Lexi Thompson - winner of the 2014 Kraft Nabisco Championship

Rancho Mirage, California - 19 year old Lexi Thompson started the final round of the 1st major

championship of 2014 in strong fashion - she made birdie at the first, and never trailed at any

point of the final round. The South Florida phenom shot 68 Sunday at Mission Hills, beating

Michelle Wie by three strokes at the Kraft Nabisco Championship. Wie played solid shooting 71,

but chose a much more conservative strategy than Thompson, often hitting less than driver on

many of the par 4's at the Dinah Shore Tournament Course.

The much anticipated battle of young bombers never really materialized, Wie seemed content to

play a disciplined style, plotting her way around . . .  while Lexi choose the more modern bomb and

gouge. Wie now 24, played the role of savvy veteran - perhaps waiting for the young phenom to

have a train wreck somewhere along the way. The contrast in strategy showed itself clearly on the

tough par 3 seventeenth - playing 189 yards to a pin tucked back left, Wie bailed right choosing not

shortside herself (when she needed birdie). Lexi holding a 3 shot advantage, chose to go right at the

tucked flag, and pulled off the best shot of the day on that hole (which nobody birdied the entire day).

She lipped out the 6 foot birdie putt, but it was clearly a difference in strategy and confidence . . . or

maybe just the ignorance of youth. Either way, it was fitting that the teenager from Coral Springs would

get her first major playing against Michelle Wie - who was the child prodigy before her.

“It’s a great feeling. This is what I’ve worked so hard for,” Thompson said. “This was one of my goals

coming into the year, to win a major. I’ve always seen myself winning a Kraft Nabisco. It’s such a huge

honor with all the history behind the tournament. It’s just a dream come true.”

Lexi Thompson -14

Michelle Wie      -11

Stacy Lewis      -7

Christie Kerr     -6

Se Ri Pak         -6

Final Scores: http://www.lpgascoring.com/public/Leaderboard.aspx

Aussie Matt Jones - 2014 Shell Houston Champion

Humble, Texas - Matt Jones needed two unlikely and heroic shots to get to Magnolia Lane for

this weeks Masters, and he pulled them off. The first a 46 foot putt on the last hole of regulation.

The second was a 42 yard chip on the 1st hole (of a sudden death playoff with Matt Kuchar) that

he told his caddie, "I'm going to chip it in". He did just that, and with it became the champion of

the Shell Houston Open earning his right to play in the Masters.

Jones trailed 54 hole leader Matt Kuchar by six heading into Sunday's final round, but his 66 was

enough to tie at the end of regulation when Kuchar rinsed his approach into the 18th green. Kuchar

took his drop and made a clutch bogey save just to get into the playoff, but Jones' heroics were just

too much to overcome on this day. Now instead of heading home, he gets to drive down Magnolia Lane.

“I was going home to play with my 2-year-old and 3-week-old,” Jones said of his pre-victory

plans for Masters week. “So, bit of a change now that I think they’ll be on a plane to Augusta

as well.”

*Matt Jones          -15

Matt Kuchar          -15

Sergio Garcia        -13

Cameron Tringale  -12

Shawn Stefani      -10

Final Scores: http://www.pgatour.com/leaderboard.html

Steven Bowditch celebrates his first PGA Tour win Sunday at the Valero Texas Open.

San Antonio, Texas - Aussie Steven Bowditch overcame strong winds at TPC San Antonio to win

the Valero Texas Open and notch his spot in this years Masters. The 30 year old needed only to

two putt from short range on the 18th to seal the deal . . . and after a feeble attempt on the first,

he tapped in for his 1st PGA Tour victory (his final round 76 was the highest by a winner on tour

since Vijay Singh shot 76 to win the 2004 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits). Bowditch

finished at 8 under par and took home $1,116, 000.

Bowditch has spoken openly about his bouts with depression in the past, and has made great

strides recently to overcome the illness and become an advocate and supporter of those stricken.

Many of his peers on tour were happy to see him breakthrough, perhaps none more than fellow

Aussie John Senden, who waited around for an hour after his round to congratulate his friend:

"He's been a battler. He's gone through a lot in his life." Senden said. "I'm proud to be his mate."

Bowditch had noticed a great resurgence in Golf "Down Under" since Adam Scott won the Green

Jacket last year. He's looked at his Aussie mates recent success - notably Jason Day and Senden

(who recently won the Valspar in Tampa at Innisbrook) as source of inspiration. Elated after his

victory, he couldn't contain his joy: "I'm over the moon, I really can't believe it yet."

Bowditch moved up to 26th in the Fedex Cup standings and through his win has earned his first

trip down Magnolia Lane to play in this year's Masters.

Will MacKenzie (70) and Daniel Summerhays (71) tied for 2nd a shot back at -7. Matt Kuchar and

Andrew Loupe shot 75's and tied for 4th at -6.

Phil Mickelson withdrew on Saturday after injuring an oblique muscle.

Scores: http://www.pgatour.com/leaderboard.html

Matt Every celebrates his win at Bay Hill with wife Danielle & son Liam.

Orlando, Florida - Matt Every's first time attending a PGA Tour event as a child was at Bay Hill with

his father. The Daytona Beach native grew up idolizing fellow Floridian Mark Calcavecchia. Every had

come so close to winning several times, only to come up short . . . he told himself "Maybe it's going

to be somewhere special." Special indeed, the Arnold Palmer Invitational isn't just any event, it's "The

Kings" event. On a day when most of the leaderboard challengers struggled, Every, shot a final round

70 - 13 under par total. A participant of Golf Channel's Big Break Mesquite in 2007 - Every is now the

second participant of the show to win on the PGA Tour (Tommy Gainey was the first).

As Adam Scott struggled (shooting a final round 76), Every surged. The Florida Gator made four

birdies in a five hole stretch to take the lead for good on the short par-4 thirteenth. It briefly looked

like Adam Scott might re-take control when Every bogeyed the par-5 sixteenth and Scott had an eagle

putt in makeable range. The Aussie 3 putted, all but ending his hopes of winning and taking over the

world #1 ranking from Tiger Woods. While Scott and Every were wobbling coming in, Keegan Bradley

was rallying, but his birdie putt on the last never took the break - leaving him at -12, one shot short

of forcing a playoff.

Understandably, Adam Scott was disappointed with himself afterward, "Sometimes you've got to be

hard on yourself, sometimes you don't . . . and I think I was getting into a really good spot and had

an opportunity here to run away with an event and really take a lot of confidence. I'm annoyed that

I didn't do better today." Scott's 63 putts over the final two rounds were a reminder to him of how

he captured the Green Jacket. "If nothing else, it's a good reminder on how much putting practice I

need to do going to the Masters, and just how important it is. If I think back to last year, I made every

putt that you expect to in the last round, and ultimately, that's I guess maybe what gave me the chance

to win."

Every was still soaking it in afterward, "I don't see how it could get much better than this, being so

close to where I grew up and all the fans out there that were cheering me on. It was awesome."

Top 5

1.M.Every        -13

2.K.Bradley     -12

3.A.Scott        -11

4.J.Kokrak      -10

5.E.Compton    -9

H.Stenson        -9

F. Molinari         -9

Final Scores: http://www.pgatour.com/leaderboard.html