2020 - Week 49 Predictions/Statistics Online

The predictions and statistics for this week, the South African Open (European PGA Tour), the Golf in Dubai Championship (European PGA Tour) and the Mayakoba Golf Classic (US PGA Tour), are now available on Golf Predictor. Not much by way of top talent in either European Tour event this week, but despite Dustin Johnson's withdrawal, four of the world's top twenty are playing in Mexico. On the plus side for the European Tour, they have managed to put on another new tournament, this time as a curtain raiser to the season finale next week in Dubai. Because of that, there is a fair number of tour stalwarts teeing it up in Dubai.

 

 

2020 - Week 48 Winner

Christiaan Bezuidenhout (ranked 2nd by Golf Predictor) won the Alfred Dunhill Championship on the European PGA Tour. The 26 year old South African won his second tour title and his first on home soil with a good finish at Leopard Creek. On a tough final day in blustery conditions, Bezuidenhout steadied the ship after a poor couple of holes before the turn. He then finished strongly while others dropped shots all around him to win by four strokes in the end. Our top ranked golfer, Robert MacIntyre finished well for tied 6th and in an event that is usually difficult to predict, we had eleven of the top twenty plus ties (11/22) in total on the tough layout. 

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

2020 - Week 48 Predictions/Statistics Online

The predictions and statistics for this week, the Alfred Dunhill Championship (European PGA Tour) are now available on Golf Predictor. Just the one event this week as the PGA Tour is taking a week off before its final event of the year next week.. Like previous years, there is a strong home presence in South Africa, where the field is pretty weak again. There is only five of the top one hundred in the world teeing it up, with home favourite Christiaan Bezuidenhout the highest ranked golfer in the field.

2020 - Week 47 Winners

Joachim B. Hansen (ranked 19th by Golf Predictor) won the Joburg Open on the European PGA Tour. The 30 year old Dane won his first tour title with an impressive display in Johannesburg. Hansen closed with a bogey free 67 to overtake home favourite, the big hitting Nico Nienaber. The tall South African had led for a long time, including by three shots at the turn. However a good back nine of three under by Hansen coupled with two closing bogeys by Nienaber meant the Dane won by two strokes. Our top ranked player, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, finished in tied 15th, despite battling jet lag from Augusta. Overall we had six of the top eighteen plus ties (6/18) in this event with a poor field.

Robert Streb (ranked 126th by Golf Predictor) won The RSM Classic on the US PGA Tour. The 33 year old American won his second PGA Tour title in a dramatic play-off in Georgia. Leading by three overnight, Streb ending up trailing Kevin Kisner with two to play. However, he managed to birdie the penultimate hole and par the last to tie Kisner after 72 holes. After the two former champions halvied the first extra hole, Streb set up a winning tap-in birdie on the next with a brilliant approach from the rough. Our top ranked player, Webb Simpson, finished in tied 37th and in an event that's usually hard to predict, we had only five of the top eighteen plus ties (5/22) in the windy conditions. 

2020 - Week 47 Predictions/Statistics Online

The predictions/statistics for this week, the Joburg Open (European PGA Tour) and The RSM Classic (US PGA Tour), are now available on Golf Predictor. The European PGA Tour returns to South Africa for the first running of the tournament since 2017. No huge field this year, but the lack of any big names still makes it a bit of a lottery. This year, there are only two members of the world's top one hundred teeing it up in Johannesburg. The field is considerably stronger in Georgia where several big names have popped over from Augusta to tee it up! Webb Simpson headlines the field and it will be the second last chance before January for the lesser lights to put some FedEx Cup points on the board. 

 

2020 - Week 46 Winner

Dustin Johnson (ranked 1st by Golf Predictor) won the first major of the year, The Masters (European/US PGA Tour). The 36 year old American finally won the second major his talent deserved with a great wire to wire display at Augusta. Johnson played brilliant golf on Saturday to open up a four shot lead going into the final round. Despite a nervous start when his lead was whittled briefly down to a single shot. DJ righted the ship with a birdie on the sixth. He then won at a canter, finishing with a record score on -20, five shots clear of Cameron Smith and Sungjae Im. DJ was our top ranked player and we had eleven of the top nineteen plus ties (11/22) in total in the weather affected major.

2020 - Week 46 Predictions/Statistics Online

The predictions and statistics for this week, The Masters (European/US PGA Tour), are now available on Golf Predictor. Only one tournament this week, but it's the big one! Excitement is mounting among golf fans ahead of what unusually is the final major of the season at Augusta. The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in the rescheduling of The Masters to an unfamiliar timeslot. It's pretty wide open again this year with several top players showing good form ahead of the tournament. It promises to be an exciting week's golf and I, for one, will be glued to the TV!

2020 - Week 45 Winners

Robert MacIntyre (ranked 3rd by Golf Predictor) won the Aphrodite Hills Cyprus Showdown on the European PGA Tour. The 24 year old Scot built on the great start to his career with his first tour title in Cyprus. Playing the new Showdown format on the same course as last week, the scores were reset after rounds two and three for the remaining players. In the final round shoot-out, MacIntyre finished strongly with a closing nine of thirty strokes, including a near ace on the penultimate hole. That allowed him to take the title by a single shot from Masahiro Kawamura. Our top ranked player, Thomas Detry, finished in tied 4th and we had eight of the top twenty plus ties (8/23*) in this new event.     

 

Carlos Ortiz (ranked 69th by Golf Predictor) won the Vivint Houston Open on the US PGA Tour. The 29 year old Mexican won his first tour title with an impressive final day performance in Texas. Ortiz prevailed on a final day with big names such as Dustin Johnson, Hideki Matsuyama, Brooks Koepka and Jason Day all in the mix. Ortiz sealed his maiden win in style, with a closing birdie for a fine 65 to win by two shots. DJ was our top ranked player and he finished tied 2nd. Overall, we only had six of the top fifteen plus ties (6/19) in an event held on a tough new course.

 

* Due to withdrawals, Shinkwin is promoted to the top 23 of the GP Rankings.

2020 - Week 45 Predictions/Statistics Online

The predictions and statistics for this week, the Vivint Houston Open (US PGA Tour) and the Aphrodite Hills Cyprus Showdown (European PGA Tour) are now available on Golf Predictor. Thanks to the Coronavirus, Houston is once again the final chance of a tune-up before the Masters, so there's a few big names playing in Houston. World number one Dustin Johnson headlines the field as one of the  six of the top twenty in the world teeing it up there. Meanwhile, the European Tour stays in Cyprus for another week, where it is introducing yet another new format! The event is the first to use the new Showdown format and unsurprisingly has a similar field to last week.

2020 - Week 44 Winners

Callum Shinkwin (ranked 67th by Golf Predictor) won the Aphrodite Hills Cyprus Open on the European PGA Tour. The 27 year old Englishman won his first tour title with a play-off victory over Kalle Samooja. Shinkwin came from behind in regulation play with a great birdie-eagle to set the clubhouse target. Samooja birdied the final hole to catch him, but lost on the first extra hole after his short birdie putt lipped out. Our top ranked player, Andy Sullivan, finished very poorly for tied 58th and we had seven of the top seventeen plus ties (7/20) in this new event.    

Brian Gay (ranked 63rd by Golf Predictor) won the Bermuda Championship on the US PGA Tour. The 48 year old American overcame recent poor form to win his fifth tour title in a play-off with Wyndham Clark. Despite Clark amassing a three shot after a fast start to his the final round, he was caught by Gay after he slowed down on the back nine and Gay's putter heated up. Gay then prevailed at the first extra hole with another good putt for a winning birdie, despite being outside Clark, who couldn't match him. Our top ranked player, defending champion Brendan Todd, missed the cut and we had just six of the top sixteen plus ties (6/20) in total in this second tier, wind affected event.

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