Aaron Rai claimed his first PGA Tour title as he made took advantage of a late collapse from Max Greyserman at the Wyndham Championship.
The Englishman, who carded a closing 64 to finish on 18-under-par and two shots clear, trailed by four shots midway through the back nine at Greensboro.
With this win, Rai moves from No. 53 to 25th in the standings entering the FedExCup Playoffs. He has qualified for the FedExCup Playoffs in each of his first two seasons on Tour but has not advanced to the BMW Championship.
“Very, very happy to even be in the first playoff event going into next week before this week, to make that jump is a really great achievement. Obviously a lot can change over the next three weeks for the better and also for the worst, so there’s still a long way to go with the FedExCup Playoffs and what determines where we finish at the end of the year.
“But putting that to one side, for the last four months, since the end of April, it’s been a really good stretch of golf. Very proud and happy with the consistency more than anything else, it’s amazing to be here and to win this week, but I’m almost just as proud of how consistent the last couple of months have been.”
Greyserman, who finished second in his previous start at the 3M Open, looked on course to go one better when he holed his second shot to eagle the 13th to reach 21-under-par.
But he drove out of bounds and took four to get down from the front of the green for an eight at the par four 14th, following a birdie at the next hole with four putts on the par three 16th to all but end his hopes.
Rai, who started the rain-lengthened final day of at least 36 holes two shots off the lead, moved into contention with four straight birdies on the front nine. He added another on the 12th and completed the job with a three on the last.
Matt Kuchar, who led at halfway after a pair of 64s, did not officially finish after driving at the final hole and opting to come back to finish on Monday as play was suspended due to darkness. He closed with a 71.
Needing a win to continue his run as the only player to reach the FedEx Cup play-offs every year since their inception in 2007, Kuchar slipped back to a tie for 12th – nine strokes off the pace.
France’s Victor Perez held on to the final qualifying spot as Ryo Hisatsune finished in a tie for third when needing a second-place finish to move above him.
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