The Darwinian nature of the FedEx Cup playoffs, along with the impending Ryder Cup selections, provided a host of possibilities as the 2014 Deutsche Bank Championship churned to its conclusion.
The second leg of the four-tournament FedEx Cup provides more than just one winner after 72 holes. There was the actual tournament champion, Chris Kirk, who admitted he was "still in shock that I actually won. This was incredibly unexpected."
There were the handful of players who played well enough over the four days at TPC Boston to leapfrog over unfortunate others - and earn the right to play on Thursday at Cherry Hills outside Denver for the BMW Championship. They felt like winners as well.
There were also the final auditions for the last open slots on both Ryder Cup teams. Six additions, three per team. Kirk, playing for the second straight day with Rory McIlroy, outplayed McIlroy, the world No. 1 - and everyone else - with a second straight bogey-free round to win by two strokes with a total of 15 under par.
He had five birdies and one huge par save for a 66. After opening with a two-over 73, Kirk shot 66-64-66 over the final three days. “That,’’ he said, “is beyond belief, especially after what I did the first day.”
Kirk said on Sunday that he has plans for Ryder Cup weekend that do not involve golf. He anticipates spending the weekend in Athens, Georgia, watching his alma mater, Georgia, play Tennessee in football.
He reiterated yesterday that he felt no more entitled to a spot on the team, despite having vanquished a strong field. He is ranked No. 14 in US Ryder Cup standings. “I’ve put myself into consideration,’’ he said.
“If I get in, that’s a bonus. But I probably don’t put as much importance on it as a lot of other guys.” He said he had no contact with Watson. “I can’t say, ‘Hey, Tom, please pick me.’ I think he’s got a pretty good idea by now of what he’s going to do,” Kirk said.
It was Kirk's third PGA Tour victory, but by far the biggest. His others were the 2013 McGladrey Classic and the 2011 Sanderson Farms Championship. No one exemplified the quirky nature of the multitude of variables than Ogilvy, the 2006 US Open champion.
He had had only one top-10 finish all season, a victory in the Barracuda Open (which was for those who did not play in the Bridgestone Invitational). He barely qualified for this event - he was ranked 100th and the field accommodated 100 players - and stood at one under after 36 holes.
In the third round, however, he shot a six-under 65, one-putting eight of the last nine holes. He shot another 65 yesteray - at one point sharing the lead - and vaulted from 100 to 24, well inside the magic number of 70 who will move on to Cherry Hills.
"Those last 27 holes were fun,'' Ogilvy said. He was not the only mover. Horschel moved 62 spots, from No. 82 to No. 20. Carl Pettersson needed to make a 15-foot putt on the 18th hole to punch his ticket to Colorado.
He had entered the tournament ranked No. 93. “It’s a little bit more tense than a normal event,’’ Pettersson said. “You want to advance. You don’t want the season to be over.”
Jerry Kelly eagled the 18th to finish at No. 70. Morgan Hoffman advanced from No. 72 to 68. Among potential Ryder Cup candidates, Keegan Bradley finished seven shots off the pace at eight under par.
So, too, did Ryan Palmer, who held the first round lead at eight under. Mahan was never a factor, finishing at one over par. Among candidates for Europe's roster, Ian Poulter finished at seven under par, Russell Knox at six under and Luke Donald at even par.
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