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A18 SPORTS
Tuesday 5 sepTember 2017

Boston then he closed with two collar and hopped onto

Continued from Page 17 bogeys that only cost him the fringe. He holed that
30-footer for an eagle, and
money. Leishman shot 70.
“I have two events left. I Johnson, the No. 1 player the race was on.
have two more opportuni- in the world coming off his Phil Mickelson birdied three
ties to win,” Thomas said. fourth victory of the season of his opening four holes.
“And I’d love to make it six last week, started the final He couldn’t keep pace.
or seven wins.” round three shots behind Neither could Jon Rahm or
Thomas made only two bo- and was one of the few Paul Casey.
geys all week, the last one players who was never in The final round was so tight
putting him in a three-way contention. He took two to that Thomas, Spieth and
tie with seven holes to play. get out of a fairway bunker Leishman were tied for the
He won on the back nine and made bogey on the lead with seven holes to
at TPC Boston with a sand par-5 second hole, and he play. But then it all changed
wedge he gouged out of closed with a 73 to finish 10 when Spieth missed the
the rough to 6 feet on No. Justin Thomas removes his cap on the 18th green as his caddie behind. Spieth was simply green at No. 14, did well
13, a gap wedge to 4 feet comes over to celebrate after winning the Dell Technologies dynamic at the start. He to hit a flop shot to 15 feet
on No. 15 for another birdie, Championship golf tournament at TPC Boston in Norton, Mass., didn’t need to make a putt and narrowly missed his par
and a 6-foot par save that Monday, Sept. 4, 2017. longer than 12 feet to go 5 putt. Thomas steadied him-
kept him two shots clear. Associated Press under for the opening four self after his lone bogey on
Spieth wasted a start that He lost a three-shot lead putts.” Spieth still moved to holes and briefly take the the par-3 11th.
riled up the New England to Dustin Johnson on Long No. 1 in the FedEx Cup with lead. Leishman, who won Equipped with a one-shot
crowd — birdie-eagle-bird- Island. There wasn’t much one more event before the at Bay Hill in March, kept lead because of Spieth’s
ie-birdie — by missing the he could have done to $10 million prize is decided stride with six birdies on the bogey, Thomas hit a sand
14th green with a 5-iron for stop Thomas, his best friend at the Tour Championship. front nine to match Spieth’s wedge to 4 feet on the
bogey. Needing an eagle in golf since they were Leishman shot 30 on the 30 and move in front. 15th for a birdie and a two-
to stay in the game on the teenagers. front to build a two-shot Thomas did his part to stay shot lead.
par-5 18th, Spieth pushed a “Came out firing, like I said lead, only for it to vanish in the game. Equally important was his
4-iron into a tough lie in the we had to do,” Spieth said. quickly. He had to save bo- He could hear the crowd pitch out of deep rough
bunker, blasted over the “Eight through 14 is the gey on No. 10 after an er- celebrating Spieth’s short to the right of the 16th to a
green and made bogey meat of the golf course. rant drive. He three-putted birdie on the fourth hole, green that ran away from
for a 67. You want to get through from long range for bogey and then Thomas belted him. He managed to hit it
Spieth was runner-up for even. I got through over par on the 11th. He found a a low slider of a drive that 6 feet and twice clutched
the second straight week and didn’t get any coming bunker on the 12th for a barely cleared the deep his fist when it dropped for
in the FedEx Cup playoffs. in when I hit some good third straight bogey. And bunker, hit into the shaggy par.q