Weekly Tour Wrap Up #3rd Sep

The second event of the Fed-Ex Cup play-offs and one of the biggest events on the European Tour roster have both been concluded following a Monday finish in America, with the two winners coming from completely different ends of the golfing spectrum.

On the European Tour, an overjoyed Scotsman won the biggest title of his career after holding off a host of household names at the Omega European Masters, receiving his biggest paycheque by almost €200,000.

On the PGA Tour, the world's best golfer held off a strong challenge from two major champions to record his second victory of a fine season and put more distance between himself and Luke Donald atop the Official World Golf Ranking.                                                 

McIlroy Majestic in Boston

Rory McIlroy won his second tournament in four weeks at the Deutsche Bank Championship, carding a closing 67 for a 72-hole 20-under-par total and a one stroke victory over 2010 Open Champion Louis Oosthuizen at the TPC Boston.

McIlroy now moves to number one in the Fed-Ex Cup standings, leapfrogging last week's winner Nick Watney and Tiger Woods, who made the Ulsterman sweat on Sunday before finishing alone in third place on 18-under-par.

It was talented young Korean Seung-yul Noh who lead after round one, however. The rookie recorded a flawless bogey-free round of nine-under-par to sit one clear of Chris Kirk, who needed a good week to enter the top 70 in the Fed-Ex Cup and qualify for this week’s BMW Championship.

American Ryan Moore was a shot further back on seven-under-par alongside Woods – who carded six birdies in a row from the 18^th – with McIlroy on six under.

It was the Northern Irishman who moved to the top of the leaderboard after round two. Starting on the 10^th, he birdied three of his first six holes and eagled the 18^th to turn in 30 en route to a second consecutive 65.

He led Oosthuizen (65) by one stroke, with Moore and Woods a shot further back on 10-under-par at the halfway stage.

McIlroy picked up where he left off in round three, making birdies at one and two, but was comprehensively usurped shortly afterwards as the South African went on the run of his life.

After matching McIlroy’s four at the second, the world number 11 birdied seven holes in a row from the fourth to turn in 29, a tournament record, and sit on 19-under-par after ten holes. He followed his remarkable run with six pars and a bogey before a closing birdie gave him a three-shot lead.

McIlroy did well to stay three off the pace on 16-under-par, with Ryder Cup wildcard hopeful Dustin Johnson and Woods tied for third on 13-under-par with one round remaining.

After four holes of the final round, the deficit had been wiped out. McIlroy birdied two, three and four to reach 20-under-par and tie Oosthuizen, who also birdied the fourth.

By the turn, the South African was two behind. He made a costly double at the fifth hole and parred to the ninth, with McIlroy also bogeying five but offsetting the dropped shot with a fine two at the long eighth.

Woods, meanwhile, was just three back after birdies at seven and nine.

Unfortunately, the former world number one wasn’t able to make any meaningful putts on the back nine, and the tournament turned into a two-horse race.

McIlroy extended his advantage to three with a birdie at the 12^th, but Oosthuizen fought back with birdies at 13 and 15 to close the gap to one.

Both players missed the 17^th green – Oosthuizen with a nine-iron from the middle of the fairway – and recorded bogeys, the gap remaining one with one to play.

After two shots on the 18^th, McIlroy was some 110 yards away and Oosthuizen was short-sided in heavy greenside rough. The PGA Champion played to 20 feet and the Africa Open champion to 12, but neither was able to convert, and victory was McIlroy’s.

Ramsay storms home in Switzerland

Richie Ramsay shot a closing 66 to post a 16-under-par total and win the Omega European Masters by four shots from Fredrik Andersson Hed, Danny Willett, Marcus Fraser and Romain Wattel at the beautiful Crans-sur-Sierre golf course in Switzerland.

The Scotsman picked up in excess of €350,000 for his second career European Tour victory and his first since winning the South African Open in 2010.

Despite a solid opening two-under-par 69 he lay outside the top 30 and six adrift of Frenchman Gregory Bourdy, who recorded a birdie-free 64 to lead Andersson Hed and Englishman Oliver Fisher by one shot after round one.

Out-of-form Rhys Davies and former Ryder Cup star David Howell were among a large group a short further back on five-under-par, with Willett, Wattel and Scotsman Stephen Gallacher inside the top ten on four-under-par.

It was Wattel's compatriot, Julien Quesne, who made the biggest move in round two. The Frenchman shot a six-under-par 65 to move to the top of the leaderboard, one shot ahead of Willett and two ahead of last week's Johnnie Walker Champion Paul Lawrie, who turned in 31 en route to a second round 66.

Challenge Tour graduate Tommy Fleetwood, Robert Coles and Fraser sat three off the lead heading into the weekend, with Ramsay moving into the top ten on five-under-par with a second-round 68.

It was the Scots who took control of the tournament in the weather-delayed third round. Ramsay recorded a bogey-free 64 to reach 11-under-par, one clear of Lawrie, who was five under for his round before a costly double on the 14th hole. On Saturday, the par-4 6th was played as a par 3 because of a waterlogged fairway, reducing the course par to 70.

Willett was another player unaffected by the damp conditions, shooting a 68 to sit in a tie for second place alongside the 1999 Open champion. Overnight leader Quesne slipped to fourth place after a third-round 70, one better than South African Jaco Van Zyl, Swede Matthias Gronberg and Irish Open Champion Jamie Donaldson, who finished in a tie for third in Switzerland last year.

The final round promised so much, but Ramsay distanced himself from the chasing pack with a flawless front nine 31, which include five birdies and four pars. At this point, he led by three shots from Willett and five from playing partner Lawrie, who offset and opening eagle and a birdie at six with bogeys and three and four.

The 43-year-old bogeyed 10 and 11, as did Willet, and after Ramsey recovered from dropped shot at 13 with a chip-in eagle at 14, he looked unstoppable.

He would par 15 and 16 and bogey 17 before finding the par-4 18^th in two. His first putt camp up short but he made no mistake with the second, firing it into the cup before punching the air and letting out and audible cry of delight. 

 

Next week, the penultimate event of the Fed-Ex Cup play-offs, the BMW Championship, takes place at Crooked Stick, while the European Tour heads to Holland for the KLM Open.