Photo by Brian Spurlock, USA Today
Cal Golf: Collin Morikawa is No. 5 in FedEx Cup Standings Headed to Tour Championship
Collin Morikawa created some momentum heading into next week’s FedEx Cup series finale, the Tour Championship, when he posted a 2-under-par 68 for the second straight day at the BMW Championship.
He will begin play in Atlanta on Friday ranked No. 5 in the FedEx Cup standings.
The 23-year-old former Cal star finished in a tie for 20th place after shooting rounds of 76 and 73 in the first two days at Olympia Fields Country Club outside Chicago.
Morikawa wound up at 5-over par for the four days of the second-to-last event in the FedEx Cup playoffs. But he made a substantial climb from a tie for 58th after two rounds.
The top 30 golfers in the standings after this weekend advance to the Tour Championship, after which the FedEx Cup champion will be awarded $15 million.
Morikawa entered the BMW Championship ranked No. 5 in the FedEx standings, and that’s where he will be to start the Tour Championship. He will begin play in the the staggered, strokes-based scoring system at 5-under par by virtue of his No. 5 ranking.
On Sunday, he bogeyed No. 3 and No. 6 before posting birdies on 7, 10, 15 and 16. After a bogey on No. 17, he birdied the final hole to finish the back nine at 32, pocketing $106,780 for the week.
Former Arizona State star Jon Rahm, who began the week at No. 9 in the FedEx Cup standings, beat No. 1 Dustin Johnson on the first hole of a playoff to win the BMW title and climb to No. 2 in the standings.
Johnson made a long putt on 18 to force the playoff, but Rahm converted a 66-foot birdie putt with a dramatic right-hand break to win it. It was the longest made putt on the PGA tour this season. Rahm shot a final-round 64 to win the BMW title with a four-day score of 4-under 276.
Rahm, winning for the second time in his past five tournaments, had been penalized a stroke on Saturday for picking up his ball on the green without first marking it. But he won anyway, and despite Johnson forcing the playoff with a final-round 67.
Rahm took the first prize of $1,710,000.
Johnson will retain the No. 1 spot in the FedEx Cup standings and begin play at the Tour Championships at 10 under. By virtue of being No. 2, Rahm starts at minus-8.
Byeong Hun An, who played for Cal in 2011 before turning pro, also finished strong at the BMW Championship. He scored a 68 for the second day in a row and wound up in a tie for 12th place at plus-3, winning $192,375.
An birdied each of the first three holes and even after a bogey on No. 9 was tied for 14th place at the turn. He had two birdies and two bogeys over the final nine holes
Sitting in 35th place in the FedEx Cup standings when the week began, An just missed earning a spot in the exclusive Tour Championship field.
Max Homa, the 2013 NCAA champ while at Cal, had a rough final day. He had two double-bogeys and shot a 7-over 77 to plummet from a tie for 26th entering the day to a tie for 59th. He wound up at plus-13 for the tournament.
Things went little better for Tiger Woods, whose final-round 71 was his fourth straight above par. Woods, who will not qualify to play at the Tour Championship, wound up tied for 51st at plus-11.
"You know, it's been a very awkward year for all of us, with the virus and not having to play," Woods said. "The majors moved around, question mark on if we're going to play the Tour, when we're going to play the Tour, guys testing positive. It's been a very -- I think a difficult year and difficult season for anyone involved in the sport of golf. But we're certainly coming out on the positive side."
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Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo
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