Round 4: Deutsche Bank Championship

By Mike McAllister, PGATOUR.COM

NORTON, Mass. — It was a sensational front nine for Brandt Snedeker in Monday’s final round. He posted six birdies in his first nine holes, went out in 30 and put himself squarely in contention to win the Deutsche Bank Championship.

But then he lost something — specifically, his rhythm. It might have cost him the tournament.

Snedeker

Snedeker, who’s been streaky-hot lately, suffered a cold spell of three bogeys during a five-hole stretch on his back nine. Although he answered with birdies on his last two holes, his 13 under total will come up short.

"Just got off to a great start," Snedeker said, "… and before I knew it, made a few putts and turned into a great front nine.

"Really thought I could shoot something really special on the back but wasn’t able to do it."

Snedeker found himself in the rough several times during his back nine, as the winds "made it tough to pull a club all day. He missed four of seven fairways coming in.

"The course is not a course you can play out of the rough," Snedeker said. "I found that out on the back nine. Just made it really, really tough and trying on your patience call day."

“My rhythm got a little bit off,” he added.

Snedeker did have his putter going; he needed just 24 putts, the same number he had in shooting a second-round 64. But it wasn’t enough.

"I hadn’t putted very good at all, up to my standards at least, from the 5-8 foot range," Snedeker said. "Really worked on it hard last night and came out today and made a lot of those putts that you need to make the keep rounds going, especially when the wind is blowing like this."