Quicken Loans National Recap: Merritt Grabs First Win

When Troy Merritt three-putt bogeyed the 12th hole at the Quicken Loans National on Sunday, it was the first sign that the tournament leader was feeling the pressure of trying to nail down his first PGA Tour victory. It was also the last sign.

In a remarkable display of composure, Merritt, who hadn't so much as made a cut in two months, set a tournament record with an 18-under 266 total, altering the course of his career by cruising to a three-stroke win over Rickie Fowler.

Tiger Woods not only made the cut as the host of the tournament, but he shot three rounds in the 60s to tie for 18th and offer the greatest evidence yet that he is, in fact, dare we say, back. The long-range effects for Woods are still to be determined, but they are much more concrete for Merritt.

The 29-year-old from the golf hotbed that is Boise State entered the week amid a precipitous fall in the point standings, plummeting to 123rd place, tenuously hanging on to a playoff position. He exited with a berth in his first WGC event, next week's Bridgestone; a spot in his first major, the PGA Championship the following week; plus next year's Masters and Players Championship, while securing his tour card through 2017. He's also moved up to 38th in points, virtually ensuring participation in at least three of the four playoff events.

Needless to say, Merritt's performance came completely out of the blue. He had missed five straight cuts and more than half of them in his first 95 tour events dating to 2010. Merritt was in the 120-man invitational field only because so many top names passed, not wanting to play three weeks in a row with the Bridgestone and PGA upcoming. (And next year will be even worse for Woods' tournament, situated between the U.S. Open and Bridgestone in a 2015-16 schedule tightly compacted because of the Olympics.)

Merritt is the latest example of how deep the PGA Tour is these days, even taking into account that only three of the world's top 15 players showed up at the Gainesville, Va., Robert Trent Jones Golf Club, home to the tournament for the first time. He is the 10th first-time winner this season.

You play fantasy golf, so you had heard of him. Otherwise, you wouldn't have. Merritt is not to be confused with John Merrick, who also has stunk this season, or even actor James Franco, whom he looks like.

Before Saturday, Merritt also wasn't to be confused with someone who could win a PGA Tour event. He moved into the 54-hole lead by shooting a course-record 61. OK, so he caught lightning in a bottle for one day. Any pro can do it, right? Yes, and many shoot 75 the next day amid all sorts of pressure. But Merritt followed it up with a 67, never losing at least a share of the lead.

He three-jacked the 12th, the most difficult hole on the track, and at one point was tied with Bill Haas and David Lingmerth. But while Haas uncharacteristically imploded and Lingmerth fell off, the native Iowan parred Nos. 13-15 before a near-ace on the par-3 16th pretty much cinched the deal. Merritt walked to 18 with a three-stroke lead, so loose he was high-fiving fans en route to the tee box.

Fowler provided at least a smidge of drama, sinking a 24-foot birdie on 18 to pull within two. But Merritt didn't so much as blink, draining a 34-footer for a final birdie. All he could was throw up his arms and shrug his shoulders, a la Michael Jordan in the 1992 NBA Finals.

It was as if Merritt had astonished even himself (which, of course, is a lot easier done than Jordan astonishing himself).

"It's amazing how you can dream about winning a golf tournament for your entire life," Merritt told reporters. "And you've got it scripted. And when it happens, you're not thinking. You don't remember what your name is. You're just reacting."

MONDAY TAKEAWAY

Tiger Woods

Woods opened with three bogeys in four holes Thursday, and everyone was thinking: Oh, no, here we go again. But Woods rebounded for a 68-66 to move into contention heading to the weekend before a 74 ended his chances. Still, he closed with a 68 for a T18, his best showing this season outside of the Masters. As we do every time after Woods plays, we ask: What does this mean? Is Tiger back? Of course, no one knows; even a correct prediction would be just a guess. But Woods has been saying better days were coming, and there were three last week. He even moved from 197th to 185th in points but, unless he plays the Wyndham, will have only the PGA to get into the top 125. And he inched up from 266th to 262nd in the world rankings (really, tie for 18th and move only four spots?). As every touring pro know, winning is hard, and three good rounds normally won't do it; often, four good ones won't get it done. So, what does this mean? I don't know.

Rickie Fowler

As we've written here for weeks, for the all the greatness Fowler has shown this season, beginning with his breakthrough victory at The Players Championship and continuing with the Scottish Open title last month, he has been wildly inconsistent. Only six top-25s in 15 starts. Only four top-10s -- the same as, say, Blayne Barber. And so Fowler's Sunday round was a microcosm of his season. Beginning a shot behind Merritt and Kevin Chappell, Fowler tallied seven birdies, and he offset them with five bogeys. Despite finishing solo second, he never really was in contention on Sunday, certainly not on the back nine.

David Lingmerth
Lingmerth is another one of those 10 first-timers this season. Since winning the Memorial, he tied for sixth at the Greenbriar before his outright third this week, offering evidence that his win wasn't a fluke. He did fall off from a share of the lead on Sunday, with three bogeys in a six-hole stretch, but he's up to 22nd in points. And if you have him on your team, or had him in your lineup of late, you've got yourself one of the big surprises of the season. Lingmerth will be in both the Bridgestone and PGA.

Justin Thomas

The rookie won't be in either of the big events the next two weeks, but you should also give yourself a hearty pat on the back if you drafted him many months ago. Thomas registered his seventh top-10 of the season with a six-way tie for fourth, moving to 37th in points. He's virtually assured of three playoff events.

Danny Lee

Like Lingmerth, Lee is another first-time winner this season who is showing the victory was no fluke. He tied for fourth, his third top-5 in his last four starts (take that, Rickie). Lee will also be at Firestone and Whistling Straits. If you drafted him way back when, even the guy who drafted Thomas should pat you on the back.

Jason Bohn

The 42-year-old Bohn was sniffing around the lead on Sunday -- again -- until a bogey on 11 and a double on 12 finished his title hopes. His approach from 180 yards on 18 went to 7 inches, and his kick-in birdie allowed him to join the party at T4. Bohn, now 32nd in points, wasn't even drafted in the RotoWire League (and I'm patting myself on the back for picking him up midseason).

Bill Haas

Haas added his fourth top-10 of the season on Sunday, but did not leave Virginia with a good taste in his mouth. At one point with a share of the lead, two clear of the field with Merritt, the normally steady Haas circled three bogeys and a double in a five-hole stretch on the back nine, coming home in 39 to tie for fourth. He's 23rd in points and will likely make it all the way to East Lake, so how disappointed can Haas owners be overall? More important for Haas than how his owners feel, he missed a great chance to vault in position to qualify for the Presidents Cup team. He went from 16th to 13th, but only 10 are automatic qualifiers. And it would be awkward if his father, Jay Haas, has to tab him as a captain's pick.

Ryo Ishikawa

Many years ago, Ishikawa was supposed to be the next-big-thing. He never got there, and it's sometimes hard to believe he's still only 24. He opened this week with a 63, leading to a tie for 10th. That brought him to exactly 125th in points and, without spots in the Bridgestone or PGA, making the playoffs will come down to the Wyndham. You can't really like his chances.

Ollie Schniederjans

As one player in the RotoWire League said after smartly picking up Schniederjans two weeks ago, "I just like saying 'Ollie.'" He also likes the results. Since his amateur swan song with a T12 at the Open Championship, Schniederjans tied for 22nd in Canada and tied for 15th on Sunday. He's got two more chances to get into the playoffs, needing a win in either the opposite-field Barracuda this week or the regular-season-ending Wyndham. Even without a W, Schniederjans, 22, will be a fascinating part of next year's drafts.

Kevin Chappell

Chappell shared the 54-hole lead, but couldn't keep pace with playing partner Merritt. Doubles at 12 and 14 -- and the Fresno, Calif., native no doubt is well familiar with In-N-Out's double-double -- ballooned to T18, nine strokes behind the victor. The 29-year-old has eight top-25s this season, but many could've been so much more.