Rory Finishes Fifth in Boston

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Rory McIlroy failed to covert final round contention into a title win. And as McIlroy, the world number one, closed out the Deutsche Bank championship with a 70 that ultimately left him four shots adrift in tied-fifth position, 29-year-old American Chris Kirk claimed the biggest title of his career and also moved to the top of the FedEx Cup rankings.

Kirk demonstrated a superb ability to scramble and shot a free closing round 66 for a total of 269, 15-under-par.

Another member of that US team at RCD also played his part in the final round drama, as Billy Horschel stood in the middle of the 18th fairway requiring a birdie to force a play-off and an eagle to win.

However, Horschel caught his approach shot heavy and watched in disbelief as his ball came up in the waste hazard to signal the end of his ambition.

It proved to be a costly second shot to the 18th, as Horschel bogeyed the final hole to drop back into a share of second place with Geoff Ogilvy and Russell Henley on 271.

“It is always great to play well on a big stage like that, I love being in that kind of an environment ..... playing with [McIlroy] definitely heightens my level of focus,” said Kirk. The win catapulted Kirk to the top of the FedEx Cup and also put him in line for a Ryder Cup pick from Tom Watson.

“I have said all along I would love to be a part of the team and get a pick. I have put myself in contention for one, we will just have to wait to see what happens,” said Kirk.

McIlroy – who finished with a 70 for a total of 273, 11-under – failed to get any momentum going on the front nine, where a birdie on the drivable Par 4 fourth hole was followed by back-to-back bogeys.

On the fifth, he was twice in rough and, on the difficult sixth he got too greedy from a bunker and his ball hit the lip of the bunker and came back to rest at his feet. When McIlroy birdied the seventh and eighth to move to 11-under, it appeared as if the Ulster man was ready to finally make his move. It didn’t happen.

Just as his name appeared towards the top of the leaderboard, McIlroy fell backwards with bogeys on the 10th (when in rough off the tee) and the 12th, where he missed the green with his approach shot. McIlroy had to wait until the 16th, where he hit his tee shot to 12 inches, to get back on the birdie train.

He kept the best until the end, hitting a huge 347 yards drive off the 18th tee and then hitting his approach from 180 yards to eight feet.

The birdie at least moved McIlroy to a share of fifth, sufficient to keep him in second place in the FedEx Cup standings and very much in contention for the $10 million bonus that awaits the champion after the Tour Championship.

Before heading out, McIlroy: “I think this golf course suits a longer hitter. I am comfortable around this course, there’s a big Irish community in Boston who come out to support me.”

Two players hoping to catch the eye of European captain Paul McGinley showed decent form: Ian Poulter finished with a 66 for 277, seven under, for a share of 23rd place, while Luke Donald closed with a 67 for level par 284, in tied-57th.

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McIlroy's Labor Day in Boston

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Rory McIlroy continued second round of the Deutsche Bank Championship showing some inconsistency as Australian Jason Day continued his form to tie American Ryan Palmer for the lead in Boston.

Despite an unexpected bogey on his final hole, Day carded a three-under-par 68 in fluctuating afternoon winds while Palmer shot a 71 in the morning at the TPC Boston.

They finished level at eight-under 134, one stroke ahead of Americans Matt Kuchar (66) and Billy Horschel (66) on a tightly-bunched leaderboard.

McIlroy, slowed by a double-bogey at the par-four 14th where his approach shot bounded 30 yards over the green into a hazard, fired a 69 to trail the leaders by five shots.

Day, the world number seven whose quest this year to win a first Major title was ruined by a thumb injury, maintained the red-hot form he displayed last week to tie for second in the first of the PGA Tour’s four FedExCup play-off events.

“To be in contention last week and (again) this week goes to show the hard work I’ve put in the last four or five weeks is definitely paying off,” Day told reporters.

Day’s round was a tale of two halves. He was five under on the front nine but two over coming home as the swirling wind made it difficult to judge club selection.

The Australian had visions of a birdie at the par-five 18th when he had an iron in his hands for his second shot, only to drop a stroke after firing his approach over the green and taking four more shots to hole out.

“I made the front nine look very easy today (and) made the back nine look very hard, but overall I’m very happy with how I’ve played the last couple of days,” Day said.

Palmer, meanwhile, says his goal over the final two rounds was to play well enough to “make it hard on Tom Watson”.

He was referring to the US Ryder Cup captain, who on Tuesday will announce his three wildcard selections to complete the 12-man team to take on holders Europe at Gleneagles in Scotland next month.

“I’m proud of the way I hung in today. I had to grind it out,” said Palmer. “It could have got away pretty fast (but I) stayed patient, stayed calm and salvaged even par.”

A total of 80 players made the cut, which fell at three-over 145, and several Americans with hopes of earning a late Ryder Cup spot bowed out early, including Brendon Todd,Kevin Na and 2012 FedExCup champion Brandt Snedeker.

The top 70 players on the FedExCup points list after the Deutsche Bank Championship advance to next week’s BMW Championship in Englewood, Colorado where the leading 30 will qualify for the Tour Championship finale in Atlanta.

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Rory Under Par at Deutsche

Rory McIlroy ended the first round of the Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston on Friday with a round of 70, finishing one under par. A day which featured a mix of five birdies and four bogeys, left the 25-year-old Northern Irishman eight strokes adrift of leader Ryan Palmer.

After McIlroy finished his round, he playfully flicked a tee peg in the direction of Jason Day and missed. “Not the first one I’ve missed today,” quipped McIlroy, who had started off like a train with three birdies in his opening four holes only to falter coming in.

McIlroy – seeking to return to the top of the FedEx Cup standings – made an ominous early move with birdies on the 10th, where he started, from inside two feet; the 11th, where he holed a 35-footer, and the 13th where he again played a majestic approach to 18 inches. He suffered a first bogey of his round on the 17th, where he failed to get up and down from a greenside bunker.

Although McIlroy returned to three under on his round with a 10-footer for birdie on the fourth, he stumbled coming in with back-to-back bogeys on the fifth (where he found a fairway bunker) and the sixth (where he missed the green left with a poor approach shot). A tap-in birdie on the seventh was followed by a dropped shot on his finishing hole when his tee shot was pushed into the right rough.

“The golf course (is) playing tougher than the last couple of years. It’s firmer, (the) rough is up, windier. . .” said McIlroy, who has his eyes set on capturing the $10 million bonus prize on offer to the winner of the FedEx Cup play-offs. McIlroy – who won the British Open, WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and US PGA in successive tournaments in July-August – fell behind Hunter Mahan into second in FedEx the standings following the opening play-off series event last week, the Barclays.

McIlroy – who is sticking to a plan to play all four play-off events, moving on from Boston to the BMW in Colorado next week and then the Tour Championship in Atlanta – remains very much in the hunt going into the weekend in Boston, where there is a Monday finish on what is the Labor Day holiday in the United States.

Bradley, playing in front of home galleries and seeking to impress US Ryder Cup captain Tom Watson, showed his form with an opening round 65 and admitted that getting a wild card pick was very much on his mind. “Yeah, it always is . . . when I eat, when I sleep. I’m not going to say a bunch of clichés and say I’m not thinking about the Ryder Cup . . . I know (Watson) is watching.”

But another player from the European camp looking for a captain’s pick for Gleneagles also stepped up to the mark. Ian Poulter, who is outside an automatic spot, needs a wild card pick from Paul McGinley if he is to follow up on his heroics at Medinah two years ago. But, unlike Bradley, the Englishman – who opened with a fine 67 – was adamant he wasn’t thinking of the Ryder Cup. “I’m not thinking about it . . . it’s been a s**t year and I want that to turn around right now,” he said.

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Rory Banks on Strong Finish

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Rory McIlroy is determined to finish a disappointing season with a flourish as he prepares for the defence of his Deutsche Bank Championship title.

The 24-year-old carded a pair of 67s over the weekend at TPC Boston last year to pip Louis Oosthuizen by a shot, and he then clinched the BMW Championship title six days later.

But he has yet to record a victory this season and is currently languishing at 36th in the FexExCup standings, and missing the cut in Boston could eliminate him from the final two events of the play-offs.

"These next few events are a good opportunity to get something good out of the season," said McIlroy, who has slipped from first to fourth in the world rankings.

The two-time major champion has at least shown an improvement in form over the last two months, finishing eighth at the PGA Championship and 19th at The Barclays last week, including a second round of 65.

"It feels much better," McIlroy said when asked to compare his game now to two months ago.

Control

"I've got the ball under control. I'm not as comfortable with my game as I was this time last year, but I'm in enough control that if I get on a nice run I can do well these next few events."

World No 1 and FedEx Cup leader Tiger Woods is set to compete in Boston despite the back injury which literally brought him to his knees in the final round last week.

Woods pulled out of a charity event organised by friend and former Stanford team-mate Notah Begay on Wednesday but was fit enough to take his place in the pre-tournament pro-am.

Ian Poulter needs a strong week in Boston to remain in the play-offs as he is currently 77th in the standings with only the top 70 advancing to the BMW Championship in Chicago.

The top 30 after that event will then play for the FedEx Cup and the $10m bonus in the Tour Championship in Atlanta the following week.

Just 28 players in this week's 100-strong field have already secured a place in the BMW Championship, leaving 42 places up for grabs.

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