Broken driver and barefoot recovery mark adventurous final round for McIlroy in Denver – News – Irish Golf Desk

Bradley will start just four shots behind Scheffler after he closed with a 72 to win his seventh PGA Tour title by a shot and jump from 50th to fourth in the standings.

As for Shane Lowry, he shot 71 to tie for 13th on five-under but dropped two spots to 13th in the FedEx Cup, meaning he will start his first Tour Championship in three-under, seven shots behind Scheffler.

Keegan Bradley (Winner/-12)

• Picks up his seventh PGA TOUR victory in his 352nd start at the age of 38 years, 2 months, 18 days

• PGA TOUR victories (7): 2011 CJ CUP Byron Nelson, 2011 PGA Championship, 2012 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, 2018 BMW Championship, 2022 ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP, 2023 Travelers Championship, 2024 BMW Championship

• Wins in back-to-back seasons for the first time since his first two seasons on TOUR (2011, 2012)

• 20th multiple winner of the event; wins in 2018 and 2024 account for his only two top-10 finishes in 12 starts

• Entered the week No. 50 in the FedExCup and moves to No. 4 to advance to the TOUR Championship for the sixth time

• Improves to 2-for-7 with the 54-hole lead/co-lead (T2/2012 Genesis Invitational, 2nd/2013 CJ CUP Byron Nelson, 2nd/2021 Valspar Championship, T2/2022 Truist Championship, Won/2023 Travelers Championship, T2/2024 Sony Open in Hawaii, Won/2024 BMW Championship)

• 23rd third-round leader/co-leader to win a stroke-play event this season; first 54-hole leader to win the BMW Championship since Patrick Cantlay in 2022

• Wins for the first time in 11 attempts when holding the first-round lead/co-lead

• Fourth 18-hole leader to win a stroke-play event this season and the first at the event since Justin Thomas (2019)

• Led the field in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green (11.192) and was second in Strokes Gained: Approach the Green (6.917)

• Wins on the same day as fellow United States Presidents Cup captain’s assistant Stewart Cink (The Ally Challenge/PGA TOUR Champions) 

Additional Player Notes

·        Adam Scott finishes runner-up for the second time in his last four starts (Genesis Scottish Open) and for the 16thtime in his career; moves from No. 41 to No. 14 in the FedExCup, reaching the TOUR Championship for the 10th time in the FedExCup era (since 2007) and first since 2022; failed to qualify for the FedExCup Playoffs last season for the first time in his career

·        Sam Burns turns in the round of the day with a 7-under 65 and picks up the fourth runner-up finish of his career

·        2023 RSM Classic champion Ludvig Åberg finishes runner-up for the fourth time in his career, with three coming this season (AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Masters Tournament, BMW Championship)

Miscellaneous Notes

·        The six automatic qualifiers for the U.S. Presidents Cup Team are Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa, Wyndham Clark, Patrick Cantlay, Sahith Theegala

·        The six automatic qualifiers for the International Presidents Cup Team are Hideki Matsuyama, Sungjae Im, Adam Scott, Tom Kim, Jason Day, Byeong Hun An

• Notable finishes:

  • Two-time major winner in 2024 Xander Schauffele (T5)

  • Three-time FedExCup Champion Rory McIlroy (T11)

  • Denver, Colorado native Wyndham Clark (T13)

  • Defending BMW Championship and FedExCup champion Viktor Hovland (T26)

  • FedExCup leader and World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler (T33)

  • Three rookies in the field: Max Greyserman (T28), Nick Dunlap (T31), Matthieu Pavon (T33)

FedExCup Playoffs notes

The top-30 players in the FedExCup standings after the BMW Championship advance to the TOUR Championship

One rookie advances to the TOUR Championship: Matthieu Pavon

One first-year PGA TOUR member advances to the TOUR Championship: Robert MacIntyre

Nine players will make their debut at the TOUR Championship this week: Ludvig Åberg, Shane Lowry, Byeong Hun An, Akshay Bhatia, Robert MacIntyre, Matthieu Pavon, Taylor Pendrith, Aaron Rai, Christiaan Bezuidenhout.

Top 30 players in the FedExCup and FedExCup Starting Strokes at the TOUR Championship

FedExCup

Player Starting Strokes

1. Scottie Scheffler -10

2. Xander Schauffele -8

3. Hideki Matsuyama -7

4. Keegan Bradley -6

5. Ludvig Åberg -5

6. Rory McIlroy -4

7. Collin Morikawa -4

8. Wyndham Clark -4

9. Sam Burns -4

10. Patrick Cantlay -4

11. Sungjae Im -3

12. Sahith Theegala -3

13. Shane Lowry -3

14. Adam Scott -3

15. Tony Finau -3

16. Byeong Hun An -2

17. Viktor Hovland -2

18. Russell Henley -2

19. Akshay Bhatia -2

20. Robert MacIntyre -2

21. Billy Horschel -1

22. Tommy Fleetwood -1

23. Sepp Straka -1

24. Matthieu Pavon -1

25. Taylor Pendrith -1

26. Chris Kirk Even

27. Tom Hoge Even

28. Aaron Rai Even

29. Christiaan Bezuidenhout Even

30. Justin Thomas Even