The way Fowler finished only leads to two weeks of uncertainty.
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“It’s definitely a true test of golf out here”, Fowler said after shooting a third-round 3-under-par 68 to take a one-stroke lead over Patrick Reed at 9-under 204 on Saturday at the FedEx Cup Playoffs kickoff event. This place is a challenge, one of – if not the – toughest course we play throughout the year. You can’t fake it around here. “I’ll see you in Minnesota”. Reed increased the lead to two with a birdie on 12.
Reed, who is No. 8 in the Ryder Cup standings, settled into his round and wound up with a 71, putting him in the final group with Fowler.
Reed wouldn’t relinquish that advantage again, as Fowler stumbled down the stretch to a final-round 74 that cost him his second 54-hole lead of the year. “My tee shots were off, hanging right”. It feels wonderful. I haven’t had that feeling in a while coming down the last couple. “I love playing in front of the NY crowds”, said Day who finished T4.
Fowler was available at 55-1 ante-post for Barclays glory, but the three-time US Tour champion is 2-1 favourite with 18 holes to play.
John Senden, who began the week in NY in 99 place, moved up to 80 courtesy of a T31 finish and now has a chance to climb into the top-70 next week. The FedEx Cup events are heavily weighted points-wise to create drama over the course of the Playoffs for obvious reason, and his lone 2016 win was enough to propel him past Jason Day in the standings heading to next week’s Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston over Labor Day weekend.
Martin Laird (69) and Emiliano Grillo (71) were three shots back, while Justin Thomas got into the game a 66 and was in the group at 5-under 208, which included defending champion Jason Day. Fowler was back in a tie for 37th.
LPGA: In Priddis, Alberta, Ariya Jutanugarn missed a chance to take a big lead into the final round of the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open, making two late bogeys at Priddis Greens.
Scott was also helped on his way when he holed out for an eagle from 95 yards at the first hole. Scott won The Barclays in 2013 by a stroke at Liberty National in nearby Jersey City, N.J.
“I think it’s pretty simple”, Fowler said. “If you go and win, it takes care of everything else”.
Reed did so Tuesday afternoon at the New York Stock Exchange, where he rang out the day’s trading by hammering a gavel that separated head from handle the third and final time he struck it.
But there was so much more going on in the final round of The Barclays, so many other implications and machinations that had little to do with winning the tournament. “I was just waiting for the putter to catch up”. “Was missing both left and right”.
His drive at the last flirted with the thick tangly rough where Bubba Watson lost a ball in the first round, but he was able to splash out from the sand to the fairway and safely got down in three more to wrap up the first of the four FedExCup Play-Off events.
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The 30-year-old former Michigan State coach made $144,000 to jump from 30th to fourth on the money list with $281,808 and earn a PGA Tour card as top-25 finisher. The Queenslander is now 80th on the FedEx Cup table.
