A shout-out, if you will, to those ‘regular’ events that sometimes don’t come with major cachet, but often produce major drama.
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A shout-out, if you will, to those ‘regular’ events that sometimes don’t come with major cachet, but often produce major drama.
Justin Thomas’ three-shot victory margin is Exhibit A in how statistics can be deceiving. Thomas survived Hideki Matsuyama lopping four shots off a five-shot deficit with five holes to play. Matsuyama hadn’t lost to anyone other than Thomas in three months.
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The first API since the death at age 87 of Arnold Palmer became one of the top events of the year even before an official shot was struck. Palmer’s grandson, Sam Saunders, and 30 other pros hit ceremonial tee shots on the range in honor of the tournament’s namesake.
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With a three-tournament win streak coming into the Wells Fargo Championship, Dustin Johnson was the logical favorite. That didn’t change when he finished tied with Pat Perez and appeared headed for a playoff. Brian Harman had other ideas, though. The 5-foot-7 lefthander birdied his last two holes - including a 28-foot bomb on the finale - to upstage DJ and snap a three-year winless streak.
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Daniel Berger successfully defended his 2016 Memphis victory, but it was a charge by Phil Mickelson that elevated the excitement level on the final day. Mickelson, who hadn’t won since capturing The Open in 2013, found himself atop the leaderboard when he made the turn in 32 and birdied the 10th hole. At the 12th, however, he hit his drive out of play, took another penalty stroke with a water ball, and made a triple bogey. He eventually finished ninth.
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A tournament that always seems to provide a stirring finish didn’t disappoint in that regard. Jordan Spieth and Daniel Berger were tied after 72 holes, and began their sudden-death playoff on the par-4 18th hole at TPC River Highlands. Spieth’s drive was knocked down by a tree, leaving him about 230 yards to the green. His approach shot found a greenside bunker, but he holed the next shot from 60 feet for an improbable birdie. Berger then just missed a 50-foot putt to force a second extra hole.
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There was no shortage of differing opinions about the individual elements of Bryson DeChambeau’s game. The all-one-length irons, the sidesaddle putting style - all provoked plenty of commentary. But on one issue there was little debate - the kid could play. So it was little surprise when he earned his first PGA Tour victory at the John Deere Classic. “I like doing it my way and I feel comfortable doing it my way,” he said. “Whatever way you want to do it out there, you can do it.”
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With the FedExCup Playoffs just a week away, Henrik Stenson picked a great time to get hot. The Swede shot a final-round 6-under 64 to finish at 22 under par, a record for the Sedgefield Country Club course, and hold off Ollie Schniederjans (who also shot 64).
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In the FedExCup Playoffs opener, Dustin Johnson defeated Jordan Spieth on the first hole of a playoff that was a matchup of Tour heavyweights. DJ used his prodigious length to take a much more aggressive line on his tee shot than Spieth did on his, and it left Johnson with less than 100 yards to the hole. He wedged on to 4 feet and made the putt for his fourth win of the season.
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After the DJ-Spieth duel in the Northern Trust playoff, we were treated to Justin Thomas vs. Spieth (and Marc Leishman) down the stretch at TPC Boston. A two-shot swing at the 14th and 15th holes, where JS bogeyed the former and JT birdied the latter, gave Thomas a two-shot lead, which he eventually increased to three over Spieth. It was his fifth win of the season, which effectively sewed up the Player of the Year award.
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There was a bit of a surprise ending to the PGA Tour season, as Jordan Spieth, who had come into the event as the FedExCup leader, failed to sew up the cup and its $10 million bonus. He finished seventh in the tournament, allowing Justin Thomas, who finished second, to take the big prize. An even bigger surprise was the Tour Championship winner, Xander Schauffele, playing in just his first full season on Tour.
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