SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER RALLIES FROM 4 SHOTS DOWN AND WINS BMW CHAMPIONSHIP FOR 5TH VICTORY OF THE YEAR
OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — Scottie Scheffler erased a four-shot deficit in five holes and then delivered a haymaker on the daunting par-3 17th by chipping in from 82 feet for birdie that carried him to victory Sunday in the BMW Championship for his fifth PGA Tour title of the year.
Scheffler closed with a 3-under 67 for a two-shot victory and became the first player since Tiger Woods (2006-07) to win at least five times on the PGA Tour in consecutive years.
Robert MacIntyre didn’t make a birdie until the 16th hole but stayed in the game after losing his big lead, mostly when Scheffler began missing short putts.
MacIntyre pulled within one shot of the lead going to the 17th, the toughest hole at Caves Valley, with a back right pin on a crispy green that sloped to the right toward the water. Scheffler went just left in the rough, the ball sitting up nicely but the shot still scary.
He landed it some 60 feet short and watched it trickle, and then roll, and then slow again until it dropped into the cup.
“It looked good when it landed, looked good when it was rolling, and it was nice to see that one go in,” Scheffler said.
MacIntyre could only look at him and stare at the world’s No. 1 player making other-worldly shots in another extraordinary season. MacIntyre, who made 18 birdies in the first 45 holes of the tournament, made only two over the last 27 holes. He shot 73.
It’s not over for Scheffler, who leads the 30 players who advanced to the Tour Championship at East Lake with a chance to become the first repeat FedEx Cup champion since the series began in 2007.
All 30 players at East Lake can win the $10 million first-place check. The field includes Harry Hall, the only player who played his way into the top 30 on Sunday, and even that was tense. Hall made bogey on the par-5 16th — the easiest hole on the course — and then went long and left at the 17th. He also chipped in for birdie and was safe going up the 18th.
Rickie Fowler was on the verge of getting back to East Lake only to twice miss the green from the fairway on the back nine, leading to bogey on the 14th and double bogey on the 15th, and knocked him out of the top 30.
Fowler finished with a 5-foot par putt — had he missed, Michael Kim would have been in the Tour Championship. Instead, the 30th spot went to Akshay Bhatia, despite making four bogeys on the back nine and feeling as though he had blown it.
MacIntyre squandered a big chance, too.
He showed plenty of grit on Saturday playing in the final group with Scheffler. But on the opening hole, Scheffler drilled his drive down the middle and hit to 6 feet for birdie, while MacIntyre missed the fairway and a 6-foot par putt. It was an early statement.
MacIntyre missed another fairway at the second and made bogey. He went from the fairway to a bunker on the short par-4 fifth, a two-shot swing when the Scotsman failed to get up-and-down for par and Scheffler made birdie.
And then Scheffler took the lead with a wedge to 6 feet for birdie on No. 7.
It looked like it would be a runaway at that point as Scheffler never seemed to miss — except when he had a chance to extend the lead. He missed birdie chances of 5 feet at No. 8 and 8 feet at No. 10. He botched a simple up-and-down at the 12th and three-putted from 18 feet on the 14th. Each chance kept MacIntyre in the hunt.
And then came one chip on the 17th, a knockout punch.
Scheffler, who finished at 15-under 265, has 18 career titles in the last three years and six months since his first PGA Tour title in Phoenix.
RAHM WINS LIV GOLF SEASON POINTS TITLE, THEN FALLS IN PLAYOFF TO MUNOZ IN INDIANAPOLIS
WESTFIELD, Ind. (AP) — Jon Rahm successfully defended his LIV Golf season points title Sunday without winning an event all year, closing with an 11-under 60 before losing a playoff to Sebastian Munoz on the first extra hole in the Indianapolis event.
Munoz won two days after becoming the first player to shoot 59 with a double bogey. The Colombian player —with Rahm hitting balls on driving range — birdied the final two holes in regulation for a 65 to match Rahm at 22 under at The Club at Chatham Hills.
Rahm also lost on the first extra hole last week outside Chicago, falling to Dean Burmester in a three-way playoff that included Josele Ballester. On Sunday, Munoz beat the Spanish star won with a birdie on the par-4 18th in the playoff.
Rahm took the season points title from Joaquin Niemann, a five-time winner this season. Niemann shot a 66 to tie for fourth at 17 under, his first top-10 finish of the year that he didn’t win.
Munoz led Torque GC to the team event championship. Torque finished at 64 under to break the LIV record of 53 under.
Ian Poulter birdied four of his last five holes for a 67 to tie for 17th and avoid relegation from the tour. Majesticks teammate Henrik Stenson was relegated, missing a 20-foot birdie putt on the final hole that would have keep him on the tour and left Poulter out.
RICHARD GREEN OF AUSTRALIA WINS IN CALGARY FOR FIRST PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS TITLE
CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Richard Green of Australia won the Rogers Charity Classic on Sunday for his first PGA Tour Champions title, birdieing the par-5 18th hole for a 5-under 65 and a one-stroke victory.
Green held off Ricardo Gonzalez, the Argentine player who birdied the final two holes at Canyon Meadows for a 65 of his own.
The 54-year-old Green won in his 91st start on the 50-and-over tour. He finished at 18-under 192 after opening with rounds of 65 and 62.
Charles Schwab Cup leader Miguel Angel Jimenez of Spain, the second-round leader after consecutive rounds of 63, had a 68 to finish third at 16 under. He leads the tour with four victories this season.
Charlie Wi was fourth at 14 under after a his second straight 64.
AKIE IWAI WINS PORTLAND CLASSIC TO JOIN TWIN SISTER CHISATO AS ROOKIE LPGA TOUR CHAMPION
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Akie Iwai joined twin sister Chisato as a rookie LPGA Tour winner Sunday at Columbia Edgewater, closing with a 6-under 66 for a four-stroke victory in The Standard Portland Classic.
Akie Iwai capped the bogey-free round with birdies on the final two holes, running in an 18-footer on the last before Chisato rushed on the green and sprayed her with champagne.
The 23-year-old Japanese player broke through in her first season on the LPGA Tour after winning six times on the JLPGA Tour.
She had second-place finishes in Thailand in February and Los Angeles in April, then watched her sister win at Mayakoba in May in Mexico. On Sunday, Chisato Iwai shot a 64 to tie for third, five strokes back.
The winner finished at 24-under 264 on the tree-lined course. She opened with consecutive 67s, then shot a 64 on Saturday to take a two-stroke lead into the final round.
American Gurleen Kaur was a career-best second, closing with a 65. Linn Grant of Sweden had a 67 to join Chisato Iwai at 19 under. Grace Kim of Australia was 18 under after a 70.
Amateur Kiara Romero shot a 64 to tie for seventh at 16 under in her first tour start. The University of Oregon player won the 2023 U.S. Girls’ Junior and 2025 Big Ten title.
“It feels great to just play really well my first LPGA event,” Romero said.” Kind of gives me a lot of confidence going into the school year… All the Ducks fans are out here. So, we had a big crowd and a lot of people cheering me on, so it meant a lot to put a good week.”
The tournament is the longest continuous event on the LPGA Tour except for the majors, dating to 1972.
