MARANA, Ariz. -- American Bo Van Pelt, a sixth seed, defeated 11th-seeded John Senden of Australia, 6 and 5, in the first round.

Van Pelt now takes on Ian Poulter in the second round of the Snead bracket.

Van Pelt needed just one hole after Thursday's restart to end his match. He won the par-5 13th with a par, as Senden bogeyed the hole after an errant tee shot left him scrambling from the native area.

Senden did not record a birdie while suffering five bogeys on his card. He was 1 up through six holes but lost the last seven holes.

"We were kind of trading back and forth," Van Pelt said, "and (I) got on a little run right around the turn."

Van Pelt advances to the second round for the second time in three appearances here.

To preview the 2013 PGA TOUR season, PGATOUR.COM is counting down the Top 100 Players to Watch in 2013. For an archive page with the top 100 players and for an explanation on how the list was compiled, click here .

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MORE TOP 100: Back to No. 67 | Forward to No. 65 | Top 100 archive

2013 PREVIEW: Six years have passed since John Senden picked up his only PGA TOUR title at the John Deere Classic -- yet he has finished 30th or better in the FedExCup three times in the last four years, including 2012. The Aussie would love to lock up that 2014 Masters invite early next year.

2012 DEFINING MOMENT: His five top-10s last year equaled the second-highest total in Senden's career. A tie for fourth at the John Deere Classic was his highest but that tie for 10th at the Olympic Club, his second top-10 in a major, had to be particularly satisfying. –- Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM

ALBERS’ QUICK TAKE: John Senden has always been a great ball striker and a frustrating putter. He told me at the John Deere Classic, he was going to speed up his routine on the greens hoping to become more athletic. It worked. Senden was 13th in the all-around in 2012. -- Fred Albers, SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio

BOLTON’S FANTASY OUTLOOK: Committed to spending more time with family, he shaved another four starts from his schedule in 2011, which also down four from the previous year. However, the Aussie competed in all of the majors for just the second time in his career, and he teed it up in all of the World Golf Championships for the first time in one season. After the dust settled, he booked five top 10s and another six top 25s among 19 cuts made. Given he hadn't eclipsed 22 cuts made in any previous season, the 41-year-old was a model of efficiency. Untouchable in salary games at $1.916 million, plug him in everywhere else. -- Rob Bolton, PGATOUR.COM Fantasy expert

SOCIAL MEDIA: Find him on Twitter

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2012 QUICK REVIEW

Regular Season ranking 37th

Final Playoffs ranking 30th

Best finishes

4th

John Deere Classic

By the Numbers Starts: 22 Cuts made: 19 Rounds played: 78th Top-10 finishes: 5 Money List rank: 42nd

TOUR ranking Driving distance: 79th Driving accuracy: 24th Greens in regulation: 16th Strokes gained-putting: 98th Scoring average: 22nd

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NOW, IT’S YOUR TURN
What is your prediction for John Senden in 2013? Fill out the form below and let us know.

 

The top 30 in FedExCup points are headed to East Lake for the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola. Here’s a look at John Senden, one of the 30 players who will contend for the FedExCup title.

SCENARIOS TO WIN FEDEXCUP: For Senden to win the FedExCup, he MUST win the TOUR Championship and have the following scenarios fall into place:
> Rory McIlroy (No. 1) finishes 27th* or worse
> Tiger Woods (No. 2) finishes in a 3-way tie for 6th or worse
> Nick Watney (No. 3) finishes T-4 or worse
> Phil Mickelson (No. 4) finishes T-3 or worse
> Brandt Snedeker (No. 5) finishes in a 3-way tie for 2nd or worse
> Louis Oosthuizen (No. 6) finishes T-2 or worse
*Tie for the FedExCup
Click here for scenarios of every player

SEASON IN REVIEW: The 2012 campaign was another solid one for the veteran Aussie. He came up with five top-10 finishes, including a tie for 10th at the U.S. Open and in the first two World Golf Championships. He had some anxious moments at the BMW Championship, though, after playing his way into the top 30 the previous week. Senden had fallen out when he shot 73 in the final round at Crooked Stick but gradually moved back in when Bill Haas, who won both the FedExCup and TOUR Championship last year, closed with a 78 and dropped from 28th to 32nd. – Helen Ross

PATH TO TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP: Here’s a look at Senden’s results in the first three events of the 2012 FedExCup Playoffs.
Click here for Playoffs Tracker of every player.

Tournament
Tournament finish	T-19	12	29
FEC ranking after event	32nd	26th	29th

PREVIOUS FEDEXCUP FINISHES: Here is how Senden has finished in previous Playoffs appearances:

	2011	2010	2009	2008	2007
FedExCup finish	13th	50th	24th	37th	55th

EAST LAKE HISTORY: Senden has two previous PGA TOUR starts at East Lake. He tied for 10th in 2009 and was 25th in 2011. In eight career rounds at East Lake, his lowest round is a 69.

ALBERS’ QUICK TAKE: Fred Albers, on-course correspondent for SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio, provides a quick look at Senden:
Has the reputation as a great ball striker and inconsistent putter.  Told me at John Deere, he was speeding up his pre-shot routine while on the greens and being more athletic while putting.  That seems to have helped him.

WATCH: Senden eagles the 14th at the John Deere Classic

PLAYER PAGE: Click here for more on John Senden

Now it’s your turn. How do you think Senden will fare at the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola?

CARMEL, Ind. – John Senden is finished with his final round of the BMW Championship. Now he must wait … and hope.

Senden is currently projected at 31st in FedExCup points, meaning he would not qualify for the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola. But if some of the players in the late groups fall back this afternoon, Senden might be able to move back inside the top 30. Specifically, he will keep an eye on Vijay Singh, Ryan Moore and Robert Garrigus, three players who need to continue playing well today or else fall outside the top 30.

Senden entered the week ranked 26th in points.

“I’m done. I can’t control that,” the Australian said after shooting a 1-over 73 that left him at even par for the tournament and in a tie for 57th. “The fellas on the golf course know what’s happening, but I think that there’s less pressure on me now, now that I’m done, than on the guys on the golf course.

“Hopefully it works out my way.”

Click here for live FedExCup points projections

By Mike McAllister, PGATOUR.COM

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. -- After finishing his round of 3-under 68 that moved him up The Barclays leaderboard, John Senden noted that "you've got to have an all-around game" to succeed at the Bethpage State Park Black Course.

Fitting that the Australian used those words, given where he ranks in the PGA TOUR's All-Around ranking.

Senden is sixth in that category this year, which is computed from eight different TOUR stats: scoring, putting, eagles, birdies, sand saves, greens in regulation, driving distance and driving accuracy.

Of the top 10 in All-Around, eight have won PGA TOUR events in 2012. The non-winners are Senden, and No. 2 Bo Van Pelt, who has eight top-10 finishes this year, tied for most on TOUR.

Senden has five top-10s, which is why he entered this week ranked 37th in FedExCup points. But he's still looking for his first TOUR win since his lone victory, the 2006 John Deere Classic.

He's at 6 under through 36 holes at Bethpage Black and will have a late tee time on Saturday. So maybe this week?

"It's the first time I've played Bethpage, and I feel like it suits my game," Senden said. "It's a strong golf course, and you've got to drive the ball well to put yourself in position to attack the greens."

Troy Matteson is 18 under and playing the 17th with a three-shot lead at the John Deere Classic, but Saturday's stories are the guys gathering behind him on the leaderboard. Three-time John Deere Classic champion Steve Stricker birdied four consecutive holes before a closing bogey dropped him back to 15 under. He's alone in second place at the moment. Iowa native Zach Johnson is in the clubhouse at 14 under following his third-round 66 that featured seven birdies. Also moving inside the top 5 today was 2006 John Deere Classic champion John Senden, who has quietly moved into the picture at 13 under. Senden hasn't had a bogey since his final hole in Round 1 but after playing his first eight holes in 4 under Saturday, he made 10 consecutive pars to close his round. Those three players may be the talk of the TOUR on Saturday night. Should Matteson go on to win Sunday, however, he will finally be able to steal the headlines for himself.

Three players who won PGA TOUR events in 2011 are among the names ranked No. 81-90 that were unveiled Friday on PGATOUR.COM’s Top 100 Players to Watch in 2012.

Scott Piercy (Reno-Tahoe Open), Chris Kirk (Viking Classic) and Harrison Frazar (FedEx St. Jude Classic) each won for the first time on TOUR in 2011.

Below is a link to each of the 10 players who were revealed on Friday. PGATOUR.COM will countdown the players for the rest of December, with No. 1 unveiled on Dec. 30.

Be sure to check out this year’s new addition of the Three Wise Men – Chris DiMarco, Arron Oberholser and Craig Perks, who offer their takes on each of the players on the list .

Let’s us know how you think these players will perform in 2012 and whether we ranked ‘em too high, too low or just right.

No. 81: Scott Piercy

No. 82: Chris Kirk

No. 83: John Senden

No. 84: Carl Pettersson

No. 85: Chad Campbell

No. 86: George McNeill

No. 87: Harrison Frazar

No. 88: Jeff Overton

No. 89: Chris Stroud

No. 90: Kevin Streelman

CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE ARCHIVE PAGE/SCHEDULE FOR THE TOP 100 PLAYERS TO WATCH IN 2012

Tiger Woods shot a final-round 5-under 67, but it was PGA TOUR veteran Greg Chalmers who won his country’s national championship for the second title, claiming the Emirates Australian Open on Sunday.

Chalmers shot a final-round 69 to beat fellow Australian John Senden by one stroke and Woods by two.

Woods said two bad tee shots on his back nine cost him a shot at forcing a playoff with Chalmers. But the fact that he was in contention bodes well for Woods, who will compete with his fellow United States teammates against the International team in The Presidents Cup this week in Melbourne.

CLICK HERE FOR A RECAP OF THE FINAL ROUND OF THE AUSTRALIAN OPEN