NORTON, Mass., Sept. 6 — Charley Hoffman credited a hot putter with his victory Monday at the Deutsche Bank Championship after firing a whopping 9-under 62 and breezing to a five-stroke win.
Hoffman, who needed only 22 putts in his final round tied the tourney scoring record of 22-under par 262. Terming his first win in three years the best of his 10-year professional career, Hoffman put in a plug for himself with U.S. team captain Corey Pavin as an improbable wild-card pick for the 2010 Ryder Cup.
Put in a good word? “I talked with [co-captain] Paul Goydos earlier this week [and asked if he had] any influence with the captain’s pick,” Hoffman told reporters following his breakthrough round. Goydos answered in the affirmative and told Hoffman to “go out and win and you’re going to be on the short list.
“Guess what, Paul?” Hoffman laughed. “I went out and won and hopefully, I’m on the real short list.”
Long shot. Hoffman teeing it up in Wales in October would appear to be a long shot, especially since Stewart Cink suggested earlier Monday that Pavin, who will announce his picks Tuesday, had likely made his decision before the end of the Boston event. But Hoffman earned a slew of benefits with his Labor Day win, including entry to all four major championships next year.
The 33-year-old with long, flowing blond tresses also soared up the FedEx Cup points leaderboard into second place, giving himself a good chance at winning the $10 million jackpot in the Tour Championship playoff final.
“That wasn’t definitely anything I was thinking about until this afternoon,” Hoffman said. “I wasn’t really in the race. I guess that’s why this format is pretty unique….You can come out of nowhere…and hopefully have a chance there in Atlanta.”
Another Mickelson meltdown. As for the race for the No. 1 world ranking, Tiger Woods made a late charge to finish with a 68 and a share of 11th place. Woods’ round was all he needed to retain his perch atop the golf world since Phil Mickelson coughed up yet another opportunity to grab his crown.
The 60s. After an early birdie on the second hole, Woods plugged along until a bogey at 12 and three birdies on his last four holes. He finished the tourney with three straight rounds in the 60s for the first time since the opening three rounds of last year’s Tour Championship.
“Just a matter of getting the speed right [on the greens],” said Woods, who joked that he hoped he had “played well enough to get a mention” as a Ryder Cup pick. “I hit the ball pretty good all day. Just missing some putts early but once I got the speed right, I started making quite a few putts.”
As for the No. 1 ranking, Woods appeared satisfied that he will head to the BMW Championship in Chicago still at the top of the heap.
“Winning takes care of everything — the world rankings, the player-of-the-year awards, all the trophies and things that come with it,” he said. “That only happens when you win.”
Still No. 1. Woods didn’t win on a TPC Boston course whose fast, firm greens yielded few low scores, despite the brilliant sunshine and calm conditions. He didn’t have to to keep his crown because nothing went right for Lefty.
Mickelson sandwiched birdies at two and four around a bogey on the third, but his back nine was a horror show. He notched a triple-bogey at the par-4 10th and a double at the par-4-17th to go with two bogeys and a birdie.
The perennial No. 2 in the world ended up with an ugly 76 and a tie for 25th. “It was a frustrating back nine for me,” Mickelson said. “I got off to a poor start, tripling 10.”
Mickelson would not bite on discussing his elusive search for the top spot. “I’m just trying to get my game right now, and today I took some positives — not from the day but from the week,” Mickelson said.
Long journey. Veteran journeyman Tom Gillis played his way onto the front page of this week’s leaderboard, and into the BMW Championship later this week, with two closing 65s. The 42-year-old Gillis, who considered hanging up his sticks in 2007 and played with no logo on his golf cap, credited his putter with his surprising leap up the scoreboard to finish in a tie for fifth.
“I rode that putter all weekend,” he said. “I made everything I looked at.”
(Emily Kay is a regular contributor to New England Golf Monthly. Check her out at the Boston Golf Examiner and National Golf Examiner websites.)
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