Mahan's big day at the Barclay's..

Just over a year ago at Glen Abbey, Hunter Mahan had the 36-hole lead at the RBC Canadian Open when he gave us all the early story of the day when he withdrew shortly before the third round upon learning his wife had gone into labor with their first child opening the door for Brandt Snedeker to win our national championship.

Well, to his surprise, his wife and that little bundle of joy,  1-year-old daughter Zoe were waiting for him when he walked off the 18th green as a winner at the Barclay's.

Mahan finished at 14-under 270 and earned $1.44 million. He moved to No. 1 in the FedEx Cup standings, assured of being among the top five players at East Lake with the best shot at capturing the $10 million bonus.

Open and PGA champion Rory McIlroy, going after his fourth straight victory, closed with a 70 and tied for 22nd while David Hearn end the tournament tied for 38th after shooting 71 the final day.

Mahan pulled away with three straight birdies late in the final round ending more than two years without a title on the PGA Tour. It was the sixth of his career, and one of the most important because he had gone 48 tournaments worldwide without winning and began the FedEx Cup playoffs at No. 62, guaranteed to play only two events.

By closing with a 6-under 65 for a two-shot victory, he is assured of making the Tour Championship and by beating one of the strongest fields of the year, Mahan was sure to make a lasting impression on Tom Watson for when he makes his three captain’s picks for the Ryder Cup on Sept. 2.

Jason Day closed with a 68 and shared second place with Stuart Appleby (65) and Cameron Tringale, who celebrated his 27th birthday with a 66. It was his best finish of his career, and as a byproduct of these FedEx Cup playoffs, it paid off nearly as well as a victory. Tringale, who was No. 61 in the standings, moved all the way up to No. 10 and is virtually certain of being in the FedEx Cup finale at the Tour Championship. That earns him automatic entry into at least three majors, including his first trip to the Masters.

Jim Furyk now has failed to win the last eight times he has held at least a share of the lead going into the final round. He was in the mix until missing the fairway on the 14th and taking bogey, and he wound up with a 70 to finish in eighth place, four shots behind.

The top 100 players in the FedEx Cup standings advance to the second playoff event next week outside Boston for the Deutsche Bank Championship.


Final scoreboard http://www.pgatour.com/leaderboard.html