Patrick Cantlay outlasts Bryson DeChambeau, wins BMW in playoff

Patrick Cantlay was in a class of his own, sinking in a 17 1/2-foot birdie on the sixth play-off hole to beat American Bryson DeChambeau at the BMW Championship outside Baltimore.

The win, his third title of the season, earned Cantlay 2,000 FedEx Cup points to move into first place entering next week’s Tour Championship and guaranteeing him one of six automatic slots for the US Ryder Cup team.

DeChambeau, who came up just shy of a round of 59 two days earlier, missed four putts to win the tournament – the 72nd hole and each of the first three playoff holes.

Sungjae Im of South Korea shot 67 and finished third at 23 under, while Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy also turned in a 67, taking fourth place at 22 under.

Rookie Erik van Rooyen, known from the South African tour, had a bogey-free 65 to get to 21 under, good for fifth place and a berth in the Tour Championship. The top 30 in FedEx Cup points qualified for the championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.

van Rooyen started the week 45th in points and moved up to 27th. He said he was “super able” to keep track of which side of the Tour Championship bubble he stood during his round.

Another golfer who played his way into the Tour Championship field was Spanish star Sergio Garcia, who came into the championship ranked 44th in FedEx Cup points, to shoot his fourth straight round in the 60s Sunday, a 69 that got him into a tie for sixth with Dustin Johnson (66) at 20 under. That finish was enough to move to 28th in the Cup standings and secure his trip to Atlanta.

PHOTO/COURTESY