There was no better time to end a run of nearly 18 months without a win for Patrick Reed at the first FedExCup playoff event at Liberty National.
The 2018 Masters champion led going into the third round but was two back on the back nine before rolling in three crucial putts. First he went past Jon Rahm and then held off Abraham Ancer to win The Northern Trust.
Reed jumped from No 50 to second in the FedExCup standings ahead of the BMW Championship at Medinah.
In the end, it was a a two-under 69 on a breezy afternoon that had a host of players run close.
‘It’s been a little too long,’ Reed said after his seventh tour win. What better place to do it than here. It’s definitely a good time to get a “W”.’
Ancer finished second, his best tour finish, and moved from No 67 to No 8 in the playoff race.
Rahm ended up closing with a 69 and tied for third with Harold Varner III.
Adam Scott, who won at Liberty National the last time the FedExCup opener was here, closed with a 65 and finished alone in fifth.
Jordan Spieth tied for sixth with Rory McIlroy and Louis Oosthuizen, who each shot 69, and Brandt Snedeker, who had a 71.
