BMW Championship

Bellerive Country Club · St. Louis, Missouri · Week 34

Five players opened with 64 at Bellerive. Only one was still in front on Sunday evening, and he spent the first ten holes giving the lead away and the last three taking it back.

Clark took a five-shot lead into Sunday, bogeyed three of his first ten, then birdied the last three to beat Patrick Cantlay by three. Rory McIlroy finished alone in third at 13 under. On win number three: “Three wins in one season is my best year yet. Coming off my worst year ever.”

Contest Winners

Four boards settled. Daryl M. won the main BMW Championship contest at 66 under across 14 entries, two clear of a tie for second. The three-player Playoffs board was tighter: Jeremy L., Ryan M. and Kelly M. finished within two strokes.

Is Rory back? Look at the putter

The driver was never the thing that broke. McIlroy came into Bellerive ranked second on TOUR in strokes gained off the tee, and he still sits 134th of 155 in driving accuracy at 54.31 percent. He did not hit a fairway until the 10th on Saturday. What carried the week was his putter: sixth in the field, 50th on TOUR for the season. Memphis was an approach problem. Bellerive was a putting week.

Who got the last seats to Atlanta

Six places changed hands on the top-30 bubble. Gary Woodland went 31st to 18th with a share of fourth, three years after brain surgery; he plans to stop after Atlanta and come off three years of medication. Robert MacIntyre went 36th to 25th on a closing 65, a week after walking off in Memphis with an 82. Kurt Kitayama sat at a projected 31st until quarter to seven. That is where he stayed.

Coming Up Next

The TOUR Championship, East Lake, Atlanta, August 27–30. Thirty players, no cut, $40 million, and everyone starts level, so Scheffler's season points lead buys position, not strokes. Then Asheville and the Biltmore Championship, September 17–20, 500 FedExCup points.

Scheffler played Bellerive with hand, foot and mouth disease and still tied for 12th. DraftKings had him +310 Sunday night, McIlroy +830.

Jeremy @ The Leaderboard Fantasy Team