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Tour Mash: Rory wins Tour Championship, FedEx Cup in dramatic finish

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A tremendous end to the FedEx Cup race, a starburst in the penultimate Web.com Tour Finals and a comeback playoff win on the European Tour highlighted the week before the week. The Ryder Cup has arrived, but let’s mash up the previous week’s results before we head over to Minnesota for RC2K16.

Rors roars with eagle, then takes playoff win for FedEx title

Rory McIlroy might have the silhouette of the 16th hole at East Lake shaved into his head. Nah, that’s too drastic. Maybe a miniature copy for his backyard? McIlroy two-hopped his 9-iron into the hole for eagle during regulation time, birdied No. 18 to get himself into a playoff and then went drain-o on a 15-foot birdie putt on the fourth playoff hole to capture his second FedEx Cup Playoffs event and the overall FedEx Cup, stealing away its $10 million from Dustin Johnson.

Related: McIlroy’s Winning WITB

Also victimized by McIlroy’s late heroics were Kevin Chappell, who led late but bogeyed Nos. 17 to fall into a tie at a dozen under, and Ryan Moore, who failed to birdie the par-5 finisher for the win (as did Chappell). Rory and Ryan birdied the first playoff hole (the 18th) to dispatch Chappell, then did battle for four more holes before… well, you know!

Grayson Murray fulfills promise, wins Nationwide Children’s Hospital event

Grayson Murray has been around, let’s be honest. His college career included stops at Wake Forest, East Carolina, UNC-Greensboro and Arizona State. That’s quite a jersey collection! After a stellar junior career, Murray struggled to find a place to call home during his university years. Now he has a home; it’s called the PGA Tour.

Related: See what clubs Murray used to win.

Murray earned his big-league card during the regulation portion of the season, but the one thing he didn’t do was win. On Sunday in Columbus, on the course that Alister built and Jack revised, Murray posted a solid 68 to reach 12-under, then watched as leaders Martin Flores and Tag Ridings faltered. Closing the gap was Cameron Smith, who last caught our attention with his final-round histrionics at Chambers Bay in the 2015 U.S. Open. Smith reeled Murray in, but bogeyed the 15th hole at the Ohio State Scarlet course to fall one agonizing stroke shy of a playoff.

Murray moved to the top spot on the playoff money list with the win. Smith will return to the PGA Tour in 2016-17 as well, along with Will McKenzie, Kevin Tway and first-timer Ryan Blaum.

European Open sees Alexander Levy overcome early struggles for win

France’s Levy began the third round of the rain-shortened European Open with three bogies in the first five holes. Since they were his first bogies of the week (he opened with 62-63 for a four-stroke lead over Michael Jonzon of Sweden) there was certainly cause for concern. The other two holes were birdies, however, so the bleeding was stanched for a time. Would Levy repeat a previous, final-round collapse and hand the title off to someone else? Ross Fisher certainly hoped so.

The Englishman Fisher closed with seven birdies for 64, making up five blows on Levy and forcing a playoff. Levy had seemingly regained control of the tournament, etching five birdies over an eight-hole stretch, but bogeyed two of his final three holes to drop back to 19-under. Off went the twosome to extra time. After pars on the 18th hole, the duo returned to the par-4 closer, where Levy made birdie from 25 feet to claim a title many thought was a final-day formality.

Monty goes overtime for British Columbia title

If you put Scott McCarron on a par-5 three times, he has to make birdie at least once, right? He’s one of the longest hitters on the Champions Tour. Well, the Pacific Links Championship at Bear Mountain Resort went to extra holes (three of them) and all were par-5s. They were all the 18th hole, and McCarron could not birdie it once.

Unfortunately for the Sacramento native, Colin Montgomerie did birdie the 18th on their third go-round, after making up three strokes in regulation holes. With the title in his grasp on the final regulation hole, McCarron unfathomably bogeyed the par-5 hole after a mishit drive, allowing Monty to squeak into the playoff. The Scotsman hung around long enough to claim victory, his first of the 2016 campaign.

Ronald Montesano writes for GolfWRX.com from western New York. He dabbles in coaching golf and teaching Spanish, in addition to scribbling columns on all aspects of golf, from apparel to architecture, from equipment to travel. Follow Ronald on Twitter at @buffalogolfer.

14 Comments

14 Comments

  1. Scott bangerter

    Sep 26, 2016 at 7:38 pm

    can someone tell me why Alexander Levy didn’t have to take a penalty stroke for an unplayable lie; when his ball came to rest at the base of a statue. Or, why he was DQ’ed for signing an incorrect scorecard at the end of regulation play?

    • Scott bangerter

      Sep 27, 2016 at 10:37 am

      I meant to say “why he WASN’T DQ’ed”

  2. Guia

    Sep 26, 2016 at 2:55 pm

    DJ didn’t bring it on the last day, choke.

    Rory played tough, shows how he is when the chips are down.

  3. Scooter McGavin

    Sep 26, 2016 at 12:56 pm

    The Tour Championship was this weekend?

  4. Jim

    Sep 26, 2016 at 12:29 pm

    Maybe the Eagle he made with his (most likely Miura) AND THE TWO – GOD AWFUL CHOKE tee shots on the PAR 5 playoff hole helped. One of the most terrible choked birdie-to-win attempts at a putt on 18 for Chappell as well

    What a disappointing finish

    • Jim

      Sep 26, 2016 at 12:35 pm

      ….got cut off…. For two folks with a chance to win it miss and wind up in playoff… Moore hung tough. Hope he does kicks Rory’s ass in Ryder Cup.

      God Speed Arnold Palmer. Thanks for a lifetime of thrills and entertainment.

  5. I Never Slice!!!

    Sep 26, 2016 at 11:09 am

    The best finish ever!!! Where did the top Americans go??? Go Rors!!!!

  6. Mbwa Kali Sana

    Sep 26, 2016 at 10:46 am

    A pity BUBBA WATSON didn’t get a seat for the RYDER cup .He deserved it more than RYAN MOORE But his ego and bragging was to big for DAVIS LOVE 3!!!

    • Rwj

      Sep 26, 2016 at 11:22 am

      Why did he deserve it more? Cite your references

      • ooffa

        Sep 26, 2016 at 11:40 am

        Oh man, Leave it alone, Bubba is a pain in the butt. No one wants him around.

  7. ooffa

    Sep 26, 2016 at 10:25 am

    He got lucky

  8. George

    Sep 26, 2016 at 9:34 am

    He only won cause he got to use a Scotty Cameron putter those are the best

    • Jim

      Sep 27, 2016 at 10:19 pm

      hmmm……you mean the over priced Ping knock-off with the nicer finish? The one that missed the (almost) gimmie putt for eagle to win on 73rd hole?

  9. George

    Sep 26, 2016 at 9:33 am

    I guess the Nike clubs that everyone thought was holding him back made were really not.

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