INCAgolf All you ever wanted to know about golf (well almost)

ATLANTA — Bill Haas had a sinking feeling when he heard the gallery groan, the first indication that his shot had tumbled down the slope and into the lake. When he saw the ball only half-submerged in water, Haas figured he still had the slightest chance.

To somehow save par.

Against all odds, to stay alive in his sudden-death playoff with Hunter Mahan at the Tour Championship, the richest playoff in golf history with FedEx Cup and its $10 million bonus riding on the outcome.

Harig: Playoff Problems

The fact that one player claimed both the Tour Championship and FedEx Cup title was by no means a sure thing. That alone shows the playoff system still needs fixing, writes ESPN.com’s Bob Harig. Column

“It was an all or nothing shot,” Haas said. “So if I don’t pull it off, I’m shaking Hunter’s hand.”

As he did through the final, frenzied hour at East Lake on Sunday, it worked to near perfection. Haas splashed the ball out onto the green to 3 feet for par, then won the Tour Championship — and the FedEx Cup — on the third extra playoff hole.

In the five-year history of this FedEx Cup, no finish was more compelling.

A handful of players had a shot at the $10 million with an hour left in the tournament until it came down to two — Haas and Mahan, in a sudden-death playoff with such high stakes that the difference between winning and losing was nearly $10 million.

Haas wound up winning a combined $11.44 million, including $10 million for capturing the FedEx Cup. Mahan, who failed to save par from a bunker on the third extra hole, had to settle for $864,000 as the runner-up and $700,000 for finishing seventh in the FedEx Cup.

Haas won for the first time this year, and the payoff could be more than just a massive bank deposit. Fred Couples makes his final captain’s pick on Tuesday for the Presidents Cup, and Haas put on quite a show.

“I did what I could do,” Haas said.

Even if Couples wasn’t watching, his assistant captain had a great view: Jay Haas, Bill’s dad, was in the gallery at East Lake, and raised his arms as his 29-year-old son delivered the riveting conclusion.

“I’m proud of him the way he came back,” Jay Haas said.

Only a week ago, Haas was poised to make the Presidents Cup on his own until a 42 on the back nine at Cog Hill. He was atop the leaderboard Saturday at East Lake until a bogey-double bogey finish.

And he almost let it get away from him again. Haas had a three-shot lead when he walked off the 15th green, only to make bogey from the trees on the 16th and bogey from the gallery on the 18th for a 2-under 68.

Mahan had to make par on the 232-yard closing hole. He hit a clutch chip — the biggest weakness in his game — and holed a 5-foot par putt for a 71 to join Haas in the high-stakes playoff.

They returned to the par-3 18th and the pressure was obvious with so much money at stake. Haas hit his shot well right, into the gallery for the third straight time, then hit a tough chip to 10 feet. Mahan went in the bunker and blasted out to 6 feet. Haas appeared to be down to his last shot, but holed the par putt to stay alive.

What followed was an amazing turnaround.

From the right bunker, his approach to the 17th on the second playoff hole tumbled down the hill and barely into the lake, the top half of the ball still showing. Mahan hit a pitching wedge to 15 feet, and must have thought the $11.44 million was his.

Mahan was in that same lake on Thursday when he removed his socks and shoes and played back to the fairway, so when he saw what Haas had done, he knew it wasn’t over. He just didn’t think — no one did, really — that Haas could hit such a spectacular shot.

“I thought I had won on the second playoff hole, and then he hits it out of the water to 2 feet,” Mahan said. “So it seemed like he was destined to win this week.”

Water splashed upward, and the ball settled 3 feet away. Mahan’s birdie putt just missed on the high side of the cup.

Back to the 18th for the third time in less than an hour, Haas avoided the gallery this time and went left of the green. Mahan again found the bunker, only this time he blasted out some 15 feet by the hole and missed. Haas chipped to 3 feet and holed it for the biggest putt of his young career.

He calmly pumped his fist toward the green and let out a huge sigh.

“I’m very fortunate,” Haas said. “This is pretty unbelievable.”

Haas was at No. 25 in the FedEx Cup, making him the lowest seed to capture golf’s biggest prize. He joins a distinguished list of FedEx Cup winners that includes Tiger Woods (twice), Vijay Singh and Jim Furyk.

This FedEx Cup took more math skills than usual, yet it turned out to be the most compelling.

In the final hour of the Tour Championship, eight players were still in the mix for the $10 million prize.

Webb Simpson, the top seed, closed with a 73 and finished alone in 22nd, making it possible for anyone who won the Tour Championship — except for Aaron Baddeley — to pass him.

Luke Donald, the No. 1 player in the world, made birdie on the 18th hole for a 69. He needed a three-way tie for second to capture the FedEx Cup, and could have done it had Mahan and Baddeley both made bogey on No. 18 in regulation. Both made par.

Donald wound up in a tie for third with K.J. Choi, who needed birdie on the 18th to get into the playoff. Choi shot 70.

Charles Howell III also needed a birdie to get into the playoff, but came up well left of the green on No. 18 and made bogey. Jason Day had a 30-foot birdie putt to join the playoff and gave it strong run. He missed a meaningless 4-footer coming back and made bogey.

It came down to Haas and Mahan, and an ending no one imagined. Haas hit two balls into the gallery, another into the lake, and still managed to win two trophies.

http://espn.go.com/golf/story/_/id/7020092/bill-haas-outlasts-hunter-mahan-playoff-wins-tour-championship-fedex-cup

LEMONT, Ill. — Justin Rose came to the BMW Championship hoping to extend his stay in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup.

The near-flawless 63 he shot in the first round was a big confidence boost, and Rose went on to build a four-shot lead entering the final round. When he gutted out a 71 on this raw, rainy Sunday, Rose not only won the BMW Championship and punched his ticket to Atlanta, he became one of the men to beat.

With his victory, Rose moved 31 spots to No. 3 in the FedExCup. The points are reset going into the Playoffs finale at East Lake and the top 5 have the best opportunity to win the $10 million bonus — provided they win the TOUR Championship as well.

Everyone else has a chance — after all, Jim Furyk won the FedExCup after starting the TOUR Championship ranked 11th — but they’d need the right scenarios to develop at the end of 72 holes. So Rose was feeling pretty good after he hugged his wife and low-fived his 2-year-old Leo on the 72nd green.

“To win my third tournament feels like I’m sort of moving in the right direction, and to move to three on the FedExCup list and give myself control of my own destiny next week in Atlanta is something I didn’t foresee at the beginning part of the week, so just an amazing outcome this week,” Rose said.

Four of the players who started the BMW Championship ranked in the top five managed to remain there. Webb Simpson, who finished fifth Sunday after winning twice in his last three starts, remained at No. 1 while Dustin Johnson stayed second, despite tying for 65th. Luke Donald held onto the No. 4 spot when he finished solo fourth on Sunday while Matt Kuchar dropped from third to fifth and Brandt Snedeker was the odd man out at No. 6.

Rose wasn’t the only player who prospered in the Playoffs on Sunday at Cog Hill, though. John Senden finished two strokes behind Rose in second and climbed 46 spots to No. 9 in the FedExCup. Geoff Ogilvy had the most ground to gain, starting the week ranked No. 69, and the Aussie got the job done with a third-place finish that lifted him to No. 24.

Of course, with those three busting the Playoffs bubble, three more were headed home.

http://www.pgatour.com/2011/tournaments/r028/09/18/fedexcup-column-ross/index.html#

Seth Waugh, Deutsche Bank America CEO. presents Trophy to Simpson
Incagolf Photo by Pat Eastman

NORTON, Mass. — Webb Simpson finished off an amazing comeback with three birdies, the final one on the second extra playoff hole, to win the Deutsche Bank Championship on Monday for his second title in three weeks.

He looked as if he would be the runner-up until knocking in a 30-foot birdie putt on the par-5 18th hole for a 6-under 65. That put him into a playoff when Chez Reavie, who had birdied the toughest holes on the back nine, made bogey on the easiest hole on the course at No. 18 for a 66. The finished regulation at 15-under 269.

On the 18th hole in the playoff, Simpson again looked to be out of luck when Reavie chipped to tap-in range for birdie. But Simpson rolled in a 15-foot putt to keep the playoff going, and then won with an 8-foot putt on the 17th hole.

Simpson won his first PGA TOUR title three weeks ago at the Wyndham Championship, putting him in good shape for the FedExCup and the chase for a $10 million prize.

“I told somebody early this week that I feel like next time I was in contention, it’ll be a lot easier than Greensboro,” Simpson said. “And it wasn’t that way at all. It was just as hard. The shots and the putts were just as hard. I think it helped calm me down a little, but it was like I had never won a golf tournament before.”