Clark's Resilience Shines Through
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Wyndham Clark has been through this before — losing a big lead in the final round, playing alongside a gallery favorite. He finished strong Sunday at the BMW Championship, just like he did at the U.S. Open, and closed with an even-par 70 for a three-shot victory at Bellerive.
Clark won for the third time this year, putting him squarely in the conversation for PGA Tour player of the year considering one was a major and the other was a FedEx Cup playoff event.
But just like at Shinnecock Hills, it wasn’t easy.
He lost his five-shot lead to Rory McIlroy in 11 holes and it was tense down the final hour until Clark — without a birdie all day — holed a birdie putt from just outside 15 feet on the par-3 16th. McIlroy had a putt to match birdies and stayed tied and missed.
McIlroy made a mess of the par-5 17th, going from rough to bunker to bunker for a bogey, and Clark began to pull away with another birdie. He finished with a third straight birdie for style points, finishing at 17-under 263.
“It shows I’m one of the best players in the world,” Clark said. “Everyone gives me a hard time and roots for other people. Three wins in one season is my best year yet, coming off my worst season.”
Clark wasn’t the only one with cause to celebrate.
Patrick Cantlay, who came in at No. 43 in the FedEx Cup, showed plenty of moxie. Four times he bounced back from a bogey with a birdie, closing with three birdies in a row for a 68 to finish runner-up and be among the top 30 in the FedEx Cup who advance to the Tour Championship.
The winner next week at East Lake captures the FedEx Cup.
“I’m coming to a golf course that I played really well at next week,” said Cantlay, who won at East Lake in 2021 to claim the FedEx Cup. “So I’m really pleased with where my game is at and I think I’m trending in the right direction.”
Also moving into the top 30 was Gary Woodland, who pulled within one shot of the lead until topping his tee shot into a creek on the ninth hole on his way to a double bogey. He closed with nine pars for a 69 and tied for fourth, good enough to advance.
Woodland has been recovering from brain surgery three years ago, and on Saturday he revealed that drones being used by the PGA Tour to capture video triggered something in his brain. He fought back tears when asked about the significance.
“I tried to enjoy it. Outside of topping a ball — I haven’t done that for a long time — I’m just really proud,” Woodland said.
McIlroy's Costly Mistake
Rory McIlroy started the final round five shots behind and caught Clark with a burst of birdies, but he couldn’t make a birdie over the last seven holes. He shot 69 and finished third, four shots behind.
McIlroy admitted after his final round that a layup decision on the 17th hole was what ultimately cost him the title.
“We talked about it earlier in the week, I tried to get it up a bit too far. I should have been taking that left bunker out of play. If you’re going to lay it up, lay it up. So just another stupid decision with a layup on a par-5 that cost me,” McIlroy explained.
McIlroy had two good looks at taking the lead on 14 and 15 but couldn’t convert either. Then on 16, with both players safely on the green, Clark calmly rolled in a 16-footer for his first birdie of the round. McIlroy’s birdie attempt slid by.
“The putt on 14, the putt on 15, even the putt on 16, they were good putts. They just all stayed or the one on 15 just went low. But, yeah, good putts that just didn’t go in,” McIlroy added.
Clark added another birdie on the par-5 17th, while McIlroy’s poor lie in the left rough undid him. Trying to lay up with a wedge, he pulled the shot into a bunker sitting 113 yards from the green. From there, things unraveled further, as he went from one bunker to another and finished the hole with a costly bogey.
“When he made that putt on 16 for 2 and I couldn’t answer, that was obviously a huge moment in the round and in the tournament,” he admitted.
McIlroy called the week progress, not a setback. “I’m closer than I was at the start of the week. But I’m still, I’m not in a spot where I’m super happy with where my game is or where my swing is,” he said.
FedEx Cup Shakeup
The Tour Championship field is now set for Aug. 27-30 at East Lake Golf Club. The top 30 in the FedEx Cup standings advanced, and the tournament features a $40 million purse with $10 million going to the winner.
Patrick Cantlay moved from No. 43 to No. 19, Gary Woodland from No. 31 to No. 18, and Robert MacIntyre from No. 36 to No. 25. MacIntyre shot a final-round 65, tied for seventh, to secure his spot.
Kurt Kitayama, Rickie Fowler, and Bud Cauley fell out of the top 30. Kitayama dropped from No. 28 to No. 31, Fowler from No. 30 to No. 33, and Cauley from No. 29 to No. 34. Ryan Fox secured the final spot at No. 30.
Adam Scott, at age 46, qualified for the Tour Championship for the 28th consecutive time, closing with a 67 to finish T16. Min Woo Lee also qualified for his debut, ranking 20th.
Scottie Scheffler, the world No. 1, finished T12 at the BMW while battling hand, foot and mouth disease, but still secured the $23 million FedEx Cup bonus as the top seed heading into East Lake.
Presidents Cup Implications
Clark’s victory moved him to No. 3 in the U.S. Presidents Cup standings, joining Scottie Scheffler, Cameron Young, Russell Henley, Sam Burns, and Collin Morikawa in the top six automatic spots. Captain Brandt Snedeker will have six picks after the Tour Championship.
“I’ve kind of been the underdog in all of my wins,” Clark said after the round. “I know everyone maybe gives me a hard time and roots for other people. But I feel like I’ve kind of come into my own.”
Clark also referenced the support he received, noting one spectator shouted “Get in the bunker!” on the par-3 13th. He shrugged it off, saying, “Darth Vader had more fun.”
Looking Ahead
The BMW Championship was the penultimate FedEx Cup playoff event with a $20 million purse, and the winner earned $3.6 million. The Tour Championship begins Thursday at East Lake.
Woodland will be making his first appearance at East Lake since 2019, a significant milestone in his recovery. “I’m just really proud,” he said. “I tried to enjoy it.”
Cantlay, who has won twice at East Lake, believes his game is trending in the right direction. “I’m coming to a golf course that I played really well at next week,” he said. “So I’m really pleased with where my game is at.”