Palmer rebounds to secure FedEx future
Ryan Palmer sounded like he was ready to give up golf after shooting a 1-over 72 in the third round of the Northern Trust on Saturday.
He couldn’t f ind the fairway off the tee, landing in the short grass on just 6-of-14 shots.
“To hit the ball the way I did with the driver, I was packed up and ready to go to the house,” Palmer said Sunday.
He is thankful his caddie talked him into hitting enough drives on the range to get his feel back, something he carried into Sunday’s final round during which Palmer fired a 6-under 65 to finish in a tie for fifth at 12-under.
Palmer found 12-of-14 fairways Sunday and reached 15-of-18 greens in regulation.
His bogey-free round included an eagle at the par-5 third hole, where his wedge from 61 yards out found the cup. He added four more birdies along the way.
Palmer said the key was the practice session after Saturday’s round at Ridgewood Country Club.
“We had about 20 [drives] and found the rhythm, the tempo I needed,” he said. “It carried over to today with my irons and everything. I basically missed one fairway, which is huge on this golf course, and my putter was there.”
Palmer entered the FedEx Cup playoffs ranked 100th in points, knowing only the top 100 advance to Boston next week for the Dell Technologies Championship at TPC Boston.
His f inish Sunday moved him up to 50th and all but clinched a spot at the BMW Championship the following week at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pa.
“Coming into this week, you know if I miss the cut, I’m going home, and if I make the cut and play decent, I’d at least be in Boston,” Palmer said. “But to lock up BMW is even more special and one step closer to East Lake.”
Palmer hasn’t lost hope he could be one of Jim Furyk’s captain’s picks for the U.S. Ryder Cup team if he continues to play well.
“Obviously, it’s a relief, and more than anything, I’m just happy,” he said. “The way I’m feeling, my mind, my body, I’m just happy where my game is at and excited for what’s ahead.”