Rory McIlroy made back-to-back birdies around the turn to emerge from a four-way tie and take control of the BMW Championship against a stellar field at Crooked Stick in Carmel, Ind.
He closed with a 5-under 67, making his only bogey on the final hole when it no longer mattered, for a two-shot victory over Phil Mickelson and Lee Westwood.
McIlroy became the first player since Tiger Woods in 2009 to win in consecutive weeks on the PGA Tour. It was his fourth victory this year, tops on the PGA Tour, and his sixth career win, matching Woods and Jack Nicklaus for wins by age 23.
The Northern Irishman will enter the Tour Champioinship in Atlanta in two weeks as the No. 1 seed.
Meanwhile, the final 30 for Eastlake were determined.
Puyallup’s Ryan Moore birdied the 72nd hole for a 2-under 70 and qualified at No. 28. Gig Harbor’s Kyle Stanley bogeyed No. 18 to finish a round of 3-over 75 and finished 31st.
ELSEWHERE
Paula Creamer and Jiyai Shin must break their tie today in the Kingsmill Championship after they remained tied through eight holes of a sudden-death playoff in Williamsburg, Va. They finished 72 holes in 16-under 268. … Sweden’s Peter Hanson made a 35-foot eagle putt on the last hole to win the European Tour’s KLM Open in Hilversum, Netherlands, by two shots.
TRACKING LOCAL GOLFERS on the pga tour
Last week: BMW Championship, Crooked Stick Golf Club, Carmel, Ind.
In the field: Puyallup’s Ryan Moore, Gig Harbor’s Kyle Stanley.
Moore’s fourth-round score: 2-under-par 70.
Stanley’s fourth-round score: 3-over 75.
Position: Moore (13-under 275) tied for 10th, and Stanley (6-under 282) tied for 34th – all behind winner Rory McIlroy (268).
Recap: On a day when McIlroy took a big step in clinching his first FedEx Cup title, Moore cleared his own big hurdle – moving into the top 30 and earning a spot in the Tour Championship. He has to feel a huge sense of relief, too, since he also clinched berths in all four major championships (Masters, U.S. Open, British Open, PGA Championship) in 2013. Starting the day in 32nd, Moore built enough of a cushion on the front nine (two birdies, eagle at No. 9) to survive a few bogeys (Nos. 11, 14 and 17) before he hit his 7-iron approach on the finishing hole close, and sank an 8-foot putt for birdie. … Stanley was not so fortunate. He bogeyed the 18th hole for a closing 75, and finished 31st in the FedEx Cup points – seven points behind Scott Piercy, who claimed the 30th spot at the Tour Championship. The big blow for the Bellarmine Prep product was the par-3 sixth hole, where his tee shot found water and he took a 6.
Next for Moore: Tour Championship starting Sept. 20 at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.
todd.milles@thenewstribune.com
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