Marc Leishman was in a class of his own leading from start-to-finish and unchallenged to capture a second PGA Tour this season with a record-equalling Play-Offs victory in the BMW Championship at Conway Farms.
Leishman also captured an 11th win of his professional career but easily the biggest in posting a closing round 67 to win by three shots with a 23-under par triumph.
Leishman deflected everyone who sought to deny him the BMW title including fellow Australian Jason Day, American golfing heart-throb Rickie Fowler and Olympic Gold Medal winning Justin Rose.
The 33-year old Leishman stood firm in recording five final round birdies, and none more important than birdies at 15 and 16 after he had bogeyed the 13th.
And then to cement his success Leishman birdied the last for good measure leaving Rose (65) and Fowler (67) sharing second place at a distant 18-under par.
“It is unbelievable to win and I guess this also makes ammends for last fortnight,” said Leishman after he led late on the final day of the Dell Technologies only to finish third.
One tournament.
Two trophies.
Double the love.😘🏆
😘🏆 pic.twitter.com/TSlAZhRqih— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) September 17, 2017
“There’s probably a few little scars from two weeks ago at the Dell but I was just really, really determined to just not let that happen again and try to give myself a big enough buffer that I could get it done. And yeah, I got it done.
“Rose made a really good run at me towards the end but I just happen to hole a couple of putts there on 15 and 16 for birdie to sneak away a little bit.
“But then it was so nice to roll in that birdie on 18 so that was like the iciing on the cake.”
Leishman had led by two after day one of the $US 8.75m event and then by three on day two while he went into the final round of the penltimate event of the 2016/17 PGA Tour wraparound season leading by a massive five shots, and with suggestions he could win by eight, and if so, match the victory winning margin set by Tiger Woods and Day.
However, it was more a case of the reverse with Leishman leading by two when he bogeyed the 13th but, and he mentioned, three birdies in his last four holes silenced any threat to the title.
“I have to say I am a professional sleeper but I slept terrible last night, so that was a tough night for me,” he said.
“I knew it would be a tough day leading as I was by five shots but to birdie the first with that chip shot two-feet was a great way for me to settle straight into the round”.
In fact, it was the third occasion in the four rounds Leishman had began with an opening birdie.
First to greet Leishman was his wife and now three children with Audrey carrying the couple’s youngest, daughter Eva and some 16 months after Audrey nearly died from sepsis and toxic shock syndrone.
And to highlight the disease, Leishman used the event as a chance to spread awareness for sepsis and toxic shock syndrome, which nearly killed his wife two years ago. He asked the players to wear ribbons on their caps this week to celebration Sepsis Awareness Month. It seemed only fitting Audrey, and their three young children where there to greet him.
Mark Leishman and his family in winning the 2017 BMW Championship.
Also congratulating Warrnambool’s favourite golfing son was SKY’s Wayne Riley who, and also on the occason of his 55th birthday, revealing during the course of the last day the Sydneysider won his maiden pro tour event, the 1984 Victorian PGA titel, at Warrnambool in defeating Ian Baker-Finch.
Leishman won not one trophy – the gleaming BMW trophy along wth the famed Western Open trophy.
Leishman’s win has seen him jump three places to No. 4 on the FedEx Cup standings and among the leading five who will now determine who is crowned FedEx Cup champion.
“It has been an amazing season for me winning the Arnold Palmer near the start of the year and now winning the BMW Championship, so it has been a very solid year,” he said.
“To have also played so well in Boston was a great experience and it was just nice all week here in Chicago to be stading over the putter and seeing the line, and then being able to hit it on the line and it’s even better when they go in and also got me the win today.
“The good thing now is that I am in the top-five on the FedEx Cup standings so I am now very much in control of my own destiny going to the Tour Championship.
“And I will get to Atlanta on Tuesday feeling great about my chances.”
As for Monday, Leishman revealed he will look forward to celebrating with his parents who he said we still ‘in the air’ winging their way from Melbourne to be with their three-time PGA Tour winning son and his family.
“I will get to see them tomorrow (Monday) and I am sure me and my dad will have a couple of beers to celebrate before it is back to business in getting to Atlanta on Tuesday.”
Former BMW winner Day finished fourth after a 69 today, and he will join Leishman in the Tour Championships at East Lake next week.
Cameron Smith’s season is over after he finished tied-12th. Needing a top-four result to reach the field for Atlanta next week, he was tied-ninth as he came up the 18th hole; going for the green in two to pick up an eagle and get into the Tour Championship, he found water and made a second consecutive bogey again, but his performance was encouraging.
American Jordan Spieth leads the Fedex Cup rankings into Atlanta from Thomas and Dustin Johnson, with Leishman in fourth.
The winner receives a $US10 million bonus.
No Australian has ever won the Fedex Cup, the closest being Day’s third place in 2015.
