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ATLANTA -- Just three weeks ago, Billy Horschel had every reason to start looking ahead to next season. He had missed the cut in the first FedEx Cup playoff event to fall to No. 82 in the standings. He only had two top 10s all year, scant evidence that he was on the verge of something special. He was weeks away from becoming a father. What followed was the best golf of his life, and a payoff that was more than he could grasp. Im not sure life can be better than this, Horschel said. Horschel capped off his improbable playoff run Sunday at East Lake by pulling away from Rory McIlroy early and holding off Jim Furyk late. He posted his 12th straight round in the 60s -- a 2-under 68 -- to win the Tour Championship by three shots and claim the FedEx Cup and its $10 million bonus. Thats what these FedEx Cup playoffs are all about -- who can get the hot hand over the last four tournaments. Horschel took that to a level only Tiger Woods can appreciate. No one had ever won the FedEx Cup starting the playoffs lower than No. 19. Horschel started at No. 69. But he was the runner-up in Boston, a winner in Denver and he cashed in big in Atlanta. Those three weeks of prize money and the FedEx Cup bonus were worth nearly $13.5 million. I remember flying home and talking with my wife and she said, Youre probably just waiting for the season to be over and start a new season. I sort of was, Horschel said. But at the same time, I knew my game was in the right shape and I just needed to get out of my own way. I needed to allow my golf game to show. It was just too late to show Ryder Cup captain Tom Watson. Horschels timing was perfect for the FedEx Cup, not so much for the Ryder Cup. Watson made his three captains picks after the Deutsche Bank Championship -- Horschel was the runner-up -- and he had no reason to select a guy whose only PGA Tour win was last year in New Orleans. Now the Americans head to Scotland without the hottest hand in golf. McIlroy will have to settle for a year worth more than $10 million -- two majors, a World Golf Championship and undisputed No. 1 in the world. He lost his way with a tee shot into the water for double bogey on the par-3 fifth, and self-destructed with three sloppy bogeys around the turn. Three consecutive birdies late in the round gave him a 71 and a tie for second place with Furyk, who closed with back-to-back bogeys for a 69. This was the Billy Horschel show all week -- all month. Clinging to a one-shot lead, he calmly sank an 8-foot par putt on No. 13 to avoid his first three-putt of the week and stay one shot ahead of Furyk. The biggest blow came at the 16th hole when Horschel drove right into the trees, wisely pitched back to the fairway and saw his approach spin back 30 feet short of the cup. The putt never looked as if it was going anywhere but in. It came off and got up on top of that ridge and I said, This looks good. And it went in, and it was huge, Horschel said. I knew Jim was nipping at my heels and everything, and that was a big, big putt. Furyk came up short with his approach on the 17th and made bogey to fall two shots behind, and he three-putted the 18th trying to force a birdie. That made things easy on Horschel, who drilled his tee shot onto the green for a two-putt par to finish at 11-under 269. Horschel shared hugs and a few tears with his parents. His wife was home in Florida. Hopefully, shes not going into labour right now, he said. Not to worry. Brittany Horschel tweeted a picture of her smiling with her hands on her belly that said, We made it! congrats daddy! McIlroys birdies at the end earned him a little extra cash. He wound up No. 3 in the FedEx Cup, which paid an additional $2 million. Chris Kirk, who started the Tour Championship as the No. 1 seed in the FedEx Cup, closed with a 68 and tied for fourth with Justin Rose (69) and Jason Day (69). Kirk was second in the FedEx Cup and earned a $3 million bonus. It was the second time McIlroy had the biggest year without winning the FedEx Cup. He is a shoo-in to be PGA Tour player of the year, as he was in 2012. He was in better position this time -- tied for the lead through four holes -- until Horschel pulled away and the worlds No. 1 player ran out of steam. Needing to start picking up ground on the 600-yard ninth hole, he blasted his drive so far right that it wound up a foot away from the out-of-bounds fence of the practice range. There was no way out. With his caddie and a rules official ducking in the holly bushes, McIlroy slashed out with a wedge over the bushes and through a gap in the trees that only he saw. Next, he had a mobile TV truck lowered to ground level to get his third into the fairway. But his wedge came up short, and he made bogey. Two more bogeys later, he was five shots behind and out of the mix. I just got really frustrated and just couldnt muster the energy to try and get something going again, McIlroy said. Cheap Authentic Jerseys 2020 . On Saturday night, Winnipegs strong offense was again accompanied by some fantastic pitching which gave the Fish a commanding victory. Cheap NFL Jerseys 2020 . Anor had not scored since getting his first two goals of the season vs. Philadelphia on March 22 but struck with laser precision from distance in the 56th and 75th minutes. Montreal (3-10-5) lost its third straight and Impact coach Frank Klopas said it literally was a case of his players not stepping up. https://www.wholesalejerseysreview.com/. Instead, Nonis and Kessel were sorting through the fallout of a wild melee with the Buffalo Sabres, one that saw Kessel suspended for the duration of the pre-season. Wholesale Jerseys Review . -- A 25-year-old freelance journalist from British Columbia was formally charged on Thursday with a felony, five days after she was arrested in the United States over allegations she threatened to kill her hockey player boyfriend. Wholesale Jerseys 2020 . -- The Val-dOr Foreurs made it to the Memorial Cup semifinal thanks to their workhorse goaltender and their ability to hang around like a bad cold.ST. PAUL, Minn. - Nino Niederreiter snagged the puck off the boards and rushed toward the net, deftly setting up a wrist shot with a slick deke to each side. The puck whizzed past Nashville goalie Carter Huttons stick to give Minnesota an overtime victory but, before it got there, it had to elude Niederreiters good friend. Niederreiters goal with 2:44 left in the extra period lifted the Wild past the Predators 3-2 on Thursday night, and the tipped shot went between the legs of Roman Josi, who will play with Niederreiter next week for Switzerland in the Olympics. Theyll be roommates, actually. "I might mention it to him right now, but Im not sure if hell be happy about it," Niederreiter said. "At the same time, like I said, it was a big win for us and we needed those points. It felt like a playoff game out there because it was a pretty tough one." Jonas Brodin and Zach Parise scored early to offset two goals for the Predators by Craig Smith, who raised his team-leading total to 18. Hutton made 33 saves and helped thwart a Wild power play in the waning minutes of regulation, but that wasnt quite enough. All three goals Hutton gave up were to his stick side. "It was like a knuckle puck," Hutton said of Niederreiters winner. Josi was impressed by his buddy but not happy with him. "We didnt play that well in the first. We played a little slow, and they got on us quick. After that we played a good game. We obviously wanted two points, but its good to get a point on the road," Josi said. Smith tied the game midway through the second period when he redirected defenceman Victor Bartleys shot past Darcy Kuemper, who made his 12th straight start in goal for the Wild. The Predators hit the post twice in that middle frame and with another try in the third period. "A little bit of puck luck goes a long way," Kuemper said, adding: "I was just trying to do my part to battle and help the guys out because they were sure helping me out." Kuemper made 16 saves to improve to 7-3-2 since Jan. 1, and the Wild raised their home record to 21-7-2 this season.dddddddddddd Coach Mike Yeo stressed to his players this week the danger of looking ahead to the break and not letting up against a team behind them in the standings, and their performance suggested the message was received. "I was real impressed with our guys, the way that they approached this game," Yeo said. "I asked them for a playoff-type mentality coming into the game, and thats a lot to ask for in February when youre about to go on a long break, but they brought it." Parise wasnt worried about a letup. "I think were all mature enough that we understood we have a game still before, and I dont think that was ever a concern about guys thinking about their flights tomorrow or their plans for the break," he said. The Predators had a jarring start to their day, when television announcer Pete Weber was taken for emergency heart surgery and general manager David Poile was hit by an errant puck that flew off the ice during the morning skate and hit him in the face where he was standing behind the bench. Poile was staying in a hospital overnight for observation and evaluation, the team said, and was unable to be present for the pregame ceremony the Wild held for all the Olympians in attendance for each team. Poile is the general manager for Team USA. "There was some bad stuff that happened today, but weve got to come out and find a way to get two points," Hutton said. "Good for them. We werent able to do it." The Predators are in last place in the Central Division but still within striking distance of the playoffs. "It was a good road point considering all the stuff that went on today," coach Barry Trotz said, adding: "We grind them out." NOTES: Wild D Marco Scandella sat out due to a sprained knee sustained the previous game. LW Stephane Veilleux cleared waivers and was sent to AHL affiliate Iowa. ... Smith has 20 points and 12 goals in his last 23 games. ... Niederreiter has 12 points and a plus-six rating in his last 19 games. ' ' '