PGA Zurich Class: Jamie Lovemark & Jhonattan Vegas Are Co-Leaders in Round 1

The Zurich Classic is an excellent opportunity for PGA journeymen to capture Official World Golf Ranking and FedEx Cup points while many of the first tier players, except for Jason Day and Rickie Fowler, take a week off. It's going to be a long day for much of the field, as tournament organizers will look to complete the opening round and get as much of the second round completed as possible. Day and Fowler likely will have a tough time completing their rounds before nightfall, but it will be key for both to maintain their current pace in order to climb the standings and remain within striking distance heading into the weekend. Play was interrupted for much of the afternoon as storms rolled through, but Stuard was able to set the early mark as he looks for his first win. Leading the chase pack is Goosen, a two-time U.S. Open champ who hasn't won since 2009, while Fowler (68) and world No. 1  Day (69) remain in the mix after solid starts. Stuard only has one top-25 finish in six starts this season, but he got going quickly in the Big Easy. Stuard made five front-nine birdies and added three more circles on his inward half, signing for a bogey-free 64 that gave him the overnight lead and marked his lowest score of the season. Goosen hasn't lifted a trophy on the PGA Tour since the Vaslpar Championship seven long years ago, but the 47-year-old is contending once again after a 7-under 65. Goosen had six birdies en route to a front-nine 30, including three straight birdies on Nos. 7-9 without making a putt over 12 feet.So which player has the edge heading to weekend play? Share your predictions here at the Pro Golf Tour: http://progolftournaments.blogspot.com/

Olympics - Golf: Countdown to Rio (2016)

Golf at the the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janero begin in just 100 days. This post is the first in a series providing updates on the course, the players, the selection process and ultimately the competition itself.  The Women’s and Men’s Competitions will each be comprised of 60 athletes with 59 qualified through the Olympic Golf Rankings (OGR) and 1 Host Country place. The Olympic Golf Ranking (OGR) is sanctioned by the IGFand listed at www.igfgolf.org . The OGR is issued every Monday following completion of the previous week’s tournaments from around the world. The Men’s OGR recognizes official prize money tournaments on the following Tours: PGA TOUR, European Tour, PGA TOUR of Australasia, Japan Golf Tour, Southern Africa Sunshine Tour, Asian Tour, Web.com  Tour, European Challenge Tour, Korean Golf Tour, PGA TOUR Canada, PGA TOUR Latinoamérica and PGA TOUR China. The Women’s OGR recognizes official prize money tournaments on the following Tours: Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA); Ladies European Tour (LET); Ladies Professional Golfers' Association of Japan (JLPGA); Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA); Australian Ladies Professional Golf (ALPG); Symetra Tour; Chinese Taipei Ladies Professional Golf Association (TLPGA) Tour China Ladies Professional Golf Association Tour (CLPGA) and the Ladies European Access Series (LETAS) as well as the Ladies' Golf Union (LGU), which administers the RICOH Women's British Open and the United States Golf Association (USGA) which conducts the U.S. Women's Open. The OGR is calculated as follows: Each tournament earns a strength of field rating which determines how many ranking points will be awarded to top finishers. Points are awarded to players based on their finish positions in each event, with performances in stronger field events earning more points in accordance with a points distribution table approved by the IGF.Which players will make the team for their respective countries? Share your picks here at the Pro Golf Tour: http://progolftournaments.blogspot.com/

There is a Tiger is Looming in the Ruff

Anticipation is growing that Tiger Woods' return to the PGA Tour will take place sooner rather than later. Tiger Woods checked off another box Monday in his self-described "long road" to recovery, saying that he played his first actual holes of golf in more than eight months. Woods was on hand for the grand opening of the back nine at Bluejack National in Montgomery, Texas, his first course design to open in the U.S. After a brief warm-up session in front of club members and several media members, Woods played a casual five holes alongside friend and Bluejack ambassador Mark O'Meara. As we move into the heart of the PGA Tour season with The Players championship in two weeks and three Majors to follow one has think believe that Tiger's natural instinct - to not just play golf, but play elite golf at the preeminent tournaments against the world's top-ranked players - is looming large. No one believes that Tiger will magically return to the tour and be an overnight sensation - its will take alot of hard work. Tiger is likely to chose a tournament where he is comfortable and has previously won to stage his return. So just when will the new and improved Tiger Woods return? Share your predictions with the Pro Golf Tour: http://progolftournaments.blogspot.com/

Valero Texas Open: Charley Hoffman Wins By One Stroke Over Patrick Reed

Charley Hoffman, a PGA Tour journeyman, made a 10-foot birdie putt on the final hole to win the Valero Texas Open on Sunday for his fourth PGA victory on tour. Hoffman, age 39, closed with a 3-under 69 at TPC San Antonio  for a one-stroke victory over Patrick Reed. Hoffman finished at 12-under 276 and earned $1,116,000. ''This was my hardest one,'' Hoffman said after a vigorous fist-pump and drill-team leg kick when the winning putt fell at 18. ''Grabbing that lead and holding on to it - it's tough to keep the pedal down and give yourself birdie opportunities and win golf tournaments.'' Playing alongside Hoffman, Reed also birdied the par-5 18th for a 69. He missed birdie putts inside 8 feet on the par-3 16th and par-4 17th. ''Today I was missing a lot of short putts, so I'm shocked I even had a chance,'' Reed said. Reed, who was born in San Antonio, put the pressure on Hoffman with a tap-in birdie at the 18th after reaching the fringe on the 595-yard hole in two. His shot to the green came from the left-hand rough, and had to clear an oak tree and creek in front of the green. Hoffman followed by hitting his third shot from a greenside bunker to set up his birdie. This win bodes well for Hoffman on three fronts - The Players championship in May, the FedEx Cup race and his candidacy for the Ryder Cup team. Which of these three goals are within Hoffman's reach? Send your predictions to the Pro Golf Tour: http://progolftournaments.blogspot.com/

Valero Texas Open: Brendan Steele Leds By Three Strokes After Round 2

American Brendan Steele finished the second round at the Valero Texas Open at -10 under par, three strokes ahead of Scott Langley. And while this well-established tournament is not among the top tier on the PGA Tour it does provide both journeymen and new PGA members an excellent opportunity to polish their gains as attention turns to The Players next month. Charlie Hoffman has finished T-13 or better each of the last six years at this event, and he is well on his way to another high finish after opening with a 66. Hoffman carded seven birdies against just one bogey, closing with an 11-foot make on No. 18 to reach 6 under as he looks for his first win since the 2014 OHL Classic at Mayakoba. Meanwhile, Jimmy Walker, a native son, won this event last year by four shots over Jordan Spieth. But a repeat seems unlikely after Walker opened with a 3-over 75 that left him 11 shots off the early pace. Walker managed only one birdie against four bogeys and now has an uphill battle simply to make the cut. Which players holds the advantage leading into weekend play? Share your predictions with the Pro Golf Tour: http://progolftournaments.blogspot.com/

Can Lydia Ko Win Back-to-Back-to-Back LPGA Swinging Skirts Titles?

Lydia Ko, the Rolex #1 ranked ladies golfer, will try to become just the third player in the last decade to win an LPGA event three consecutive years when she tees it up in Thursday’s start to the Swinging Skirts Classic. Ko defeated Stacey Lewis in a captivating duel to win the first Swinging Skirts Classic played at Lake Merced Golf Club two years ago. She won again last year, defeating Morgan Pressel  in a playoff. “Obviously, just to say you’re defending a title is tough enough,” Ko said. “If I did end up [winning for a third time], it would be extra special.” Ko’s victory here in 2014 was her first as an LPGA member. It meant so much to her, she had the date she won tattooed in Roman numerals above her right wrist. Sunday promises to be a special day for Ko no matter how she fares. She will celebrate her 19th birthday. “I can’t believe it’s already my third year on tour,” Ko said. “I feel like I’m getting old. “Yeah, I’m growing up. There are girls younger than me. Brooke [Henderson] is a couple months younger. Last year, and the year before, everybody was younger than me. I feel like everything is changing really quickly.” Ko is seeking her fourth worldwide victory this year, her third LPGA title. She will play in the featured pairing Thursday morning with Lewis and In Gee Chun. But let's not count out Inbee Park, Stacey Lewis and a bevy of even younger players emerging out of Asia ... all with very bright futures. So can Ko three-peat this week? Send your predictions to the Pro Golf Tour: http://progolftournaments.blogspot.com/

RBC Heritage: South Africa's Branden Grace Wins His First PGA Tournament

Branden Grace's two-shot victory at the RBC Heritage was his first on the PGA tour and it also took the South African to within one spot of his career high in the world rankings. Granted, this tournament typically does not attract many of the world's top 10 ranked players, nonethless a PGA victory is a rare feat for professional golfer. Grace jumped three spots to No. 11 in the world after donning the tartan jacket. It equals his highest standing outside of a two-week stretch earlier this year when he was ranked No. 10 following his victory at the Qatar Masters. While Grace made the most notable jump near the top of the standings, plenty of other players parlayed a big weekend into a rise in the Official World Golf Ranking. That list was headlined by former world No. 1 Luke Donald,  who had fallen to No. 95 in the world last week. After a T-2 finish at Harbour Town, though, the Englishman is back up to No. 68. Meanwhile, OWGR #1 Jason Day faded in the third and forth rounds to finish T23 at -1 under par ... nine strokes off the lead. What does the future hold for the young Grace? Will this victory be the first of many on the PGA tour or simply a one-time, one-off win against a less than overwhelming field? Send us your thoughts here at the Pro Golf Tour: http://progolftournaments.blogspot.com/