Winners and Losers from the 2016 Deutsche Bank Championship
"Things can turn around quickly in this game," Rory McIlroy told Golf Channel (via Reuters) after his final-round six-under 65 to win the Deutsche Bank Championship.
Indeed they can. McIlroy was without a win on the PGA Tour this season prior to taking the Deutsche Bank, and he had struggled mightily with his putting, looking particularly bad with the flatstick this summer.
For reasons enumerated in winners and losers this week, that all changed at TPC Boston.
Of course, Mr. McIlroy isn't our only winner this week. To see who joins him on the good side of ledger (and who doesn't), read on.
Winner: Rory McIlroy
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Finally. Rory McIlroy, equipped with something resembling his former putting stroke, has returned to the winner's circle on the PGA Tour.
The Ulsterman, playing as his usual brilliant tee-to-green self (third in strokes gained from tee to green for the week), fired furious rounds of 66 and 65 to close out the Deutsche Bank Championship. McIlroy rolled in seven final-round birdies to overtake a faltering Paul Casey.
The win, McIlroy's first on the PGA Tour since last year's Wells Fargo Championship, does a pair of important things:
- It suggests he's finally found his putting stroke (thanks to the good work with new putting coach Paul Kenyon)
- The victory gives him a boost of confidence as we march toward the Ryder Cup.
And while winning the FedEx Cup wouldn't salvage a season in which he failed to contend in any of the four majors, it'd certainly be a boon to his bank account and another feather in his cap. McIlroy moved from No. 38 in the points standings to No. 4 thanks to the win, so he's much better positioned to capture the cup as we move on to the BMW Championship that starts Thursday.
Loser: Paul Casey
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Vying for his first victory on the PGA Tour in seven years, Paul Casey choked Monday. And while more attention will be paid to the way Rory McIlroy pressed the pedal to the floor and blew by the stalling Casey than Casey's dud of a final round, it's worth noting he blew it.
After filling his scorecard with three symmetrical rounds of 66, Casey gave early indication Monday that he didn't intend to pencil in another 66 when he, well, penciled in a six at the par-five second hole.
Casey went from leading the field by four to trailing McIlroy by two after 11 holes. And while he was able to keep from totally self-destructing, he was never able to get it into red numbers for the day, finishing second behind McIlroy at 13 under par.
Disappointing stuff for the Englishman.
Winner: Rory's New Putting Coach
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Entering this week, Rory McIlroy was 130th in strokes gained from putting.
After a particularly abysmal effort with the flatstick at the PGA Championship, McIlroy told reporters he was going back to the drawing board from a putting standpoint.
It seems that decision resulted in his work with putting guru Phil Kenyon, who has also helped Henrik Stenson and Justin Rose.
"It's a work in progress," McIlroy said during a press conference Thursday ahead of the Deutsche Bank Championship. "Last week (at The Barclays) was a case of I was really concentrating too much on what I was trying to do with my technique rather than just trying to hole putts. So hopefully it can start to begin to feel a little more natural this week and moving forward."
In addition to the new putting coach, McIlroy has also been gaming a new putter, returning to a Scotty Cameron on the heels of the news of Nike Golf's impending exit from the marketplace.
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Loser: Bubba Watson
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Vying for a captain's pick, Bubba Watson needed a good week of work in Boston. Unfortunately, Watson, who finished ninth in the Ryder Cup standings, missed out on making the United States squad by one spot. Indeed, if he was European and finished ninth in that team's standings, he'd have made the squad, as the Euros have nine roster spots and three captain's picks.
Regardless, Watson didn't make the team, so, rightfully or wrongfully, he'll need to impress captain Davis Love III with good form ahead of the end of this week's BMW Championship, when Love will make his picks.
Watson putted atrociously (losing more than five strokes to the field on the greens) over two days to miss the cut at TPC Boston. It wasn't the performance he wanted, and now he's faced with having to perform at Crooked Stick or risk being passed over.
Winner: Smylie Kaufman
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Starting the final round four strokes behind leader Paul Casey, Smylie Kaufman wasn't able to chase the Englishman down, laying a massive final-round egg to the tune of a five-over. Still, when the official PGA Tour poster boy for Natty Light returns to form after injury, he's a winner on this list.
The tied-for-24th finish was his best since the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, and he had missed the cut in his past four starts, as well as eight of his last 10 overall.
Fired up for his LSU Tigers, Smylie rocketed up the Deutsche Bank Championship leaderboard by going six under through his first five holes Saturday, tweeting he was happy to have a morning tee time so he could watch the Tigers Saturday afternoon.
While he could have done better at the finish, this week marks the first time we've seen any signs of life from the SB2K16 stalwart in a while.
Here's hoping Smylie's back.
Loser: Phil Mickelson's Decision-Making
6 of 8Oh, Phil. For some unknown reason—likely because he is Phil Mickelson and believes he can hit any shot—Lefty attempted to pull off a...well, just watch the video.
Needless to say, it didn't go well, and Mickelson made an eight on the hole, was unable to recover and missed the cut.
On a more positive "attempted hero shot" note, Mickelson did execute this brilliant flop shot from an upslope at the 18th hole.
Winner: Season Extenders
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Because these are the FedEx Cup playoffs, a few lucky souls played their way into the field of the next event, assuring themselves healthier payouts from the package carrier.
The BMW Championship field will feature the top 70 golfers in the FedEx Cup points standings (the top 100 teed it up this week).
Here are the gentlemen who slid inside the top 70 thanks to a good week of work in Boston:
- Billy Hurley III: T8 (77 to 51)
- David Hearn: T8 (92 to 59)
- Hudson Swafford: T15 (82 to 61)
- Chris Kirk: T33 (75 to 66)
- Marc Leishman: T56 (71 to 70)
Loser: Season-Enders
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On the other side of the coin, there are the poor unfortunates who started on the right side of the line but just missed out on the top 70 and whose 2015-2016 campaigns are now over.
This group includes:
- Ricky Barnes: T53 (68 to 71)
- Johnson Wagner: T63 (69 to 78)
- Jerry Kelly: Cut (61 to 72)
- Martin Laird: Cut (63 to 77)
- Chez Reavie: Cut (70 to 81)
- Colt Knost: Cut (65 to 79)
See ya next year, guys.
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