NFL
By: Maya-Reyes Brooks
The field is set. Wyndham Clark walked away with the BMW Championship with three straight birdies to hold off Rory McIlroy and Patrick Cantlay. He finished 17-under at Bellerive Country Club for his third PGA Tour title of the season and sixth career win. McIlroy made a charge, but a nasty bogey on the par-5 17th closed the door, dropping him to solo third a shot behind Cantlay’s runner-up finish. Clark banked $3.6 million from the $20 million purse and heads to Atlanta on a serious heater.
Who Made the Cut
The top 30 in points after Bellerive punched their tickets to next week’s TOUR Championship at East Lake. There was real movement at the bottom. Patrick Cantlay made the biggest leap, from 43rd to 19th off his runner-up finish in his sixth straight TOUR Championship appearance. Gary Woodland climbed from 31st to 18th after a tied-fourth showing. Robert MacIntyre also forced his way in. There are players left on the outside looking in. Rickie Fowler, Bud Cauley, and Kurt Kitayama were all bumped out in the final round.
Names to Watch
Scottie Scheffler still holds the top spot in the standings after his St. Jude Championship win kicked off the playoffs. However, here’s the twist: remember, points no longer matter. East Lake ditches the staggered start this year for straight-up, 72-hole stroke play, meaning every one of these 30 players starts even, and the low score Sunday walks away with the Cup. That format changes everything.
Wyndham Clark arrives red-hot, sitting third in the standings with all the momentum in the field. Tommy Fleetwood comes in at No. 9. He’s chasing history as he tries to become the first player ever to defend a FedEx Cup title. Don’t sleep on Cantlay. He’s a player who plays his best golf with something to prove. Also, he has a way of showing up big in Atlanta.
Maya’s Pick
Give me Scottie Scheffler. He’s still the most complete player in the world; he’s already broken through this postseason at TPC Southwind, and a true stroke-play format rewards exactly what he does best: relentless, mistake-free golf across four rounds. Clarkes got the hot hand and McIlroy’s got the star power, but Scheffler closing out a dominant season with the FedEx Cup feels like the storyline this year was always building toward.
East Lake tees off Thursday, August 27, with $40 million on the line and $10 million going to whoever lifts the Cup.
See you at the turn.
