BMW Championship
Lake Forest, IL
Overnight leader and World No. 22 Marc Leishman enjoyed a 4-under-par 33-34=67 in the final round at Conway Farms Golf Club to wrap on 23-under 261, good for a five-shot wire-to-wire win over runners-up Justin Rose (65) and Rickie Fowler (67).
Unlike the first two legs of the FedExCup (FEC) Playoffs, there was no back-nine duel between the game’s elite this week. Leishman began with a five-shot lead, led by five at the turn, and won by five, slamming the door with three birdies over his final four holes.
Jason Day, the 2015 wire-to-wire winner on the tourney’s last visit to Conway Farms, shot 69 for solo 4th, seven back, while Matt Kuchar (67) and Jon Rahm (67) shared 5th place, eight adrift.
Leishman’s 23-under tally matches the tournament record (to par) set by Dustin Johnson last year (Crooked Stick), and breaks the aggregate scoring record, eclipsing 262 by Day and 2007 champ Tiger Woods (Cog Hill).
Final Leaderboard:
1st- Marc Leishman (-23) 62-64-68-67= 261
T2- Justin Rose (-18) 67-68-66-65= 266
T2- Rickie Fowler (-18) 65-64-70-67= 266
4th- Jason Day (-16) 64-65-70-69= 268
T5- Matt Kuchar (-15) 67-68-67-67= 269
T5- Jon Rahm (-15) 69-68-65-67= 269
Note: Rahm is only player to record top-5 finishes in each of the first three Playoffs events.
With FEC points quadrupled, Leishman collects 2,000 FEC points for the victory and bumps three spots to a career-high 4th in the FEC standings.
Top 5 in FEC Standings:
5. Jon Rahm
Dropped out of Top 5 in FEC:
Hideki Matsuyama (4th to 7th)
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The last five FEC champions were no worse than 6th in the standings entering the TOUR Championship.
Leishman, a pre-tourney 40/1 outright, bags his third PGA TOUR title in his 223rd career event, first as 54-hole leader/co-leader.
3 wins
2017: BMW Championship (wire-to-wire)
Winning Margin: 5 shots
Career Start: 223
2017: Arnold Palmer Invitational (come from behind, 3-shot deficit)
Winning Margin: 1 shot
Career Start: 207
2012: Travelers Championship (come from behind, 6-shot deficit)
Winning Margin: 1 shot
Career Start: 96
Note: Leishman went 111 starts between wins No.1 and No. 2; 16 starts between wins 2 and 3.
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Multiple Winners on TOUR (season):
Justin Thomas: 5 (one major)
Jordan Spieth: 3 (one major)
The Aussie, who lives in Virginia Beach, Virginia, claims his first FEC Playoffs victory in 27 postseason events and third top 10, with all three doubling as top 3s:
27 FEC Playoffs starts
6 top 25s
3 top 10s
3 top 5s
1 win
His previous best in the Playoffs was T2 at his BMW Championship debut in 2009 (Cog Hill) during his rookie season on TOUR, finishing a distant eight shots shy of champion Woods.
Playing his ninth consecutive season on TOUR, Leishman returns to the TOUR Championship for just a second time after T28 (of 30) in 2009 (70-74-70-78).
Leishman’s Season:
24 starts
21 made cuts
3 missed cuts
15 top 25s
7 top 10s
5 top 5s
2 wins
Form: 1-3-CUT-T13-T41-T6-T5
Leishman at BMW:
8 starts
3 top 25s
2 top 10s (T2/2009)
1 win
Leishman did not qualify for the 2015 edition at Conway Farms and finished T39 in 2013 (73-71-71-69).
FEC Playoffs Implications:
IN:
Tony Finau (finished T7): from 39 to 24 in FEC standings
Sergio Garcia (T12): from 34 to 25
Xander Schauffele (T20): from 32 to 26
Patrick Cantlay (T9): from 41 to 29
OUT:
Louis Oosthuizen (T63): from 24 to 31
Henrik Stenson (T51): from 26 to 32
Brendan Steele (T44): from 27 to 33
Bill Haas (T53): from 30 to 35
With Stenson and Haas getting knocked out, Spieth is the only FEC champ to qualify for this coming week’s TOUR Championship. The 24-year-old maintained the No. 1 spot in the FEC standings with a T7 on 13-under 271 (65-70-71-65) and tied Thomas (T47) for the season lead in top-10 finishes.
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Eight of 10 FEC champions have not made it back to East Lake the following year. 2012 champ Brandt Snedeker (2013) and 2015 champ Spieth (2016) are the only ones.
Updated Top 10 in FEC standings (points):
1. Jordan Spieth (5,421)
2. Justin Thomas (5,081)
3. Dustin Johnson (4,730)
4. Marc Leishman (4,084); UP three
5. Jon Rahm (3,314)
6. Rickie Fowler (3,197)
7. Hideki Matsuyama (3,058); DOWN three
8. Justin Rose (2,514); UP nine
9. Brooks Koepka (2,170)
10. Paul Casey (2,145); DOWN two
Note: Pat Perez, who finished T12 this week, dropped from 10th to 11th.
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Rory McIlroy won the FEC last year as the 6-seed. He finished T58 this week and was eliminated from the Playoffs at 58th in the standings.
Season Leaders in Top-10 Finishes:
Jordan Spieth (11 in 21 events)
Justin Thomas (11 in 24 events)
Rickie Fowler (10 in 20)
Jon Rahm (10 in 22)
Dustin Johnson (8 in 19)
Paul Casey (8 in 23)
Matt Kuchar (8 in 25)
Justin Rose (7 in 17)
Hideki Matsuyama (7 in 21)
Marc Leishman (7 in 24)
Kevin Kisner (7 in 27)
Tony Finau (7 in 28)
Brian Harman (7 in 29)
Charley Hoffman (7 in 30)
Pat Perez (6 in 25)
Brooks Koepka (6 in 23)
Daniel Berger (6 in 25)
Webb Simpson (6 in 27)
Rory McIlroy (6 in 14); eliminated
22 (of 47) winners this season had a top-25 finish the start prior (46.8%). Leishman was the fourth consecutive:
Recent:
Marc Leishman: 1, BMW; after 3 at Dell Tech
Justin Thomas: 1, Dell Tech; after T6 at The NT
Dustin Johnson: P1, NORTHERN TRUST; after T13, PGA
16 (of 47) winners this season had a top-10 finish the start prior (34.0%). Leishman is the second consecutive and fourth in the last 22 events:
Recent:
Marc Leishman: 1, BMW after 3 at Dell Tech
Justin Thomas: 1, Dell Tech; after T6 at The NT
Jordan Spieth: 1, The Open; after P1 at Travelers
2017 Tournament Winners (46 events/47 winners):
40 (of 47) winners this season were 33-years-old or younger
27 winners were in their 20s
15 were in their 30s (Leishman, age: 33)
5 were in their 40s
Field Scoring Average:
This was the 11th playing of the BMW (in the FEC era) and third at Conway Farms:
7,208 yards; par 71 (35-36)
R1: 68.855
R2: 69.072
R3: 69.420
R4: 69.116
Total: 69.116
Leishman: 62-64-68-67 for 15.464 SG: Total
Leishman’s Position by Round:
R1: 1st
R2: 1st
R3: 1st
Note: Leishman is just the second wire-to-wire winner (no ties) this season, joining Thomas (Sony).
How Leishman Won on Sunday:
After opening in career-tying-low 62-64-68, Leishman steadily increased his lead from two, to three, to five.
Playing out of the final twosome with Fowler, he hit seven (of 14) fairways and 13 greens in regulation (GIR).
Leishman squared bogey-5s at holes 5 and 13 (3-putt from 69'7"), outpaced by six birdies, including three in his final four holes, capping with a 19-footer from the fringe for birdie-4 at the 72nd hole.
He posted 1.692 putts per GIR and 0.309 SG: Putting with 27 total putts.
Leishman improves to 1-for-2 when leading/co-leading after 54 holes.
His first career 54-hole lead/co-lead came two weeks (one start) ago at the Dell, where he co-led after 54 holes with Thomas. Leishman built a two-stroke lead at the turn at TPC Boston with an outward 30 but came home in birdie-less 5-over 40 to fall to solo 3rd. Below are his R4 stats comparison: Dell vs. BMW.
Leishman’s R4 Stats Comparison: Dell vs. BMW (field ranking):
SG: Off-the-Tee:
Dell: -0.463 (58th)
BMW: -0.926 (59th)
SG: Approach-the-Green:
Dell: -0.523 (54th)
BMW: 1.128 (15th)
Proximity:
Dell: 45’2” (T75)
BMW: 37’7” (42nd)
SG: Around-the-Green:
Dell: -1.085 (69th)
BMW: 1.606 (7th)
SG: Putting:
Dell: 2.096 (11th)
BMW: 0.309 (28th)
SG: Total:
Dell: 0.025 (T35)
BMW: 2.116 (T11)
How Leishman Won the Tournament:
Ranked 1st in Total Birdies; 1st in Par-4 Scoring; 1st in SG: Tee-to-Green; 2nd in SG: Around-the-Green; 2nd in Putts per GIR and 2nd in Total Putts.
Leishman’s Weekly Stats (ranking of 69 players):
Birdies: 29 (1st)
Bogeys: 6 (T13)
Par-3 Scoring: 3.00 (T18)
Par-4 Scoring: 3.66 (1st)
Par-5 Scoring: 4.33 (T4)
Driving Distance (all drives): 288.0 yards (46th)
Driving Accuracy: 38/56 (T9) at 67.86%
GIR: 52/72 (T5) at 72.22%
Proximity: 40’10” (64th)
Putts per GIR: 1.558 (2nd)
Total Putts: 102 (T2)
Putts by Round: 26-24-25-27
Scrambling: 15/20 (T14) at 75.00%
SG: Off-the-Tee: 1.352 (23rd)
SG: Approach-the-Green: 3.589 (8th)
SG: Around-the-Green: 6.042 (2nd)
SG: Putting: 4.481 (4th)
SG: Tee-to-Green: 10.981 (1st)
Updated Top 10 in Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR):
With a Strength of Field rating of 686 (up from 663 last year), Leishman banks 72.00 world-ranking points and climbs seven places to a career-high 15th in OWGR.
5. Jon Rahm
6. Jason Day; UP three
7. Rickie Fowler; UP three
8. Rory McIlroy; DOWN two
9. Henrik Stenson; DOWN two
10. Sergio Garcia; DOWN two
Note: At 22nd in OWGR entering the week, Leishman snaps a streak of 10 straight winners of a Playoffs event that were inside the top 15 in OWGR at the time of victory.
Yahoo! Low Rounds:
R1: Marc Leishman (62)
R2: Marc Leishman, Rickie Fowler (64)
R3: Jon Rahm, Lucas Glover, Webb Simpson, Xander Schauffele (65)
R4: Brooks Koepka, Kevin Na (63)
Weekend Bogey-free Rounds:
R3: Louis Oosthuizen (66); Justin Rose (66); Scott Brown (67)
R4: Kevin Na (63); Adam Hadwin (65); Jordan Spieth (65); Martin Laird (66); Matt Kuchar (67); James Hahn (71: 18 pars)
Leader/co-leaders by Round:
R1: Leishman: Improves to 1-for-3 as 18-hole leader/co-leader
R2: Leishman: Improves to 1-for-3 as 36-hole leader/co-leader
R3: Leishman: Improves to 1-for-2 as 54-hole leader/co-leader
Runners-Up:
Justin Rose: The 2011 winner (Cog Hill) finished T2 on 18-under 266 (67-68-66-65). It’s his 12th runner-up in 304 career events, third this season in 17 starts, and fourth in the Playoffs.
Rose in FEC Playoffs:
35 starts
11 top 10s
7 top 5s
4 runners-up
1 win (2011 BMW)
Form: T2-T10-T10-T24
Rose’s Season:
17 starts
14 made cuts
3 missed cuts
9 top 25s
7 top 10s
5 top 5s
0 wins
FEC Rank: 8th
OWGR: 14th
Rickie Fowler: The 28-year-old finished T2 on 18-under 266 (65-64-70-67). It’s his 11th runner-up in 195 career events, second this season in 20 starts, and first in the Playoffs.
Fowler in FEC Playoffs:
27 starts
8 top 10s
4 top 5s
1 runner-up
1 win (2015 Deutsche Bank)
Form: T2-T13-T20-59
Fowler’s Season:
20 starts
17 made cuts
3 missed cuts
16 top 25s
10 top 10s
8 top 5s
1 win (Honda)
FEC Rank: 6th
OWGR: 7th
4th Place:
Jason Day: The 2015 champ finished solo 4th on 16-under 268 (64-65-70-69). It’s his fifth top 10 of the season in 19 starts and his 10th top 5 in the Playoffs, which is No. 1 all-time, one better than Dustin Johnson and Woods.
Day in FEC Playoffs:
34 starts
14 top 10s
10 top 5s
2 wins (2015 BMW; 2015 Barclays)
Form: 4-T25-T6-WD-WD-T15
Day’s Season:
19 starts
15 made cuts
4 missed cuts
1 WD
11 top 25s
5 top 10s
3 top 5s
0 wins
FEC Rank: 15th
OWGR: 6th
5th Place (x2):
Matt Kuchar: The 39-year-old finished T5 on 15-under 269 (67-68-67-67). It’s his eighth top 10 of the season in 25 starts and seventh top 5 in the Playoffs.
Kuchar in FEC Playoffs:
38 starts
12 top 10s
7 top 5s
1 win (2010 Barclays)
Form: T5-T56-T10-T15-T4
Kuchar’s Season:
25 starts
21 made cuts
4 missed cuts
16 top 25s
8 top 10s
4 top 5s
0 wins
FEC Rank: 12th
OWGR: 13th
Note: Rahm (T5) is covered below.
TOUR Rookies &/or First-Timers:
TOUR Rookies: 6
Top-10 finishes: 1
Advanced to TOUR Championship: 2
Rookies eliminated from Playoffs (FEC rank): Mackenzie Hughes (36), Wesley Bryan (41), Ollie Schniederjans (60), Grayson Murray (66),
Patrick Cantlay: Making his tournament debut, the TOUR rookie and World No. 88 finished T9 on 12-under 272 (67-65-70-70), claiming top-rookie honors.
It’s the fifth time this season that he’s been/shared low rookie (2nd, Valspar; T35, Memorial; T10, The NT; T13, Dell). The 25-year-old is 12-for-12 on the season with seven top 25s and three top 10s, highlighted by a career-best 2nd at the Valspar.
FEC Rank: 29th (career high)
OWGR: 76th (career high)
Form: T9-T13-T10-T33-T48
Xander Schauffele: Making his tournament debut, the TOUR rookie and World No. 68 finished T20 on 10-under 274 (72-70-65-67).
After opening the finale birdie-less 2-over thru 12 holes, he played his final six holes in 6-under, carding four birdies and an eagle-2 at the drivable par-4 15th. The 23-year-old is 19-for-27 on the season with 10 top 25s and three top 10s, highlighted by his maiden win at The Greenbrier Classic seven starts ago.
FEC Rank: 26th (career high)
OWGR: 66th (career high)
Form: T20-T53-T17-CUT-T13-T20-1
First-Timers: 17
Top-10 finishes: 3
Jon Rahm: The first-time member though not a rookie finished T5 on 15-under 269 (69-68-65-67), his third straight top 5 to begin the postseason and was top debutant for a third straight event as well.
The 22-year-old has 10 top 10s on the season in 22 starts, nine of those top 5s, highlighted by his maiden win at the Farmers 18 starts ago.
FEC Rank: 5th
OWGR: 5th
Form: T5-T4-T3-T58-T28-T44
Anirban Lahiri (T9) and Cantlay were the other two top-10 finishes among first-timers. Lahiri was eliminated at 51st in the FEC standings.
Consecutive Top 10s on TOUR:
Jordan Spieth (T7-2-P2)
Jon Rahm (T5-T4-T3)
Justin Rose (T2-T10-T10)
Marc Leishman (1-3)
Consecutive Top-10 streaks ended:
Justin Thomas (T47-1-T6-1)
Paul Casey (T33-T4-5)
Consecutive Top 25s on TOUR:
8- Rickie Fowler (T2-T13-T20-T5-9-T22-T3-T5)
4- Jason Day (4-T25-T6-T9)
3- Patrick Cantlay (T9-T13-T10)
2- Brooks Koepka (T12-T18)
2- Pat Perez (T12-T6)
2- Phil Mickelson (T20-T6); eliminated (34th in FEC)
Field Breakdown:
22 of the Top 25 in OWGR were in the field
7 finished in the top 10:
No. 2 Jordan Spieth (T7); pre-tourney fave 6/1 outright
No. 5 Jon Rahm (T5)
No. 9 Jason Day (T9)
No. 10 Rickie Fowler (T2)
No. 13 Matt Kuchar (T5)
No. 15 Justin Rose (T2)
No. 22 Marc Leishman (Won)
Other Top-10 Finishers:
No. 41 Webb Simpson (T9)
No. 63 Tony Finau (T7)
No. 75 Anirban Lahiri (T9)
No. 88 Patrick Cantlay (T9)
Other Notables:
No. 1 Dustin Johnson (T33); defender
No. 3 Hideki Matsuyama (T47)
No. 4 Justin Thomas (T47)
No. 6 Rory McIlroy (T58); eliminated
No. 7 Henrik Stenson (T51); eliminated
No. 8 Sergio Garcia (T12)
No. 11 Brooks Koepka (T12)
No. 14 Paul Casey (T33)
