PGA Tour
FedEx Cup Playoffs Round One
The Barclays
Ridgewood Country Club, Paramus, NJ
With his fantastic play over the last several weeks Rory McIlory had climbed to #1 in the FedEx Cup points race. But the “playoffs” were designed to be more volatile and exciting, giving just about any player in the field a chance to get hot and win the $10,000,000 first prize. That volatility came into play in round one.
During the final round there were as many as six players who had the lead, or part of it. Hunter Mahan emerged from the pack, firing a calm and collected 65 to clear himself of the pack by two shots. Three tied for 2nd place: Stuart Appleby, Cameron Triangle and Jason Day.
With the win and the 2,500 FedEx Cup points, Mahan overtook McIlory for first place in the FedEx Cup race with a 776 point lead. Mahan collected a check for $1.44 million and a fine trophy, however in the moments following the tournament the trophy was broken. As long as the $1.44 million check clears, I suspect the broken trophy will not be an issue.
Perhaps the most entertaining part of the tournament was when Phil Mickelson found the grandstand on the fifth hole Friday. Tables and chairs were cleared and he played his next shot off of the astroturf in the grandstand. The next day Mickelson made the same mistake again, and once again found the grandstands. Markings on the ground were painted in white saying “Phil was here,” and “…and here too.”
Following Mahan’s win he became an instant point of discussion regarding the upcoming Ryder Cup. WIth the win many feel he should be one of Tom Watson’s captain’s picks. Perhaps those bandwagon jumpers have forgotten Mahan’s performance in the 2010 Ryder Cup, where his poor play at the end of his match secured the win for the european Ryder Cup team.
LPGA Tour
Canadian Women’s Open
London Hunt GC
London, Ontario Canada
24-year-old So Yeon Ryu claimed the women’s canadian open fired a final round 3-under 69 to finish at 23 under par, breaking the tournament record relative to par by five strokes. She wanted to break the tour record of 27 shots, held by Annika Sorenstam but fell short.
Ryu outpaced fellow South Korean Na Yeon Choi, who finished two shots back and Inbee Park who finished three shots back.
With the victory Ryu will crack into the top ten in the world, likely at the 9th position.
