Golf: Rory McIlroy wins US PGA Deutsche Bank Championship

Deutsche Bank Championship final leaderboard (USA unless stated)
-15: McIlroy (Nir) -13: Casey (Eng) -12: Walker -11: Scott (Aus) -10: Reed, Gomez (Arg), Hahn
Selected others: -9: D Johnson -8: Knox (Sco) Day (Aus) -7: Spieth -6: Garcia (Spa)-4: Stenson (Swe) -1: Rose (Eng)
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Rory McIlroy's last PGA Tour win came in the Wells Fargo Championship in May 2015

Rory McIlroy won the Deutsche Bank Championship to claim his first PGA Tour title for 16 months.

The Northern Irishman started six shots behind overnight leader Paul Casey, but seven birdies in a six-under-par 65 saw him finish two shots clear at 15 under.

England's Casey, 39, missed an eagle putt on the final hole at TPC Boston that would have forced a play-off.

It was 27-year-old McIlroy's first tournament win since the Irish Open in May and first PGA title since May 2015.

The victory comes just a week after McIlroy changed his putter and his putting coach.

He told Sky Sports: "I played some great golf and holed some great putts. I'm just really proud of myself, how I hung in there on the first day and then got some momentum on Saturday. Then I just went with it.

"It's nice to get that first win in the States this year and hopefully I can take this momentum into the next couple of weeks and ultimately the Ryder Cup."

The Deutsche Bank Championship is the second of the four that make up the season-ending FedEx Cup.

McIlroy will rise 34 places to fourth in the FedEx Cup standings - and nearer the $10m (£7.52m) prize for the winner - as a result of his victory.

The competition features the top 100 players in the world. The leading 70 after this weekend progress to next week's BMW Championship, where the field will be reduced to 30 for the Tour Championship on 22-25 September.

14-time major Tiger Woods winner ruled out for the rest of the season

Tiger Woods has not won a major since the 2008 US Open

Tiger Woods has withdrawn from the US PGA, meaning he will miss all four majors in a calendar year for the first time since his Masters debut in 1995.

American Woods, 40, has not played tournament golf in almost a year and had two operations last autumn in an attempt to cure a back problem.

His agent has confirmed he will not play for the rest of this season as he is not ready for "competitive golf".

The 14-time major winner has dropped to a world ranking of 628.

US Open 2016: Dustin Johnson wins first major amid farcical finish

Dustin Johnson finally gets his hands on the trophy he came so close to winning last year

US Open final leaderboard 

-4 D Johnson (US); -1 S Lowry (Ire), S Piercy (US), J Furyk (US); level S Garcia (Spa), B Grance (SA) 

Selected others: +2 J Day (Aus); +5 A Landry (US); +6 G McDowell (NI); +7 C Wood (Eng), A Sullivan (Eng), R Knox (Sco); +8 L Westwood (Eng); +9 D Willett (Eng) 

Ireland's Shane Lowry let slip a four-shot lead as Dustin Johnson won his first major amid a farcical finish to the 2016 US Open at Oakmont.

The controversy revolved around whether Johnson should have been penalised when his ball moved on the fifth green.

After speaking with Johnson on the 12th tee, officials informed other players a decision would be made post-round.

A penalty stroke was added to Johnson's score but he won by three from Lowry, who had three bogeys from the 14th.

American Jim Furyk shot a four-under 66 to finish tied for second with compatriot Scott Piercy (69) and Lowry.

England's Lee Westwood, playing alongside Johnson, started the day on two under par but had a 10-over 80 to finish on eight over.

The United States Golf Association (USGA) later said they wanted Johnson to know of the potential one-shot penalty so he could play accordingly.

However, it led to confusion for players and fans alike, particularly when Lowry birdied the 12th to get to four under and nobody knew for sure whether he was level with, or one behind Johnson.

Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy, who missed the cut, said on Twitter while the round was in progress that no penalty was warranted and called the USGA "amateur", adding that he "wouldn't hit another shot until the farce was rectified", while world number two Jordan Spieth called it "a joke".

What did Johnson do?

The American had been standing over his ball and made two practice putts. As he prepared to address the ball to make his putting swing, his ball moved slightly. Johnson stepped away saying that he had not addressed the ball - had he done so, he would have incurred a one-shot penalty.

Johnson's playing partner Westwood could clearly be heard saying that the American had not addressed the ball.

Johnson checked with a rules official, who was happy that there had been no infringement and he went on to par the hole.

Another rules official then approached Johnson on the 12th tee and, after a discussion, decided that they needed to review the television footage of the incident on the fifth green after he had completed his round because he could face a one-stroke penalty.

The penalty stroke was eventually upheld and Johnson, who replaces McIlroy as world number three after winning the US Open, signed for a one-under-par 69.

A rules official explained to Johnson on the 12th tee that he may be facing a penalty

"It's definitely sweet to get that major championship," said the 31-year-old, who claimed he was not affected by the officials' intervention.

"At that point I just thought I'd deal with it when I'm done. I tried to block it out and not let it bother me.

"Who cares, it doesn't matter any more."

It will be some retribution for Johnson who had a 12-foot putt to win last year's US Open at Chambers Bay but took three to hand the title to Jordan Spieth.

He also missed out on a first major victory when he was handed a two-shot penalty for grounding his club in what the thought was wasteland but was ruled to be a bunker at the 2010 PGA Championship.

USGA defends actions

The USGA's director of rules Jeff Hall explained that after watching video of the incident he decided Johnson's actions "could have caused the ball to move".

Hall added: "The first time we had the opportunity to speak to Dustin was the 12th hole.

"We asked if there was some other reason the ball could have moved. He didn't state a reason.

"We decided not to review it with Dustin at the media tent on the 13th hole and instead wait till the end."

Players unhappy with late farce

Rory McIlroy was one of several professional players to criticise the USGA while the round was in progress

Jordan Spieth hopes the incident will not be forgotten as a result of Johnson winning

During round two, Lowry, as professional golfers do, called a one-shot penalty on himself when his ball moved after he had addressed it on the putting surface of the 16th hole.

Lowry is the first player since Payne Stewart in 1998 to let slip a four-shot lead in the final round of the US Open

The Irishman refused to use the confusion surrounding Johnson's penalty as an excuse for his own demise.

He had already bogeyed four holes to drop to three under, two behind Johnson, by the time he learned of the potential penalty.

"It didn't affect me much at all," said Lowry.

"I credit Dustin for playing the way he played on the way in, having that hanging over him, because I probably would have wanted to know straight away if it was me.

"I just feel like I let it go. I'm very disappointed. The more I think about it the more upset I'm getting.

"It's going to be a tough few days. I led the US Open by four and I was tied for the lead with five holes to play. I am definitely good enough to win one of these."

Westwood woe

Westwood has nine top-three finishes in majors

The former world number one started the day five off the lead at two under par and with hopes of winning his first major.

However, a run of five bogeys and a double bogey in six holes from the second shattered his round and extended his unwanted run to 73 majors without a victory.

Westwood had just one birdie, on the par-four 17th, as he recorded a 10-over-par 80 to finish on eight over.

What about the rest?

Andrew Landry, the world number 624, who led after round one and stayed in contention all week, finally succumbed to the pressure in round four. Playing in the final group with Lowry the American carded an eight-over 78 to finish five over par.

Sergio Garcia threatened again at a major, reaching three under par on the 13th but a run of three successive bogeys ended his challenge and, like Westwood, he is still searching for a first win in one of golf's four big tournaments.

Furyk's four-under 66 was the lowest round of the day and catapulted the 46-year-old who won the 2003 title, up to a tie for second with Lowry and Piercy.

American Piercy opened with back-to-back birdies to get to two under and he picked up another shot on the 12th but he closed with bogeys on the 16th and 18th holes.

Jordan Spieth wins Colonial National Invitational in Texas

Jordan Spieth putted just nine times in total on the final nine holes

Colonial National Invitational final round-17 Spieth; -14 English; -13 Palmer, Simpson; -12 Reifers (all US)

Selected others: -9 Dufner, Kuchar, Campbell; -5 Z Johnson, Snedeker (all US); -3 Schwartzel (SA); -1 Singh (Fij)

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World number two Jordan Spieth scored a final round 65 to win the Colonial National Invitational by three shots.

The American made six birdies to finish on 17-under-par, ahead of Harris English in second, while Ryan Palmer and Webb Simpson ended tied-third.

Victory was 22-year-old Spieth's eighth PGA Tour triumph and the first in his home state of Texas.

"That is a tough hump to get over. To win in front of my home fans, what a great week," said Spieth.

Leading by one shot overnight, Spieth levelled through the first nine, before making six birdies on the back nine.

Spieth, who is from Dallas just 33 miles away from the course, is the youngest eight-time winner in 86 years since Horton Smith.

He is also the second youngest eight-time winner in PGA history.

"Victory means a lot and the crowds were fantastic. It was a really cool atmosphere to play for. I stayed patient and the birdies came in streaks."

The top three players in the world, Jason Day, Spieth and Rory McIlroy, go into the Memorial tournament on Thursday having won their last events.

Golf: Jordan Spieth misses cut, tries to go easy on himself

Jordan Spieth hits from the fifth tee during the second round of The Players Championship golf tournament Friday, May 13, 2016, in Ponte Vedra Beach, FlaPhoto: Lynne Sladky, AP

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Jordan Spieth finished with a 15-foot birdie putt, the kind he could have used on the previous two holes at The Players Championship in a failed bid to make the cut. He at least managed a smile before stepping inside the scoring room to sign his last card of a short week.

"I think that one came a little too late," he said.

Spieth laughed when someone jokingly suggested that at least he had momentum going to next week, though there may have been some truth to that.

Not because he ended with a birdie, but because he ended it with perspective.

"I'm beating myself up a little bit too much on the golf course, and it's affecting me," Spieth said after a 71. "And I realize that now."

The culprit at the TPC Sawgrass was his putter, which typically is the most reliable club in his bag. Spieth said he worked hard on his swing when he got back to work after the Masters, and he neglected his short game.

It showed. He never got any momentum on a Stadium Course where scoring records were set each day. His tournament changed on the final hole of his first round when it took him five shots to get down from a bunker behind the ninth green.

And it sure didn't help being in the same group as Jason Day, who made 15 birdies in 36 holes and built a four-shot lead.

"I just need to a do a little bit better job of being positive with myself and smiling a bit more, having a bit more fun," Spieth said. "And it's tough when you're getting shellacked by 15 shots in the same group, you know?

"When someone is birdieing every other hole, you start to wonder why in the world you aren't making any of them. A lot of times, it's good if you can feed off of it. But for me, it was tough this week without my putting being on. It just led to a lack of patience for me seeing every hole being birdied and not being able to do much about it."

Spieth missed the cut for the second straight year at The Players Championship, this one getting a little more scrutiny because it was his first tournament since he squandered a five-shot lead on the back nine at the Masters.

He said Augusta National feels like a long time ago, he's over it and that The Players was not related to any hangover. Spieth said if he had putted like he had at the Masters, he might be closer to the lead than packing up his bags.

Even so, there are signs of impatience and rash decisions, and that cropped up immediately Saturday morning when he returned to finish the second round. He was one stroke below the cut line, but his next shot was blocked by trees right of the 15th fairway with the pin in the front.

Spieth had an 8-iron to try to run it onto the green, but the angle was such that he didn't think he could keep it on the green. Only later did it dawn on him that hitting the green shouldn't have been a priority. Anywhere short of the green would have led to a simple up-and-down. Instead, he switched to a 9-iron, the ball came out high and hit a tree and he made bogey.

Spieth missed the green with an 8-iron on the par-5 16th and then failed to get his birdie when he missed an 8-foot putt. He missed a birdie attempt from about 18 feet on the island-green 17th, and that was that.

"Just a mental mistake," Spieth said of the bogey on the 15th. "I should have just taken my medicine."

Spieth plays twice at home, the AT&T Byron Nelson and Colonial, and then goes to the Memorial for his fourth straight tournament and last one before the U.S. Open. He wants to gain momentum at Dallas, where he said he hasn't had a good chance to win since he was 16. Spieth laughed at the absurdity of that statement, though it's true. He was a 16-year-old amateur when he featured on the weekend.

The question is whether his attitude improves.

"Just need to be a little bit more positive with myself on the course and maybe lower expectations a little bit and just kind of free myself up," Spieth said. "It just seems I'm so tense, and I just need to get back to the way I enjoy playing golf. And I'm not far off."

By Doug Ferguson, Ap Golf Writer