NORTON, Mass. — Chris Kirk was unflappable Monday at TPC Boston, going bogey-free for the biggest win in his brief PGA Tour career.
Kirk shot 66 and won by two to secure his third career PGA Tour win. Kirk joins Hunter Mahan as two of the final five players who will control their destiny in the FedExCup Playoffs and its $10 million prize in two weeks at the Tour Championship by Coca-Cola.
“Biggest win I ever had,” Kirk said. “I may be a little bit more calm, but I was still freaking out a bit inside.”
Kirk moved to No. 1 in the FedExCup standings with the win.
Rory McIlroy’s expected final-round charge never materialized. The world No. 1 had four bogeys by the 12th hole and was never a factor late in the day. Even so, he stayed No. 2 in the FedExCup standings.
Phil Mickelson birdied his final three holes for a 67 and a spot in the BMW Championship next week. Mickelson had been around the FedExCup Playoffs bubble all week but will instead return to Cherry Hills, where he won the U.S. Amateur in 1990.
The biggest FedExCup move was made by Geoff Ogilvy, who tied for second. The Aussie had only one top-10 all year — his win in the Barracuda Championship — but he played inspired golf at TPC Boston all week. He entered the week 100th in FedExCup standings but was projected 24th after a 65.
Jerry Kelly eagled the 72nd hole to grab the final spot for the BMW Championship. Robert Streb, who also eagled the final hole, missed by a mere two points.
Final-Round Leaderboard
Chris Kirk 73-66-64-66—269 (-15)
Russell Henley 70-66-65-70—271 (-13)
Billy Horschel 69-66-67-69—271 (-13)
Geoff Ogilvy 70-71-65-65—271 (-13)
FedExCup and the Deutsche Bank Championship
- The top 125 players on the final PGA TOUR Season FedExCup points list (following the Wyndham Championship) qualified for The Barclays.
- The top 100 players on the FedExCup points list following The Barclays qualified for the Deutsche Bank Championship, with 93 players teeing it up at TPC Boston.
- The top 70 players on the FedExCup points list after the Deutsche Bank Championship advance to the BMW Championship, contested at Cherry Hills Country Club in Denver.
- The top 30 players following the BMW Championship will qualify for the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola. Prior to the TOUR Championship, a points reset will take place, giving all players in the field a mathematical opportunity to win the FedExCup title. The top five players control their own destiny and would claim the FedExCup with a victory at East Lake.
- Each playoff event offers 2,500 FedExCup points to the winner.
FedExCup Implications
Players ranked between No. 71-100 at the Deutsche Bank Championship needed a good finish to move into the top 70 in the standings to move on to the BMW Championship. Here’s how they fared this week:
Rank Player DBC Finish FdExCup Rank
71 Brandt Snedeker missed cut
72 Morgan Hoffmann T35
73 Bo Van Pelt T57 Eliminated
74 Jason Dufner ———–
75 David Hearn T43
76 Brendan Steele T50 Eliminated
77 Stewart Cink T50
78 Ben Crane T29
79 Brendon de Jonge T74/MDF Eliminated
80 Luke Donald T57
81 Gonzalo Fdez-Castano T45
82 Billy Horschel T2
83 Jeff Overton T69
84 Chesson Hadley T9 No. 57
85 Paul Casey ———–
86 John Huh T69
87 Pat Perez WD (injury) Eliminated
88 Robert Garrigus missed cut Eliminated
89 Jason Kokrak T16
90 Scott Stallings T35
91 Ian Poulter T23
92 Andres Romero 76/MDF Eliminated
93 Carl Pettersson T9
94 Andrew Svoboda T57
95 Vijay Singh T35
96 Danny Lee T35
97 Robert Streb T9
98 Billy Hurley III T57
99 Michael Putnam T50
100 Geoff Ogilvy T2
Six players inside the top 70 beginning the week were eliminated from the BMW Championship:
| Name | Pre-DBC | Post-DBC |
| Ryo Ishikawa | 56th | 72nd |
| Justin Hicks | 58th | 75th |
| Ben Martin | 63rd | 76th |
| Scott Langley | 65th | 77th |
| Shawn Stefani | 67th | 83rd |
| Scott Brown | 70th | 85th |
Six players outside the top 70 beginning the week played their way into the BMW Championship:
| Name | Pre-DBC | Post-DBC |
| Billy Horschel |
82nd |
20th |
| Geoff Ogilvy |
100th |
24th |
| Chesson Hadley |
84th |
57th |
| Carl Pettersson |
93rd |
66th |
| Morgan Hoffmann |
72nd |
68th |
| Ben Crane |
78th |
69th |
Seven players entered The Barclays ranked No. 101 – 125 in the FedExCup standings and played their way into the Deutsche Bank Championship. Here’s how they fared after week No. 2 in the Playoffs:
Here’s a look at players in previous years who were outside of the top 70 in the FedExCup standings entering the Deutsche Bank Championship and played their way into the BMW Championship:
2013 (7) Kevin Stadler, Brian Davis, Ian Poulter, Marc Leishman, Nicholas Thompson, Brendon Steele, Ernie Els
2012 (9) Jeff Overton, Bryce Molder, D.A. Points, Troy Matteson, Matt Every, Chris Kirk, Charl Schwartzel, Charley Hoffman, Dicky Pride
2011 (8) Chez Reavie, Blake Adams, Chad Campbell, Andres Romero, Johnson Wagner, Ernie Els, Geoff Ogilvy, Chris Stroud
2010 (4) Tom Gillis, Vijay Singh, Jason Dufner, Andres Romero
2009 (8) Sergio Garcia, Bubba Watson, Jeff Overton, Stephen Ames, Bryce Molder, Marc Leishman, Woody Austin, Jason Bohn
2008 (10) Tim Herron, Johnson Wagner, Heath Slocum, Ben Crane, Eric Axley, Aaron Baddeley, Freddie Jacobson, Charley Hoffman, Tommy Armour III, Angel Cabrera
2007 (2) John Mallinger, Bo Van Pelt
Chris Kirk (No. 1 in the FedExCup)
Beginning Monday’s final round two strokes out of the lead, Chris Kirk posted a bogey-free, 5-under 66 to claim a two-stroke win over Geoff Ogilvy, Billy Horschel and third-round leader Russell Henley. Kirk played his last 37 holes in 14-under and with no bogeys.
With the win, Kirk earns his third career PGA TOUR victory at the age of 29 years, 3 months and 24 days in his 114th career start on the PGA TOUR. He also won the 2011 Sanderson Farms Championship and 2013 McGladrey Classic.
Kirk extends exempt status through the 2016-17 PGA TOUR Season.
Kirk earns 2,500 FedExCup points and moves into the No. 1 spot in the standings. He began the Playoffs two weks ago ranked 10th.
If not otherwise exempt, Kirk earns a spot into the following PGA TOUR events: 2014 WGC-HSBC Champions, 2015 Hyundai Tournament of Champions, 2015 Humana Challenge, 2015 Arnold Palmer Invitational, 2015 Masters Tournament, 2015 RBC Heritage, 2015 PLAYERS Championship and 2015 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial.
Kirk claims his first top-10 finish in his 11th FedExCup Playoffs event.
The win assures Kirk of a spot in the field at his first TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola.
The win comes in Kirk’s fourth start at the Deutsche Bank Championship (T16/2013, T35/2012 and T31/2011).
Kirk becomes the first American-born player to win the Deutsche Bank Championship since Webb Simpson in 2011, and seventh overall (12 tournaments). Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) and Henrik Stenson (Sweden) won at TPC Boston in 2012 and 2013, respectively.
Kirk becomes the sixth multiple winner of the 2013-2014 PGA TOUR Season, joining Rory McIlroy (3), Jimmy Walker (3), Patrick Reed (2), Martin Kaymer (2) and Bubba Watson (2).
Kirk claims the eighth win on the PGA TOUR this season by a player to hail from the University of Georgia; Chris Kirk (2), Bubba Watson (2), Russell Henley, Harris English, Brendon Todd and Brian Harman.
Kirk is one of 15 players to win in his 20s on the PGA TOUR this season (20 wins).
Kirk becomes the first player to win a Playoffs event in his 20s since Rory McIlroy won the 2012 BMW Championship (23 years, 4 months, 5 days).
Kirk becomes the eighth player in Deutsche Bank history (12 years) to come from behind starting the final round and win.
Kirk becomes the 22nd come-from-behind winner after 54 holes on the PGA TOUR this season (42 stroke-play events).
2013-14 PGA TOUR Season starts-made cuts-top-10s-wins: 26-24-4-2.
Chris Kirk
Birthdate: 5/8/1985
Birthplace/Resides: Atlanta, Ga./St. Simons Island, Ga.
Family: Wife, Tahnee; two children
Height/Weight: 6-3/175
Turned Pro: 2007
Joined TOUR: 2011
Chris Kirk – Deutsche Bank Championship Statistics
Driving Accuracy 42/56 (75%) T7
Greens in Regulation 46/72 (63.9%) T44
Total Putts
Driving Distance
Strokes Gained – Putting 5.929 (1.821 avg.) 5th
Third-Round Leader Notes
The third-round leader/co-leader has gone on to win 20 of 42 72-hole events this season, most recently Rory McIlroy at the PGA Championship.
The 54-hole leader/co-leader has gone on to win just four of 12 times at the Deutsche Bank Championship (Adam Scott/2003, Vijay Singh/2004, Olin Browne/2005, Steve Stricker/2009).
Billy Horschel (No. 20 in the FedexCup)
Billy Horschel entered this week with only two top 10s this season and in danger of being eliminated from the FedExCup Playoffs at No. 82. With his T2 finish at the Deutsche Bank Championship, he jumped 62 spots to No. 20, the second-largest move of the week behind only Geoff Ogilvy.
With rounds of 69-66-67-69, Horschel posted four consecutive rounds in the 60s in an event for the first time since the 2013 Waste Management Phoenix Open (T11).
The 2014 Deutsche Bank Championship was Horschel’s sixth start in a FedExCup Playoffs event, and second top-10 finish (T7/2013 TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola).
Last year in his first start in the Deutsche Bank Championship, Horschel finished T70 with rounds of 72-66-72-72.
Horschel’s finishes in the FedExCup: 2011 (170th), 2012 (143rd), 2013 (16th).
A year ago, Horschel claimed his lone TOUR win at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, recorded eight top-10 finishes and advanced to the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola (T7). He finished the season 16th in the FedExCup.
In the 2013-2014 PGA TOUR Season, Horschel has now collected top-10 finishes at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions (T6), FedEx St. Jude Classic (T6) and Deutsche Bank Championship (T2).
Geoff Ogilvy (No. 24 in the FedExCup)
Just three starts after his win at the Barracuda Championship in the Modified Stableford scoring format, Geoff Ogilvy charged up the leaderboard in Monday’s final round with a second-consecutive, 6-under 65. He had not posted a round lower than 66 prior to this week in 23 events this season (68 rounds). He last posted a 65 in the final round of the 2013 Humana Challenge. Ogilvy finished T2 at TPC Boston this week.
Ogilvy went 99 starts between wins at the 2010 Hyundai Tournament of Champions and 2014 Barracuda Championship. He was in search of his ninth career win on the PGA TOUR this week.
Ogilvy barely clinched the 100th and final spot into this week’s Deutsche Bank Championship field. He had returned home to Scottsdale for a “long break from golf,” before getting late word that he had, in fact, settled into the 100th spot in the standings after last week’s Barclays.
With his jump from 100th to 24th, 76 spots, he made the biggest move of the week.
Russell Henley (No. 14 in the FedExCup)
Following his 6-under 65 in round three, third-round leader Russell Henley sank a 28-foot birdie at the 72nd hole to clench a share of second place with Geoff Ogilvy and Billy Horschel.
With a win at the 2013 Sony Open in Hawaii and 2014 Honda Classic, Henley was in search of his third win in his first two years on the PGA TOUR.
Henley’s T2 finish marks his third top-10 finish of the season and first since a T7 at the Shell Houston Open 15 starts ago.
Additional Player Notes
Unable to get much going in Monday’s final round, Rory McIlroy posted a 1-under 70 and finished T5. The finish was strong enough to keep him at No. 2 in the standings behind Chris Kirk by 819 points.
In McIlroy’s last five starts on the PGA TOUR, he has led the field in the Driving Distance category; The Open Championship (327.8), WGC-Bridgestone Invitational (334.8), PGA Championship (315.6), The Barclays (303.8) and Deutsche Bank Championship (304.1).
Phil Mickelson, a 42-time winner on the PGA TOUR (including the 2007 Deutsche Bank Championship), posted a 4-under 67 in Monday’s final round to finish T45. As a result, he drops to No. 56 in FedExCup standings, but remains well inside the top 70 required for a berth into this week’s BMW Championship. Mickelson’s only missed Playoffs event was the 2007 BMW Championship.
Mickelson is the only player to finish inside the top 15 in the FedExCup standings in the first seven seasons.
Last week’s Barclays champion Hunter Mahan closed with a 3-under 68, good for a 1-over 285 and 64th-place honors. Coupled with Rory McIlroy’s T5 finish, Mahan’s hold of the top spot in the FedExCup standings was limited to one week. Mahan drops to No. 3, behind McIlroy (No. 2) and Chris Kirk (No. 1).
Mahan is the only player to have never missed a start in the FedExCup Playoffs (30 overall).
Matt Kuchar posted an even-par 71 in Monday’s final round, finishing at 5-under 279 (T29). Kuchar played the Deutsche Bank Championship with a heavy heart after his caddie Lance Bennett’s wife, Angela, passed away last week. Players wore orange (Angela’s favorite color) and back ribbons in memory. The Bennetts had one daughter, Emma Grace. A memorial fund has been set up for players to donate in memory of Angela.
Miscellaneous FedExCup Notes Top-10-finishes leaders (FedExCup Playoffs):
| Name | Top 10s | 2014 DBC |
| Jim Furyk | 13 | T23 |
| Steve Stricker | 13 | DNP |
| Camilo Villegas | 10 | T50 |
| Phil Mickelson | 10 | T45 |
| Tiger Woods | 10 | DNP |
Most rounds in the 60s in the Playoffs: 2007 200809 2010 2011 2012 2013 Total
| Name | Sub-70s |
| Steve Stricker | 62 |
| Jim Furyk | 57 |
| Adam Scott | 56 |
| Phil Mickelson | 54 |
| Hunter Mahan | 52 |
Most rounds at par or better in the Playoffs: 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 Total
| Name | Par-or-Better |
| Jim Furyk | 89 |
| Steve Stricker | 80 |
| Phil Mickelson | 81 |
| Hunter Mahan | 74 |
Three players have made it to the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola the first seven years of the FedExCup. Here’s their year-by-year FedExCup finish and how they stand after 54 holes of the Deutsche Bank Championship:
| Name | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 FEC | DBC Fin. |
| Hunter Mahan | 15th | 18th | 27th | 18th | 7th | 19th | T20 | 3rd | 64th |
| Phil Mickelson | 3rd | 7th | 2nd | 13th | 15th | 5th | T12 | 56th | T45 |
| Steve Stricker | 2nd | 14th | 3rd | 7th | 18th | 20th | T2 | 116th | DNP |
Past FedExCup Champions Remaining in 2014 FedExCup Playoffs
Player Year Won Pre-BMW Rank
Jim Furyk 2010 No. 8
Bill Haas 2011 No. 17
Henrik Stenson 2013 No. 55
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