Glover Makes It 2 in a Row by Winning FedEx Cup Opener in a Playoff Over Cantlay

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Lucas Glover made three large putts simply to remain within the sport after which hit a very powerful shot — on dry land in a playoff — to beat Patrick Cantlay on the primary further gap and win the FedEx St. Jude Championship on Sunday for his second straight victory.

And so the wonderful run continues for the 43-year-old Glover, who two weeks was No. 112 within the FedEx Cup and getting ready for an early finish to his season. Now he’s assured the FedEx Cup finale at East Lake and maybe consideration for the Ryder Cup.

Glover made a 20-foot par putt, a 30-foot bogey putt and a 12-foot par putt over the ultimate six holes to shut with a 1-under 69 and power a playoff with Cantlay, who surged into competition with a 64 on the TPC Southwind.

The playoff successfully ended with one shot. Cantlay hit 3-wood that was a couple of foot from being excellent. As a substitute, it hopped down the financial institution and into the water. Glover discovered the green and two-putted for par. Cantlay took a penalty drop and his 20-foot par putt simply slid by the suitable edge.

Glover turns into solely the third participant in his 40s to win back-to-back weeks on the PGA Tour over the past 25 years, becoming a member of Kenny Perry (2003) and Vijay Singh, who did it thrice, most just lately within the FedEx Cup playoffs in 2008.

“Whether or not you are preventing one thing or enjoying nice, you simply work exhausting. You by no means know when it will possibly flip,” Glover mentioned. “And it is turned in a short time for me.”

The largest struggle was the again 9 when a few of the sport’s finest lined up making an attempt to take catch him — Cantlay and Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, Jordan Spieth and Max Homa.

Cantlay performed fantastically on the again 9, beginning with a chip-in on the tenth gap and giving himself birdie on virtually each gap after that. Glover seemed to be on the ropes and briefly fell one shot behind. But it surely might have been so much worse.

On the thirteenth, his strategy buried in a gap in deep tough and he did properly to cut that out to some 20 ft. He made that for par. Then, he blocked his tee shot on the par-3 14th into the water, went to the drop zone and hit it 30 ft brief. He made that for bogey.

After tying Cantlay with an up-and-down simply wanting the inexperienced for birdie on the par-5 sixteenth, he missed one other fairway and made a 12-foot par putt.

Glover goes to No. 4 within the FedEx Cup after beginning this week at No. 49 and has made simply wanting $5 million within the final two weeks. As for the Ryder Cup? Glover would wish to win the BMW Championship subsequent week to have any likelihood of incomes one in every of six computerized spots.

However two straight wins, and a now dependable putter, certainly has the eye of U.S. captain Zach Johnson and spend these six wild-card picks.

McIlroy birdied the final gap for a 65 and tied for third with Fleetwood (68), who had a birdie likelihood on the 18th to hitch the playoff.

Taylor Moore began one shot behind Glover, bogeyed three of his first 4 holes and was by no means in it. He rallied late for a 71 to complete alone in fifth.

Spieth was shut many of the means till twice hitting within the water over the past 4 holes. He shot 70 and joined a big group tied for sixth. Spieth solely moved to No. 27 within the FedEx Cup with the late errors, and now should earn his strategy to the Tour Championship subsequent week.

Cameron Davis and Hideki Matsuyama had purpose to really feel like winners. Each performed their means into the highest 50 within the FedEx Cup. That will get them into the BMW Championship subsequent week, and it assures them a spot within the $20 million signature occasions subsequent yr.

Davis closed with a bogey-free 67. Matsuyama, who has made it to the Tour Championship every of his 9 years on the PGA Tour, amazingly has an opportunity to increase the streak.

He was at No. 57 within the FedEx Cup and was in a tie for thirty eighth going into the ultimate spherical on the TPC Southwind and was solely 2 underneath for his spherical after a birdie on the fifteenth. After which got here the 90-minute storm delay.

“I appeared and noticed what I wanted to do on the ultimate three holes. I knew I needed to birdie all of them,” Matsuyama mentioned.

He hit 6-iron to 10 ft for eagle on the par-5 sixteenth. He holed a 12-foot birdie putt on the seventeenth. After which he made an outstanding up-and-down from behind the 18th inexperienced for par and a 65. That was simply sufficient to crack the highest 50 and ship him to Chicago.

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