Holmes sneaks into CA Championship field

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J.B. Holmes moved into the top 10 of the FedExCup to earn a spot in the CA Championship.

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. -- J.B. Holmes thought he had cost himself a lot more than a nice paycheck when he played his last three holes in 4 over Sunday.

He thought he had cost himself a spot in this week's World Golf Championships-CA Championship at TPC Blue Monster at Doral. That's why he tossed his ball in the water after a final-hole bogey dropped him into a 12th-place tie at The Honda Classic at PGA National.

But Holmes was relieved a few minutes later in the scoring trailer when he learned that, despite his late struggles, he had qualified for the CA Championship by moving from 11th into a tie for ninth place in the FedExCup standings.

"I could use some good news now," Holmes said, managing a smile.

Holmes needed a top-10 finish at The Honda Classic to clinch his spot. He appeared to be cruising toward that goal when he opened Sunday's final round with a pair of birdies on The Champion course but barely hung on after shooting a 40 on the back nine.

It may not have been pretty, but he got the job done.

"I'm getting in Doral. That was my goal at the beginning of the week," Holmes said. "I'm trying to get in the top 50 in the world (rankings), (to) get into Doral and get into the Masters. I've been playing great, and it's been a pretty good week. I could have helped myself a little bit better if I had finished better, but all in all, it's not a bad break."

Holmes is expected to improve his No. 61 world ranking but probably still needs another good finish or two to move into the top 50 and qualify for the Masters. That's why making an elite field such as the CA Championship, with its high world ranking points, was so critical.

Holmes seems a perfect fit for the TPC Blue Monster layout because of his prodigious length. But in two previous starts at Doral, he tied for 40th in the 2008 CA Championship and missed the cut in the Ford Championship at Doral in 2006.

"I wasn't a real big fan of it," Holmes said of the TPC Blue Monster. "I thought, if the wind doesn't blow, you shoot 68 and you get lapped. Eighteen is a tough hole out there, but if the wind doesn't blow, people can shoot low."

Asked what his plans originally were for next week, Holmes didn't hesitate.

"To be playing at Doral," he said, smiling.

Mission accomplished. Barely.