To use horse-racing terms, the 2015 Deustche Bank Championship ended with a photo-finish in dramatic fashion. It was almost like watching a match-play tournament, and in the end, a young-gun from Southern California shined in Boston! Rickie Fowler won the Deutsche Bank Championship for his third victory of the calendar year in addition to the Players Championship and the prestigious Scottish Open.
Despite his early struggles in the final round on Monday, not to mention missing every fairway in the third round on Sunday, Fowler won by one stroke over 54-hole leader Henrik Stenson, who had a three-shot lead with eight holes to play before being overtaken on the Par Three 16th. The 39-year-old Swede put his tee-shot in the water, forcing him to drop a ball and settle for a double-bogey. Fowler’s third shot on the 18th hole added pressure to Stenson to make his birdie attempt and force a playoff. Take a look at Fowler’s incredible effort to get there.
This one made Stenson’s putt a must-make. #QuickHits http://t.co/wLvU4NzTqT
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) September 7, 2015
With the win, Fowler moved up to the third spot in the playoff standings with his earned 2,000 points; he also received a cool $1.485 million prize purse. Stenson has now finished in second place in the first two tournaments of the FedEx Cup Playoffs and will remain in the fourth spot in the standings.
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Fowler definitely won the crowd’s cheers on Sunday in the competition-crazed city of Boston as they chanted his name while walking off the final hole. Even Tiger Woods and Dustin Johnson showed respect to the 26-year-old following his victory.
Started #DeutscheBankChampionship week off by taking a selfie with @RickieFowler. The price of selfies just went up. Congrats on the W. — Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) September 7, 2015
Final round to remember for my bro @RickieFowler!! #DeutscheBankChampionship
— Dustin Johnson (@DJohnsonPGA) September 7, 2015
Notables: Jerry Kelly is safe and on to the BMW Championship, jumping up 29 spots in the standings from 94 to 65. The 49-year-old from Madison, Wisconsin finished tied for ninth and eight shots behind Fowler. Kelly will be joined by Hunter Mahan going into the third tournament, who is thus far the only player to appear in every event in the FedEx Cup Playoffs since it began in 2007.
Jordan Spieth missed the cut again by shooting an initial two-day score of six-over, but because Rory McIlroy finished the Deutsche Bank Championship tied for 35th, the 22-year-old retains the number one spot in the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR). McIlroy moved back to the second spot ahead of Jason Day and Bubba Watson, while Fowler and Stenson earn the fifth and sixth positions respectively for their result in today’s championship.
ICYMI: The world No. 1 scenarios are getting pretty complicated: http://t.co/HmO2yxLIZq pic.twitter.com/ssLaPWdp1i — Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) September 6, 2015
The Top Ten in the FedEx Cup Standings:
1) Jason Day, AUS —
2) Jordan Spieth, USA 511 (Points Back)
3) Rickie Fowler, USA 1,182
4) Henrik Stenson, SWE 1,328
5) Bubba Watson, USA 1,351
6) Charley Hoffman, USA 2,378
7) Zach Johnson, USA 2,439
8) Dustin Johnson, USA 2,566
9) Jim Furyk, USA 2,593
10) Patrick Reed, USA 2,641
The BMW Championship will now set the tone as to who has the best shot at going all the way to the FedEx Cup trophy. The Top 70 will now have a week off to prepare themselves for the final two events of the four-tournament playoff format, travelling to the Conway Farms Golf Club in Lake Forest, Illinois for the weekend of September 17-20.
Congratulations to @RickieFowler for a hard fought win in front of a packed 18 green! #DBChampionship pic.twitter.com/TycBiXaO05
— DB Championship (@DBChampionship) September 7, 2015