Tiger dips out of top Cup spot
Heads to Chicago trailing Stenson
NOTEBOOK
NORTON — Tiger Woods’ poor week didn’t just cost him a chance at winning a tournament in which his foundation is so heavily involved. The missed putts and disappointing stretch also dropped him from the top spot in the FedEx Cup standings.
Woods again failed to take advantage of TPC Boston with a 2-over-par 73 in the final round of the Deutsche Bank Championship yesterday to leave him miles behind winner Henrik Stenson. Woods now sits in the second spot behind Stenson and will need a strong showing at the BMW Championship in Chicago, after an off week, to stay inside the top-5 heading into the Tour Championship.
The rankings will re-set going into the final FedEx Cup tournament, but the top 5 control their destiny at the Tour Championship.
“Well, we’re just trying to play for position going into East Lake (Tour Championship in Atlanta),” Woods said. “So what’s important is obviously after Chicago that I’m in the top 5, if not, hopefully first. That will give me the best chance to win the Cup and win the tournament.”
Woods can blame his putter for the fall. Woods was 55th in the field in total putting with an average of 1.769 putts per hole, and 69th in putts made from 10to-15 feet.
“It just wasn’t my week,” Woods said. “I didn’t play well and didn’t make anything.”
Stricker, Johnson qualify
Steve Stricker wanted to play his way onto the Presidents Cup team by duplicating his Deutsche Bank win of 2009.
Stricker came up just short with a second-place finish, 2 strokes behind Stenson, but he crossed one goal off the list. With his solid week, Stricker jumped into an automatic spot on Fred Couples’ American squad after a 4-under 67.
The top 10 golfers in the standings through yesterday were guaranteed a spot on the team competing at Muirfield Village October 4-6. Couples will make two captain’s picks tomorrow.
“I had texted Freddie earlier in the week, I didn’t want one of those spots as a pick. I wanted to make the team on my own,” Stricker said. “So I had a great incentive, great motivation to play well this week.”
Zach Johnson edged Webb Simpson for the 10th and final spot with a birdie putt on the 18th hole. Johnson skipped The Barclays to attend his brother’s wedding but solidified his spot by shooting 10-under here, 4 shots better than Simpson.
“I wish there were a way we could somehow be tied for 10th,” Johnson said. “Just because, I want Webb on the team. I know how he plays.”
Simpson still has a shot to be one of the two players selected by Couples.
“I’m going to go home, hopefully shut the house down,” said Simpson. “Freddie is going to make two good picks. And all the guys, myself and three or four are playing good golf. He’s got a tough job, and we’ll see what he does.”
Movers and shakers
Kevin Stadler, Ian Poulter and Marc Leishman all needed good weeks to continue on to the next leg of the FedEx Cup. All three did that, and all three did it playing together in the final round.
Stadler shot a 68 to finish in a tie for fourth at 17-under. Poulter had a double bogey at the 18th, but still finished tied for ninth at 15-under. Leishman hung on with a 1-under 70 to finish the tournament at 13-under. . . .
K.J. Choi’s missed par putt on the 18th hole did more than just knock himself out of the BMW Championship.
With the miss, Ernie Els snuck into the 70th and final spot after thinking he was outside the cut when he left the course. Els finished with 823.467 points, narrowly edging Ryan Palmer’s 823.
Els, who entered the week in 91st place in the standings, finished the tournament in a tie for 20th.