Closing 62 by Hoffman leaves field in his wake

New England was spared being damaged by harsh winds when Hurricane Earl barely touched its coast last weekend, but the same couldn't be said of the Deutsche Bank Championship field yesterday in Norton, Mass.

With little warning, Hurricane Charley Hoffman did a category 5 number on the front-runners. Powered by a closing-round 62 that included 11 birdies, he overcame a four-shot deficit at the beginning of the day and blew past the leaders on his way to a five-shot victory over Jason Day, Geoff Ogilvy and Luke Donald.

With his first victory of the season and just the second of his PGA Tour career, Hoffman shot up to second in the FedEx Cup point list. The convincing victory also secured his PGA Tour playing privileges through the end of 2012 and qualifies him to compete at Augusta National for the first time at next year's Masters Tournament.

Not bad for a guy just hoping to advance into the next round of the FedEx Cup playoffs and who is more recognized for the shoulder-length blond locks protruding from beneath his hat -- ala Harry Dunne from the comedy cult classic "Dumb & Dumber" -- than for his golf game.

Hoffman's performance was so strong that he might have entered into Corey Pavin's U.S. Ryder Cup team plans simply because all of the other contenders didn't do much to distinguish themselves at the TPC Boston. Pavin will announce his four captain's picks today at the New York Stock Exchange.

"The best perk, hopefully, will be a Ryder Cup berth," Hoffman said after closing with the best finish by a winner at the TPC Boston since the tournament began in 2003. "Obviously, I wasn't in contention, but I hope I am now. It would be an honor to play, and I think I can play well."

But if his name is not called when Pavin announces his selections, Hoffman isn't about to lose any sleep.

"You're not going to take this one away from me," he said after finishing at 22-under 262 and tying the tournament record first set by Vijay Singh in 2008.

As things stand, Tiger Woods is expected to be a Ryder Cup pick along with Zach Johnson and possibly Stewart Cink. J.B. Holmes, who tied for 11th at TPC Boston, would bring length and an improved short game to the team. Potential rookies like Sean O'Hair, Rickie Fowler and Nick Watney have had their moments but haven't stepped up recently. Another player possibly in the mix is Ryan Palmer.

Woods, who easily advanced in the FedEx Cup playoffs, shot a 69 and held on to his No. 1 ranking for the 274th week in a row thanks to Phil Mickelson, who crashed and burned on the back nine with a triple bogey and double bogey on his way to a 76. Ouch!

Information from GolfObserver.com, EPSN.com, Golf.com and the Associated Press contributed to this post.