With Win, Snedeker Also Takes Tour Title
By KAREN CROUSE
ATLANTA — Before the most critical round of his professional career, Brandt Snedeker stopped by the Shepherd Center, a rehabilitation hospital for patients with spinal cord or brain injuries, and spent 30 minutes with his longtime instructor’s son, Tucker Anderson.
Anderson, an 18-year-old college freshman, is in a responsive coma, recovering from head and neck injuries he sustained in a one-car accident in Florida the same week Snedeker was named to his first United States Ryder Cup team as a captain’s pick. The juxtaposition of the two events was at once one of life’s cruel jokes and a cosmic blessing for Snedeker.
That one’s orderly world can spin wildly off its axis in an instant provided a dose of perspective that made a missed fairway or wayward putt infinitely easier for Snedeker to swallow.
“It’s a horrible thing, but it definitely gives you more, I guess, more focus, more reality of what’s really going on,” he said.
Snedeker was one of five players who came into the final event of the PGA Tour playoffs, the Tour Championship, with the chance to claim the FedEx Cup title, and the accompanying $10 million bonus, with a victory in the tournament. Before leaving for East Lake Golf Club, Snedeker asked Anderson what he thought: Could he beat Rory McIlroy, the world No. 1 who was first in the FedEx Cup standings and three strokes behind Snedeker going into Sunday’s final round? With his one good eye, Anderson winked, Snedeker said.
“That’s all I needed,” said Snedeker, who went out and calmly carded a two-under-par 68 to win for the first time when holding the 54-hole lead. Snedeker’s 72-hole total of 10-under 270 was three strokes better than the score of the Englishman Justin Rose, with whom he was tied at the day’s start.
McIlroy, who played in the twosome ahead of Snedeker, failed to break 70 for the first time in 12 rounds, finding only 2 of 14 fairways en route to a 74 that left him in a five-way tie for 10th in the tournament and second in the FedEx Cup standings.
Tiger Woods, who began the week second in the FedEx Cup standings, closed with a 72 and finished tied for eighth at two-under 278 with Hunter Mahan, whose 66 tied Webb Simpson for the low round of the day.
When his bogey putt dropped at No. 18, Snedeker let out a shout and pumped his fist.
“This is what you work your whole life for,” said Snedeker, who won the Farmers Insurance Open outside San Diego in January. “I look at all the putts I’ve hit and all the shots I’ve hit all though my life — it’s just unbelievable the ability to stay calm today.”
Snedeker missed seven fairways and nine greens, including the last one, when his tee shot sailed into the left grandstand, but he was masterly around the greens. He had 25 putts and holed a chip shot at 17 from 29 feet for a birdie 3 after a sudden shift in the wind blew his second shot away from the water hazard.
“I hadn’t made a pitch shot since I can remember,” Snedeker said. “It came off perfect and went right in the middle of the hole.”
It took all of his self-discipline not to glance at a single scoreboard during his round.
“I get too complacent if I’m ahead or trying to push too much if I’m behind,” Snedeker said, adding: “I had no clue where I was or what I was doing. My only goal today was to shoot as low as I possibly could, and that’s what I did.”
The FedEx Cup playoff arithmetic is only slightly less confusing than the formula that goes into deciding the college football B.C.S. standings. Ryan Moore, who began the week ranked 28th in the FedEx Cup standings, was tied for the lead with Snedeker until his round was derailed by three closing bogeys. If Moore, who closed with a 70 to finish tied for third with Luke Donald (67), had won the tournament, McIlroy, Woods and Snedeker were well positioned to win the playoffs.
Snedeker prevailed by keeping his eye on the immediate prize: the victory. He said the $10 million FedEx Cup bonus, which he likened to winning the lottery, did not enter his mind until he stepped to the 18th tee.
“And I hit an awful shot,” he said. “So that shows you what it does for you.”
Snedeker’s biggest struggle in golf has never been managing his game; it has been managing his emotions. After finding out about Anderson’s accident, Snedeker finished tied for 37th at the BMW Championship, his second-worst finish in a stretch of eight consecutive weeks of competition.
Snedeker said his visit with Anderson on Sunday gave him a boost.
“I was going there expecting the worst,” Snedeker said. “He was definitely a lot better than I expected him to be. And that was great.”
Snedeker knows he played a lot better Sunday than some people expected him to.
“Today was my day to go out and prove a bunch of people wrong,” he said. “Show that I can play with the lead, I can handle the pressure.” He added, “And I did it.”
