Billy Horschel Is victorious in BMW Champion while Some others Stagger To Year’s Finish.
Billy Horschel escaped a bunker on his way to winning the BMW Championship.
CHERRY INCLINES COMMUNITY, Colo. — Ponte Vedra Seaside, you then have a issue. This FedEx Cup playoffs, implemented through the PGA Excursion to produce a wonderful end towards the season, has changed into a dusty stagecoach journey to be able to low energy.
It’s obvious the PGA Tour’s yellow-brick highway is at serious will need involving vehicle repairs in the event the reigning Excursion Championship safe bet, Henrik Stenson, does not be eligible to guard their name along with conveys comfort. Stenson, who submitted a wire-to-wire win above Jordan Spieth along with Gary Stricker now year’s function to be able to jean pocket $11. forty four million, linked intended for 23rd Saturday for the BMW Championship, received simply by Billy Horschel, to end 52nd in the standings.
The top 25, subtract Dustin Johnson, who's on a voluntarily depart involving absence to deal with personalized problems, will be competitive for being the superior pet this specific 7 days on East River Greens in Woodstock. That will party involves Morgan Hoffmann, who carded time frame rounded from the trip to Cherry Hills Region Clb, a seven-under-par 63, to be able to leap to be able to 21st, by 68th, in the items standings. Read on the key report Associated Protection
Morgan Hoffmann chance a good eight-under-par 62, a program file, along with has been linked intended for 10th. Factors on BMW, although Afterthoughts on Ryder CupSEPT. 6, 2014
Stenson concluded 11 cerebrovascular events driving Horschel, who closed that has a 69 for just a 72-hole overall involving 14-under 266, two cerebrovascular events greater than Bubba Watson, after which it explained their situation while “win-win. ” He described: “East River is often a really great greens, along with My partner and i would really like to return along with defend and to play the idea all over again. But My partner and i finally receive a bit of a crack. ”.
To the fans who come to the playoff events expecting the greatest show on grass, Stenson offered his heartfelt apologies. “I think it’s hard for the crowds sometimes to understand what we go through with the schedule,” he said. “Again, if you want to perform at the very highest level, at your peak, you’ve got to get the rest and practice in. You can’t play every week.”
The Australian Geoff Ogilvy, who was 151st in the FedEx Cup standings on July 27, parlayed a miler’s closing kick into a spot in the Tour Championship. After tying for 36th at one over on Sunday to finish 25th in the points race, Ogilvy said, “To be honest with you, I’m not a 100 percent excited about playing golf next week, but I’m really excited about what making the Tour Championship does for you.”
The players blessed/cursed to be continuing on to East Lake earn exemptions into the first three majors of 2015. “I’ll be happy when I’m not so tired,” said Ogilvy, who has played six of the last seven weeks.
The unintended consequence of a bottom-heavy schedule, in which two majors, a World Golf Championships event and four playoff events are crammed into the season’s final nine weeks, is that it is going to hurt the top. Don’t be surprised if players disappear between October — when the season starts anew — and the Florida swing in March.
“You’re going to start seeing some of the best players rarely between next week and March,” Ogilvy said.
He added: “No one wants to feel sorry for us, because this is an amazing thing we get to do. But if they want us to play our best in six or seven or eight of the biggest tournaments of the year in a 10-week stretch, it’s just too much.” Continue reading the main story Continue reading the main story
Ernie Els closed with a 67 to finish tied for 16th at five-under. Els, 44, missed qualifying for the Tour Championship by 11 places, but he could not summon the energy to be disappointed. This was his ninth consecutive tournament, dating to the Scottish Open.
Looking ahead, Els said, “We need a break somewhere because next year is the Presidents Cup in Korea, the majors, the Olympics are coming up ...”
His voice trailed off. Just talking about the schedule exhausted him. “If someone comes up with a good plan, hopefully they’ll listen,” he said.
At 25, Rory McIlroy, the world No. 1, is nearly half Els’ age and he considered taking this week off to steal some rest. Though he showed up, his concentration went missing. The cumulative fatigue McIlroy experienced from contending in nearly every tournament he has played since the start of July caused him to make mental mistakes that cost him dearly.
McIlroy four-putted the par-3 No. 12 on Saturday and again on Sunday when he closed with a 66 to finish tied for eighth at four under. “On the third putt, I’m actually thinking, O.K., you don’t want to 4-putt again,” McIlroy said.
He could laugh about it because he is fourth in the points race, which means he can win the FedEx Cup, and the $10 million bonus, outright with a victory this week.
McIlroy was checking his watch repeatedly as he finished his press-related obligations. The Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning had given him tickets to the team’s season opener against the Indianapolis Colts, and McIlroy was anxious to make it in time for the opening kickoff.
The PGA Tour has a problem when its No. 1-ranked player sees fit to praise the N.F.L. for the sanity and sensibility of its schedule.
“I think the great thing about football is how short the season is,” McIlroy said Thursday. “So it’s always in demand. People want it. Once the Super Bowl finishes, they can’t wait for football season to start up again.”
If Horschel looked fresher than most, it could be because this was his fifth tournament since he missed the cut at the British Open in mid-July. On the PGA Tour nowadays, that kind of schedule practically qualifies as bankers’ hours.
“Hopefully this win will give me some more confidence and shoot me up there into an upper echelon player,” Horschel said. “I want to be where the Rory McIlroys are, the Tigers are, the Phil Mickelsons, the Bubba Watsons, the guys that are winning majors.”
Perhaps Horschel should be careful what he wishes for, because where the top players were on Sunday was beyond exhaustion.
