Brett Rumford cruised to his second consecutive victory at the Volvo China Open. Rumford's three under par 33, on the front nine, increased his one stroke overnight lead to three. Competitors drew closer over the back nine, until Rumford posted birdies at 12, 13, and 14 to increase his lead to six. Rumford went on to post a four day total of 16 under par to win by four strokes over the competition.
The 35 year old, five time European Tour winner stated post round, "As with last week I’m kind of speechless at the moment." Continuing, “It’s quite surreal – it’s the first time I’ve actually played the week after a win so I’m more than pleased. It’s hard to get my head around it at the moment."
Rumford was cool and comfortable all week in head-to-toe FJ Performance Golf Apparel, FJ ICON, and SciFlex. Brett also became the 31st player to win consecutive titles on The European Tour.
Volvo China Open Shoe Count: FJ - 65%Nearest Comp - 17%Glove Count:FJ - 45%Nearest Comp - 15%
On the Asian Tour, fellow FJ Staffer and FJ Performance Apparel Ambassador Bernd Wiesberger locked down a one stroke victory at the CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters. Bernd shot a front nine 34 to climb the to top of the leaderboard.
The Austrian added an eagle at the 12th and a birdie at the 16th to post a four day total of 273 or 15 under par across the nearly 7,400 yard Royale Jakarta Golf Club, the total left him one stroke clear of the competition. This is Bernd's first victory of the 2013 season and sixth international victory overall.
Bernd also wore FJ ICON and StaSof en route to his victory.
Winning is never easy on a professional tour, which Wiesberger understood stating post round, "I was struggling in the beginning after my birdie on one. But at the turn I got a bit of momentum going because I was confident with my ball striking.”
The major of the year is upon us and excitement is stirring for the first tee shot to fly across the hallowed grounds of Augusta National! With countless story-lines abound and many of the games top players in peak form it should prove to be yet another historic major championship.
Furthermore, since this is often considered the beginning of the golf season for many players, we would like to extend you the opportunity to win some new FJ products to begin your season!
How do you enter? Simply add a comment and tell us the FJ player you feel will finish highest on the leaderboard each day of the tournament. You may stand behind a player all week or pick a new leader everyday.
Winners on Thursday and Friday will receive a half dozen gloves of their choosing (PureTouch excluded). The winners on Saturday and Sunday can choose between any single style of DryJoys Tour, FJ Sport, or M:Project.
REMINDER : To enter you must have a community profile. If you do not have one, click here to register for the FJ Community - http://www.footjoy.com/myaccount/register.asp
IMPORTANT: In the event of ties (which we know there will be) one winner will be chosen at random amongst those choosing correctly. Only your original picks will be counted so do your research! FJ PLAYERS ONLY: Click here to view FJ players in order by world ranking.
Furthermore, you can only win one time even if you are correct on multiple days. Deadline for your picks is 9:01 am ET on 04/11/12. Void where prohibited. Open to US residents 18 years or older. For additional rules and regulations click here.
POSTS ALSO GO THROUGH A HUMAN MODERATOR, SO PLEASE BE PATIENT WHEN WAITING FOR YOUR POST TO APPEAR.
EXAMPLE :
Thursday - Hunter Mahan
Friday - Jason Dufner
Saturday - Adam Scott
Sunday - Luke Donald
We will also be throwing one of these signed Bubba Watson GTxtreme gloves for all winners!
D.A. Points came back from a nearly three hour rain delay to win the Shell Houston Open by one stroke over Henrik Stenson and Billy Horschel.
Beginning the day one back, Points made six birdies in the first 14 holes, racing to a one stroke lead before play ceased. With a two year PGA Tour exemption and a Masters invitation on the line, D.A. made clutch pars on the final four holes including up and downs on the final two to post the clubhouse lead at 16 under. No one could catch the total, which gave D.A. his second PGA tour victory.
Points trusted his XPS-1 golf shoes and FJ Sciflex glove en route to his win, "The XPS-1 gives me the comfort and stability I need to play my best golf." Continuing, "The SciFlex fits my hand and is breathable for the hot conditions we always play in."
Seven different FJ styles graced the top 25 of the Shell Houston Open. D.A. opted for max stability of the XPS-1, second place finisher Billy Horschel went for fashion forward performance in FJ Icon MyJoys. Other players in the top 25, Ben Crane in Contour, Oothuizen in DryJoys Tour, Bill Haas in FJ Sport, Westwood in FJ Icon, and Wheatcroft in the M:Project. FJ truly has a shoe for every golfer and every swing.
Shell Houston Open Shoe Count
FJ - 64%
Nearest competitor - 18%
FJ WINS, YOU WIN : Click here for your shot to win XPS-1 and SciFlex just like D.A. Points used en route to victory.
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Void where prohibited. Open to US residents 18 years or older. Sweepstakes will begin at 12:01AM ET on 04/1/2013 and end 04/04/2013 at 11:59PM ET.
Kevin Streelman (in FJ ICON and SciFlex) tamed the daunting Innisbrook Copperheard course to claim his first PGA Tour title in his 153rd PGA Tour start. Entering the weekend at even par, Streelman played his next 36 holes at 10 under, not dropping a single shot over the stretch. The ten under total was good enough to take home a two stroke victory.
"I just stayed really patient and had a peace about me today...It’s such a tough golf course where you’ve got to pick your battles.” said Streelman of his controlled round.
The win earns Streelman an invitation to this years' Masters Tournament.
Tampa Bay Championship Shoe Count:
FJ - 63%
Nearest Competitor - 21%
FJ WINS, YOU WIN : Click here for your shot to win FJ ICON and SciFlex just like Kevin Streelman used en route to victory.
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Void where prohibited. Open to US residents 18 years or older. Sweepstakes will begin at 12:01AM ET on 03/18/2013 and end 03/21/2013 at 11:59PM ET.
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On the European Tour, Thomas Aiken won the Avantha Masters with a final round 67 to win by three strokes. Aiken, in FJ ICON MyJoys, shot all four rounds in the 60's, including a blistering ten under par 62 on Saturday to race to the top of the leaderboard. Aiken carded twenty-one birdies and two eagles versus only two bogeys over the 72 holes of tournament play.
“I’ve been playing very nicely the last four months, not making a lot of mistakes, but just not sinking enough putts,” said Aiken, continuing, “This week a few went in, I hit some better iron shots which gave me a better chance to sink some putts, and I played some phenomenal golf.”
This is Aiken's second European Tour Victory; the win also moves Aiken into the top 100 on the official world golf rankings.
Stacy Lewis has captured the world number one position with a win at the RR Donnelly LPGA Founders Cup. Entering the final round four behind, Lewis in FJ Sport BOA and StaSof, biridied nine of the final 18 holes to run away with a three shot victory.
Lewis's 23 under par total set a tournament record.
This is Stacy's seventh LPGA Tour victory and second of 2013.
Louis Oostuizen of South Africa won the Volvo Golf Champions event at Durban Country Club with a Sunday best, six under par 66 to win by one stroke.
Starting the day five strokes back of the lead, Oosthiuizen made up solid ground on the front nine shooting a four under 32 to creep within one of the lead. Continuing his near perfect play on the back, Louis, in DryJoys Tour and SciFlex, birdied his first two holes to take sole possession of the lead. Oosthuizen added another birdie at the 14th before a late bogey at the 16th gave others hope at catching him. Their pursuit would be in vain with Louis parring the final two holes to take home the championship.The win coupled with seven top tens in his past eight starts has moved the former Open Champion Oosthuizen to number four on the Official World Golf Rankings, his highest ranking ever. This was Louis' sixth European Tour victory.
Volvo Golf Shoe Count: FJ - 58%Nearest Comp. - 18%
Matteo Manassero holed a 12 foot putt for eagle on the third playoff hole to defeat fellow FJ staffer Louis Oosthuizen in the Barclay's Singapore Open.
Tropical storms on Friday forced the field to play most of their third round and all of the final round on Sunday. Matteo finished up his first 18 on Sunday with a bogey free 64 to race to the top of the leaderboard at 11-under par. Not to be outdone was former British Open Champion, Oosthuizen, who shot a third round 65 to keep pace with the Italian teenager.
Starting the final round with a two stroke lead, Manassero (FJ Sport and StaSof) rattled off two birdies in his first four holes to remain in control of the tournament. He then made 10 straight pars letting the South African back into the tournament, with Oostuizen (DryJoys Tour and SciFlex) drawing even on the 15th hole. Both players matched birdies on the final hole of regulation to finish at 13 under par.
Birdies were exchanged on the first playoff hole and pars on the next. Then Matteo closed out the tourney with a brilliant eagle for the victory.
Manassero stated post round, “The playoff was just a great honor to play with Louis - it’s been amazing, really. This year has been a tough year for me going through a few swing changes, but it has been amazing this week. I’m glad this came in such a great tournament."
This is Matteo's third win on the European Tour making him the first teenager ever to accomplish this feat.
Swedish born PGA Tour rookie, Jonas Blixt (SciFlex) wrapped up his first career victory with a win at the Frys.com Open held at CordeValle Golf Club in San Martin, CA. Entering the day one stroke back of the leader, Blixt shot one under on the front nine to remain in contention. Adding a birdie on the 15th, tied Blixt for the lead.
After bombing his tee shot over the green on the driveable 17th hole, Jonas played a delicate flop shot that came to rest seven feet from the hole. One of the best putters on tour, Blixt gently rolled the putt in center cut to take the outright lead. Making par at the last earned him the victory.
“It’s unbelievable,” Blixt said. “I have no words right now. This is the biggest dream I’ve ever had.”
The win move Blixt to 35th on the money list and earns him a two year exemption on the PGA Tour.
PGA Tour Shoe Count :
FJ - 78 (60%)Nearest Comp. - 25 (19%)
This week's FJ Tour insider will bring you inside the ropes of the Alstom Open De France. Being right outside one of the fashion capitals of the world our FJ players would not disappoint with their on course styling!
Enjoy!
[Gallery:Alstom_Open_de_France_2012]
In 1996, a young Lee Westwood won his maiden European tour victory at the Nordea Masters. Now fast forward to 2012 and Westwood has added another Nordea Masters to his impressive worldwide resume. Westwood, in FJ Sport and SciFlex, shot rounds of 68, 64, 68, and 69 to reach the -19 under par total, five clear of his closest competitor.
“I played really well this week - you don’t win tournaments by five shots without playing well.” Westwood later said of the impressive victory. He then added some levity to the moment," It feels really special winning here another time – I’ve won it in three decades now which just shows how old we’re getting!"
This is Westwood's 22nd career win on the European tour.
Westwood will now head to The Olympic Club in San Francisco for his shot at the U.S. Open. In the opening two rounds he will be paired with fellow FJ staffers Rory McIlroy and Luke Donald.
Jason Dufner (XPS-1 and FJ Apparel) won the HP Byron Nelson Championship in dramatic fashion by holing a 25 foot birdie putt on the last hole of regulation to win by one over fellow FJ staffer, Dicky Pride (FJ Sport and SciFlex).
Beginning the day with the lead, Dufner fell behind with early bogeys on two and three. He bounced back quickly with a birdie on the fourth, fifth, and seventh holes to join the leaders at nine under par.
He added a birdie at ten to retake the lead alone. Dufner, first in greens in regulation and second in driving accuracy, birdied the sixteenth hole to keep pace with surging playing competitors. On the final hole, with a hazard left and trees right, Dufner launched his tee ball straight up the middle. With only a short wedge shot left, Dufner played a shot to the middle of the green, 25 feet from the pin. He then poured in the downhill, right to left putt for the one stroke victory.
Post round Dufner stated, "You probably couldn't dream it any better than what's been going on here" Continuing, "The wedding has been in the works for close to a year, so we know that's been coming around the corner. And there's been a lot of good golf since then, but to win two events and get married in the span of 22 days, pretty remarkable."
This is Dufner's second win in his past three starts. The win also moves him to the top spot on the FedEx Cup leaderboard and into third place on the Ryder Cup points list.
FJ Wins, You Win - Click here for your chance to win XPS-1 and FJ Apparel like Dufner wore en route to victory in Dallas.
This Sweepstakes will begin at 12:01AM ET on 05/21/2012 and end 05/25/2012 at 11:59PM ET.
Second at last week’s Masters Tournament. Third in Houston two weeks ago. But after two near misses and over 10,000 miles travelled, FJ ambassador Louis Oosthuizen (DryJoys Tour & SciFlex) finally clinched the victory his recent form richly deserved at the Maybank Malaysian Open.
The 29 year old South African defied the psychological fatigue of being pipped to a second Major Championship by fellow FJ loyalist Bubba Watson (FJ ICON) at Augusta National last Sunday and the physical tiredness of a 30-hour journey to win by three shots at Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club.
And all of that before you factor in the jet-lag of travelling across 12 time zones, made harder by the storm disruptions on Friday and Saturday which left the 2010 Open Champion with 26 holes to play on the final day. Truly this was a remarkable performance as Oosthuizen carded a closing 68 for a 17 under par total, with all four of his rounds sub-70.
One clear overnight, Oosthuizen ground down his nearest challenger, who remained in contention right until the closing stretch but struggled to make birdies in a bogey-free round of 70.
Oosthuizen began the day by playing the last eight holes of his third round in level par, and was briefly caught when his nearest competitor birdied the 15th and 16th.
He turned in a two under par 34, with his nearest challenger staying in touch with birdies at the fifth and tenth - both par fives - but crucially Oosthuizen was able to raise his game on the back nine and sink a ten foot birdie putt at the 13th.
A fifth European Tour title was all but secured after a slice of good fortune on the 16th - Oosthuizen’s drive almost went in the water, but having got lucky he took full advantage with a pitch to two feet and birdied.
“I thought I was going to be a lot more tired,” said Oosthuizen, after recording the fifth victory by a South African on the 2012 Race to Dubai. “It was a long journey to get here and I have to be honest and say that I didn't expect to play this well because of the tiredness.
Follwing his fantastic win Oozthuizen moves to €1,293,705 in The Race to Dubai, and 12th in the World Golf Rankings.
Elsewhere for FJ Spain’s Rafael Cabrera-Bello continued his good form with a closing 71 for a 12 under total sixth on 11 under and defending champion Matteo Manassero also recorded top-ten finishes after rounds of 71 and 69 respectively.
The big hitting lefty from Bagdad, Florida, Bubba Watson is now a Masters Champion. Bubba wearing a new FJ ICON pattern and SPIDR2 glove, shot under par in each of the first three rounds of the tournament to sit at six under par after the first three days of competition. For the final round Bubba was paired with fellow FJ Staffer Louis Oosthuizen. Louis was one stroke in front of Bubba as they stepped onto the first tee of the final day.
Oosthuizen (DryJoys Tour and SciFlex) struck first, on the downhill par five second hole Louis blistered a four iron from over 250 yards at the open-center of the green. The shot landed just short and took a hard break right towards the hole on the back of the green, the ball continued to roll and roll until hitting the flag and dropping into the cup for a double eagle. This was only the forth double eagle in Masters history and first double eagle on the 2nd hole. The albatross moved Louis to the top of the leaderboard - four strokes in front of Bubba Watson.
Bubba fought back with a birdie on the 5th hole to draw a shot closer to the leader Oosthuizen.
Watson kept the pressure on Oosthuizen converting a two putt birdie on the par five 13th hole. He then added birdies on 14, 15, and 16 to draw even with the former British Open Champion. Both players parred the final two holes, setting up a sudden death playoff.
Teeing off the eighteenth hole for the fifth time this week, both players hit drives straight up the narrow fairway. They then exchanged brilliant approach shots, setting up potential birdies. They both narrowly missed their birdie putts, halved pars, and headed to the steeply downhill tenth hole.
Bubba's tee shot missed the fairway well right of his intended target, landing behind the galleries lining the fairway. With Bubba seemingly in some trouble, Oosthuizen laid back with a fairway metal only to miss the green short on his approach. Now Bubba sized up his shot from the pine straw right of the fairway, it called for a 30+ yard hook from a dodgy lie with a short iron to hit the green. The lefty pulled the shot off perfectly giving him a birdie look for the win. With Oostuizen failing to get up and down, Bubba would need two putts for the win. Watson calmly lagged the putt to the hole and tapped in to claim the green jacket.
FJ WINS, YOU WIN : Click here for your chance to win FJ ICON and SPIDR2 just like Bubba Watson wore en route to the Masters victory.
This Sweepstakes will begin at 12:01AM ET on 04/9/2012 and end 04/12/2012 at 11:59PM ET.
Jbe Kruger of South Africa emerged from the tight leaderboard at the Avantha Masters for his maiden European Tour victory. Going in to the final round, just three strokes separated the top 15 on the leaderboard, and Kruger was at the top with a bogey free third round that included two eagles and two birdies.
Playing with the lead has proved difficult on the worldwide tours this year, but this time Kruger in FJ ICON and SciFlex responded brilliantly with three birdies on his opening nine Sunday to hold onto that one shot cushion heading into the final nine. Extending the lead in his last round, he added another birdie from off of the green at the treacherous par 3 11th. Kruger's only blemish of the day was on the 17th hole, making a bogey to decrease his lead to two. Unfazed, he made a heroic par on the last hole to wrap up the two stroke victory.
Kruger added post round, “I’m very relieved to win for the first time...if you want to win you need to make putts on the final day and I did that today," continuing, "It’s a big relief now that I’ve won, but I think I needed all those second-place finishes to be able to appreciate it."
On his third start to the 2012 PGA Tour season, Mark Wilson, with memories of his two wins early last year, wrapped up a two stroke victory by holding off a slew of contenders at the Humana Challenge.
Wilson, at 21 under par, began the final round with a three stroke lead over fellow FJ Ambassadors Zach Johnson, Robert Garrigus and Ben Crane. Garrigus gave Wilson the biggest challenge on Sunday as Garrigus took the lead from Wilson on the par four tenth hole with a birdie.
Wilson wearing FJ ICON and SciFlex, responded with an up-and-down birdie from over the green on the par five eleventh hole to regain a share of the lead at the top of the leaderboard. On the next, Wilson hit his approach shot into a greenside bunker, only to hole out the 49 foot bunker shot for another birdie to retake the lead. He added two more birdies on his way in, including a birdie on the last to seal the deal on the victory.
This is Wilson's fifth career PGA Tour victory.
FJ Wins, You Win : Click here to Win FJ ICON and SciFlex like Mark Wilson used en-route to Victory at the Humana Challenge.
FJ Ambassador Louis Oosthuizen (FJ ICON & SciFlex) began The 2012 Race to Dubai in style as he successfully defended his Africa Open title at East London Golf Club.
The South African won on home soil for the second year running with a closing 67 to hold off the challenge of compatriot and fellow FJ loyalist Tjaart Van der Walt. The former Open Champion held firm on the back nine as his playing partners struggled for birdies, Oosthuizen running out a two shot winner on 27 under par.
Oosthuizen was by far the most aggressive player in the final group, and asked about his decision to try and drive the greens on the shorter par fours said: “On six, I go for that green every time, so to me it was a good driver today with the wind into me.”
A huge drive at the 11th set up Oosthuizen for a two-putt birdie on the 11th, and a 30 foot birdie at the penultimate hole all but sealed a victory that was confirmed when he got up-and-down from the back of the 18th green for par.
Oosthuizen scooped the prizes of €158,500 which provisionally places him top of the Race to Dubai standings.