McIlroy big winner at East Lake
ATLANTA — Rory McIlroy holed two shots on the 16th hole at East Lake that made him a most unlikely FedEx Cup champion on Sunday.
The first one he didn’t even see go in.
Three shots behind with three holes to play at the Tour Championship, McIlroy holed a pitching wedge from 137 yards for eagle that gave him the spark he needed to close with a 6-under 64 and join a three-way playoff with the FedEx Cup title riding on the outcome.
“I knew I was right back in the golf tournament,” he said.
Four playoff holes later on the 16th, after Ryan Moore made a par putt from just outside 15 feet, McIlroy knocked in his 15-foot birdie putt to win two trophies that he desperately wanted — the Tour Championship and the FedEx Cup.
“Just to see that ball drop, and everything that’s come together for me this year ... to pull it off was really special,” McIlroy said, his voice still hoarse from screaming over so many quality shots, so many clutch moments over the final two hours at East Lake.
McIlroy picked up $11.53 million in one day — the $10 million FedEx Cup bonus and $1.53 million for the Tour Championship, his second victory in three weeks that made him the first player to win four FedEx Cup playoff events.
His only hope was to win the Tour Championship and have Dustin Johnson finish worse than second alone. Johnson closed with a 73 and tied for sixth.
In its 10th year, the FedEx Rory McIlroy poses with the trophies after winning Sunday’s Tour Championship tournament at East Lake Golf Club.
Cup never had a finish like this.
Moore, who might have done enough to earn that last captain’s pick for the Ryder Cup, missed an 8-foot birdie putt by the slimmest of margins on the par-5 18th hole in regulation for a 64. In the playoff, he holed a 10foot birdie putt with McIlroy facing a 6-foot eagle putt for the victory. McIlroy missed.
Even on the final hole, Moore gave McIlroy everything he had. His chip over a ridge raced well past the hole, and it looked as though McIlroy would only have to two-putt for the victory. Instead, Moore holed another big putt.
“I just wanted to make him earn it for that much money at least,” Moore said. “I wanted him to make the putt. It was nice to get up and make it, but you give a great player like him that many opportunities, and he’s going to make one eventually.”
Chappell had a two-shot
lead with two holes to play when he made bogey on the 17th hole — only his third of the week at East Lake — and Moore birdied it in the group ahead of him. Chappell was woefully short on a 20-foot birdie putt on the 18th for the win, and he was eliminated with a par on the first playoff hole when he made par.
They finished at 12-under 268.
Johnson surprisingly was never a factor and he hit too many errant shots on the front nine and never recovered. He still would have won the FedEx Cup had either Moore or Chappell won the tournament, which he said “would have been really cool.”
“It didn’t feel right because I didn’t win the Tour Championship,” Johnson said. “That’s why I was here to win. I knew I controlled my own destiny.”
Johnson was second in the FedEx Cup and received a $3 million bonus. John Bazemore / x-Rory McIlroy (2,000), $1,530,000 Kevin Chappell (1,000), $752,250 Ryan Moore (1,000), $752,250 Paul Casey (600), $408,000 Hideki Matsuyama (440), $340,000 Dustin Johnson (380), $297,500 Justin Thomas (380), $297,500 Jason Dufner (330), $263,500 Adam Scott (330), $263,500 Emiliano Grillo (262), $218,620 Si Woo Kim (262), $218,620 Charl Schwartzel (262), $218,620 Bubba Watson (262), $218,620 Gary Woodland (262), $218,620 Daniel Berger (222), $183,600 Matt Kuchar (222), $183,600 Roberto Castro (208), $166,600 William McGirt (208), $166,600 Sean O’Hair (208), $166,600 Brandt Snedeker (208), $166,600 Jordan Spieth (208), $166,600 Phil Mickelson (196), $156,400 Russell Knox (192), $153,000 Patrick Reed (186), $147,900 Jhonattan Vegas (186), $147,900 Kevin Kisner (180), $142,800 J.B. Holmes (176), $141,100 Jimmy Walker (172), $139,400 Kevin Na (168), $137,700 The Associated Press 68-70-66-64—268 66-68-68-66—268 70-68-66-64—268 68-70-69-64—271 66-71-68-69—274 66-67-69-73—275 68-71-69-67—275 73-67-66-70—276 69-71-71-65—276 73-70-66-69—278 67-72-74-65—278 74-67-66-71—278 72-73-66-67—278 72-70-69-67—278 74-69-68-68—279 69-73-68-69—279 73-70-67-70—280 77-69-66-68—280 74-68-73-65—280 72-69-72-67—280 68-72-72-68—280 74-72-69-66—281 73-66-71-72—282 73-70-70-70—283 70-73-71-69—283 67-70-76-71—284 73-71-70-72—286 74-74-71-68—287 77-74-72-70—293