Tour Championship win gives Haas FedEx Cup

In the richest playoff in golf history, Bill Haas came up with the shots that matched the money.

With his ball half-submerged on the bank of a lake, Haas blasted out of the water to about 3 feet to save par on the second playoff hole against Hunter Mahan, then got up-and-down for par on the 18th green at East Lake in Atlanta to win the Tour Championship and the FedEx Cup.

Haas won a combined $11.44 million – including $10 million for capturing the FedEx Cup.

“It was all or nothing,” Haas said of his shot from the water left of the 17th green.

That’s what this playoff felt like.

Mahan had to settle for $864,000 for his runner-up finish, and $700,000 for finishing seventh in the FedEx Cup. The difference between winning and losing was $9.876 million.

Haas won for the first time this year, and the payoff could be more than just a massive bank deposit. Fred Couples makes his final captain’s pick on Tuesday for the Presidents Cup, and Haas put on quite a show.

Even if Couples wasn’t watching, his assistant captain had a great view: Jay Haas, Bill’s dad, was in the gallery at East Lake, and raised his arms as his 29-year-old son delivered the most riveting conclusion in the five-year history of the FedEx Cup.

“I’m proud of him the way he came back,” Jay Haas said.

Only a week ago, Haas was poised to make the Presidents Cup on his own until a 42 on the back nine at Cog Hill. He was atop the leaderboard Saturday at East Lake until a bogey-double bogey finish.

And he almost let it get away from him again. Haas had a three-shot lead when he walked off the 15th green, only to make bogey from the trees on the 16th and bogey from the gallery on the 18th for a 2-under 68.

Mahan had to make par on the 232-yard closing hole. He hit a clutch chip – the biggest weakness in his game – and holed a 5-foot par putt for a 71 to join Haas in the high-stakes playoff.

In the third hole of the playoff, they went back to the 18th for the third time in less than an hour, Haas avoided the gallery and went left of the green. Mahan found the bunker, then blasted out some 15 feet by the hole and missed. Haas chipped to 3 feet and holed it for the biggest putt of his young career.

• Tiger Woods has hired Joe LaCava to be his third full-time caddie.

Two people aware of the deal told the Associated Press on Sunday that LaCava decided to leave Dustin Johnson, one of the most talented young Americans, to go to work for the former world No. 1 who hasn’t won in the last two years.

They spoke on condition of anonymity because neither Woods nor Johnson had spoken publicly about the hire.

Solheim Cup

Europe won the Solheim Cup for the first time since 2003 on Sunday, finishing powerfully to beat the United States 15-13 at Killeen Castle in Dunsany, Ireland.

Caroline Hedwall of the Netherlands earned a crucial halved match with Ryann O’Toole – after being two down with two holes left – to give Europe a 14-13 lead.

Spain’s Azahara Munoz birdied the 17th in the final singles to go one up on Angela Stanford and guarantee Europe’s victory before closing out a one hole victory at the last.