DeChambeau coasts to four-shot victory
To his right was the silver trophy Bryson DeChambeau won Sunday at The Northern Trust, a victory that felt comfortable to everyone but him. To his left was the silver FedEx Cup trophy, a reminder of the ultimate prize in the PGA Tour season.
Missing was the gold Ryder Cup trophy.
DeChambeau took a giant step toward playing for that, too.
“Like I said yesterday, I’m a man on a mission right now — two missions, actually,” DeChambeau said after a four-shot victory in the opening FedEx Cup playoff event in Paramus, N.J. “One being the Ryder Cup and one being the FedEx Cup.”
Staked to a four-shot lead, DeChambeau never let anyone closer than two shots, ended the threat with consecutive birdies and closed with a 2-under 69 to win by four shots over Tony Finau.
Billy Horschel (68) and Cameron Smith (69) tied for third.
Ryan Palmer also felt like a winner. He came into the FedEx Cup playoffs at No. 100 — the top 100 advance to the second stage next week at the TPC Boston — and Palmer delivered a 65 on Sunday highlighted by a wedge he holed for eagle on the par-5 third hole. He tied for fifth, along with Aaron Wise (67) and Adam Scott (69), and moved all the way to No. 50.
Tiger Woods, coming off a runner-up finish at the PGA Championship, never got anything going. He closed with a 70 and tied for 40th, 14 shots out of the lead.
LPGA Tour: Brooke Henderson became the first Canadian to win the country’s national championship in 45 years, closing with a 7-under 65 for a fourstroke victory in the CP Women’s Open in Regina, Saskatchewan.
The 20-year-old Henderson, from Smiths Falls, Ontario, finished at 21-under 267, capping the emotional victory with a short birdie putt on the par-4 18th.
Jocelyne Bourassa is the only other Canadian to win the national championship, accomplishing the feat in 1973 at Montreal Municipal in the inaugural La Canadienne — the event that became the major du Maurier Classic, then the current non-major in 2001.
Angel Yin was second after a 68. Jennifer Song (67) was six back.
Champions Tour: Scott Parel won the Boeing Classic in Snoqualmie, Wash., birdieing the final six holes on the front nine in a 9-under 63.
Five strokes behind Kevin Sutherland and Ken Tanigawa entering the round, Parel beat Sutherland by three strokes.
Madison’s Jerry Kelly, the defending champion, had a 69 and was nine back.