Simpson takes FedExCup lead after surprising finish in Boston

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NORTON, Mass. -- No hole at TPC Boston the last four days has been easier to play than the par-5 18th. On Monday afternoon, when Chez Reavie stepped onto the tee box with a one-stroke lead, just five of the previous 74 players to have come through the 533-yard hole in the final round had suffered bogey.

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No wonder that Webb Simpson, standing with his wife Dowd and their little boy James, figured his odds of having a chance to win the Deutsche Bank Championship at 1 in 100.

No wonder that Reavie, with one hand firmly grasped on the trophy after playing so magnificently on the back nine, figured his odds of sealing the deal at 90 percent.

Here was a guy who hadn't made a bogey all day. In fact, he hadn't made a bogey in his last 29 holes. And he hadn't bogeyed any of the par 5s all week. He was playing great, in control, looked calm, staying within himself. Here was the Cinderella story, the 87th-ranked player in FedExCup points, finishing up this fairy tale ending.

Slam dunk, right?

But there's pressure ... and then there's the pressure of taking a one-shot lead into the 72nd hole at a PGA TOUR event. Strange stuff happens. Nothing is certain. Golf is fickle and things can unravel in a single swing.

After laying up with his second shot, Reavie took out a 54-degree wedge from 115 yards, used a three-quarter swing ... and pulled it. Meanwhile, the wind had switched, pushing his ball even further off-line.

"Unfortunately," Reavie said, "my wedge didn't quite work out."

His ball found the primary rough on the far left side of the green near the stands. Ten minutes later, bogey no. 6 had been recorded at the 18th.

Simpson had his opening -- and he took full advantage of it, winning his second PGA TOUR event in three weeks by beating Reavie in the second hole of a playoff.

Say hello to your new FedExCup points leader.

As much as this was Reavie's tournament to lose at the 72nd hole, give credit for Simpson producing a fantastic finish of his own to win.

Playing three groups ahead of Reavie, Simpson rolled in a clutch 26-1/2 foot birdie putt on the 18th to give himself a fighting chance with a final-round 65 that left him at 15 under. He didn't know if it would be enough, especially with Reavie lighting up the back nine.

But he did know that he has plenty of confidence in his game right now, thanks to a new workout regimen, a great support system and a caddie in Paul Tesori who helps with all aspects of his game. He's found a winning process, and it paid off two weeks ago with his breakthrough win at the Wyndham Championship.

Now, perhaps quicker than most people expected, Simpson has win No. 2. He leads the FedExCup, he'll control his own destiny at THE TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola and he'll be on the U.S. team headed to The Presidents Cup in November.

Pretty heady stuff for a 26-year-old in just his third full year on TOUR who until a month ago was probably known more for the one-stroke penalty he assessed on himself at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans that likely cost him the win.

"I don't really know what to tell you," he said, then laughed: "I'm not taking any illegal drugs or anything."

He's also not using illegal clubs -- and that includes the belly putter that has become the latest rage on TOUR. While Phil Mickelson put his seal of approval on it this week, Simpson has become one of the poster boys for its success.

Sunday's win will only enhance its reputation -- even if, as Simpson noted Monday, "I tried the belly putter honestly as a joke."

Nobody's laughing now.

In shooting a front-nine 30 on Monday that helped separate him from the large list of contenders entering the final round, Simpson rolled in birdie putts of 15 and 29 feet. On the back side, he had par-saving putts from 11 and eight feet.

Then there was the long putt at the 72nd hole, followed by a 15-footer for birdie at the first playoff hole -- critical since Reavie had a three-footer for his birdie -- then the eventual winning putt on the second playoff hole, the par-4 17th.

Reavie also had his own birdie putt at that hole, from 23 feet. Know this -- there is no better putter on TOUR from that distance than Reavie. Although he ranks outside the top 100 on TOUR in putting distances in every other distance beyond 5 feet, for some inexplicable reason, he's deadly from 20-25 feet, rolling them in more than 25 percent of the time.

But this time, his putt slid just to the right, forcing him to settle for par. Simpson followed with the game-winner.

Simpson thought that after winning the Wyndham, it would be easier to deal with the pressure the next time he was in contention.

But "it wasn't that way at all," said Simpson, who plans to celebrate later this week with a previously scheduled golfing trip to Pinehurst with some buddies. "It was just as hard. The shots and the putts were just as hard."

Meanwhile, as hard as it was to deal with the disappointment of not winning, Reavie was proud of the way he performed on Monday. So many big names were in contention going into the day that he and playing partner Brendan Steele decided to have fun flying under the radar. It almost paid off with his second career win.

Reavie began this season on a major medical exemption and failed to make enough money to earn fully exempt status. So he relied on sponsor's exemptions and other means to get into events.

He made the Playoffs by earning enough points, and now he has enough money to secure his card for next year. In the meantime, he's ninth in FedExCup points and can plan a trip to the TOUR Championship.

Asked about it on Monday, Reavie had to take a moment. The emotions of how far he had come suddenly hit him. He had won on this day despite not getting the big trophy.

"It's unbelievable," he said after gathering himself. "Starting the year on a medical and not knowing what's going to happen, to be able to go to the TOUR Championship is a goal. It's what I wanted to do."

And it's what he'll get -- despite that wedge at the 72nd hole not working out for him.