PGA Tour events. More significantly, the prices for many golfers in the middle of the book are huge compared to bookie prices (the problem I mentioned above for producing a fair book!). This obviously means that Betfair is a far better choice than a bookie for betting on such golfers!

2011 - Week 44 Predictions/Statistics Online

The predictions and statistics for this week, the Castello Masters (European PGA Tour) and the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Classic (US PGA Tour), are now available on Golf Predictor. It's the second end* to the US season this week and Webb Simpson's narrow defeat last week has forced Luke Donald's hand. The Englishman has entered this week to try and keep his historic bid for both money titles alive. Meanwhile, in Europe, Sergio Garcia is once again hosting the Castello Masters on his home patch.


*And there are still two Asian events and various other US PGA Tour sanctioned events up until December 11th!

Golf Predictor Server Migration Complete

I am delighted to report that Golf Predictor is back up on its new server. Fortunately, the migration process only took a couple of hours. I apologise once again for this temporary outage, which was out of my control.

Golf Predictor Server Migration

I have just been informed by the hosting company that Golf Predictor is being migrated to a new server. Unfortunately, this communication came at very short notice and indicated that the process could take 24 to 36 hours. I presume that this is related to the recent short outages suffered by the site and I anticipate it will be back well before Thursday.

I would like to apologise for this outage, which is totally beyond my control. On the positive side, it should make for a better service once restored. I will monitor the situation closely and generate this week's predictions as soon as possible.

2011 - Week 43 Winners

Tom Lewis (ranked 134th by Golf Predictor) won the Portugal Masters on the European PGA Tour. The 20 year old English sensation outdid Tiger Woods by winning his maiden professional title in only his third event as a professional (hence not many stats to go on!). With 22 birdies and only one bogey in his last 52 holes, he certainly did it in style. Our top ranked player, Martin Kaymer, finished in tied 8th and we had eight of the top sixteen plus ties (8/22) in total. 

Ben Crane (ranked 10th by Golf Predictor) won The McGladrey Classic on the US PGA Tour. The 35 year old American won at the second hole of a sudden death play-off with Webb Simpson. It wasn't all bad news for the defeated Simpson, who overtook Luke Donald at the top of the money list. Our top ranked player, Matt Kuchar, finished in 20th and we had eight of the top twenty plus ties (8/20) overall.

2011 - Week 43 Predictions/Statistics Online

The predictions and statistics for this week, the Portugal Masters (European PGA Tour) and The McGladrey Classic (US PGA Tour), are now available on Golf Predictor. After the Tiger Woods hoopla last week, there are more typical late season events this week. However, there are still several former major champions lining out on both sides of the pond this week. Meanwhile, the bigger names are probably still in Asia raking in the appearance cash!!

2011 - Week 42 Winners

Lee Slattery (ranked 62nd by Golf Predictor) won the Bankia Madrid Masters on the European PGA Tour. The 33 year old Englishman survived a nervy double bogey seven finish to win his maiden title by a single shot. Our top ranked player, Luke Donald, finished poorly (+3 for last five holes) to fall to tied 11th and we had twelve of the top eighteen plus ties (12/27) in total. 

Bryce Molder (ranked 22nd by Golf Predictor) won the Frys.com Open on the US PGA Tour. The 32 year old American secured his maiden victory with a marathon six hole play-off victory over Briny Baird. The latest Tiger Woods comeback resulted in a 30th place finish. Our top ranked player, Paul Casey, faded on Sunday to finish in tied 7th and we had eight of the top twenty one plus ties (8/23) overall.

2011 - Week 42 Predictions/Statistics Online

The predictions and statistics for this week, the Bankia Madrid Masters (European PGA Tour) and the Frys.com Open (US PGA Tour), are now available on Golf Predictor. World number one, Luke Donald, is the biggest ever favourite in the history of Golf Predictor, with a massive statistical lead over his nearest challenger. His predecessor at the top of the pile, Tiger Woods, is forced to tee it up in the Fall Series this week in an effort to find some form ahead of the Presidents Cup. Having just fallen out of the top fifty in the rankings, he'll be hoping for the magic to return before he has to go to Q-School!

2011 - Week 41 Winners

Michael Hoey (ranked 19th by Golf Predictor) won the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on the European PGA Tour. The 32 year old Northern Irish man held off his more famous compatriot, Rory McIlroy, to win his second event of the season by two shots. Our top ranked player, Luke Donald, finished in tied 9th and we had seven of the top eighteen plus ties (7/20) in total. 

Kevin Na (ranked 10th by Golf Predictor) won the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open on the US PGA Tour. The 28 year old American secured his maiden victory in a similar fashion to Hoey, finishing with three late birdies to win by two. Our top ranked player, Nick Watney, finished in 2nd and we had ten of the top sixteen plus ties (10/22) overall. 

Golf Predictor Back Again

The connection problem with Golf Predictor appears to have been fixed again. Hopefully, this will be the end to the hosting problems. Apologies once again to any members inconvenienced by this outage.

Golf Predictor Connection Issue Back Again

So much for hoping for another 3.5 years before the next connection issue! Unfortunately, the connection problem with Golf Predictor reported as fixed yesterday appears to have returned . This is a hosting issue that is unfortunately beyond my control. I have alerted the hosting company again, but it may take some time to resolve. Should this situation persist, I shall have to look into switching hosts. Apologies to anyone inconvenienced by this outage.

Golf Predictor Back Again

The connection problem with Golf Predictor has been fixed. This was indeed a hosting issue that I managed to get the hosting company to address. Apologies once again to any members inconvenienced by this outage. It was the first such occurrence in 3.5 years and hopefully the last for another 3.5 years at least!

Golf Predictor Connection Issue

There appears to be a connection problem with Golf Predictor at the moment. This is a hosting issue that is unfortunately beyond my control. I'm trying to get to the bottom of it, but it may take some time. Apologies to anyone inconvenienced by this outage.

2011 - Week 41 Predictions/Statistics Online

The predictions and statistics for this week, the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship (European PGA Tour) and the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open (US PGA Tour), are now available on Golf Predictor. It's the start of the Fall Series on the US PGA Tour, so there aren't a lot of big names teeing it up after the excitement of the FedEx Cup play-offs. That's not the case in Scotland, where five of the top six in the world are teeing it up with the celebrities!

2011 - Week 40 Winners

Kenneth Ferrie (ranked 19th by Golf Predictor) won the Austrian Golf Open pres. by Lyoness on the European PGA Tour. Ferrie, who turns 33 on Wednesday, gave himself an early birthday present by winning at the first extra hole against Simon Wakefield, after hitting two great approaches to the 18th from the rough. Our top ranked player, Miguel Angel Jimenez, finished in tied 14th and we had eight of the top nineteen plus ties (8/20) in total. 

Bill Haas (ranked 22nd by Golf Predictor) won The Tour Championship pres. by Coca-Cola on the US PGA Tour. The 29 year old American won a mind boggling $11.44 million by by beating Hunter Mahan on the third hole of a sudden death play-off. Haas won the event and the FedEx Cup with a great up and down from the water to make up for his closing bogey in regulation. Our top ranked player, Luke Donald, finished in tied 3rd to narrowly miss out on the FedEx Cup jackpot. Overall, we had six of the top ten in the restricted field event. 

2011 - Week 40 Predictions/Statistics Online

The predictions and statistics for this week, the Austrian Golf Open pres. by Lyoness (European PGA Tour) and The Tour Championship pres. by Coca-Cola (US PGA Tour), are now available on Golf Predictor. Not many big names in Austria this week, except for Jimenez and triple major champion Harrington. On the US PGA Tour, it's the final week of the play-offs and the thirty men left standing will all be gunning for the huge pot of gold at the end of the FedEx Cup rainbow!

2011 - Week 39 Winners

Justin Rose (ranked 20th by Golf Predictor) won the BMW Championship on the US PGA Tour. The 31 year old Englishman completed a wire to wire victory despite some nervous moments on the final day. The win shoots Rose up 31 places to third in the FedEx Xup standings ahead of the finale this weekl  Our top ranked player, Luke Donald, overcame a poor start and finished in fourth. Overall, we had sixteen of the top twenty two plus ties (16/30) in total. There was no stroke play event on the European PGA Tour this week. 

2011 - Week 39 Predictions/Statistics Online

The predictions and statistics for this week, the BMW Championship (US PGA Tour), are now available on Golf Predictor. Just the one stroke play event again this week as the team based Seve Trophy is being held on the European PGA Tour. Qualification for the final leg of the FedEx Cup play-offs is at stake in Illinois, so the pressure will be on to finish in the top 30 of the points race on Sunday evening.

2011 - Week 38 Winners

Simon Dyson (ranked 5th by Golf Predictor) won the KLM Open on the European PGA Tour. The 33 year old  Englishman won his second title of season and third KLM Open by a single shot. That feat puts him in esteemed company, with only the late Seve Ballesteros and Bernhard Langer having won the event three times. Our top ranked player, Lee Westwood, finished in fifth and we had ten of the top sixteen plus ties (10/24)* in total. There was no event on the US PGA Tour this week. 

*David Horsey makes the top 24 of the rankings due to two withdrawals above him.

2011 - Week 38 Predictions/Statistics Online

The predictions and statistics for this week, the KLM Open (European PGA Tour), are now available on Golf Predictor. Just the one event this week as it's the rest week in the FedEx Cup play-offs on the US PGA Tour. Qualification for the European Ryder Cup team continues though, so there are a few big names looking for an early boost to their chances of making the team.

2011 - Week 37 Winners

Thomas Bjorn (ranked 12th by Golf Predictor) won the Omega European Masters on the European PGA Tour. Despite missing the cut in twenty of his first twenty one events this season, the 40 year old Dane won his second event in a row and his third of a memorable season by finishing in style with a 62 (-9) for a four shot win. Our top ranked player, Lee Westwood finished in tied 6th and we had ten of the top sixteen plus ties (10/17) in total. 

Web Simpson (ranked 36th by Golf Predictor) won the Deutsche Bank Championship on the US PGA Tour. The 26 year old American won his second tournament in the last three weeks by beating Chez Reavie on the second hole of a sudden death play-off. Reavie will be kicking himself though for bogeying the last from the fairway with a wedge in his hand. Our top ranked player, Luke Donald, finished in tied 3rd and we had ten of the top sixteen plus ties (10/20).

2011 - Week 37 Predictions/Statistics Online

The predictions and statistics for this week, the Omega European Masters (European PGA Tour) and the Deutsche Bank Championship (US PGA Tour), are now available on Golf Predictor. All of the world's top ten are playing this week, seven in Boston and the remaining three in Switzerland. That's fairly unusual outside of a major or WGC event. It's the second week of the FedEx Cup play-offs on the US PGA Tour and hopefully there will be no acts of God this week in Boston! 

2011 - Week 36 Winners

Thomas Bjorn (ranked 16th by Golf Predictor) won the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles on the European PGA Tour. The 40 year old Dane took his second title of the season after a  dramatic five hole, five man play-off. Long time leader Mark Foster will be kicking himself again after bogeyed the last to let yet another lead slip. Our top ranked player, Anders Hansen, finished in tied 31st and we had eight of the top fifteen plus ties (8/20) in total. 

Dustin Johnson (ranked 7th by Golf Predictor) won The Barclays on the US PGA Tour. The 27 year old American won his second 54 hole tournament as the first FedEx Cup play-off event was shortened due to Hurricane Irene. The big hitting Johnson took the front nine apart, realising -17 of his -19 total on the outward half. Our top ranked player, Luke Donald, finished in tied 18th and we had eight of the top eighteen plus ties (8/23). 

2011 - Week 36 Predictions/Statistics Online

The predictions and statistics for this week, the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles (European PGA Tour) and The Barclays (US PGA Tour), are now available on Golf Predictor. No Tiger Woods at Gleneagles despite that audacious invitation from Monty, but it should be a good event regardless. It's the first week of the FedEx Cup play-offs on the US PGA Tour and no Tiger Woods there either! It will be interesting though to see if the likes of Padraig Harrington and Ernie Els can capitalise on their last gasp qualification for the lucrative series.

2011 - Week 35 Winners

Oliver Fisher (ranked 67th by Golf Predictor) won the Czech Open on the European PGA Tour. Despite missing the cut in twenty of his first twenty one events this season, the 22 year old English man tore up the form book to win his maiden title by two shots. Our top ranked player, Miguel-Angel Jimenez, couldn't overcome tiredness to perform on his own design and we had eight of the top twenty plus ties (8/22) in total. 

Webb Simpson (ranked 9th by Golf Predictor) won the Wyndham Championship on the US PGA Tour. The 26 year old North Carolina native delighted the home crowd by taking his maiden tour title by three shots. It was a squeaky bum day for several big name vying for FedEx play-off spots, with Ernie Els and Padraig Harrington eventually prevailing after some anxious moments! Our top ranked player, David Toms, finished in tied 17th and we had ten of the top seventeen plus ties (10/24)*. 


*Spencer Levin didn't play, thereby promoting Davis Love III to 24th in the rankings.

2011 - Week 35 Predictions/Statistics Online

The predictions and statistics for this week, the Czech Open (European PGA Tour) and the Wyndham Championship (US PGA Tour), are now available on Golf Predictor. Not many big names as usual in the Czech Republic, but the situation is slightly different across the pond. It's the last event on the US PGA Tour before the FedEx Cup play-offs, so there will be a scramble for places from those on the cusp of qualifying. Among the bigger names just outside the top 125 are Padraig Harrington and Tiger Woods. However, only the former is playing this week to try and make the play-offs. The latter may be off licking his wounds!

2011 - Week 34 Winner

Keegan Bradley (ranked 85th by Golf Predictor) won the US PGA Championship on the European/US PGA Tour. Despite a triple bogey on the par three 15th, the 25 year old American ended his country's recent major drought by defeating his compatriot Jason Dufner in a three hole play-off. In doing so, Bradley emulated Ben Curtis by winning a major at his first attempt. Lee Westwood and Colin Montgomerie must be sickened! Not as much as Dufner though, who lead a sizeable lead slip with a poor finishing stretch. Our top ranked player, Luke Donald, finished in tied 8th and we had eight of the top twelve plus ties (8/18).

2011 - Week 34 Predictions/Statistics Online

The predictions and statistics for this week, US PGA Championship (European/US PGA Tour), are now available on Golf Predictor. Just the one tournament to cover this week, but it's a big one! It's the final major of the season and the PGA Championship returns to the Atlanta Athletic Club for the first time in ten years. It's the last chance for eight months for a golfer to land one of those prestigious titles, so the pressure will be on for everyone to perform!

2011 - Week 33 Winners

Adam Scott (ranked 18th by Golf Predictor) won the WGC - Bridgestone Invitational on the European/US PGA Tour. The 31 year old  Australian eased to the first WGC victory of his career, birdieing the last to finish four clear of the field. The win was particularly sweet for his new caddie, Stevie Williams, who promptly gave his former employer a 'subtle' dig, claiming it to be the best caddying  week of his life! Our top ranked player, Luke Donald, rallied well over the weekend to finish in tied 2nd and we had eight of the top nineteen plus ties (8/20) in total. 

Scott Piercy (ranked 24th by Golf Predictor) won the Reno-Tahoe Open on the US PGA Tour. The 32 year old American made hard work of it on the last day, but rolled in a 7 foot par putt on the last to win his maiden tour title by a shot. Our top ranked player, Robert Garrigus, finished in tied 38th, but we had ten of the top twenty one plus ties (10/24)*. 

*There were three withdrawals above him, so Steve Elkington gets promoted into the top 24 in the rankings.

Changes to Tournament Results on Golf Predictor

The availability and display of tournament results has been altered on Golf Predictor. From today, only subscribers will have access to full tournament results on the "Results by Year" and  the "Tournaments Details" pages. Non-subscribers will now only able to see the top 25 and ties on both these pages. In addition, the page size for the results tables (now subscribers only) has been reduced from 80 to 50.

These changes have been made to ensure that anyone copying the data that I have spent years accumulating at great personal effort will at least have to pay a subscription fee. The reduction in page size also makes it slightly more onerous to manually copy all the results for a tournament. Apologies for any inconvenience to other members affected by these unfortunately necessary changes.

2011 - Week 33 Predictions/Statistics Online

The predictions and statistics for this week, the WGC - Bridgestone Invitational (European/US PGA Tour) and the Reno-Tahoe Open (US PGA Tour), are now available on Golf Predictor. It's the first of two weeks of big tournaments in the US this week with the WGC event serving as a final tune-up for the final major of the season, the US PGA Championship, the following week. The second string event in Reno will have to do for some of the lesser lights, but all eyes will be on Arkon and Tiger Woods' latest comeback. He has sunk to a historical low ranking on Golf Predictor, so it will be interesting to see how he performs.

2011 - Week 32 Winners

Simon Dyson (ranked 13th by Golf Predictor) won the Irish Open pres. by Discover Ireland on the European PGA Tour. The 33 year old Englishman won his fifth tour title after Richard Green unfortunately three putted the last. The ever increasing group of Irish major winners all disappointed in their home Open. Harrington and Clarke missed the cut, while GMac and McIlroy never really challenged. The latter was our top ranked player, and finished in tied 34th. In an event where a lot of the bigger names didn't perform, we had five of the top seventeen plus ties (7/20) in total. 

Scott Stallings (ranked 70th by Golf Predictor) won the Greenbrier Classic on the US PGA Tour. The 26 year old American became the sixth rookie winner of the season when he birdied the first play-off hole against Bob Estes and Bill Haas. Our top ranked player, Phil Mickelson, finished in tied 87th and we had nine of the top eighteen plus ties (9/26)*.

*Brandt Snedeker didn't play, thereby promoting Anthony Kim into the top 26 in the rankings.

2011 - Week 32 Predictions/Statistics Online

The predictions and statistics for this week, the Irish Open pres. by Discover Ireland (European PGA Tour) and the Greenbrier Classic (US PGA Tour), are now available on Golf Predictor. Both tournaments are held on their respective courses for just the second time (in recent years), so there isn't a lot of course form to go on. The three recent Irish major champions unsurprisingly lead the rankings and if last year's reception for GMac is anything to go by, McIlroy and Clarke are in for some welcome home! Unfortunately, I can't make the tournament this year, but I'm sure it will still be great!!

2011 - Week 31 Winners

Alexander Noren (ranked 22nd by Golf Predictor) won the Nordea Masters on the European PGA Tour. The 29 year old Swede eased to his second tour title of the season, despite finishing with a 77 in very windy conditions. After his earlier victory in challenging conditions in Wales, Noren is proving to be a  very good foul weather golfer! Our top ranked player, Dustin Johnson, rallied well over the weekend to finish in tied 6th and we had seven of the top sixteen plus ties (7/20) in total. 

Sean O'Hair (ranked 47th by Golf Predictor) won the RBC Canadian Open on the US PGA Tour. The 29 year old American put his poor season behind him to win his fourth tour title in a play-off with Kris Blanks. Our top ranked player, Luke Donald, finished in tied 17th and we had six of the top seventeen plus ties (6/21) in what was a challenging test for the players.

2011 - Week 31 Predictions Updated (Canadian Open)

The predictions for the RBC Canadian Open (US PGA Tour) have been re-run on Golf Predictor. This was due to the incorrect course being used first time around. Since the tournament information was entered in to the system shortly before the start of the season, the course for this event changed to the Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club in Vancouver. Apologies for not noticing this on Monday before the initial running of the prediction engine. 

There has not been many dramatic changes to the rankings after the course update. This is because the original course used in the predictions was only used once in the past five years while this Vancouver track has not been used at all in that period. However, it was used in 2005, which is just outside the five year limit. This has been taken into account for golfers who performed well in that year's event. Note that you may need to refresh your browser pages to see the amended rankings/course statistics.

2011 - Week 31 Predictions/Statistics Online

The predictions and statistics for this week, the Nordea Masters (European PGA Tour) and the RBC Canadian Open (US PGA Tour), are now available on Golf Predictor. The American challenge leads the way in Sweden this week on the European Tour. The weather is promised similar to last week's, so they should be used to the wind and rain by now! Meanwhile, world number one Luke Donald will try to put his Open disappointment behind him in Canada. Needless to say, new Open champion,Darren Clarke, is still celebrating and won't be playing this week!

2011 - Week 30 Winners

Darren Clarke (ranked 83rd by Golf Predictor) won The British Open Championship on the European/US PGA Tour. The 42 year old Northern Irish man continued his small country's remarkable run of success in majors by taking their third major in the last thirteen months. The popular Dungannon man played terrific golf in the difficult conditions to join his younger compatriots, McDowell & McIlroy, in the recent major winner's circle. Our top ranked player, Luke Donald, finished with four straight bogeys on Friday to disappointingly miss the cut by three shots. In an event dominated by wet and windy conditions, we had seven of the top sixteen plus ties (7/21). 

Chris Kirk (ranked 5th by Golf Predictor) won the Viking Classic on the US PGA Tour. The 26 year old American became the fifth rookie winner of the season when he fired a closing 68 (-4) to  take the title by a single shot from Tom Pernice Jr and George McNeill. Our top ranked player, John Senden, finished in tied 27th and we had ten of the top eighteen plus ties (10/26). 

2011 - Week 30 Predictions Updated (British Open)

The predictions for the British Open Championship (European/US PGA Tour) have been re-run on Golf Predictor. This was due to an important change in the weather forecast. It is now promised to be windier than it was on Monday, when the original predictions were generated. This should make for an interested test for the golfers over the next few days!

There has not been many dramatic changes to the rankings after the weather update. However, interestingly, the top two golfers have now switched places. Note that you may need to refresh your browser pages to see the amended rankings/ player weather statistics.

2011 - Week 30 Predictions/Statistics Online

The predictions and statistics for this week, The British Open Championship (European/US PGA Tour) and the Viking Classic (US PGA Tour), are now available on Golf Predictor. The excitement is mounting this side of the pond for the most venerable major of them all, which returns to Royal St. Georges this year. Meanwhile, a second string line up will be battling it out for the Viking Classic in Mississippi. The weather is promised wet for both tournaments, so those who braved the deluge in Scotland last week could have a distinct advantage in the third major of the season!

2011 - Week 29 Winners

Luke Donald (ranked 2nd by Golf Predictor) won The Barclays Scottish Open on the European PGA Tour. The world number one won the rain shortened event with an impressive final third round 63 (-9). It was a shame that torrential rain of biblical proportions ruined the first staging of the event at the Castle Stuart course. Our top ranked player, Lee Westwood, finished in tied fourteenth place and in an event decimated by Mother Nature, we had eight of the top fourteen plus ties (8/24). 

Steve Stricker (ranked 1st by Golf Predictor) won the John Deere Classic for the third straight year on the US PGA Tour. Despite leading by five at the turn, the 43 year old American had to pull out an amazing birdie-birdie finish to pip rookie Kyle Stanley by a single shot. It's a good job we predicted  the winner, because most of the other bigger names failed to produce the goods. Overall, we had  four of the top twelve plus ties (4/17). On the plus side, it's the nearest we've come to having predicted both winners in the same week!

2011 - Week 29 Predictions/Statistics Online

The predictions and statistics for this week, the John Deere Classic (US PGA Tour) and The Barclays Scottish Open (European PGA Tour), are now available on Golf Predictor. It's the final week before the British Open and the new links course used in the Scottish Open this year has attracted a strong field wanting to tune up ahead of the big one at Royal St. George's. Mind you, there are a number of major champions and a couple of the world's top ten in Illinois also, so it should be a good weekend's golf.

2011 - Week 28 Winners

Nick Watney (ranked 1st by Golf Predictor) won the AT&T National on the US PGA Tour. The 30 year old American won his second title of the season by two shots from K.J. Choi. Watney won in some style, with some impressive putting in a blemish free closing round. Including the winner, we had nine of the top fifteen plus ties in total (9/19).

Thomas Levet (ranked 103rd by Golf Predictor) won the Alstom Open de France on the European PGA Tour. The 42 year old French man won his national open 25 years after his first attempt with a final round 70 (-1). Our top ranked player, Martin Kaymer, finished in 4th place and in an event where a lot of the bigger names didn't perform, we had five of the top fifteen plus ties in total (5/20). It must have been the lack of security and all the cameras/phones!!!!

2011 - Week 28 Predictions/Statistics Online

The predictions and statistics for this week, the AT&T National (US PGA Tour) and the Alstom Open de France (European PGA Tour), are now available on Golf Predictor. Most of the bigger names are not playing in this short intra-major period,  leaving both events this week with somewhat depleted fields. At least the AT&T National will have Tiger Woods in attendance, if not playing!

2011 - Week 27 Winners

Fredrik Jacobson (ranked 22nd by Golf Predictor) won the Travelers Championship on the US PGA Tour. The 36 year old Swede finally broke his duck when nearest challenger Ryan Moore bogeyed the last hole to fall out of a tie for the lead. Our top ranked player, Bubba Watson, finished in tied 38th and we had fourteen of the top twenty four plus ties in total (14/32).

Pablo Larrazabal (ranked 16th by Golf Predictor) won the BMW International Open on the European PGA Tour. The 28 year old Spaniard defeated his compatriot, Sergio Garcia, on the fifth play-off hole to secure his second tour victory. Our top ranked player, Martin Kaymer, finished in tied 18th and we had ten of the top eighteen plus ties in total (10/23).