Leishman gets redemption in Chicago
LAKE FOREST, Ill. — The clutch shots down the stretch in the BMW Championship belonged to everyone except the winner.
Marc Leishman didn't really need them.
Staked to a five-shot lead and determined to not let another FedExCup playoff event get away from him, Leishman never gave anyone much of a chance Sunday at Conway Farms. And when Justin Rose made a late run and closed within two shots, Leishman made back-to-back birdies to put away the final challenge and then added one more for a 4-under 67 to set the tournament scoring record.
Leishman went wire-towire for the first time on the PGA Tour. The Australian moved up to No. 4 in the FedExCup, giving him a clear shot at the $10 million bonus next week. He moved into the top 15 in the world.
But this mainly was about redemption for losing a two-shot lead on the back nine at the TPC Boston two weeks ago.
“When the pressure got put on that back nine by Rosie, I reacted with birdies,” Leishman said. “Didn't get too worried. Just tried to keep doing my own thing and give myself chances. Backing up what happened [in Boston] was probably the most satisfying thing for me. I was just really determined to not let that happen again.”
Leishman finished at 23-under 261, breaking the 72-hole tournament record that Tiger Woods set at Cog Hill in 2007.
Rose ran out of hope when he made bogey on the par-3 17th and closed with a 65. Rickie Fowler ran off three consecutive birdies only after he was too far back and shot 67. They finished five shots behind.
Fowler needed a birdie on the par-5 18th to grab the No. 5 seed for the FedExCup finale next week at the Tour Championship. He ripped driver off the fairway and over the stream to the back rough. It was a bold play that preceded a pair of meager efforts — a chip that came up 25 feet short, and a birdie putt that didn't to the hole.
Jordan Spieth shot 65 to tie for seventh and kept the No. 1 seed, followed by Justin Thomas, Dustin Johnson, Leishman and Jon Rahm. The points are reset to give all 30 players at East Lake a mathematical chance, but the top five seeds only have to win the Tour Championship to capture the FedExCup.
Patrick Cantlay fell out of the top 30 when he took bogey on the 16th hole. Needing a birdie to get into the Tour Championship, he hit a hybrid onto the green to 50 feet, left his eagle attempt some 10 feet short and calmly holed the putt to get in.
EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France — Anna Nordqvist beat unheralded American Brittany Altomare in a playoff under driving rain and hail at the first extra hole to win the Evian Championship on Sunday. Nordqvist sank a 4-foot putt for bogey 5 on the soaked 18th hole while 102nd-ranked Altomare had a six. The 30-year-old Swede earned $547,500 for winning her first major since the 2009 LPGA Championship. Altomare got $340,000 for only her second career top-10 finish. Nordqvist and Altomare both shot 66 for 9-under totals of 204. It was a 54-hole event after weather-affected play Thursday was scrapped.