Cal Grad Collin Morikawa Ties For 19th at Tour Championship

A year after finishing second at the same season-ending event, Cal graduate Collin Morikawa settled for a share of 19th place Sunday at the Tour Championship, final leg of the three-week FedEx Cup playoffs.

Morikawa shot a final-round 68 over the par-70 East Lake Golf Club at Atlanta to close at 8 under par over 72 holes. He carded a 6-under 64 on Thursday for a tie for third place before posting back-to-back rounds of 70 on Friday and Saturday. 

The 28-year-old opened his final round with a bogey, assembled consecutive birdies on Nos. 7 and 8 but had another bogey on the ninth hole. Birdies on 13 and 14 got him to 8 under, where he stayed at a bogey on the 16th and a birdie on No. 18.

Morikawa earned a still-solid payday of $452,500.

Englishman Tommy Fleetwood earned his first PGA Tour victory by closing an 18 under performance with a 68 on Sunday. He won by a margin of three strokes and took home the $10 million first place prize from the $40 million total purse.

Fleetwood, 34, finally prevailed after a series of near misses in his 164th career start on the PGA Tour. He has seven wins on the DP World Tour and three other international victories, but never before had won a PGA-sponsored event.

According to ESPN research, he had 30 top-five finishes without a victory — the most by any player over the past 100 years.

Americans Russell Henley and Patrick Cantlay tied for second at minus-15 and each won $4,352,500. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who won the Tour Championship last year, wound up in a three-way tie for third place at minus-14. Scheffler's check was worth $2,616,667.

Keegan Bradley tied for seventh place at 13 under and kept alive speculation over whether he might choose himself for one of six team captain’s picks to the U.S. Ryder Cup team. Those selections are expected Wednesday and Morikawa is expected to be named to the roster for the third time.