Rahm captures BMW Championship in thriller
Even with so few people around, Jon Rahm could hear from the other side of the Olympia Fields clubhouse that Dustin Johnson had made a 45-foot birdie on the final hole to force a playoff Sunday in the BMW Championship.
Resilient as ever, Rahm went out and made some magic of his own.
From one end of the 18th green to the other, Rahm’s putt from just over 65 feet rolled down the ridge and into the cup, setting off a roar so loud it nearly made up for not having spectators.
“I knew how good DJ has been playing. I was expecting nothing else,” Rahm said. “I was fully confident it was going to come into a playoff and hoping to win it. Never did I think I would make another 50-, 60-footer, a couple of breaks in there, to end up winning it.”
The course that all week felt like a U.S. Open delivered the kind of excitement typical of the Masters.
Rahm’s big birdie putt on the first extra hole spared him thoughts of his blunder in the third round, when he picked up his ball on the fifth green without marking it, leading to a one-shot penalty and his only bogey of the weekend.
He tore through the back nine Sunday on his way to a 6-under 64, the lowest round of the week, to finish at 4-under 276.
NFL: NGAKOUE TRADED TO
VIKINGS » Disgruntled pass-rusher Yannick Ngakoue is headed north after the Jaguars agreed to send him to the Minnesota Vikings for a second-round draft pick in 2021 and a conditional fifth-rounder in 2022.
Ngakoue has 37 ½ sacks and 14 forced fumbles in four seasons. The speedy stripsack specialist made the Pro Bowl in 2017 and was an alternate the past two seasons. AUTO RACING: HAMILTON
INCHES CLOSER TO F-1 RECORD » Lewis Hamilton led from start to finish at the Belgian Grand Prix to clinch his 89th career win and move two behind Michael Schumacher’s Formula One record.
The world champion was untroubled from pole position, beating his Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas by eight seconds and finishing 15 seconds ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
— The Associated Press