NORTON, Mass. — A great summer of golf finally paid off for Henrik Stenson.
Stenson made three straight birdies to race by a fast-fading Sergio Garcia, and he holed a bunker shot for birdie on the 17th hole to turn back a final threat from Steve Stricker and win the Deutsche Bank Championship.
Stenson was runner-up in the British Open and the World Golf Championship, and he tied for third at the PGA Championship. All that was missing was a trophy, and he took care of that yesterday at the soggy TPC Boston by closing with a 5-under 66 for a two-shot win over Stricker.
The 37-year-old Swede moved to the top of the FedEx Cup standings after two playoff events, assuring him his first trip to the Tour Championship and a clear shot at the $10 million prize.
“I’m just pleased I won here,” said Stenson, who tied the tournament record at 22-under 262. “This was a big goal of mine to win a golf tournament after all those nice finishes. My family is here. I’m going to see my kids in a little bit. It’s all good.”
Stenson’s win was only part of the high drama, so much that Tiger Woods became an afterthought. He closed with a 73 and tied for 65th. The best image of him all day was Woods walking back out to the course after a rain delay with him and his 6-year-old daughter dressed in matching red.
Brendan Steele thought his season was over when the final round was halted for two hours because of rain. Steele made a birdie putt on the 15th when play resumed, hit a 9-iron to 2 feet for birdie on the 16th and closed with two more birdies to sneak into the top 70 in the FedEx Cup and advance to the third playoff event in two weeks at Conway Farms north of Chicago.