Weekend Wrapup - Day Leads FedEx & Maiden Win for Pieters
Post by Sports Writer Derek Clements
FedEx Cup - The Barclays Wrap Up
JASON DAY strolled to the top of the FedEx Cup standings with a stunning victory in The Barclays, the first of the four FedEx Playoff events. Going into the final round leading the field, Day shot a remarkable 62 to win by six strokes.
Much is made of the distance today's top pros hit the ball - and Day certainly powers it out there a long, long way - but it was his performance on the greens that won this tournament for him. Fresh from victory at the US PGA Championship, Day played brilliant golf all day, but has special reason to thank his putter.
Typical of his round was a three-hole run from the 13th hole - it started with a seven-foot effort to save par, followed by a birdie putt at the 14th, and when he holed a 50-foot putt at the 15th it took him five shots clear of Henrik Stenson in second place and meant that he could play the final three holes in his sleep. Stenson birdied three holes on the back nine and was making a challenge until he decided to have a go at an eagle putt on the 16th. He missed his first effort by three feet and then missed the next, walking off with a bogey that effectively handed the first prize to Day.
The Australian is playing with a new-found calm since landing his first major, and he will have especially enjoyed this win because it took so little out of him. And he did it with a smile on his face. Mind you, who wouldn't be smiling after recording a 19-under-par total 0f 261? It was his fourth win of 2015 and described the feeling as "fantastic".
Jason Day’s Round 4 highlights from The Barclays
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mUaS5QPrK0
It would be a brave man who would bet against him going on to win the whole shooting match now, but the likes of Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth will be doing their best. Stenson climbed to fourth in the rankings, having started the week in 32nd, and had the consolation of taking hom a cheque for $890,000 after a round of 66 and a 13-under-par total. Bubba Watson finished third on 11 under, two ahead of Ryan Palmer, who finished the most difficult week of his life with a birdie - Palmer's father died on the eve of the tournament.
One man who will be hoping to make it all the way to the Tour Championship is Sangmoon Bae, of South Korea. As soon as his interest in the playoffs end, he will have to return home to do his national service. He ended the day on nine under, is still in the mix and you can be sure he will be playing next week after finishing in a tie for sixth place.
Czech Masters Wrap Up
CAN you name any famous Belgians? It is one of the oldest cliches in the book, and the answer usually begins with Hercule Poirot, who is not a real Belgian, but a creation of the imagination of Agatha Christie. In truth, there are actually quite a few famous Belgian sportsmen and women - Kim Clijsters, Eden Hazard, Nicolas Colsaerts and, now, Thomas Pieters.
Pieters recorded his maiden European Tour victory when he birdied the final hole to win the Czech Masters at Albatross Golf Resort in Prague by three shots. He is just 23 years old, hits the ball as far as Pieters and was soaked in champagne by fellow players after holing the winning putt. There is something special about this game of ours - as Pieters walked to check his scorecard, one player after another stepped forward to congratulate him. They included Matt Fitzpatrick, the young Sheffield golfer who finished third, and Colsaerts, who warmly embraced him.
His victory was not as straightforward as it may sound. Pelle Edberg, who was second, suffered a double-hit, but was joint leader after birdies at the first and second. And Pieters found himself trailing the Swede after a double bogey of his own at the third.
Pieters showed what he is made of, however, with four birdies in his final 10 holes. His closing round of 69 (a fourth successive sub-70 score) took him to 20 under par. Edberg will be pleased with his general play - the rest of us are pleased he has finally decided to do away with the headband he has worn throughout his career. Fitzpatrick, who is about to celebrate his 21st birthday, briefly challenged when he started with four consecutive birdies but had to settle for third.
Robert Dinwiddie, playing on a medical expemption, was fourth, with 18-year-old Italian Renato Paratore sharing fifth with Thorbjorn Olesen and Roope Kako.
Pieters said: "This win means everything to me," he said. "To be a European Tour winner is an amazing feeling and it was special to have my family here." His parents had driven from Belgium for the chance to see Pieters claim his first victory.
Image Credit: Twitter @GolfPunkHQ
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Tags: PGA Tour european tour