IRVING, Texas -- The Ryder Cup is still four months away, but Sunday was not a great day of foreshadowing if you're a fan of the United States' side. First, Rory McIlroy burned down the K Club with a pair of 3-woods that only Rory McIlroy can hit for a win at the Irish Open. Then, Sergio Garcia came from out of nowhere to take home his second career AT&T Byron Nelson in a playoff against Brooks Koepka. It was his first win since the 2012 Wyndham Championship.
Garcia was all but toast when he dumped a ball in the water on No. 14. At the time, Koepka was three up and cruising towards what looked like his second-career PGA Tour title. Koepka faltered down the stretch though, making bogeys at two of his last five holes, and Garcia took advantage.
"I really didn't have much the last 36 holes," said Koepka, who shot 65-71 on the weekend. "I had no idea where the ball was going, and you can't play out here when you're hitting it in the rough. It was a lot of tough things. You kind of play defensively. That's not really what you want to."
Koepka actually had a putt on the 72nd hole for the win but missed it on the short side. He tapped in and was off to a playoff with Garcia.
On the first playoff hole, Koepka pumped one in the drink, and Sergio reminded us why he's Sergio. He hit a bullet right for the corner of the water that sailed the edge and turned out all right. Love him or hate him, the man loves to tantalize us with his preposterous talent.
He noted that his win was a little like how Seve Ballesteros used to do it -- with flair, with scrambling, with a little bit of everything. It's true. Garcia made six birdies and four bogeys; he only hit 11 greens and somehow walked away with the trophy which was his first in four years on the PGA Tour. It also tied him with Ballesteros for the second-most wins ever (nine) by a European on the PGA Tour.
"To be up there with Seve it means the world to me," said Garcia. "You can kind of say I went a little bit a la Seve today. I definitely wasn't driving the ball great until the end and couple of iron shots here and there but I was chipping and putting great. Some of his wins were like that and I'm very proud of it today."
The part that impressed me most is that Garcia bounced back after that bogey on No. 14. He could have folded it in and moved on to the next tournament. Instead, he did something unusual (for Sergio). He grinded hard over the last four holes and played them in 1 under.
"For some reason, I calmed down a little bit after pretty much after I hit the ball in the water on 14," said Garcia. "I don't know if I thought I didn't have a chance anymore or something because Brooks was 17 [under] at that moment. I was 14 [under]. So. I don't know. Calm down, hit some good shots, hit some great chips and managed to win the tournament."
Garcia capped off a stellar day for the Europeans. It was not a great day for two guys who will factor prominently on the American side, though. Koepka faltered down the stretch and playing partner Jordan Spieth shot a 4-over 74 on Sunday (more on that in a minute).
More importantly, in a year in which stars under age 30 have reminded us that a new era is being ushered in, Garcia reminded us that the old men (and I say that tongue firmly in cheek) are still a factor. Garcia first won this tournament 12 years ago (12 years ago!) as the plucky kid with his entire career still in front of him.
He's no longer that kid, but he still has a lot of golf to play. If he finishes like he did on Sunday, that runway could include several more wins.
Garcia has never really felt like he should win tournaments when he doesn't play well enough to "deserve" the trophy. So it's sometimes surprising (both to him and us) when he wins like he did on Sunday through the backdoor. That's all right though, because a win is a win and now Garcia has nine of them on the PGA Tour and a boatload of others worldwide.
Only Rory McIlroy has more by a European on the PGA Tour in the last 75 years. That's impressive stuff. Garcia continually surprises me with the totality of his career. Sometimes, I think he even impresses himself. Grade: A
Brooks Koepka: Koepka sounded disgusted with his game on Sunday evening and was still a single putt from taking home PGA Tour win No. 2. I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing.
"I wouldn't even say my "C" game," said Koepka. "I had no idea where the wedges were going. We're pulling and pushing wedges 40 yards. I was backing out of it. I never felt like I really had a chance to go at a flag."
He was a lot better than his own grade for himself. Grade: A
Jordan Spieth: It wasn't ever all that pretty for the hometown but, but there were certainly moments. The drained putt on the 17th hole on Saturday was a legitimate moment. Still, his best finish at this tournament is still (still!) a T16 as a 16-year-old high school amateur after her dropped all the way to T18 with that 4-over 74 on Sunday. Grade: C+
Dustin Johnson: DJ took over Rory McIlroy's traditional backdoor top 12 spot on Sunday by going out in 30 and getting it to 6 under thru 11 holes. He had a real shot at stealing the entire thing before making a bogey and double bogey coming home. Playing those holes in 1 under instead of 3 over coming home would have gotten him in a playoff. Grade: B-
Bryson DeChambeau: So that's three straight missed cuts after Boy Wonder nearly overtook Augusta National. We aren't in the panic zone yet for DeChambeau claiming his PGA Tour card for 2017, but we aren't far away either. Grade: F
Matt Kuchar: Kuch got roasted by Spieth in the interview line on Sunday which was tremendous. Spieth jumped in front of him, which led Kuchar to mockingly call Spieth out. Spieth's response? "Don't leave your putt on the low side on No. 18 and you wouldn't have this problem." (Kuchar needed birdie on No. 18 to get into the playoff.) Both parties laughed. It was a hilarious exchange. Grade: A