Cantlay "Defeats DeChambeau After Battle Over 6 Extra Holes"... Im Sungjae Ranks 3rd

'PO Round 2' BMW Championship Season 3rd Win Hunt 'Secures No. 1 Seed', McIlroy 4th, Johnson Tied 6th

Patrick Cantlay is cheering immediately after winning the BMW Championship 'Playoff Round 2'. Owings Mills, USA = Getty Images / MultiBits

[Asia Economy Golf Specialist Reporter Kim Hyun-jun] "Secured the No. 1 seed."

‘Come-from-behind specialist’ Patrick Cantlay defeated ‘The Hulk’ Bryson DeChambeau after a grueling six-hole playoff. This happened at the PGA Tour Playoffs (PO) second event, the BMW Championship (total prize money $9.5 million). On the final day held on the 30th (Korean time) at Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills, Maryland, USA (par 72, 7,542 yards), Cantlay tied for the lead at 27-under-par 261 with a 6-under-par round, then won on the sixth hole of the resumed playoff at the 18th hole (par 4).

Cantlay earned his third win of the season and fifth career victory, following the Zozo Championship last October (counted in the 2021 season) and the Memorial Tournament last June. The winner’s prize money is $1.71 million (2 billion KRW). It is noteworthy that all five of his wins have been come-from-behind or playoff victories. On this day, he revived himself with a birdie on the final 18th hole and finally sank a 5.2-meter winning birdie on the sixth playoff hole. He will enter the Tour Championship, the final third event, as the No. 1 seed in the PO rankings.

The PGA Tour introduced a new PO system in 2019, applying a so-called ‘stroke bonus’ differentially: No. 1 starts at 10-under-par, No. 2 at 8-under-par, No. 3 at 7-under-par, No. 4 at 6-under-par, No. 5 at 5-under-par, No. 6?10 at 4-under-par, No. 11?15 at 3-under-par, No. 16?20 at 2-under-par, No. 21?25 at 1-under-par, and No. 26?30 at even par. Cantlay starts at 10-under-par, and No. 2 seed Tony Finau starts at 8-under-par. The higher the seed, the greater the chance of becoming the PO final champion.

'Hulk' Bryson DeChambeau is disappointed after missing a birdie putt on the 9th hole during the final day of the PO 2nd round BMW Championship. Owings Mills, USA = Getty Images / MultiBits

Dustin Johnson (both from the USA) greatly benefited from being the No. 1 seed last year. His winning score was 21-under-par, combining 11-under-par over four rounds plus the 10-under-par stroke bonus. Xander Schauffele (USA), seeded 14th (3-under-par), posted a better 15-under-par score than Johnson but finished runner-up for the second consecutive year (18-under-par). Finau finished tied for 15th (16-under-par 272 strokes) on this day but his win at the PO first event, The Northern Trust, which ended on the 24th, proved powerful.

It is interesting that DeChambeau missed winning birdies on the second and third playoff holes. On the fourth hole, despite his tee shot landing in the water on the right side of the fairway, he showed grit by hitting his third shot very close to the hole and saving par. He is the No. 3 seed. Korea’s Im Sung-jae (23, CJ Logistics) rose to third place (23-under-par 265 strokes), boosting his PO ranking to 12th. Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) is fourth (22-under-par 266 strokes), and Johnson is tied for sixth (20-under-par 268 strokes).

World No. 1 Jon Rahm (Spain) is tied for ninth (18-under-par 270 strokes) and receives the No. 4 seed. Locally, Eric van Rooyen (South Africa) surged to fifth place (21-under-par 267 strokes), ranked 27th in PO, and Sergio Garcia (Spain) tied for sixth (20-under-par 268 strokes), ranked 28th in PO, creating off-course buzz by securing tickets to the final third event. Lee Kyoung-hoon (30) tied for 12th (17-under-par 271 strokes), ranked 31st in PO, just missing the cut by ‘2%’. Kim Si-woo (26) tied for 29th (12-under-par 276 strokes), ranked 34th in PO.

Im Sung-jae is teeing off at the 1st hole on the final day of the BMW Championship 'PO Round 2'. Owings Mills, USA = Getty Images / Photo by Multibits

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