“Yeah, I would be, for sure”, Johnson said. Then he floored it at Crooked Stick Golf Club.
Advertisement
“To keep a clean sheet, I was very happy with”, said Casey, who posted a bogey-free round in “ugly” conditions.
The best thing for Johnson to do is just win the tournament, but even if he doesn’t, he is nearly assuredly the PGA Tour Player of the Year.
“I think I played really solid”, Johnson told NBC after beating Casey by three at the BMW Championship at Crooked Stick. “Definitely feel like I can get better with some things and hopefully improve by the time I get to East Lake”.
The 2013 Masters champ has already finished in the top-five in the first two FedEx Cup playoffs and can do likewise at Crooked Stick.
Johnson head to East Lake and the Tour Championship as the FedEx Cup leader, while Barclays victor Patrick Reed is second.
Johnson jumped to top spot on a FedEx Cup points list as the top 30 players advance to the season-finale Tour Championship in Atlanta in two weeks.
Casey doesn’t want to see an even-better Johnson. When Casey rolled in an eagle from 25 feet at the par-5 15 hole, it put the final result in some doubt.
Defending champion and world number one Jason Day withdrew after eight holes with a lower back injury.
In the 113th edition of an event that traces its history to 1899, Johnson broke the 72-hole record of 22-under set by Tiger Woods in 2007 and matched a year ago by Australia’s top-ranked Jason Day. The American Ryder Cup star looks in fantastic shape after switching his putter on the eve of the tournament and anyone who took the 10-1 on offer at the start of the week is sitting pretty.
Roberto Castro finished third at 17 under after firing a five-under 67 in round four.
“He’s all right, he’s just got some back issues and is in a little bit of pain”, Day’s manager Bud Martin said.
Injured: Jason Day pulled out of the BMW Championship with a back probkem.
He qualified for the Tour Championship in 2013, and the next year he ended up losing his PGA Tour card.
Advertisement
CASTRO AND EAST LAKE: Castro is at No. 53 in the FedEx Cup and figured he would have to win the BMW Championship to be among the top 30 who advanced to the Tour Championship at East Lake, about 15 minutes from where he lives.
