ATLANTA – Rory McIlroy holed two shots on the 16th hole at East Lake that made him a most unlikely FedEx Cup champion on Sunday.

The first one he didn’t even see go in.

Three shots behind with three holes to play at the Tour Championship, McIlroy holed a pitching wedge from 137 yards for eagle that gave him the spark he needed to close with a 6-under 64 and join a three-way playoff with the FedEx Cup title riding on the outcome.

“I knew I was right back in the golf tournament,” he said.

Four playoff holes later on the 16th, after Ryan Moore made a par putt from just outside 15 feet, McIlroy knocked in his 15-foot birdie putt to win two trophies that he desperately wanted – the Tour Championship and the FedEx Cup.

“Just to see that ball drop, and everything that’s come together for me this year … to pull it off was really special,” McIlroy said, his voice still hoarse from screaming over so many quality shots, so many clutch moments over the final two hours at East Lake.

McIlroy picked up $11.53 million in one day – the $10 million FedEx Cup bonus and $1.53 million for the Tour Championship, his second victory in three weeks that made him the first player to win four FedEx Cup playoff events.

His only hope was to win the Tour Championship and have Dustin Johnson finish worse than second alone. Johnson closed with a 73 and tied for sixth.

In its 10th year, the FedEx Cup never had a finish like this.

Moore, who might have done enough to earn that last captain’s pick for the Ryder Cup, missed an 8-foot birdie putt by the slimmest of margins on the par-5 18th hole in regulation for a 64. In the playoff, he holed a 10-foot birdie putt with McIlroy facing a 6-foot eagle putt for the victory. McIlroy missed.

Even on the final hole, Moore gave McIlroy everything he had. His chip over a ridge raced well past the hole, and it looked as though McIlroy would only have to two-putt for the victory. Instead, Moore holed another big putt.

“I just wanted to make him earn it for that much money at least,” Moore said. “I wanted him to make the putt. It was nice to get up and make it, but you give a great player like him that many opportunities, and he’s going to make one eventually.”

Chappell had a two-shot lead with two holes to play when he made bogey on the 17th hole – only his third of the week at East Lake – and Moore birdied it in the group ahead of him. Chappell was woefully short on a 20-foot birdie putt on the 18th for the win, and he was eliminated with a par on the first playoff hole when he made par.

They finished at 12-under 268.

Johnson surprisingly was never a factor and he hit too many errant shots on the front nine and never recovered. He still would have won the FedEx Cup had either Moore or Chappell won the tournament, which he said “would have been really cool.”

“It didn’t feel right because I didn’t win the Tour Championship,” Johnson said. “That’s why I was here to win. I knew I controlled my own destiny.”

Johnson was second in the FedEx Cup and received a $3 million bonus.

McIlroy had control of this all along once he got into the playoff, except for one nervous moment.

He looked to put the perfect finish onto his big day when he hit out of the rough and over the water to 6 feet for an eagle putt on the par-5 18th in the first playoff hole. McIlroy was ready to pump his fist until his eagle putt slid by, and he removed his cap in disbelief.

Returning to the 18th, McIlroy missed an 18-foot birdie putt for the win. On the third extra hole, the par-3 15th over the water from 201 yards, McIlroy had to make a 7-foot par putt just to stay in the game.

Nothing was bigger than that birdie at the end. McIlroy stiffened his back, clutched both arms and shouted above the raucous cheers at East Lake.

“I’ve made it no secret that it’s one of the last things I feel like I had left on my golf CV, and I made it a big goal of mine to win it,” McIlroy said. “To be here and to win the FedEx Cup … to play the way I have in the last few weeks to get it done, is very special.”

It was the longest playoff in the 30-year history of the Tour Championship.

Moore had to wait two hours to see if his performance – a 66-64 weekend at East Lake – was worthy of a captain’s pick. Davis Love III was to announce his decision during halftime of the Sunday night NFL game.

Chappell headed into a month off trying to figure out what he has to do to win. He was runner-up for the fourth time this season – twice to Jason Day, the No. 1 player in the world, and once to McIlroy. In those final rounds, Chappell’s scores were 67, 69, 69 and 66.

“I’m proud of the way I fought,” he said. “It just wasn’t enough.”

ATLANTA – Dustin Johnson had a reasonable lie in the rough and only a few pine tree branches blocking his path to the 17th green. Neither seemed like a problem until he played the wrong shot, clipped the tree and wound up with a double bogey Saturday in the Tour Championship.

It was an example of how one hole can change everything at East Lake.

And it’s why the final round of the PGA Tour season suddenly has more scenarios than Johnson cares to consider.

Johnson recovered with a birdie from the bunker on the par-5 18th for a 1-under 69, giving him a share of the lead with Kevin Chappell (68) going into the last round that will determine who wins the Tour Championship and the FedEx Cup.

For the first time since 2009, there’s a chance it might not be the same player.

“There’s a lot of scenarios that could happen,” Johnson said. “But yeah, I’m still going to go out and try to shoot as low a score as possible.”

Johnson only has to win or finish second alone to claim the $10 million bonus as the FedEx Cup champion.

Rory McIlroy, who has gone 28 holes without a bogey at East Lake, had three birdies over his last six holes for a 66 and was two shots behind. If he were to win the Tour Championship and Johnson finished in a two-way tie for second or worse, McIlroy would claim the FedEx Cup.

“It would just be great to try to win the Tour Championship, and if the chips fall my way, then so be it,” McIlroy said.

The winner of the Tour Championship has won the FedEx Cup every year since 2009, when Phil Mickelson won the tournament and Tiger Woods won the FedEx Cup.

Johnson led by as many as four shots when he ran off three straight birdies on the front nine, and he really didn’t do much wrong to give up the size of that lead. He had a three-putt from 70 feet on No. 13, and missed the fairway by a few feet on the next hole, enough that his ball was buried so deep that even Johnson and his power couldn’t advance more than about 135 yards.

It was the 17th hole that reshaped the tournament.

Johnson tried to played a fade from a flyer lie in the rough, and the ball came out high and hit a branch, leaving him in more rough about 60 yards short of the green. He put that in the bunker, blasted out to 6 feet and missed the putt to make double bogey.

Chappell rolled in a 10-foot birdie putt for a three-shot swing on the hole and suddenly had the lead, only for Johnson to catch him with the final birdie.

They were at 8-under 202.

Chappell, a runner-up three times this season who has never won on the PGA Tour, has made only one bogey in 54 holes this week, a show of consistency, discipline and a few good breaks when he does miss the fairway.

His next chance at a breakthrough victory is to face golf’s best player at the moment (Johnson), with McIlroy and Ryan Moore (66) two shots behind.

“I’ve always kind of been the underdog, so it’s a role I’m comfortable in,” Chappell said.

Moore went out in 31 until he was slowed by a pair of bogeys, though very much in the mix just two shots out of the lead. The mystery is whether anything he does on Sunday – even if that means a victory – is enough for Davis Love III to use his last captain’s pick on Moore for the Ryder Cup.

“I came here this week to win a golf tournament, and I’m 100 per cent focused on that,” Moore said, adding that the Ryder Cup is “completely out of my control.”

And that’s how the last day is shaping up for everyone – post a score and see where it leads.

Johnson, for a moment, looked as though he might take all the drama out of the season-ender when he made a 15-foot par putt early in his round and then ran off three straight birdies on the front nine to go four shots clear.

The putter cooled off, however, and Chappell stayed in range.

Chappell chipped in on No. 12 to match birdies and stay three shots behind, and then he quickly closed the gap when Johnson made back-to-back bogeys, only to respond with a 4-iron over the water to a peninsula green on the par-3 15th to 15 feet for birdie.

The 17th hole changed everything.

“I thought about just trying to hit it in the front bunker, which I probably should have done – probably would have made 4 if I’d have done that,” Johnson said. “But it is what it is. I came back and birdied the last hole, tied for the lead going into tomorrow. I like my position.”

And he doesn’t need a degree in math to figure out the easiest scenario – just win.

ATLANTA – Dustin Johnson is playing better than anyone in the world, and Kevin Chappell can’t wait to watch him at the Tour Championship.

Even if that means having to beat him.

Johnson powered his way down the fairways and occasionally out of the brutal rough at East Lake on Friday for a 3-under 67, giving him a one-shot lead over Chappell and moving him one round closer to the $10 million FedEx Cup prize.

The U.S. Open champion is on a different level at the moment.

Even on a demanding test like East Lake this year – only 10 players remain under par – Johnson is hitting his driver long and straight. His wedge game has gone from a weakness to a strength. A new putter he put in play two weeks ago when he won the BMW Championship is giving him a better feel for alignment.

Small wonder that this was his seventh straight round at 68 or better during the FedEx Cup playoffs.

“The game is never easy. I wish it was,” Johnson said. “Obviously, I’m playing good right now. I’ve got a lot of confidence in my game. Every week, I feel like I bring the same game, which is nice. But I put in a lot of work to get to where I am.”

Johnson was at 7-under 203.

Chappell, one of two players at the Tour Championship who has yet to win on the PGA Tour, was just as solid, even if it doesn’t look as spectacular. He has made only one bogey in 36 holes, quite a feat on a course where the Bermuda rough is so punishing that balls sink to the ground and sometimes can’t be seen from a foot away.

He shot a 68 and will be in the final group of a playoff event for the second time this year.

Kevin Kisner (70) and Hideki Matsuyama (71) were four shots behind, while Rory McIlroy overcame another rough start on the front nine to post a 70. He was in the group five shots behind, which isn’t much of a deficit at the halfway point except for Johnson being the one they have to chase.

If nothing else, Johnson all but eliminated nearly everyone not among the top five seeds vying for the FedEx Cup. McIlroy is No. 6 and still has a chance, though he would have to win the Tour Championship and Johnson would have to finish third.

“I need to win, and I just need someone to play as good as Dustin this week,” McIlroy said.

Jason Day is out of the picture. The world’s No. 1 player withdrew in the middle of a round at the second straight tournament, citing the same nagging back issues that he hopes will be cured by rest.

By Day withdrawing, Johnson won the points-based PGA player of the year award and is likely to win the player vote as PGA Tour player of the year because of his three victories, with perhaps another to follow.

But there is still work ahead of him, and that starts with Chappell.

“I promise you, I’ll be watching Dustin,” Chappell said. “He’s the best player in the world right now, and it’s an opportunity for me to see where my game is. There’s a golf tournament going on, and I have a chance to win that. That’s the ultimate goal. But I also have a chance to see why he’s the best player in the world right now, and I look forward to taking advantage of that opportunity.”

Chappell has been a runner-up three times this season and keeps running into the wrong guys – Kisner at Sea Island, Day at Bay Hill and The Players Championship. He also was in the mix at the TPC Boston until McIlroy pulled away.

“It seems I like going against the hot player at the time,” he said.

Russell Knox matched the low score of the tournament with a 66 that allowed him to get back under par at 1-under 139, along with Justin Thomas, who is still hopeful of a Ryder Cup pick at the end of the week.

Thomas lost a shot when his ball moved right as he set his putter down behind a short par putt on the 11th hole. The PGA Tour reviewed it on videotape and gave him a one-shot penalty under Rule 18-2, the same penalty applied to Johnson at Oakmont in the U.S. Open.

Thomas disagreed with, but accepted, the penalty. His argument was it was not a flat surface and the greens were running fast

“It’s nothing against the rules officials. It’s a god-awful rule,” Thomas said. “It’s very fortunate it didn’t cost Dustin a major championship. I hope it doesn’t cost me anything. I don’t feel like I did anything wrong.”

Mark Russell, the vice-president of rules and competition for the tour, said, the wind was light and the ball had been at rest “for quite some time.”

“And the moment that Justin put his club behind the ball and addressed the ball, the ball moved,” he said. “In that situation, the evidence is against the player and he was penalized.”

That left him six shots behind Johnson instead of five. Either way, it’s a tall order for Thomas or anyone to catch Johnson.

ATLANTA – Jason Day has withdrawn from the Tour Championship because of recurring back pain.

It’s the second straight FedEx Cup playoff event that the world’s No. 1 player did not finish because of back pain. Day stopped midway through the final round of the BMW Championship. His agent said Friday at East Lake this was the same issue, and Day was withdrawing as a precaution.

The withdrawal means Dustin Johnson wins the points-based PGA player of the year. Johnson is likely to win the player vote for PGA Tour player of the year.

Day was 3 under for the tournament when he pulled his tee shot into the water on No. 8, hit his next shot well to the right and couldn’t reach the green out of deep rough.

ATLANTA – Dustin Johnson hit out of a bunker to 2 feet for birdie on his first hole and kept right on rolling to a 4-under 66 for a three-way tie of the lead Thursday at the Tour Championship.

Hideki Matsuyama had six birdies and Kevin Chappell played bogey-free to join Johnson at 66 on a tough day for scoring at East Lake.

Johnson only has to win the Tour Championship to capture the $10 million FedEx Cup bonus.

Jason Day, who withdrew from the final round of the BMW Championship two weeks ago with back pain, was among those at 67. Jordan Spieth was 3 over after two holes and shot 68, courtesy of six birdie putts between 18 and 30 feet.

Rory McIlroy and Paul Casey also were at 68.

CARMEL, Ind. – Dustin Johnson knows as well as anyone that no matter how good he is and how well he plays, something can always go wrong in golf.

Just not this week at the BMW Championship.

Not this year, really.

An awesome talent, Johnson is starting to pile up the victories to prove it. He ran off four birdies in a five-hole stretch to regain control Sunday, left Paul Casey feeling helpless by matching his eagle putt late in the round and sailed home to a 5-under 67 for a three-shot victory at Crooked Stick.

“Ran into a buzz saw,” Casey said after a 67 to finish runner-up in a FedEx Cup playoff event for the second straight week. “That was something special the last two days, and I did everything I could. So I’m holding my head up very high.”

Johnson, though, it at another level right now.

Known for so many years as the guy who couldn’t catch a break in the biggest events, he won for the third time in eight starts dating to his first major at the U.S. Open. And this might have been his most complete performance. Powerful off the tee, relentless with the putter, dialed with his wedges, there was no stopping him.

“I’ve got a lot of confidence in every part of my game,” Johnson said.

He just doesn’t have much to say about it, mainly because he doesn’t need to.

Casey’s last hope came on the par-5 15th when he rolled in a 25-foot eagle putt to get within one shot. That lasted as long as it took Johnson to line up his 18-foot eagle putt and pour it in to restore his three-shot margin.

He finished at 23-under 265 and went over $9 million in earnings for the year, along with taking the No. 1 seed in the FedEx Cup to the finale in two weeks at East Lake for the Tour Championship.

The consolation for Casey, along with $1,836,000 for his two runner-up finishes, was the No. 5 seed at the Tour Championship in two weeks. That means he only has to win at East Lake to capture the $10 million bonus.

Rickie Fowler won’t have any chance at all.

Fowler, who started the week at No. 22 in the FedEx Cup , closed with a 71 and finished 59th at Crooked Stick. He was bumped out of the top 10 by the smallest margin in the 10-year history of the FedEx Cup – 0.57 points behind Charl Schwartzel, who closed with a 64.

The timing is particularly bad for Fowler because Davis Love III makes three of his captain’s picks for the Ryder Cup on Monday, with another one right after the Tour Championship. Fowler won’t have another chance to audition, though he might get picked on Monday, anyway.

Asked if he had done enough to be picked, Fowler said, “I would like to think so.”

“I’ve done basically everything I can do as far as schedule and playing,” said Fowler, who left the Olympics to play the following week on the PGA Tour. “It would have been nice to play better to make the pick a lot easier on him. But whether he has his mind made up or is still thinking, that’s up to him.”

Fowler’s hopes came down to J.B. Holmes in a finish that had nothing to do with the trophy. Fowler would have made it to the Tour Championship if Holmes made either a birdie or a bogey. Holmes would have been eliminated with a bogey.

He drilled it down the middle of the fairway, hit the green, lagged a 40-foot putt to 4 feet and made it for par for a 74.

“I envisioned it being a little bit better than that going into the day, but that’s how it is,” Holmes said. “You don’t always have your best game, and I was able to finish it off and get in the Tour Championship.”

Holmes tied for fourth, key for him because the big hitter from Kentucky also needs a captain’s pick to play in the Ryder Cup. Holmes finished at No. 10 in the Ryder Cup standings, one spot ahead of Fowler. David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., shot a 71 to finish the event tied for 32nd at 5-under 283.

“I feel like I played well enough to get that shot,” Holmes said. “We’ll see.”

Roberto Castro holed out for eagle from the seventh fairway on his way to a 67 to finish alone in third, sending the Georgia Tech grad and Atlanta resident home to play in the Tour Championship for the second time.

All this activity was far more compelling than the actual tournament, for Johnson never looked as though he was going to lose – no matter how well Casey played. Casey is playing some of his best golf in seven years, and he now has a clear shot at the $10 million bonus at East Lake.

Maybe.

“If I don’t run into Dustin in two weeks,” he said, “I got a great chance to maybe win the FedEx Cup.”

CARMEL, Ind. – Dustin Johnson plays a different game than anyone else, and he wanted to keep it that way.

Right down to his putter.

The U.S. Open champion made a late change just before starting the BMW Championship, and so far he has no complaints. Johnson finished with four birdies over the last five holes Saturday on soggy Crooked Stick for a 4-under 68, stretching his lead to three shots going into the final round.

He is smashing his driver long and straight, just like always. He is hitting wedges good enough for multiple birdie chances.

And now the putts are going in.

“The strength this week has been putting,” Johnson said. “I’m rolling it really nicely. Even the putts that I’m missing still look like they’re going in.”

He was particular about the change, though.

Johnson decided to switch to the TaylorMade Spider. But right before he teed off in the opening round, he was bothered by one aspect of his new weapon. It was red, just like the model world No. 1 Jason Day uses. He recalled that his brother and caddie, Austin, had a similar model.

“I was putting good with it and right before we were about to tee off on Thursday, I’m like, ‘AJ, don’t you have the same one in black?’ And he says, ‘Yeah.’ And I said, ‘Go get it.’ I just didn’t want to use the same putter Jason was – like, the exact same one. That was really the only reason I changed.”

Eighteen birdies and one eagle putt later, Johnson was at 18-under 198 and closing in on his third victory of the year.

Paul Casey did his best to stay with him. Casey, coming off a runner-up finish on Labour Day at the TPC Boston, matched two of Johnson’s birdies during his late run until he had to scramble for pars on the last two holes. He still managed a bogey-free 68 and will be in the final group Sunday.

“We had a front row seat for something very special, and I’ll get a front row seat for it tomorrow,” Casey said.

Casey missed five fairways, his most this week in any round, yet still managed to keep bogeys off his card with smart shots out of the wet rough and solid putting. And he still matched Johnson’s score, even though he didn’t make up any ground.

“Not much you can do,” Casey said. “He’s got maybe the best attitude in golf. When he gets on his game, maybe the best ball-striker in golf. Maybe the longest. And he showed it today. So, if he keeps doing what he’s been doing – what he averaging, 6 under a day? – if does the same tomorrow, there’s no catching him.”

Johnson will be going for his third victory of the year, which would move him to the top of the FedEx Cup going into the finale at the Tour Championship in two weeks and make him a heavy favourite to win PGA Tour player of the year and the Vardon Trophy.

Still in the mix was J.B. Holmes, who shot a 68 and was four shots behind. Holmes at least is making a compelling case to be a captain’s pick for the Ryder Cup when Davis Love III announces three of his selections on Monday. Holmes finished 10th in the U.S. standings.

David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., shot a 72 and is tied for 26th at 4 under.

Roberto Castro, who began the third round tied for the lead, didn’t make a birdie in his round of 74 and fell six shots behind. Worst yet, the Georgia Tech alum who lives in Atlanta hurt his chances of moving into the top 30 who advance to the Tour Championship.

Barring a collapse by Johnson – it has happened before – his big finish after a rain delay earlier Saturday eliminated several players. Adam Scott finally got some putts to drop and with birdies on the last two holes, he shot a 67 and joined Matt Kuchar (68) at 11-under 205.

But they finished before Johnson was done making birdies, and both were seven shots behind.

“I’m certainly a long shot. I’m a long way back of the leaders and some great names on the leaderboard,” Kuchar said. “But I got a chance, and golf on Sunday in fun when you have a chance.”

Jordan Spieth had such a poor day putting that the distance of his total putts added to 30 feet, 6 inches. Spieth routinely makes one putt from that distance in a round. He was helped by two chip-ins, one for birdie and one for eagle , but closing with two straight bogeys gave him a 68. He was 10 shots behind, and his attention turned to a strong finish with hopes of getting one of the top five seeds at East Lake in the Tour Championship.

Anyone in the top five only has to win the Tour Championship to claim the FedEx Cup and its $10 million bonus.

Other Ryder Cup hopefuls didn’t shine. Bubba Watson had to settle for a 72, while Rickie Fowler shot 71 and was tied for 59th.

Ridgeway, Ont. – Greenwich, Connecticut’s David Pastore and French Polynesia’s Vaita Guillaume reached 9-under through 54 holes at Cherry Hill Club on Saturday to share the 54-hole lead at the Niagara Championship, the 11th event of the 2016 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada season.

Pastore, a 24-year old University of Virginia grad, took a share of the lead into Saturday and managed an even-par 71 to share the lead with Guillaume, who set the clubhouse mark earlier with a 5-under 66.

The pair sat one stroke ahead of Edmonton, Alberta’s Wil Bateman, Murphys, California’s Erick Justesen, Brewster, New York’s Mike Miller, Concord, North Carolina’s Trevor Cone and Order of Merit leader Dan McCarthy of Syracuse, New York heading into Sunday.

“Today was a bit of a struggle, and I kind of had to grind through the round, but to be tied for the lead, that’s really all I could ask for,” said Pastore, who had a chance to take the lead with an eagle putt on the par-5 18th hole but ran it by and had to settle for par. “The three-putt on the last hole was disappointing, but it’s not going to win or lose the tournament for me.”

Early on, the day looked to belong to NCAA Champion Aaron Wise, who birdied four of his first six holes to take the lead at 11-under. But the 19-year old stumbled with two bogeys and a double coming in to open the door behind him. 12 players will begin Sunday’s final round within three shots of the lead.

For Guillaume, who owns one top-10 finish this year, this week’s solid play marks a stark turnaround from recent struggles, especially on the greens. With Cherry Hill’s slippery bentgrass greens presenting most players with a challenge this week, the 28-year old said he’s feeling as comfortable as ever, freeing him up with the putter.

“Earlier this year, I struggled putting on Poa grass. I’m sure there’s a little bit of it here, but a lot less, and I find the greens a lot easier to read,” said Guillaume. “You take all the pressure off of missing greens, because you can get it up close enough and know you can make it.”

McCarthy, a four-time winner this season, surged to a share of the lead with three straight birdies on the back nine, but dropped a shot coming in to share third place with Bateman, Justesen, Miller and Cone, who fired the round of the day with a 7-under 64.

CARMEL, Ind. – U.S. Open champion Dustin Johnson doesn’t care about the physics behind his new putter. Seeing more putts drop is enough for him.

Johnson made two eagles in a span of seven holes, shot 31 on the back nine and set the course record at Crooked Stick on Friday with a 9-under 63 that gave him a share of the lead with Roberto Castro in the BMW Championship.

Johnson didn’t even know he set the course record until Tony Pancake, the golf director at Crooked Stick, congratulated him on the way to the clubhouse.

“I guess no one was ever better than 63,” Johnson said with a shrug and a smile.

Castro was the first player to reach 14-under 130 on the rain-softened course. He kept bogeys off his card, rolled in a pair of 30-foot putts and had another 65 in his last-minute bid to get to the Tour Championship at East Lake, just 15 minutes from his house.

Castro is at No. 53 in the FedEx Cup and only the top 30 make it to the FedEx Cup finale at East Lake and a shot at the $10 million bonus.

Paul Casey, who had the 54-hole lead last week at the TPC Boston until finishing two shots behind Rory McIlroy, had a 66 and was three shots behind.

Johnson has one of the most consistent years with 12 finishes in the top 10, along with victories in the U.S. Open and a World Golf Championship at Firestone. Even so, frustration began to set in when the putts stopped falling, so he switched to the TaylorMade Spider.

“I was just struggling to get the ball to come out on the line I was seeing,” Johnson said. “No matter what I did, how much I practiced, training aids, whatever. It just wasn’t working. So just decided to switch it up.”

When asked about the physics involved, Johnson said, “I don’t go into that stuff _ as long as it goes where I’m looking.”

That said, he did point out he took physics in high school. “I got an ‘A,’ too, bud.”

Johnson already was virtually assured of being among the top five going into the Tour Championship, meaning he only has to win at East Lake to win the FedEx Cup. Along with what he described as “10 million reasons” why he wants to win, other rewards are available. He already is regarded a favourite for PGA Tour player of the year, and he is likely to move ahead of Jason Day in the Vardon Trophy race for the lowest scoring average.

Castro opened a big lead early with three straight birdies on the front nine, and for the longest time, it looked as though no one could catch him.

Johnson holed out a bunker shot for eagle on No. 9, narrowly missed a 45-foot eagle putt on the 11th hole and then surged into the lead. He made a 10-foot birdie putt on the par-3 13th, rolled in a 30-foot birdie putt on the next hole and then made an eagle putt from 25 feet on the 15th.

Johnson has 11 victories on the PGA Tour, including a major and a three World Golf Championships.

Castro has gone 125 starts on the PGA Tour without a victory, and he doesn’t hit nearly as long as Johnson _ not many do. Crooked Stick is renowned for favouring big hitters, whether it was John Daly at the 1991 PGA Championship or McIlroy four years ago after a week of rain that made the course even longer.

That didn’t seem to faze Castro.

“It’s a big course. It keeps your attention, which I think helps me,” Castro said. “I think if you look at the tour, it sure helps to be long. But the guy who is striping it usually wins. Couple of my best weeks have come on really long golf courses.”

David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., shot a 1-over 73 to fall to 4 under and 19th place.

J.B. Holmes, who finished 10th in the Ryder Cup standings and is in need of a captain’s pick to make his second U.S. team, shot 30 on the back nine and made a strong run at Castro until he was slowed by a bogey on the par-3 third hole and at the par-5 ninth. He wound up with a 65 and was four shots behind, along with Chris Kirk.

Two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson also needs a pick, and he delivered a 67 to at least get in the top 10.

McIlroy stalled with three bogeys on his back nine for a 71. Jordan Spieth shot 72 with four bogeys and a double bogey when he pulled a shot into the creek on the 14th. He bounced back with an eagle on the next hole, but there were too many mistakes. They were at 4-under 140, 10 shots out of the lead. Day, the world No. 1, joined them after a 67.

CARMEL, Ind. – Roberto Castro wants nothing more than to go home to Atlanta, and he took a soggy step in the right direction Thursday in the BMW Championship.

Castro was just as good before the rain as he was after the storms cleared at Crooked Strick, running off eight birdies until a bogey on his last hole for a 7-under 65 and the temporary lead.

Storms and heavy rain caused a 3 1/2-hour delay and changed the nature of Crooked Stick from fast and firm to greens that were soft and accessible. The delay meant that just under half the 69-man field finished the round.

The first round was to resume at 8 a.m. Friday, with more bad weather in the forecast.

Brian Harman got right back into gear. He was in position to potentially lock up his spot in the Tour Championship until closing with a 77 from the final group at the TPC Boston on Monday. He opened with a 66, with an eagle on the par-5 15th hole and no bogeys on his card.

U.S. Open champion Dustin Johnson was within one shot of the lead until he sent his drive into the lake to the right of the 18th fairway and made bogey, giving him a 67 along with Jason Dufner.

Among those still on the course, Chris Kirk was at 5 under at the turn, while Hideki Matsuyama, Paul Casey and Adam Scott were at 4 under on the back nine. Casey had the 54-hole lead last week at the TPC Boston.

Castro went to Georgia Tech and still lives in Atlanta, about 15 minutes from East Lake. That’s the destination for everyone in the field trying to get into the top 30 in the FedEx Cup and advance to the Tour Championship for a shot at the $10 million bonus.

Castro, who has yet to win on the PGA Tour, made it to the Tour Championship in 2013 with a pair of top 10s in the playoffs.

“I told myself the last two weeks really to play like I had nothing to lose, and to make a bunch of birdies is a good way to start,” Castro said. “Sure, it’s a hometown tournament for me. It’s the hardest one to get to, unfortunately, but it’s still a great tournament. I would love to be back.”

He is at No. 53 in the FedEx Cup and likely would need to finish fourth at Crooked Stick to have a chance.

The BMW Championship is back at Crooked Stick for the first time since 2012, when Rory McIlroy won on a rain-softened course. This time, it was blazing hot during the pro-am Wednesday and players had a look at how tough it could play – at least until the rain.

Jason Day played a wedge out of the rough on the second hole, landed it some 30 feet short of the pin and watched it race across the green and into thick rough. After the delay, it was an entirely different golf course. Patrick Reed, who is leading the FedEx Cup, hit a short iron out of dense rough that plopped down 12 feet from the cup.

The course could be attacked, and that’s what the players did.

McIlroy, coming off a victory at the TPC Boston, was at 3 under through 10 holes. Jordan Spieth was at 2 under, both birdies on par 5s on the front nine.

But it was another struggle for Rickie Fowler, bidding for a Ryder Cup captain’s pick. After squandering a chance to make the U.S. team at The Barclays, Fowler was in the middle of the pack at the Deutsche Bank Championship and opened the BMW Championship with a 75.

Bubba Watson, also hopeful of a pick, was 1 under through 13 holes. He followed three straight birdies with three straight bogeys on the front nine.

Day, meanwhile, is set for the Tour Championship and assured of being in the top five in the FedEx Cup, meaning he would only have to win at East Lake to claim the cup and its lucrative bonus. The Australian looked out of sorts after the rain delay, however, missing fairways, missing greens and missing putts. The frustration mounted on the 16th green when he flipped his ball into the water after his third bogey on the back nine.

Day’s biggest putt came on the next hole, however, a birdie from 25 feet that he struck before Reed could even mark his ball. It stopped his slide, sure. But it allowed him to head over to the 18th tee and hit his shot to make sure that his group finished before the horn sounded to stop play.