The exhausting week at Olympia Fields one that felt more like a U.S. Open than the BMW Championship ended in a dramatic playoff between two of best golfer, world No. 1 Dustin Johnson and No. 2 Jon Rahm.
The PGA Tour reached the halfway point of the BMW Championship and successively the penultimate FedEx Cup Playoffs. 69 golfers were competing at Olympia Fields to earn one among 30 spots within the season-ending TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club.
The 2020 BMW Championship purse was set for $9.5 million, with the winner’s share coming in at $1,710,000. Beyond money, the winner got 1,500 FedEx Cup points.
End of the Road for Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods was among some of the high-profile players who ended their seasons at Olympia Fields. Needing a top-three finish Woods never got going and ended well off the pace in a tie for 51st.
Others to miss East Lake after looking likely to make it included Patrick Cantlay and Adam Scott, who along with Woods, Tyler Duncan, Nick Taylor, Richy Werenski, Michael Thompson, Andrew Landry and Jim Herman were winners in season 2019-20 who did not make the season finale.
Let’s take a look at the Gem Golfers Live recaps PGA TOUR golf results from the BMW Championship 2020:
Round 1 Recap
Hideki Matsuyama leads after the round 1 of BMW Championship
1. Hideki Matsuyama (-3)
Hideki Matsuyama Japanese golfer as first within the field from tee to green and first on the leaderboard after Round 1. This could not be a surprise. Olympia Fields will almost definitely identify the best ball-striker within the field previous week, and it could end being Matsuyama. He certainly has the chops to remain at the highest. Hideki Matsuyama hit 6 of 14 fairways and 13 of 18 greens in regulation and completed the round 1 in 1st at 3 under.
It’s normally true that a course identifies the simplest ball-striker during a given week, but it will be even more true in the week given how briskly and firm this course is playing. He won the Asian Amateur Championship in 2010 and 2011. he’s a five-time PGA Tour winner and an eight-time Japan Golf Tour winner.
2. Tyler Duncan (-2)
American golfer gives you a thought of how good a 68 was on round 1, consider the very fact that it had been almost five strokes better than the sector average in day one. the same score last week at TPC Boston in Round 1 would are a 64.
Duncan needs it, too, as he started in the week on the bubble of creating it to next week’s Tour Championship (which would get him into several massive events in 2021). There’re always tons at stake when this much money is involved, but it’s more life-changing for somebody like Duncan, who doesn’t have a top 10 since winning last fall, than most. Also, don’t expect it to last as Duncan led the sector inputting, which isn’t an excellent sustainable thanks to winning a tournament like this one.
3. Mackenzie Hughes (-1)
Good round for Canadian golfer Hughes, who’s a solid player, but he barely gained any strokes off the tee and together with his irons. He hit 5 of 14 fairways and 11 of 18 greens in regulation and had a great day on the green leaving no misses on putts within 10 feet. Hughes finished his day in 3rd at 1 under.
Round 2 Recap
Patrick Cantlay tied for the lead after the second round of BMW Championship.
How tough is Olympia Fields playing this weekend? Here’s an idea: Only eight of the 68 players at the BMW Championship shot sick on Friday Round 2. rock bottom score of the day was a two-under-par 68.
Rory McIlroy and Patrick Cantlay shared the lead at one-under-par heading into moving day while the highest 10 on the leaderboard are separated by just three strokes. With Saturday’s action looming, the tournament remains completely up for grabs.
Patrick Cantlay (-1)
Cantlay’s big advance round 2 came with a hole-out eagle on the par-4 11th hole, which was drivable. Cantlay holed out from 48 yards and used that as a springboard to shoot 33 (with a double!) on the back nine. McIlroy, too, took advantage of the short 11th. He drove the green and got up and down from the neck right ahead of it for birdie.
It had been a part of a hot start that helped him to his second consecutive round at par or better. This week’s story is the opposite of last weeks for him. After insisting over the primary two days that he’s enjoying a “proper golf” test, he proved it with a driver that permits him down last week at TPC Boston.
Rory McIlroy (-1)
The Irishman hadn’t finished within the top ten at any tournament since March only to return roaring back at the BMW. McIlroy sank five birdies on Friday with three on the rear nine to stay himself atop the leaderboard. It helps that he hit 61.11 per cent of his greens in regulation mostly thanks to the type of drives he crushed early within the second round. McIlroy ended the day at 1-under 139 to share the 36-hole lead with Cantlay.
Dustin Johnson, Hideki Matsuyama (E)
it had been a troublesome day for Matsuyama after he shot 67 on round 1. He actually ran his score all the thanks to 4 under thru 8 holes on Friday round 2 but played his last 10 in 4 over to settle at even. You nearly always look first to his putter, but hitting three fairways and just six greens were actually the culprit for his 73 in Round 2. Still, if he pars subsequent 36 holes (albeit a tall ask!) he’ll probably win. D.J. somewhat quietly came to the house with three birdies in his last five holes, including a bomb at the last that put him within the second-to-last pairing on Saturday with Matsuyama.
I’m here for a McIlroy-Cantlay-Johnson-Matsuyama slug fest over subsequent 36.
Round 3 Recap
Hideki Matsuyama & Dustin Johnson co-leads after the third round of BMW Championship.
Hideki Matsuyama & Dustin Johnson (-1)
Last week, Dustin Johnson shot 4-under 67, 11-under 60 and 7-under 64 to steer the Northern Trust after three rounds. This week, he’s shot 1-over 71, 1-under 69 and 1-under 69 to share a two-stroke lead with Hideki Matsuyama after three rounds. Johnson’s not as low on the scorecard as he was last week. The conditions are tougher. But he’s even as high on the leaderboard.
Johnson bogeyed the first hole on Saturday, then played the ultimate 17 at 2-under on his thanks to the second straight 69. “This golf links just demands different sorts of shots and pars,” Johnson of the difference between last week and in the week.
“It’s totally different golf links, completely different conditions. It’s pretty easy to urge into the mindset of 4-under may be a good score. this is often a reasonably much a serious championship venue, obviously, and therefore the conditions, the way it’s found out, it’s playing a bit like a serious.”
While Johnson bogeyed the primary, Matsuyama eagled it, holing out from a greenside bunker. He played the ultimate 17 at 1-over on his thanks to a 69.
“Great start then just had to hold on,” Matsuyama said. “Just tried to try to what I could to remain in, and that I was proud of how it
Joaquin Niemann (+1)
Joaquin Niemann Chilean golfer shoots 2-under 68 in round three of the BMW Championship. He hits 14 of 18 greens in regulation during his third round at the BMW Championship, finishing at 1 over for the tournament. He finished his day tied for 3rd at 1 over with Mackenzie Hughes and Adam Scott. He was the amount one ranked amateur golfer from May 2017 to April 2018.
Final Round Recap
Jon Rahm -4 snatched the victory from Dustin Johnson
Jon Rahm -4
Rahm also won at one among the toughest courses of the year, the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village. He played the 2 events in 13 under combined. No one who played in both events got within seven of that score by Rahm. it is a testament to his unbelievable ball-striking skill but also his ability to win on major-like courses that are firm, fast and test every aspect of a professional’s game.
There are few who can deal with Rahm’s all-around game. He finished top 15 during this field off the tee, together with his approach shots, round the greens, and together with his putter.
Many golfers can hit bombs as he does but so rarely can anyone combine that with the deft touch Rahm has from 100 yards and in. When it involves that skill combined with everything else, he does at the extent he does it, maybe only Johnson, the person he defeated on Sunday final round at BMW Championship or Justin Thomas or Rory McIlroy can claim an equivalent level of sophistication. He also earned the winning purse about, $1,710,000.
Dustin Johnson (2nd)
DJ’s averaging nearly four strokes gained per round since the beginning of the PGA Championship after shooting 4-under 276, which was 11 strokes better than the sector for the week. It isn’t the most important hole in his resume, but winning the FedEx Cup next week (where he’ll start 10 under) would be a pleasant addition to his already-hall-of-fame career. D.J. closed sort of a boss on finale day, however, Rahm made zero mistakes and what are you able to do a few 66-footers to win? The margins at the highest are outrageously small.
Joaquin Niemann (3rd)
Open while you continue to can. a number of the trajectories he touches off the tee and together with his irons are absolutely preposterous. When he went call at 31 on Sunday, it felt as if he was getting to are available and swipe this thing from a number of the most important names within the world. If he had, he would become the fourth-youngest to 2 PGA Tour wins within the last 30 years (Tiger Woods, Jordan Spieth and Sergio Garcia).
