Rory McIlroy misfires in final group again

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Justin Thomas nearly holed a wedge that got him into a playoff, and then hit 3-wood over the water and onto the 18th green for a two-putt birdie to beat Luke List on the first extra hole Sunday to win The Honda Classic. Thomas closed with a 2-under 68 and won for the second time this season. He also won in a playoff at the CJ Cup in South Korea last fall. Thomas and List matched birdies and tough pars over the final eight holes, and List appeared to have a big advantage on the par-5 18th when he hit a big drive that left him a 4-iron he hit onto the back of the green. Thomas was in the left rough and had to lay up instead of taking on the water. He hit a wedge from 117 yards that landed a few feet in front of the hole and rolled some 6 inches to the side of the cup, settling 2 feet away. List, going for his first PGA TOUR victory, blinked first in the playoff by missing his drive well to the right amid palm trees. He blasted that out left and against the grandstand, and then he watched Thomas take on the water and hit the green in two. Thomas tapped in a 4-footer for is birdie and the eighth win of his career. He is now No. 1 in the FedExCup standings. Alex Noren was tied for the lead playing the 18th and caught an awkward lie from the side of a bunker. He made par for a 67 and finished one shot behind. Thomas and List finished at 8-under 272. It was the seventh playoff in 15 PGA TOUR events this season. Tiger Woods was briefly within three shots of the lead on the front nine. He closed with a 70 and finished 12th. He led the field in proximity to the hole on his approach shots at just over 29 feet.

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NORTON, Mass. – Bryson DeChambeau has secured the No. 1 seed in the FedExCup through to the TOUR Championship after claiming the Dell Technologies Championship at TPC Boston. After a convincing victory at THE NORTHERN TRUST to open the four-event Playoffs stretch DeChambeau backed it up with another dominant display, prevailing by two shots over Justin Rose. The win assures the 25-year-old the top seed in the FedExCup not only at next week’s BMW Championship at Aronimink in Philadelphia, but through to the season finale TOUR Championship in Atlanta. The top five players at East Lake control their own destiny knowing a win secures the FedExCup. DeChambeau will also have the best chance to claim the season long championship without victory. After the points reset he would have a reasonable chance to win the FedExCup with a top-6 finish in Atlanta and mathematically has a chance finishing as low as T29 in the 30-man field. “I’ve still got to focus on doing the absolute best I can each and every week. I can’t get caught up in the fact that I’m No. 1,â€� DeChambeau said. “If a guy wins the first three Playoff events, if that was ever to happen, you’re still not guaranteed that you’re going to win the FedExCup. So no matter what there’s always a job to do. “I can’t get caught up in the fact that I won the past two weeks. Everybody starts at even par next week. We’re all fresh. And there’s going to be a winner on Sunday. So it could be anybody out of the 70 that are there. I’ve just got to play better than all of them.â€� While his seeding won’t change next week, DeChambeau still has goals he’s chasing. He joined Vijay Singh (2008) as the only player to win the opening two Playoff events in the history of the FedExCup and now has a chance to set more record marks. No one has ever won more than two of the four Playoff events in one season, although there has now been a multiple winner in eight of the 12 seasons. DeChambeau is also expected to join the U.S. Ryder Cup team as a captain’s pick this week. ROSE BLOOMING AHEAD OF ARONIMINK RETURN It might be pretty hard to take favoritism away from Bryson DeChambeau at next week’s BMW Championship but one man could … Justin Rose. The Englishman finished runner up at the Dell Technologies Championship with a final round 3-under 68 leaving him 14 under. Given he opened Monday’s final round with back-to-back bogeys it was an impressive fight back and left Rose third in the FedExCup and importantly all but assured to stay in the top five of the standings by the TOUR Championship. The top five at East Lake hold their destiny in their own hands, knowing a win in Atlanta secures the FedExCup. But Rose won’t be taking the BMW Championship easy … he has history at the course and as such looks a serious threat to stop DeChambeau’s streak. The Englishman won the 2010 Quicken Loans National when the Philadelphia course hosted the event and was T15 the year after in his title defense. “You’re trying to win these amazing golf tournaments, but in the back of your mind you’re trying to secure yourself into a great position going into the final one at East Lake in Atlanta,â€� Rose said. “So far job done. I’ll be going to Aronimink next week, a course I’ve won at, obviously have confidence, and see if I can get it going. “This result gives me a realistic chance coming into East Lake, no matter what. OBSERVATIONS SMITH SECURES FIRST TOUR CHAMPS … Young Australian Cameron Smith (69) grabbed his second third place result of the FedExCup Playoffs and as such secured his first trip to East Lake for the TOUR Championship. Smith had a chance to force some pressure on DeChambeau down the stretch after a birdie on the 16th hole but dumped a 7-iron into the hazard on the 18th hole as he tried to force the issue to make eagle on the par-5 finisher. Smith moved to eighth in the FedExCup standings and will now try to channel the vibes from Billy Horschel’s FedExCup run in 2014 where he went close at TPC Boston in similar fashion before winning the last two Playoff events and the FedExCup. SEASON OVER … Only 70 players move on to the BMW Championship meaning 30 players have been eliminated this week. Ryan Moore’s final round 2-over 73 proved costly as he dropped to 71st on the standings, missing out on a trip to Aronimink by just three FedExCup points. Ted Potter Jr. – the winner at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am – was the last man in. Several players proved clutch down the stretch including Peter Uihlein – who finished with three straight birdies – to move on. For all the FedExCup news check the FedExCup update here. NOTABLES TIGER WOODS – Starting the day with an outside chance at victory Woods failed to make a deep move. Three birdies in his opening 11 holes wasn’t really applying pressure and then three dropped shots in his last five holes left him with an even-par 71 to finish 7 under and T24. He sits 25th in the FedExCup. JORDAN SPIETH – Still without a win this season after final round 1-under 70 left him 10 under and T12. He jumped inside the top 30 of the FedExCup to 27th. DUSTIN JOHNSON – Protected his world No. 1 status with an impressive final round 7-under 64. Moved to 11 under and T7 to stay second in the FedExCup. PHIL MICKELSON – Entertaining 8-under 63 in the final round moved the veteran to 10 under T12 and to ninth in the FedExCup. TONY FINAU – A 10th top 10 this season without a win after 3-under 68 final round left him 12 under and T4. Fourth in the FedExCup. BROOKS KOEPKA – Had a chance to go to number one in the world if he could best Dustin Johnson, instead finished one behind him at 10 under T12. JUSTIN THOMAS – Defending champion had two eagles on the way to a 6-under 65 to finish at 7 under and T24. QUOTABLES Hopefully I can keep riding this wave.I’ve got to take this momentum into Philadelphia.I was having a hard time just getting in the zone.I was pretty amped up. You feel the adrenaline. SUPERLATIVES Low round: 63 by Phil Mickelson (T12). Longest drive: 371 yards, by J.B. Holmes (T49) at the seventh hole. Longest putt: 57 feet, four inches by Marc Leishman (T21) at the par-3 16th hole. Easiest hole: The 531-yard, par-5 18th played to a 4.500 average including four eagles. Hardest hole: The 514-yard, par-4 14th played to a 4.408 average including just four birdies. CALL OF THE DAY For play-by-play coverage of the PGA TOUR, listen at PGATOUR.COM. SHOT OF THE DAY

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