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Clark wins after collapse
Wyndham Clark held off Rory McIlroy to win the BMW Championship at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis, closing with an even-par 70 for a three-shot victory after losing a five-shot lead to McIlroy in 11 holes.
“Clark claimed a two-shot victory over Patrick Cantlay at the BMW Championship”
Clark finished at 17-under 263, while Patrick Cantlay closed with a 68 to take second and Gary Woodland, Collin Morikawa and Chris Gotterup shared fourth place.
Sky Sports said Clark let a five-shot lead slip on the final day before claiming a third PGA Tour victory of the season, with Rory McIlroy a shot back in third.
The final-day swing included Clark three-putting from 65 feet for bogey at the first while McIlroy holed from 10 feet for birdie, and Clark later edged ahead with a 15-footer at the 16th before adding another at the par-five next.
ESPN’s account tied the finish to a key stretch: Clark holed a birdie putt from just outside 15 feet on the par-3 16th, McIlroy missed a putt to match, and McIlroy made a mess of the par-5 17th for a bogey as Clark pulled away.
Quotes and playoff pressure
After the win, Clark said, "It shows I'm one of the best players in the world," and he added, "Three wins in one season is my best year yet, coming off my worst season."
McIlroy, who finished third, said, "I'm still not in a spot where I'm super happy with where my game is or where my swing is, so I just have to keep working on it."
Cantlay, who finished runner-up, told CBS Sports, "I think it shows that I'm one of the best players in the world. Three wins in one season is my best year yet, coming off my worst year ever and I'm just very pleased with where I am at right now."
ESPN framed the stakes as a FedEx Cup playoff cutoff, saying Cantlay came in at No. 43 in the FedEx Cup and finished runner-up to be among the top 30 who advance to the Tour Championship.
France 24 described the pressure as Clark birdied the final three holes after earlier surrendering his five-stroke lead to McIlroy, with McIlroy bogeying after finding two separate bunkers.
Money, Tour Championship, and contention
The BMW Championship purse was $20 million, and CBS Sports listed Wyndham Clark’s first-place paycheck as $3,600,000 with Patrick Cantlay at $2,160,000 and Rory McIlroy at $1,360,000.
“The winner, Wyndham Clark, will take home a $3.6 million paycheck”
CBS Sports also said the Tour Championship bonus pool is $40 million and pays $10 million to the winner, while last week’s winner Scottie Scheffler locked himself into the top spot in the standings with a $23 million bonus no matter where he finishes.
Sky Sports said the Tour Championship at East Lake GC is next week and that only the top 30 players in the standings are eligible to compete for the FedExCup and $10m first prize.
The same Sky Sports recap noted that Clark moved into legitimate contention for Player of the Year honors, and it listed Gary Woodland, Collin Morikawa and Chris Gotterup as sharing fourth place behind Clark and Cantlay.
Golf Channel’s payout coverage reiterated that Clark earned $3.6 million for the victory and that the second playoff event offered a $20 million purse, while also referencing a $100 million bonus paid out after the BMW.