The Barclays 2014 results: Hunter Mahan wins, likely clinches Ryder Cup roster spot

Hunter Mahan started the week at the Barclays as the only player in the field to play in every FedEx Cup event ever. He finished the week at Ridgewood with his first ever PGA Tour postseason win, sprinting through the final round to post a 65 and clear the field by two shots.

As you could imagine from a player who has made the final 30 at the Tour Championship for the past seven years, Mahan has long been one of the top American players in golf. But it had been two years since he last won on Tour. There had been several close calls, including last summer when he played in the final Sunday pairing back-to-back at both the U.S. Open and British Open. While he’s banked tons of cash and remains one of the bigger names in American golf, it hadn’t been a great season for Hunter. But now he’s got his first win in two years, a $1.44M winner’s check and a new No. 1 spot in the FedEx Cup standings. It could be just the start of a huge month ahead.

Mahan did most of his damage on Sunday on the back nine, separating himself on what had been a clustered leaderboard all week. He rolled in five birdies in a seven-hole stretch for a back nine 32. While there was some world class talent around him and within a few shots, a clutch birdie putt on the 17th finished things off for the now six-time Tour winner. This one rolled in from 21 feet.

And just like that, Mahan overwhelmed a crowded leaderboard to arrive on the 18th tee with a three-shot lead. He made it interesting on the final hole, bombing one way right and missing the green on his recovery third shot. But he had more than enough cushion and a bogey five did nothing but decrease the margin of victory.

Mahan has probably locked up a spot as one of Ryder Cup captain Tom Watson’s three captain’s picks next week. When he was named captain last December, Watson specifically cited Mahan’s omission from the 2012 team as he questioned the system that allotted four captain’s choices. He’s reduced it to three for this year, and Mahan’s late push -- a Top 10 at the PGA Championship and this week’s showing -- should remove some of the debate for at least one of those three picks. It’s presumed that Keegan Bradley will get another one, leaving Brandt Snedeker, Webb Simpson, and a rookie like Brendon Todd fighting for the third and final spot. Watson will make the announcement next Tuesday night after the Deutsche Bank Championship is over.

If Mahan is now a likely Ryder Cup team member, he’d be the first player on the roster to win since Matt Kuchar’s victory at Harbour Town back in mid-April. It’s been a particularly rough stretch for American golf, especially in contrast with a Euro side that continues to light it up and collect trophies. At the start of the day, it appeared Jim Furyk would be the American Ryder Cup side’s best shot for a win, but Furyk is now 0 for 8 holding a 54-hole lead in the last two years. Despite consistent contention, he has not won a tournament since that 2010 TOUR Championship, which clinched $10 million and that year’s FedEx Cup.

In order to accrue that 0 for 8 54-hole lead mark, you actually need to play some good golf. Aside from Rickie Fowler, Furyk is probably playing the best golf on the American side right now. But he just can’t close it out or get it rolling on Sunday. At the Barclays, his chances faded on the back nine and were all wiped out with about four holes to play. It wasn’t an awful round or a choke, he just stalled out and couldn’t keep pace with the roll Mahan hit on the back nine.

Finishing right behind Mahan were Cameron Tringale and Stuart Appleby, who both came out of nowhere this week to put themselves in position for a deep run through the FedEx Cup. Tringale made news at the top of the week when he told the PGA of America he was disqualifying himself from the PGA Championship, where he posted four solid rounds and had collected more than $50k in winnings. Tringale seemed to remember maaaaybe brushing the ball as he moved his putter over it back in Louisville, and after a week, he decided the move to make was remove all doubt and DQ himself. Tringale finished this Sunday with a bogey, but bookended his week with two rounds of 66, a nice way to start his postseason and solidify his status on Tour.

Appleby, who became the fifth player ever to shoot 59 in that winning Sunday round at Greenbrier, caught another final round hot streak in New Jersey. He started his back nine with five birdies in his first six holes and suddenly jumped up into the lead. But there was too much firepower behind him, and his inward 31 and final round 65 would not be enough.

Mahan overtakes Rory McIlroy as the new No. 1 in the FedEx Cup standings. Rory finished at 5-under and in a tie for 22nd. He’ll be there all month, but his first round was a little too much overcome for the world No. 1. Here are the final results from Paramus: