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Jon Rahm makes the biggest putt to win a thriller at BMW

OLYMPIA FIELDS, Ill. (AP) – Even with a couple of silver trophies in his possession, Jon Rahm still couldn’t believe what happened on Sunday in the BMW championship. And he only saw half of it.

Rahm was on the pitch on the other side of the Olympia Fields clubhouse, preparing for a playoff that no one really expected, when Dustin Johnson rolled in a 45-foot birdie along the crest for the little bird to force a playoff.

Moments later, Rahm faced an even longer and harder putt on 18 – just off 65 feet which he had to send at a nearly 90 degree angle to the top of the ridge. From there, it was a replay of Johnson’s putt as he headed down the slope, broke away from the pin and disappeared into the cup.

“I still can’t believe what just happened,” he said.

Not even Johnson, going for his second consecutive win. He could only laugh at his putt and Rahm’s winner.

“I played an incredible putt, got into the playoffs and then Jon put an even more ridiculous putt on top of me,” said Johnson, who at least maintained his number 1 ranking in the world and in the FedEx Cup.

Putts overshadowed a lead performance from Rahm, who finished with a 66-64 weekend on an Olympia Fields course that played as the toughest test in golf. His only bugbear over the weekend came on the fifth hole on Saturday, when he pulled out of the way and picked up the golf ball from the green without scoring it.

There was the 218-yard 6-iron for his third par-5 pitch 15th after his tee shot went through the trees and barely came out, creating a key birdie. There was his 30-foot birdie putt on par-3 16th for a two-shot lead that Johnson canceled with two birdies of his own, none greater than the last.

“That stretch of waiting for DJ, him putt, go to playoffs, me putt, then try to stay mentally in case he did the last putt, it was a roller coaster, but so much fun,” Rahm ha said.

He put behind the one-shot penalty that he feared would come back to haunt him on Saturday as well, and thought briefly when Johnson had the long birdie putt of 18 in the regulation.

All he could think of on the 18th green in the playoffs was finding a way to get to the next hole, knowing he had a putt from one end of the green to the other and Johnson had a 30-footer.

And then it was over. Rahm has won for the second time this year and for the eleventh time worldwide in his four years as a pro. His first win came at Torrey Pines when he made a 60 foot eagle putt and won by three.

“I think we all want the flashy finish, maybe not the stress that comes with it,” Rahm said. “But I decided to also enjoy the moments of discomfort we went through today. And man, that was fun. “

The course that all week felt like a US Open conveyed the kind of Masters excitement.

Rahm ripped the last nine on Sunday to reach a 64, the lowest round of the week, to finish at 4-under 276.

Johnson, a 54-hole leader for his third consecutive tournament and who won with 11 shots last week at TPC Boston, took three of his first four holes to open a three-shot lead, dropped a couple of shots around the corner and then delivered into the clutch with his 45-foot birdie putt on the last hole for a 67.

Johnson enters the Tour Championship as # 1 seed, meaning he will start the race for the $ 15 million prize at East Lake at 10-under-par, two ahead of Rahm, who has moved up seven places to seed # 2. .

Joaquin Niemann, the 21-year-old Chilean, also had a brisk run with a 67 and was leading until a bugbear on 14 and no birdies the rest of the way. He tied for third with Hideki Matsuyama, who had a 69. Tony Finau finished with a 65 and finished three behind. They were the only five players under par at Olympia Fields.

Mackenzie Hughes also had reason to celebrate.

Needing a par 18 to get into the FedEx Cup top 30, he approached the front bunker, shot 5 feet and raised both arms when the par putt fell.

Niemann also entered the top 30, although he was chasing the win all day.

Adam Long and Kevin Streelman were eliminated and Long suffered the worst of those fates. He was screened in 30th place in the FedEx Cup until Corey Conners made three 5-foot putts for double bogey in the final hole. This allowed Billy Horschel to gain enough places in the standings to move up to 30th and last place by three points over Long.

Tiger Woods has lost all the action. He scored a double bugbear on his 17th hole for a 71, making this the first time he has been above par in all four rounds of a tournament since the Bridgestone Invitational in 2010.

Woods failed to reach the Tour Championship for the second consecutive year. Now he gets a two-week break before the US Open at Winged Foot and Olympia Fields has proved a good test.

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