‘We lost everything – twice’

Danny Lee … Sometimes an eye with experience in understanding a generalized value over growing popularity of a sharper focus is more valuable this early in a season. While his six starts in 2019-20 isn’t below average, the fact that his best two results by far occurred in tournaments without ShotLink presents an example as to why a grain of salt often is required when reviewing everyone in depth before relying on any one statistic. For example, of the 236 golfers who qualify to be ranked officially in the stats, he’s 218th in Strokes Gained: Putting, but neither his solo second at THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES nor his T10 at The ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP contribute to measured data because ShotLink wasn’t active. Consider that at Nine Bridges, he led the field in both scrambling and fewest putts per round, ranked second in one-putt percentage and placed T8 in putts per GIR. Overall in his six starts, he’s 38th in scrambling, 44th in fewest putts per round, 48th in one-putt percentage and 53rd in putts per GIR, stats influenced by every tournament, not just those with ShotLink. Peter Malnati … Who better than one of the best putters on the PGA TOUR to deserve elevated expectations in a putting contest cloaked by a shootout? Not only did he finished T18 at The American Express last year, but last week’s T12 at Waialae was his best showing in individual competition on TOUR in four years. He paced the Sony field in one-putt percentage and fewest putts per round. Overall this season, he’s 13th in Strokes Gained: Putting, 16th in putting: birdies-or-better and second in both one-putt percentage and fewest putts per round. Maverick McNealy … On the Korn Ferry Tour in 2019, he cruised through on the strength of confident putting. Ranked fifth on the circuit in putts per GIR and eighth in putting: birdies-or-better. It’s a skill that he’s taken to the PGA TOUR where the rookie is 45th in Strokes Gained: Putting, T21 in one-putt percentage and 10th in putting: birdies-or-better. It’s a bonus that the 24-year-old slots T28 in par-5 scoring average. After opening the season with a pair of missed cuts, he walked off the fall with six consecutive cuts made that included a season-best T17 in Houston. Bronson Burgoon … With only 41 cuts made in a career 78 PGA TOUR starts as a professional and just five top 10s to his name, he’s not a talent to whom you often point to contend. Yet, he’s figured it out with timely precision to have retained enough status to remain on the radar. If you were going to settle on a commonality as to why he’s landed on leaderboards, you’re going to find numerous occasions that yield low scores. It’s manifested itself already thrice this season with one top 10 among a trio of top 20s. The success is supported by a potent putter. Currently 18th on TOUR in Strokes Gained: Putting, T7 in one-putt percentage and sixth in putting: birdies-or-better. Seung-Yul Noh … Making his first PGA TOUR start since the inaugural edition of THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES in October of 2017. He then spent nearly two years fulfilling his military conscription in his native South Korea before returning to competition for a pair of starts in his homeland last fall. The latter resulted a T6 at the Genesis Championship (won by Sungjae Im). Noh, who modified his ball flight to a fade during his time away, is 28 years of age and one year younger than when fellow countryman Sangmoon Bae began his military assignment in 2015, so there’s reason to believe that time is on Noh’s side whereas Bae struggled mightily in his return to the PGA TOUR. Armed with a full season’s worth of starts via a status extension (in the Major Medical category), Noh also can tap into the positive experience of a T17 in 2016 when the current rotation of course first hosted The American Express. NOTE: Sleeper is a relative term, so Rob uses unofficial criteria to determine who qualifies. Each of the following usually is determined to be ineligible for this weekly staple: Winners of the tournament on the current host course; winners in the same season; recent major champions; top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking; recent participants of team competitions.

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LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Notes and observations from Sunday’s final round of the BMW Championship, where Australian Marc Leishman shot 67 to salt away his third PGA TOUR victory at age 33. Justin Rose shot 65 and briefly pressured the winner before finishing tied for second with Rickie Fowler (67), five shots back, and Jason Day (69) was fourth alone. For more coverage from Conway Farms Golf Club, click here for the Daily Wrap-up. LEISHMAN GOES WIRE-TO-WIRE Leishman’s 194 (-19) through three rounds was the second-lowest opening 54 holes this season, but a five-shot lead is not insurmountable. Three weeks earlier, at THE NORTHERN TRUST, Jordan Spieth had built a five-shot lead Sunday only to lose to Dustin Johnson in a playoff. Indeed, there were some tense moments at the BMW, but no one got closer to two shots, and Leishman birdied three of his final four holes to finish with the same big lead he started with. Around the TOUR, Leishman is known as a “good blokeâ€� who is understated, underrated, and as down-to-earth as they come. After his third-round 68, Leishman spoke about working the graveyard shift in a factory back in Australia. He was 18 or 19, needed money for tournament entry fees, and used a laser cutter to shape sheets of metal. After going from work to the golf course, he was so tired he once slept 18 straight hours. He lasted only a week or two on the job. Leishman and his wife Audrey, who nearly died of sepsis in 2015, spearheaded National Sepsis Month to spread awareness about a disease that is estimated to kill 250,000 people in the U.S. each year. Their Begin Again Foundation, which helps families that have been affected by sepsis and toxic shock syndrome, has impacted some 700 families in the last year and a half. In July, Audrey gave birth to the couple’s third child, Eva, whom they call their “miracle baby.â€� On a lighter note, Leishman has beer and pizza sent to NBC cameraman Murrill Boney on Saturday night. It was Boney who unwittingly became part of a video clip that went viral when he raised his leg to allow Leishman’s shanked chip shot to go between his legs at the Dell Technologies Championship at TPC Boston two weeks ago. “If that ball hits him, it goes back in the hazard,â€� Leishman said. “He saved me a lot of money.â€� Leishman’s playing partner Fowler opened with two straight birdies, but stalled with 10 straight pars. Day mounted a charge with three straight birdies to get within four, but drowned his tee shot at the watery par-3 11th. Then came Rose, who cut it to two before Leishman, who settled down after some loose shots on the front nine, responded with birdies at 15, 16 and 18. The winner moved from seventh to fourth in the FedExCup standings. GOOD SIGNS FOR INTERNATIONALS Louis Oosthuizen did not win or even come close, but he was feeling chipper about his finish nonetheless. He considered withdrawing from the tournament as he suffered from flu-like symptoms during rounds of 77-74 Thursday and Friday. After waking up Saturday feeling fine, Oosthuizen shot 66-67 on the weekend to get back to even par. That would get him a handful of FedExCup points, and Oosthuizen was told by a TOUR official that he would likely bounce in and out of the top 30 all afternoon. With his fate hanging in the balance, he flew home to West Palm Beach, Florida, only to later learn he finished 31st and would not qualify for East Lake and the season-ending TOUR Championship. “Played well on the weekend,â€� Oosthuizen said. “Could’ve had loads more birdies today and yesterday, but I’m pleased, in general. I didn’t have much momentum going into Saturday, had a lot to do. I thought if I could get to 2-under I wouldn’t have to rely on anyone else. “I don’t know if I was coming down with the flu or something. I felt horrible. I had no energy, wasn’t hitting it anywhere, was struggling everywhere. I was thinking about not playing Friday.â€� It turned out to be good that he did, if only to give him some positive momentum going into one of the most important tournaments all year. Oosthuizen’s more Louis-like form on the weekend provided reason for optimism for the International team as it prepares to take on the U.S. at the Presidents Cup at Liberty National, Sept. 28-Oct. 1. This, as pundits were already taking note of a surging Leishman and a suddenly revitalized Day. What’s more, captain’s pick Anirban Lahiri of India, who needed a miracle to make the TOUR Championship, actually came close with weekend scores of 68-66 to tie for ninth at the BMW. “Anyone having good form going into next week and Presidents Cup for our side is going to be great,â€� Oosthuizen said. “Leish has been playing well for a while, and it’s great seeing Jason’s name up there. If he can get going, he can be the best asset on the team to have.â€� CALL OF THE DAY SPIETH PLEASED WITH FINISH Jordan Spieth came into the BMW on the strength of back-to-back runner-up finishes, so his no-bogey 65 and T7 finish Sunday was bittersweet. On the one hand, Spieth may have played his best golf of the week, and he’ll go into next week’s TOUR Championship at No. 1 in the FedExCup Playoffs. But on the other hand, Spieth never seriously contended after following up a first-round 65 with middle rounds of 70-71. “Absolutely,â€� Spieth said, when asked whether he believes in the value of momentum from one week to the next. “I shot two bogey-free, 6-under rounds. I know the way I’ve been playing in the last few months, I know that that golf is still there, it’s just a matter of going out and executing and these rounds in between.â€� Jon Rahm (67, T5) did the best of the top five in the FedExCup, for whom it was a relatively flat week. All five maintained their positions with the exception of Hideki Matsuyama, who went from fourth to seventh after a final-round 69 and a T47 finish. Leishman took over in fourth. “I felt like today was a slight improvement on yesterday and I made a few more putts,â€� said Spieth, who started with two birdies in his first three holes. “Really good start. It was a round that could have been extra special.â€� ODDS AND ENDS Phil Mickelson waited for some 20 minutes while playing partner Sergio Garcia got a ruling on the 18th hole. Asked for his thoughts during the delay, Mickelson said: “I was thinking this is what my playing partners go through most of the time.â€� Was it hard to wait? “No,â€� Mickelson said after making birdie for a 70 (T20). “I needed that extra 38 minutes to read that putt.â€� … Playing by himself in the 7:30 a.m. tee time Sunday, Wes Bryan shot a final-round 69 in just an hour and 29 minutes. He finished 69th in the 70-man field (Danny Lee withdrew with a back injury) and will finish his season 41st in the FedExCup standings. … Rory McIlroy will become the eighth defending FedExCup champion to not make it back to East Lake and the TOUR Championship the following year. McIlroy, who went winless this season, began the week at 51st in the FedExCup and needed to at least contend at Conway Farms, but shot a final-round 71 to finish T58. He ends his season at 58th in the FedExCup. … Kevin Na shot the low round of the day, an 8-under 63, but it was too little, too late. Brooks Koepka later matched him with his own 63, shooting up the leaderboard to finish T12. SHOT OF THE DAY BEST OF SOCIAL MEDIA

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British Open champion Francesco Molinari rolled in a 45-foot birdie putt on the final hole at Bay Hill that capped off an 8-under 64, taking him from five shots behind to a two-shot victory Sunday in the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

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