Mcilroy fires final-round 67 to extend hot streak
Rory McIlroy faced the strongest collection of contenders at any golf tournament this year Sunday at the BMW Championship in Carmel, Ind. It was no contest.
McIlroy fine-tuned his swing and missed one fairway at soggy Crooked Stick, powering his way to a 5-under 67 to win his second consecutive FedEx Cup playoff event. They followed a record victory at the PGA Championship, giving him three wins in his last four starts.
He became the first player since Tiger Woods in 2009 to win in consecutive weeks on the PGA Tour, and with his sixth career tour win, he joined Woods and Jack Nicklaus as the only players to win that many at age 23.
“The more you put yourself in this position, and the more you win and the more you pick up trophies, it becomes normal,” McIlroy said after his two-shot victory over Phil Mickelson and Lee Westwood.
Paula Creamer and Jiyai Shin will have to wait until Monday to break their deadlock in the LPGA’s Kingsmill Championship in Williamsburg, Va. After each parred the par-4 18th hole eight times in a playoff, darkness forced the suspension of play for the day. They will resume play on the par4 16th hole. Creamer took a onestroke lead into the final hole of regulation, but three-putted — missing a 5-footer for par — for a bogey to fall into the playoff.
Fowles sits as Sky falls on road
Playing without center Sylvia Fowles (calf strain), the Sky (11- 17) dropped an 82-77 decision to the first-place Connecticut Sun (21-8) in Uncasville, Conn.
Swin Cash had 21 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Sky, which fell a half-game behind the New York Liberty — who defeated the Los Angeles Sparks 73-71 — for the fourth and final playoff spot in the WNBA’s Eastern Conference with six games remaining.
“It is going to be a fight to the end,” Cash said.
Record ninth for Schumacher
Tony Schumacher of Long Grove raced to his record ninth Top Fuel victory in the U.S. Nationals in Clermont, Ind., beating Spencer Massey with a run of 3.806 seconds at 315.34 mph in the rain-delayed NHRA event.
Schumacher broke a tie with former star Don Garlits for most Top Fuel victories in the event.
“[Garlits] came from a different time,” Schumacher said. “All we do now is drive the car. When he was racing, he drove the car, built it, prepared it and innovated new ideas.”
Defending champion Mike Neff won the Funny Car division, 15thseeded Dave Connolly topped the Pro Stock field by edging crowd favorite Erica Enders, and top qualifier Andrew Hines won in Pro Stock Motorcycle.
McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton won the Formula One Italian Grand Prix in Monza by 4.3 seconds, and Fernando Alonso of Ferrari finished third to extend his series points lead.