Hoffman graduates to big league with Deutsche Bank win
Of all the names in the mix for the Deutsche Bank Championship during the final round, how many would have tipped Charley Hoffman to hold off the likes of Phil Mickelson and Steve Stricker?
Yet that's exactly what happened at TPC Boston yesterday, the long-haired Hoffman carding a brilliant final round of nine-under-par 62 that included 11 birdies (as well as a pair of bogeys).
That saw Hoffman finish 22-under for the tournament, which is the second event in the FedEx Cup play-offs; victory sees Hoffman leap 57 places to No. 2 in the Cup standings.
The 33-year-old had begun the day four strokes off the pace but he ended five strokes ahead of Englishman Luke Donald and Australian's Geoff Ogilvy and Jason Day, all tied for second place. Donald had led before the turn, but after bogeys on the 14th, 15th and 16th holes, and with Hoffman carding six birdies on the back nine, there was no catching the blond bomber.
Only a winner once before on the PGA Tour, Hoffman's victory here means he will now be guaranteed a spot at all four of next year's majors - but an earlier perk may follow, with Hoffman's thoughts turning to a possible wildcard place at the Ryder Cup, which captain Corey Pavin will announce in New York later today.
"The best perk, hopefully, will be a Ryder Cup berth," Hoffman admitted, hoping to emulate Edoardo Molinari, whose win at the Johnnie Walker Championship clinched him a late pick for Colin Montgomerie's team. "Obviously, I wasn't in contention, but I hope I am now. It would be an honour to play, and I think I can play well."
If Hoffman was delighted, the bigger names had more subdued days. The aforementioned Mickelson and Stricker had both gone into the final day with a chance to seize Tiger Woods' world No. 1 ranking, but neither player was at their sharpest.
Mickelson following up three sub-70 rounds on the bounce with an unfathomable five-over-par 76 that included a double bogey at the 17th and a triple of the 10th, and saw him finish the tournament seven-under, tied for 25th place.
Stricker's final round wasn't so heinous, the world No. 4 even finishing with an eagle on the 18th, though it had been preceded by just one birdie, along with three bogeys. Stricker finished the round on level par, 13-under for the tournament, and in ninth place.
And what of Woods himself? The player had a quietly encouraging round, finishing three-under-par 68 after shooting four birdies and a bogey. That saw Woods on 10-under for the tournament, tied for 11th place, and finishing higher up the leaderboard than his supposed successor, world No. 2 Mickelson.
While Hoffman's Ryder Cup fate is far from guaranteed, Woods has surely done enough to figure in Pavin's plans for October. We'll find out for certain this afternoon, anyway.
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