Bryson DeChambeau’s birdie putt at No. 18 at TPC Boston caught the edge of the hole and circled round, a cruel lipout that settled on the far edge of the cup. DeChambeau, perfectionist ’til the end, looked incredulous. He swung his putter up into his cap, upset at the hole’s betrayal.
But none of it mattered.
DeChambeau tapped in for his par and then finally allowed himself the satisfaction of a job well done. It was well-earned: he’d just sealed his second consecutive victory.
For a man famous for his complex thought, DeChambeau is making this look easy. The 24-year-old emerged from a jam-packed leaderboard Sunday afternoon at the Dell Technologies Championship and cruised to victory, posting a four-under 67 to win by two shots. In doing so he further cemented his status as Ryder Cup captain’s pick and jumped to a projected No. 7 in the world ranking, entering the top 10 for the first time in his young career.
DeChambeau started the day in the final pairing just one shot back of leader Abraham Ancer, sitting in second place on a loaded leaderboard. At different points during the front nine three and even four players shared the lead, and big names loomed. At one point nearly 30 players were within four shots of the lead. But five front-nine birdies put DeChambeau in front on his own and he held on through the back side, withstanding charges from Cameron Smith and Justin Rose to emerge the winner by two shots.
Monday was a day for scoring at TPC Boston. Justin Thomas (65) Dustin Johnson (64) and Phil Mickelson (63) threw down impressive final rounds, while Hideki Matsuyama threatened to go even deeper when he birdied seven of the first 10 holes. Even when DeChambeau got four shots clear of the field at 16 under, it wasn’t over. Smith ran off a string of birdies to get to 14 under, closing the lead to a single shot after DeChambeau made bogey at 13.
But it was DeChambeau’s relentless assault on the golf course that won the day. After sticking his approach at the par-4 15th, DeChambeau poured in a nine-footer for birdie that nearly sealed the deal. The last bit of challenger drama came to a close when Smith’s approach shot at No. 18 found the hazard short of the green.
BACK.
TO.
BACK.@B_DeChambeau captures the second #FedExCup Playoffs event, winning @DellTechChamp by two shots.#LiveUnderPar pic.twitter.com/f6Mu6pGZ0a
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) September 3, 2018
With the win, DeChambeau is now guaranteed to be the No. 1 seed at the Tour Championship in Atlanta, meaning he can control his destiny with respect to the FedEx Cup and its associated $10 million prize. He’s also an essential lock to be selected by Jim Furyk as one of three captain’s picks on Tuesday. “I’ve definitely played some great golf and I think I’ve shown that I’m – hopefully – ready for the Ryder Cup team,” DeChambeau said after the round.
Justin Rose birdied four of the last six holes to surge into solo second, while Smith claimed third another shot behind. Hideki Matsuyama (65), C.T. Pan (66) and Ryder Cup hopeful Tony Finau (68) in a share of fourth at 12 under. It was a tougher finish for Ancer, who also found the hazard at No. 18 and suffered a finishing bogey to land in a share of seventh. Tiger Woods faded to a share of 24th after a final-round 71.
