Tranlate this title Wyndham Clark holds off McIlroy to claim BMW in spanish

Wyndham Clark shot a par 70 on Sunday at Bellerive Country Club to win the BMW Championship, the second round of the FedExCup Playoffs, with a three-shot lead and a total of -17 (64-64-65-70).

It’s his third title of the season, following the CJ Cup Byron Nelson and the US Open, and it puts him firmly among the candidates for the PGA Tour Player of the Year award. It wasn’t a walk in the park. Clark started with a five-shot lead, but quickly lost ground: in eleven holes, Rory McIlroy caught him. The decisive moment came on the par-3 16th. Clark, still without birdies, holed out from just under 16 feet. McIlroy missed the par putt. On the par-5 17th, the Irishman botched the hole (rough-bunker-bunker) and bogeyed. Clark responded with a birdie and sealed the deal with a third consecutive birdie on the 18th. «It shows that I’m one of the best in the world. Three wins in one season, after my worst year, is my best result,» said Clark, aware that he’s not a crowd favorite (clearly pro-McIlroy) but proud of not giving up after three bogeys and a day where he seemed unable to find the right shot.

Wyndham Clark, results

Patrick Cantlay finished second at 14 points with a 68, thanks to three final birdies and a remarkable ability to bounce back from each bogey. The result secures his spot in the top 30 heading into the TOUR Championship at East Lake, where the FedExCup will be decided. «I’m coming to a course where I’ve already played well and won in 2021. My game is going in the right direction,» he commented.

McIlroy finished alone in third at 13 points with a 69, without birdies in the last seven holes.

Gary Woodland, after coming within one shot of the lead, suffered a double bogey on the 9th (a tee shot into the water) but finished with nine consecutive pars and a 69, tied for fourth. He returns to the TOUR Championship for the first time since 2019, fully recovering from brain surgery three years ago.

Robert MacIntyre (65) and Ryan Fox secured their spots among the 30 qualifiers; Rickie Fowler, Bud Cauley, and Kurt Kitayama, however, are out.

Clark also enters the automatic top six of the American team for the Presidents Cup (along with Scheffler, Cameron Young, Russell Henley, Sam Burns, and Collin Morikawa). With this performance, Cantlay has certainly earned the attention of captain Brandt Snedeker, who will have six wild cards after East Lake.