The sports world lost a golf legend on Sunday when Arnold Palmer passed away at the age of 87. The King of golf died in Pittsburgh following complications from heart problems. Palmer, a seven-time major winner with 62-career PGA Tour wins on his resume, was the focus of many tributes on Sunday night and that will remain the case this week with so many paying respect to one of golf’s greatest players ever. Meanwhile, there were two tournaments that were in the spotlight over the weekend with the TOUR Championship and Porsche European Open both wrapping up on Sunday. Here is a golf recap of the events from around world this past weekend.
TOUR Championship
PGA Tour
Rory McIlroy won the TOUR Championship in a thrilling playoff finish on Sunday to win $11.88 million and claim the FedEx Cup. McIlroy edged out Ryan Moore and Kevin Chappell on the fourth playoff hole, outlasting his competition in what will be remembered as a signature win. McIlroy failed to capitalize on an opportunity to win on the first playoff hole when he missed an eagle putt but he maintained his focus and finished the job three holes later. The Northern Irishman didn’t hold back when he sank his winning birdie putt to wrap up an excellent finish to the tournament. McIlroy’s win had a major impact on the outcome of the FedEx Cup. Had Moore won in the playoff, then Dustin Johnson would have won the FedEx Cup and claimed that bonus prize money. Ultimately, McIlroy won with a 12-under score followed by Moore and Chappell in the runner-up position, while Paul Casey finished fourth at nine under and Hideki Matsuyama wrapped up the top-five at eight-under. The thrilling finish set the tone for the Ryder Cup, which begins this Friday at the Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota.
Top 10 Results From The Tour Championship
Rory McIlroy -12
Ryan Moore -12
Kevin Chappell -12
Paul Casey -9
Hideki Matsuyama -6
Justin Thomas -5
Dustin Johnson -5
Adam Scott -4
Jason Dufner -4
Si Woo Kim -2
FedEx Cup Standings
With the big win on Sunday, McIlroy ended up winning the FedEx Cup with 3,120 points. On the year, he had two wins and eight Top 10’s. That was a bit of a surprise as he vaulted all the way up from sixth place to steal the win. Johnson, who was in first place heading into the week, ends up in second place with 2,380 points. Patrick Reed – one of the big surprises of the season – finished in third place while Adam Scott, who finished the year with 1,930 points, placed fourth. Paul Casey ended up in fifth place after playing 22 events and earning seven Top 10’s. Jason Day, who had three wins on the year – tied for the most out of anyone in the FedEx Cup standings – placed sixth.
Porsche European Open
European Tour
The Porsche European Open was also settled in a playoff on Sunday with France’s Alexander Levy edging out Ross Fisher on the second extra hole for the win. The 26-year-old Levy became the youngest Frenchman to win three European Tour titles. Levy sank a 30-foot putt on the 18th to clinch the victory following a rough weekend when it came to the conditions in Bavaria, Germany. The heavy fog that had been an issue all weekend was gone by that point and there were no issues on the final day in terms of conditions. However, Levy conceded a four-stroke lead to allow Fisher to close in on him and force a playoff before ultimately prevailing. It was Fisher’s fifth-career playoff loss. Michael Jonzon and Robert Karlsson finished tied for third at 16-under followed by Bernd Wiesberger, who finished fifth at 15-under. Germany’s Martin Kaymer provided the other notable finish when he placed sixth – five strokes back of the lead. The focus will now shift to the Ryder Cup with the best from Europe set to take on the best from the United States beginning on Friday morning.
Top 10 Results From The Porsche European Open
Alex Levy -19
Ross Fisher -19
Michael Jonzon -16
Robert Karlsson -16
Bernd Wiesberger -15
Martin Kaymer -14
Richard Bland -13
Eduardo De La Riva -13
Florian Fritsch -13
Gregory Havret -13
Jean Hugo -13
Matthew Southgate -13
