Monday Finish: DeChambeau rolls on

Rory McIlroy voiced the opinion that momentum in golf is a real thing prior to the Dell Technologies Championship, and he proved prophetic as Bryson DeChambeau made it back-to-back wins to open the FedExCup Playoffs. Welcome to the Monday Finish which comes to you on a Tuesday thanks to the Labor Day finish at TPC Boston. FIVE OBSERVATIONS 1. Bryson DeChambeau cares what you think … but then again, he doesn’t. The quirky star put together another impressive performance to take the Dell Technologies Championship after opening the FedExCup Playoffs with a win at THE NORTHERN TRUST. This guy is clutch. Now we all know he plays with single-length irons, has a different way of putting, and quotes biomechanics often. And he believes in it all heavily. And he’d love for you to believe in it, but if it’s not your cup of tea he won’t force it on you. But with every win, the doubters are less. And those asking questions on how to use his methods number more. Like it or not, there is something to his techniques and you’ll no doubt be seeing more of it. 2. Cameron Smith is not happy with his final round at TPC Boston, and that’s a good thing. The young Australian finished third for the second straight week in the FedExCup Playoffs although this week he had a legitimate chance to mount a serious challenge. Just one shot back with two to play, Smith knew he needed to finish strong. But he slightly overcooked an approach on 17 as DeChambeau pushed back out to two in front behind him. It meant eagle or bust on the last. His drive was big. But took an unlucky roll into the first cut of rough against a collar. His 7-iron approach came up well short and into a hazard, resulting in a bogey and missed opportunity. It has him hungry for more. It serves as a reminder of Billy Horschel’s 2014 campaign when he did the same thing in Boston before winning the final two events and the FedExCup. The 25-year-old Smith should take hope forward. 3. Justin Rose might just be timing his run perfectly. The Englishman was runner up to DeChambeau after fighting back from a poor start in the final round. Of course he would’ve liked to win the event, but he’s focused on peaking at the right time. Rose has winning form at this week’s venue for the BMW Championship. He won the 2010 Quicken Loans National when it was held there. At third in the FedExCup he is looking good for a top-five spot come TOUR Championship time. And of course from there it only takes a victory at East Lake to win it all. 4. There is something super cool about watching the tournaments within tournaments during the FedExCup Playoffs. You can get a real sense of those who embrace the pressure of the moment down the stretch. Take Peter Uihlein for example – a local guy who had not played as well as he would’ve liked in front of some adoring fans. He got it to 9 under at the turn in the final round … the minimum standard he thought he might need to move from his position outside the top 70 in the FedExCup to inside the mark. Bogeys on Nos. 10 and 14 sent his projections plummeting. So the equation was simple: birdies or bust. He would then birdie Nos. 16, 17 and 18 to extend his season at least one more week. Brilliant stuff. Joining him as guys pushing from outside in were C.T. Pan, Tyrrell Hatton, Abraham Ancer, Brice Garnett and Keith Mitchell. Mitchell was playing with Uihlein and also had to birdie the last. He almost made eagle. 5. Tiger Woods is certainly one to provide continuing storylines. While the 79-time PGA TOUR winner was hardly a serious factor at TPC Boston, his solid T24 performance has now set up a very intriguing side story to the BMW Championship. Woods is now 25th in the FedExCup as he tries to stay in the top 30 to make the TOUR Championship. The 42-year-old looks like he could use a little break having played four of the last five weeks but obviously cannot afford to. Can he keep up the energy for another four rounds? If he can, he gets the break week to recharge before a tilt at a third FedExCup. FIVE INSIGHTS 1. DeChambeau is now a combined 34-under par in the opening two FedExCup Playoffs events and has four PGA TOUR wins in his first 70 starts, three of those coming in his last nine starts. He joined Justin Thomas, Bubba Watson and Dustin Johnson as three-time winners this season. 2. Regardless of what happens at the BMW Championship, DeChambeau is certain of being the No. 1 seed at the TOUR Championship, meaning if he wins at East Lake he wins the FedExCup. He has a reasonable chance of winning the FedExCup with a top-six finish in Atlanta and a mathematical chance all the way down to a T29 in the 30-man field. 3. DeChambeau became the sixth player to win back-to-back FedExCup Playoffs events and the first since Billy Horschel in 2014 (BMW Championship, TOUR Championship). He’s the first to win in consecutive weeks since Justin Thomas (2017 Sentry Tournament of Champions, Sony Open in Hawaii) and joined Vijay Singh (2008) as the only players to win THE NORTHERN TRUST and the Dell Technologies Championship in the same season. 4. Tony Finau (T4) earned his 10th top-10 finish this season and 25th of his PGA TOUR career. Three top-10s came in major championships and his T4 this week was his second consecutive top-10 in the FedExCup Playoffs after a runner- up at THE NORTHERN TRUST. He’s the highest ranked player in the FedExCup (fourth) without a victory. 5. DeChambeau ranked ninth in Strokes Gained: Off-The-Tee and sixth Strokes Gained: Tee to Green. He was 11th in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach the Green and 36th in Strokes Gained: Around the Green. He was the sixth best player in the field in Strokes Gained: Putting.

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