Golf: Cantlay edges Rahm for US Tour Championship, $15-M playoffs payout

WASHINGTON -- Patrick Cantlay held off top-ranked Jon Rahm to win the US PGA Tour Championship Sunday and claim the $15 million FedEx Cup playoffs top prize.

Cantlay two-putted for birdie at the par-five 18th to cap a one-under-par 69 that gave him a 21-under-par total and a one-shot victory over Spain's Rahm, who made the second birdie of his two-under 68 at the final hole to finish on 20-under.

"I played great today. It hasn't even sunk in yet," Cantlay said. 

"I just kept telling myself to focus and lock in and I did a great job of that today."

While Cantlay had said throughout that he was trying to approach each round as usual and tune out the prospect of a monster payday, he admitted that it wasn't just another week.

"It was tough," he said. "It was definitely different than any other week.

"It was the longest lead I've ever held. But I just tried to stay, day after day in the present, and I did an amazing job of that this week because the last couple days I made some mistakes I don't usually make and I was able to really center myself and hit a lot of good shots when I needed to."

Cantlay came into the tournament staked to a two-shot lead -- and a four-stroke advantage over Rahm -- under the staggered scoring system that awarded the 30 starters strokes based on their place in the playoff standings.

He led every day, with Rahm pushing hard but unable to get past him.

Cantlay's third bogey of the day at the par-four 17th saw his lead shrink to one, the American doing well to limit the damage after going right off the tee from where his second shot bounced through the green.

He responded with a booming drive up the middle of the fairway at the par-five 18th, where he two-putted for birdie from 11 feet.

Rahm pushed to the bitter end, his second shot at 18 tracking the pin only to bounce through the green and into the greenside rough from where he got up and down for birdie.

Rahm's only other birdie was a tap-in at the fifth hole.

"A couple shots I keep going back, that stretch of 10, 11, 12, I was in position to put a little bit of pressure and I just didn't," Rahm said.

"But at the same time, I shot my lowest score ever for four days on this golf course, which has usually been a challenge for me."

In fact, Rahm's 72-hole total of 266 was actually three shots lower than Cantlay's 269.

But the Spaniard went into the event four adrift in the staggered start system.

Asked if he felt "in his heart of hearts" that he had won the tournament, Rahm said "No.

"Because I didn't," he said. "That's the reason why we have this system we have. In scoring when they show you the sheets and points, it felt really weird to have this feeling of disappointment of not winning on a day you are making $5 million.

"Then I'm thinking, you know, yeah, I gave it my all. It wasn't enough."

- Amazing golf -

And Rahm said Cantlay -- who was atop the FedEx Cup standings after an epic playoff win over Bryson DeChambeau at last week's BMW Championship -- had earned the victory.

"Patrick played great golf, and he was four shots ahead of me, and even though I might have been the better man over the week, he earned it.

"He played amazing," Rahm said. "That up-and-down after missing from 17, the second shot from 18 to almost make it is even more impressive.

"I think you can say he won this. He played amazing golf."

American Kevin Na finished alone in third after a closing 67 that put him at 16-under par.

Former FedEx Cup champion Justin Thomas fired a two-under 70 to finish fourth on 15-under.

Agence France-Presse

  

Golf: Koepka shows himself human with final round fade in Atlanta

Brooks Koepka proved himself human after all in the final round at the Tour Championship on Sunday when he was comprehensively outplayed by winner Rory McIlroy in Atlanta.

Four weeks after schooling McIlroy in the final round at the WGC-St. Jude Invitational, the northern Irishman got his revenge and then some at East Lake.

McIlroy shot four-under 66, six strokes better than Koepka, to clinch the tournament and the $15 million payout as FedEx Cup season-long champion.

"Just one of those days where you don't feel comfortable," world number one Koepka told reporters after finishing equal third, five shots behind McIlroy.

"This week, just didn't get it done. I don't think I was going to beat Rory today, even if I had it."

Usually machine-like and impervious to pressure, Koepka hit several wayward drives, including one pulled deep into the woods on the seventh hole that resulted in a lost ball.

The American's putting also betrayed him down the stretch, as he missed a three-footer, a four-footer and a six-footer in quick succession to run up three straight bogeys.

"Those three putts I missed kind of took the air out of everything," Koepka said.

His season will still go down as a great one, due primarily to his major record -- victory at the PGA Championship and runnerup finishes at the Masters and U.S. Open.

But Sunday's result will give his rivals, most notably McIlroy, confidence that he is beatable.

"I mean, I can't bring it every day," Koepka said, something his peers were starting to wonder about.

(Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina; Editing by Ian Ransom)

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Golf: McIlroy banks $15 million with Tour Championship, FedEx Cup wins

*Northern Irishman wins by four shots

*Clinches FedEx Cup for second time

*Collects biggest prize in golf history 

Victory at the Tour Championship in Atlanta on Sunday will not completely erase the disappointment of a futile season at the majors for Rory McIlroy, but it may be worth far more than the $15 million he received for winning the FedEx Cup.

The confidence gained from playing his best on a big stage and beating nemesis Brooks Koepka can only help his self-belief after a disappointing final round when paired with Tiger Woods at the same event last year.

The Northern Irishman emphatically outdueled Americans Koepka and Xander Schauffele with a closing four-under 66 at East Lake en route to the biggest prize in the sport.

He finished at 18-under, four shots ahead of Schauffele to claim the season-long FedEx Cup for the second time on the PGA Tour, after his 2016 win.

It was a sweet stroll up the final hole for McIlroy, who last year had to endure the walk alongside a victorious Woods as the heaving gallery chanted, "Tiger, Tiger."

This time, chants of "Rory, Rory" rang out from the crowd.

"I must say I didn't enjoy that walk last year like everyone else did," McIlroy said. "I never took the fight to Tiger.

"It's amazing how different things can be in a year."

McIlroy took the fight to Koepka just four weeks after being given a lesson by the American when they were paired in the final round at a World Golf Championships event in Memphis.

"Going up against the number one player in the world today, he got one over me in Memphis and I wanted to get some revenge," McIlroy said.

"To play like that alongside Brooks, get the win, win the FedEx Cup, it's awesome."

Schauffele shot a closing 70, while Koepka was unusually error-prone in a 72 to tie for third with Justin Thomas, five shots behind.

McIlroy, who teed off one stroke behind Koepka, hit the ball long and straight as he split fairway after fairway.

Koepka, on the other hand, was often wayward. At the par-four seventh he lost a ball after hooking a tee shot into the trees and took a double-bogey.

McIlroy picked up three shots there with a birdie and from that point Schauffele was his main challenger.

The Northern Irishman opened the door slightly with bogeys at the 14th and 15th holes, but slammed it shut again with a clutch eight-foot par putt at the 16th.

THIRD WIN

McIlroy's third win of the year followed triumphs at the Players Championship and Canadian Open.

His major results were disappointing, however, particularly a missed cut at the British Open in his homeland at Royal Portrush.

"To win three times is awesome," he said.

"I feel like I could have won more but to win the FedEx cup again, to persist the whole way throughout the year, to keep giving myself chances, even when I was getting knocked back and not be denied, I'm very proud of myself."

The Tour Championship used a staggered scoring system for the first time, based on accumulated points.

Hence, top seed Thomas started at 10-under, the second seed at eight-under and so on down to even par for the 26th-to-30th ranked players in the field.

This was done to ensure that the winner of the season-long FedEx Cup points race and the winner of the Tour Championship were guaranteed to be the same person.

Fifth seed McIlroy, who started on five-under, shot the best score of the field anyway, 13-under-par 267.

"My goal was to shoot the lowest score of the week," he said.

Mission accomplished.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Golf: Thomas eyes FedEx Cup jackpot at Tour Championship

LOS ANGELES -- Justin Thomas will start with a two-shot cushion as he aims to crown his season with victory at the Tour Championship and a $15 million FedEx Cup payday on Thursday.

Under a revamped "staggered start" format to the PGA Tour's lucrative season finale, Thomas will automatically tee off on 10 under at East Lake Golf Club outside Atlanta.

The "Starting Strokes" format introduced this week is designed to eliminate the confusion of past FedEx playoffs, when the winner of the final tournament was often different from the series champion.

Instead, the 30-man field at East Lake have been given starting totals which reflect their performances this season. 

Put simply, the player who finishes on top of the leaderboard this week will also pocket the $15 million prize on offer to the FedEx Cup champion.

Thomas, who captured his 10th career title with a win at the BMW Championship on Sunday, is now in pole position at the top of the leaderboard.

Patrick Cantlay will start in second on eight under, while Brooks Koepka will tee off in third place on seven under. 

Patrick Reed starts on six under with Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy fifth on five under.

Despite the unusual position of starting the tournament with a lead, Thomas insists he will not be thinking about defending his advantage at the top of the leaderboard when this week's event gets under way.

"It's going to be tough," said Thomas, who could join Tiger Woods as the only man to win two FedEx Cup Championships after his victory in 2017. "I'm just going to have to try to play another golf tournament and act like everyone's staring at zero and try to shoot the lowest 72 holes," added Thomas.

McIlroy, the 2016 FedEx champion, who will start five shots off the lead this week, believes Thomas can take a conservative approach into the tournament on the 7,346-yard par 70 layout.

- Woods, Lowry missing -

"If I was in JT's position, it would be, 'OK, I'm going to go out and shoot 67 every day. No one should beat me if I do that,'" McIlroy said. "I think you have to just control what you can."

Thomas meanwhile admits he will be grappling with the unknown. 

"There isn't a person on the planet that's experienced this before, for the stakes it's for," Thomas said. "I'm just going to try to deal with it the best I can."

The format for the FedEx Cup finale has not been universally popular, with many critics taking aim at a qualifying system that has no mechanism for allowing the inclusion of 2019 Masters champion Tiger Woods and British Open winner Shane Lowry, two high-profile absentees this week.

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan defended the format, emphasising that the final 30-man field was designed to reward consistency over a whole season.

"We are in the Playoffs, and Playoffs inherently bring forward a lot of volatility,"Monahan said. 

"I think what it says is that, one, it's really hard to get to Atlanta and the Tour Championship. You've got to play exceedingly well over the course of an entire season, and with volatility, there's risk. 

"And if you don't play well over the course of the season or you don't get off to the start that you envision at the start of the playoffs, you take the risk that you're not going to be here.

"I want to emphasize the fact that what Tiger and Shane did this year, those are two of the greatest stories of the year. So would you want them here? 1,000%. 

"But you look at every other sport and their playoff format, and you'll have top teams that fall out early. You'll have some things that you may not have predicted, particularly at the moment when they won those two big events."

source: news.abs-cbn.com

WORLD SPORTS WRAP: Brady joins elite club, Spieth triumphs

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady on Sunday became just the fourth player to throw 400 career touchdown passes in the National Football League (NFL).

Just before half-time, Brady found wide receiver Danny Amendola in the end zone from one yard as the reigning Super Bowl champion Patriots took control against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Patriots led the Jaguars 20-3 at the interval before rolling to a commanding 51-17 victory.

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Spieth caps season with $11.48 million double win

Jordan Spieth capped a brilliant season in sensational style as he scored a four-stroke victory at the Tour Championship on Sunday that also won him the FedExCup playoffs title for an $11.48-million pay day.

Spieth shot a closing one-under-par 69 at East Lake Golf Club for a nine-under total of 271 and his fifth win of the season, including the Masters and U.S. Open.

The prize money haul included the $10-million jackpot bonus for winning the season's FedExCup points competition, virtually clinched him Player of the Year honors and returned the 22-year-old American to the number one world ranking.


Day loses number one, but vows to get it back

Jason Day's reign as world number one lasted one week as American Jordan Spieth reclaimed the top spot by winning the Tour Championship and FedExCup on Sunday, but the Australian is not fretting.

"To be able to win the major championship, the PGA Championship, and then also to get to number one has been a life-long dream of mine," Day said after a closing 68 for two-under 278 and a tie for 10th, seven shots behind Spieth. "So it's been a good positive year."

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Hamilton equals Senna's tally with Japanese win

Lewis Hamilton won the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday to equal the late Ayrton Senna's tally of 41 Formula One victories and move 48 points clear of Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg with five races remaining.

On a sunny afternoon at Suzuka, in marked contrast to the dark and tragic 2014 race that he also won, the double world champion seized the lead from pole-sitter Rosberg at the start and never looked back.

The win was the Briton's eighth of the season, with Rosberg anchoring the eighth one-two finish for dominant Mercedes as the champions returned to form after a mysterious dip in Singapore last weekend.


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Washington pitcher Papelbon attacks team mate Harper

Washington pitcher Jonathan Papelbon attacked team mate Bryce Harper in an extraordinary incident during the Nationals game against the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday.

After All-Star Harper flied out in the eighth inning, he returned to the dugout and started exchanging words with veteran Papelbon. The verbal spat quickly became heated and then Papelbon went for Harper's throat with his left hand and slammed him against the wall.

Team mates and manager Matt Williams quickly separated the pair.

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Tsonga claims 12th career title with Moselle Open win

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga beat Gilles Simon 7-6(5) 1-6 6-2 in an all-French final at the Moselle Open to claim his 12th ATP title on Sunday. The third-seeded Tsonga eventually had too much power for his second-seeded opponent in a rematch of the 2013 final won by Simon.


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Platini no longer odds-on favourite to succeed Blatter at FIFA

Bookmakers have lengthened the odds that European soccer boss Michel Platini will succeed Sepp Blatter as head of the sport's global governing body FIFA, after Swiss prosecutors said they were investigating Blatter over a payment to Platini.

Bookmaker William Hill said it had lengthened its odds on Platini getting the job to 11/10 from 1/3. Instead of being three times as likely to become FIFA president as not, Platini was now likelier than not to lose out.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Unstoppable Day stretches BMW lead to six

CHICAGO -- Jason Day continued his march to try and claim the world number one ranking, stretching his lead to six shots after the third round of the BMW Championship on Saturday.

The 27-year-old Australian kept himself in position for a wire-to-wire victory as he fired a two-under 69 to reach 20-under 193 in the third of four tournaments in the USPGA Tour's FedEx Cup playoffs.

Day has a six-shot cushion over Americans Scott Piercy (67) and Daniel Berger (70) who are tied for second at the Conway Farms Golf Club.

World number one Rory McIlroy birdied three of the last four holes for a four-under 67 and is in sole possession of fourth, seven shots back of Day.

Day wobbled down the stretch, making two of his four bogeys on the back nine after making just two in the first two rounds.

But Day, who opened with rounds of 61 and 63, grinded it out and capped his third round by draining a long birdie putt on 18.

Day, of Forest Lake, Queensland, could get to world number one if he claims his fifth title of the season on Sunday. He is trying to join Tiger Woods and Vijay Singh as the only players in the last 20 years to win five or more tournaments in a season.

McIlroy will stay number one if he wins Sunday.

Jordan Spieth, who shot a 72 and is tied for 11th, can also claim number one with a win but was 10 shots off the pace.

Day began his round with back to back pars before making birdie on the par-four third. He played the final four holes of the front nine by balancing two bogeys with a couple of birdies.

He had two bogeys in his final six holes on the back nine but he managed to right the ship by draining a 25-foot putt on the par-five 18th for his sixth birdie of the day.

Day is aiming for his fourth title in his past six tournaments, a stretch that includes his first career major win at the PGA Championship and the first event of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, The Barclays.

He also has an opportunity to pass reigning US Open and Masters champ Spieth for player of the year honours.

Rickie Fowler had six birdies in a 66 and was in a tie for fifth with Dustin Johnson, who had a 68 with seven birdies, and Kevin Na, who birdied the last two holes for a 70.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com