Jon Rahm Sinks a Big Putt to Win Playoff at the BMW Championship

It was only good enough to stay at No. 1 in the world rankings by a slim margin.

He also stays at No. 1 in the FedEx Cup going to the Tour Championship, meaning he will start the chase for the $15 million bonus at 10-under par, two ahead of Rahm, the No. 2 seed.

Joaquin Niemann, the 21-year-old from Chile, also made a spirited run with a 67 and was in the lead until a bogey on the 14th and no birdies the rest of the way. He tied for third with Hideki Matsuyama, who had a 69.

Tony Finau closed with a 65 to finish three behind. They were the only five players under par at Olympia Fields.

Rahm won for the second time this year on the PGA Tour, and the 11th time in his career worldwide.

Mackenzie Hughes had reason to celebrate, too.

He was on the verge of playing his way into the top 30 who advance to East Lake when he took a sloppy bogey on the 17th. Needing a par on the 18th, he put his approach into the front bunker, splashed out to 5 feet and raised both arms when it dropped.

Niemann also moved into the top 30, though he was chasing victory all day.

Adam Long and Kevin Streelman were bumped out, and Long suffered the worst of those fates. He was projected 30th in the FedEx Cup until Corey Conners three-putted from 5 feet for double bogey on the final hole. That allowed Billy Horschel to move up enough spots on the leaderboard to move to the 30th and final spot by three points over Long.

The top 30 are assured spots in at least three majors next year, along with the Sentry Tournament of Champions at Kapalua to start the year. The winners-only event is taking the top 30 in the FedEx Cup from having lost three months of the season to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/30/sports/golf/jon-rahm-bmw-championship.html