Day wins in blowout at Barclays
Jason Day powered and putted his way to another blowout against a world-class field Sunday at The Barclays.
Fresh off his first major at the PGA Championship, Day pulled away early and poured it on with three long birdie putts on the back nine at Plainfield. A birdie on the closing hole gave him an 8-under 62 for a six-shot victory over Henrik Stenson.
Day closed with a 63-62 weekend and finished at 19-under 261. He won two weeks ago by three shots over Jordan Spieth with a record to par at 20-under 268.
The victory moves the 27-year-old Australian to the top of the FedEx Cup after the opening playoff event, assuring that Day will be among the top five who have a clear shot at the $10 million bonus at the Tour Championship.
More compelling is another race for No. 1.
With his second straight victory, and fourth of the year, Day remains at No. 3 in the world but now enters the picture with Spieth and Rory McIlroy for golf supremacy. All three will have a mathematical chance to get to No. 1 at the Deutsche Bank Championship next week at the TPC Boston.
“It’s been a special summer for me, and it’s not over,” Day said. “To be able to play the way I did over the weekend is fantastic. Today was just phenomenal golf.”
Stenson gave it a good shot.
He made birdies on the 13th and 14th holes to get within two shots, and Day hit a tee shot well to the right in the trees in the group behind on No. 13. There was just enough of an opening for Day to pound a gap wedge over the trees and onto the green, and then he effectively ended the tournament.
He holed a 30-foot birdie across the green on the par-3 14th, and rolled in a birdie from 35 feet on the 15th to stretch his lead to five shots. McMurray native Brendon Todd finished the tournament a 3-under-par 277 and tied for 24th. He shot a 1-over-par 71 Sunday.
Day is tied for Spieth with four wins on the PGA Tour this year, though two of those for Spieth were the Masters and U.S. Open.
Bae Sang-moon, tied with Day going into the final round, fell behind with a bogey on No. 3 and was in reverse for much of the day. He closed with a 72 and tied for sixth. Ryan Palmer, playing a week after his 71-year-old father died in a traffic accident in west Texas, closed with a 70 and tied for sixth. Palmer choked back tears when he finished.
Tamulis wins first LPGA event: Kris Tamulis won the Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic Sunday for her first LPGA Tour title.
Tamulis played 29 holes Sunday in the twice-delayed tournament, the 186th of her LPGA Tour career. She finished a third-round 67 and closed with a 65 to beat Yani Tseng and Austin Ernst by a stroke.
The 34-year-old former Florida State player finished at 17-under 271 on The Senator Course.
Tseng had rounds of 71 and 67, and Ernst shot 68-69 with the weather clearing up after delays totaling nearly 7 hours the previous two days. Both parred the final hole with a chance to force a playoff.
Jeff Maggert won the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open on Sunday for his fourth Champions Tour victory of the year, closing with a 6-under 66 to beat Paul Goydos by two strokes.
Maggert took the lead in the Charles Schwab Cup standings, 119 points ahead of Colin Montgomerie. Montgomerie skipped the tournament because of commitments in Europe.
Maggert finished at 14-under 202 at En-Joie. He won the Regions Tradition in May and the U.S. Senior Open in July, both major championships, and took the Shaw Charity Classic three weeks ago in Canada.
The Texan’s second straight 68 on Saturday put him in good position for another win, and he took advantage in a big way with six birdies in a bogey-free round.
U.S. Solheim Cup captain Juli Inkster won The Legends Championship on Sunday, finishing with a 4-under 68 for a two-stroke victory over Trish Johnson
The Hall of Famer had a 5-under 139 total after opening with a 71 on French Lick Resort’s Pete Dye Course. She earned $37,500 for her first Legends Tour victory.
Johnson bogeyed the final hole for a 70.
Pat Hurst and Lorie Kane tied for third. Hurst had a 69, and Kane shot 70.