BMW Championship, Rd. 3
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By PGATOUR.COM Staff
WOODS SETS COURSE RECORD (5:55 p.m.): Eight birdies? Check. One eagle? Check. Course-record 62? Check. And that was with a bogey on the first hole by Tiger Woods.
The end result? A seven-shot lead for Woods, who is well on his way to his sixth victory of the year. At one point during the telecast on Saturday, NBC came back from commercial break playing Frank Sinatra's "My kind of town, Chicago" with a montage of Woods set to the music.
The Windy City certainly has been Woods' kind of town and Saturday he blew away the field. If he wins Sunday -- he's 46 of 50 when leading after 54 holes -- it will be Woods' fifth career victory at Cog Hill.
"It was one of those days that kind of built upon itself," Woods told NBC afterward.
That it did. After an errant tee shot on the first hole that led to a bogey, Woods looked up at the leaderboard and saw Padraig Harrington 3 under through four holes and knew he had to step on the accelerator. Woods did exactly that, hitting 16 of 18 greens in regulation while taking 27 putts. Woods made the turn in 31 and came home in 31, breaking a course record owned, in part, by who else ... himself.
The only question remaining for Sunday is who will come in second. And just in case you're wondering about the last time Woods blew a 54-hole lead? Easy, it was at this year's PGA Championship, where he led by two, but lost by three to Y.E. Yang. The good news, aside from a seven-shot lead? Yang is 25 shots back this time. -- Brian Wacker
Below is a look at Woods' scorecard from today:
TRYING TO GET HOME (5:46 p.m.): Many golfers at Cog Hill will be pushing to climb inside the top 30 in FedExCup points and secure their place for THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola.
But no player may be pushing harder than Matt Kuchar, the former Georgia Tech All-American.
"It would mean an awful lot to play at East Lake," Kuchar said. "It's almost a home course for me."
Kuchar certainly pushed hard on Saturday, shooting a 5-under 66 that included a string of five consecutive birdies from hole Nos. 12-16.
"It's hard to believe I made five birdies in a row out there," Kuchar said. "That was completely unexpected."
Kuchar entered the Playoffs 77th in FedExCup points, but moved to 46th starting this week. He's currently projected at 26th.
"These playoffs have been exciting for me," Kuchar said. "I don't know how they've treated everybody else." -- Mike McAllister
ANOTHER BIRDIE FOR WOODS (5:35 p.m.): Michael Jordan, who was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame Friday night, had a message for his pal, Tiger Woods. What was it? "Kill or be killed," according to NBC's Dan Hicks.
Woods must have been listening. Pun intended, he's lapping the field, having just made fifth birdie of the back nine and eighth of the day -- he also had an eagle -- to get to 9 under for the day and 16 under for the tournament.
Early in the week, it looked like there was no chance Woods' tournament record of 22 under, not a a devilishly redesigned Cog Hill. Suddenly, that's in sight. So is a course record (63, eight times, including twice by Woods) and so is a tournament record (62 by Jim Furyk last year at Bellerive).
Simply put, this is one of those days you run out of superlatives to describe Woods or his play. By the way, if he pars 18, Woods will set that course record and tie the tournament record. -- Brian Wacker
TIGER EXTENDS HIS LEAD (5:20 p.m.): Tiger Woods looks like he's well on his way to a fifth career win at Cog Hill, where he just made his third straight birdie and fourth in the last five holes to get to 8 under for the day and 15 under for the week -- five shots clear of the field at the moment.
Steve Stricker might have owned the first two weeks of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup with a runner-up and a win last week, but you knew Woods wouldn't be down for long. The course record at Cog Hill is 63, which has been shot eight times -- two of them by Woods. Right now, Woods could par in and tie that record.
Woods has barely missed a green in regulation all day -- just two of them, in fact -- and with 22 putts through 15 holes, he obviously has the flat stick working, too. When he plays like that, he doesn't lose. -- Brian Wacker
GARCIA COULD BE GOING HOME (5:10 p.m.): Sergio Garcia is one of just three players who have played in every round since the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup debuted in 2007.
But unless Garcia can make a move in Sunday's final round at Cog Hill, it appears his streak may soon end.
Garcia shot his second consecutive 68 on Saturday, but at 6 under for the tournament, he's still projected at 40th in FedExCup points (he entered this week 55th in points). He'll need to finish inside the top 30 to move on to East Lake.
Steve Stricker and Jim Furyk are the other two pros who have played in every Playoffs round.
Stricker, who won the Deutsche Bank Championship last week, is assured of being no lower than second in points going into East Lake.
Furyk entered this week 18th in FedExCup points and is projected to ninth after a 4-under 67 left him tied with Garcia at 6 under. -- Mike McAllister
SENDEN NEEDS A STRONG FINISH (5 p.m.): John Senden came to Cog Hill ranked 29th in the FedExCup. Make no mistake, though. He had no false sense of security.
The Aussie knew that he had to play well this week to have a shot at advancing to THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola for the first time in his career. And he has, riding a 66 Saturday into a tie for fourth.
"(The FedExCup is) always in the back of your mind but I'm focusing on golf shots and what I need to do to get there -- and that's just being in the present with every single shot and go out tomorrow and hopefully do the same thing," Senden said. "I feel good about my game. ... Tomorrow will be a challenge and I've got to focus on this tournament and not what happens in the FedExCup for me because if I do that, the FedExCup will take care of itself."
Senden had an adventurous round Saturday that included six birdies, an eagle and three bogeys. The eagle came courtesy of a 3-wood that settled 5 feet from the pin at the 11th hole. Asked if he thought he might have a double eagle for the second straight week, Senden merely smiled.
"I don't know whether I could get that lucky two weeks in a row," he said. "But it certainly helped the day."
The eagle capped a stretch of three holes that he played in 4 under as he made the turn. Senden, who leads the TOUR in ball-striking, wedged to 9 inches at the par-5 ninth for the first birdie and added a 5-footer at the 10th. His other birdie putts came from 14, 14, 11 and 9 feet.
"I played really well yesterday as well and didn't get the putts at all," Senden said. "I freed up the putter and I felt good with myself out there and let it go a little bit better, I guess. The golf course is demanding but the greens are still soft. You've still got good scoring out there, I guess. So I'm looking forward to tomorrow." -- Helen Ross
NOT SO EASY (4:52 p.m.:): It was a tough finish for Ernie Els on Saturday.
His tee shot at the par-4 18th found the primary rough. His second shot then landed precariously close to the pond that sits to the left side of the green.
Although Els did not have a stance to hit the ball from his regular right side, he opted to flip around an iron and attempt his third shot lefthanded. Alas, the ball skidded off his club and into the water.
Els then had to take a penalty shot and take a drop back in the fairway. After hitting his fifth shot to within 8 feet, Els holed the putt for double bogey -- his second double bogey of the day -- and a 6-over 76. That leaves Els at 6 over for the tournament.
Starting the week 20th in FedExCup points, Els is now projected at 25th. He needs to avoid another high number on Sunday in order to secure his spot for East Lake. -- Mike McAllister
ELEVENTH HEAVEN (4:38 p.m.): As NBC pointed out in its coverage, the par-5 11th at Cog Hill has been very friendly to Tiger Woods in recent years. Since the second round of the then-Cialis Western Open in 2005, Woods is 13 under in his last 14 trips to the 610-yard hole,, including Saturday's birdie that moved him to 12 under for the tournament. -- Mike McAllister
Here is Tiger's results at the 11th at Cog Hill in recent years:
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KUCHAR MAKING A CHARGE (4:18 p.m.): Matt Kuchar is not only charging up the projected FedExCup standings, he's charging up the leaderboard. Kuchar just poured in his fifth straight birdie and eighth of the day to get to 6 under on his round and 9 under for the week.
Tiger Woods might've just added another birdie of his own to extend his lead to 3, but Kuchar is looking a lot like he did at the 1997 U.S. Amateur, which he won here at Cog Hill.
Kuchar, who began the week 46th in the FedExCup standings, is now projected to finish eighth. If Kuchar, who starred at Georgia Tech in the late 1990s and 2000, does finish in the top 30 in the FedExCup standings after this week, he would earn his first career trip to THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola. -- Brian Wacker
SUTHERLAND NEEDS TO KEEP IT GOING (4:10 p.m.): A year ago, Kevin Sutherland made his first appearance at THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola, a nice reward for a player who has been on the PGA TOUR since 1996.
But to get back to East Lake, Sutherland will need to come out firing on Sunday, just like he has in his last two rounds this week at Cog Hill.
After opening with a disappointing 4-over 75, Sutherland posted consecutive 67s and is now 4 under for the tournament. When he finished his round Saturday, he was tied for 12th.
To make his second trip to East Lake, he needs to move inside the top 30 in FedExCup points. He entered this week 45th in points and was projected at 39th when he finished his round Saturday.
"I need another really good round tomorrow," said Sutherland, who lost in a playoff at The Barclays last year. "I figured I need at least a top five to get into the top 30. Just need a really good day tomorrow."
Sutherland had just two top-10 finishes this year, his best finish a tie for fifth at the Wyndham Championship. Last week, he finished tied for 15th.
"I've had a nice little stretch here," Sutherland said. "I feel like I'm playing good golf. I got off to a bad start this week -- I was 6 over at one point -- but I've been playing well since."
The key for Sutherland will be his tee shots. Driving accuracy has not been his strong suit in recent years -- his hasn't ranked inside the top 100 in driving accuracy since 2006 -- so he needs to find the fairway on Sunday.
"I'm playing good, I'm putting good," he said. "But my driver has been a little bit erratic. When I've find the fairway, though, I'm leaving myself with good birdie putts." -- Mike McAllister
NA ON HIS ROUND (3:55 p.m.): Kevin Na has a little more ground to make up this week than he did at TPC Boston. But he's once again in contention entering the final round, this time of the BMW Championship.
Na scooted up the leaderboard when he fired a 65 on Saturday to move from a tie for 41st into the top 10. The round of 6 under tied Zach Johnson for the low of the tournament so far.
Na trailed the leader, Marc Leishman, by four when he finished. A week ago, Na was one shot off the lead but closed with a 71.
"I am in somewhat contention to win," said Na, who is looking for his first on TOUR. "It's going to take another great round tomorrow. I'm not really going to think about that. I'm just going to go out there and play well and see where that puts me at the end."
Na opened with a bogey on Saturday but quickly settled down and made seven birdies the rest of the way. Things really heated up on the back nine as he made a 3-footer at the par-5 11th and then reeled off four birdie putts of 7, 8, 20 and 11 feet in succession started at No. 13 to close with a 31.
"I putted really well today," Na acknowledged. "I got off to a poor start a little bit and I started hitting it straighter but I was sitll rolling it great. So gave myself a lot of chances for birdie and I was rolling them in so it was nice."
Na started the week ranked 23rd in the FedExCup so he has a golden opportunity to advance to THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola for the first time. A berth among the top 30 in the final FedExCup standings earns Na a spot in the first three majors of 2010. He has played in two PGAs but has never played in the Masters, U.S. Open or British Open.
"It looks like I'm looking good for THE TOUR Championship so I'm pleased about that and I'm looking forward to Atlanta," Na said. "... Hopefully I can post another good round tomorrow." -- Helen Ross
Below is a look at Na's scorecard from today:
TIGER AT THE TURN (3:43 p.m.): How good was Tiger Woods' second shot at the par-5 ninth? Well, consider that after hitting a 300-plus yard drive, Woods launched his 3-wood second shot just over 275 yards before the ball settled just inside 11 feet from the hole.
Woods made the eagle and subsequently took the lead by himself at 11 under after making the turn in 4-under 31. Woods also made three birdies on the front nine following his opening-hole bogey. -- Brian Wacker
LEISHMAN IN THE LEAD (3:15 p.m.): While Mark Wilson, and even Tiger Woods to some extent, have struggled at the outset of their rounds, Marc Leishman hasn't. One of two rookies still left in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup, Leishman is 4 under through his first eight holes today and now 10 under for the week and in the lead by two over Woods.
Leishman has missed just two fairways and two greens in regulation so far and had the flat stick going with four straight one-putts on Nos. 3 through 6. Leishman, who entered the week 67th in FedExCup points, is now projected to move up to third should he go on to win.
There's a long way to go, though, and he's hardly alone. Woods, as mentioned, is just two back, while David Toms has moved into contention, too, with a round of 4 under through his first 13 holes to get to 7 under for the week (along with Padraig Harrington). -- Brian Wacker
TIGER UPDATE (2:55 p.m.): For the second consecutive day, Tiger Woods found the second bunker down the left side of the fairway with his opening drive.
And for the second consecutive day, it cost him a stroke.
Woods, who entered the third round as the co-leader with Mark Wilson, bogeyed the par-4 first when he landed in the bunker. Unlike the previous day, when he landed in nearly the same spot, Woods had an opportunity to reach the green.
But his approach shot found the primary rough on the back side of the green, and he could not get up-and-down for par.
Woods managed to get the stroke back at the par-4 third when his approach shot landed inside 15 feet and he drained the birdie putt, but he's now three back of new leader Marc Leishman (4 under through his first seven holes today). -- Mike McAllister
FINISHING STRONG (2:40 p.m.): At No. 23 in FedExCup points, Kevin Na came into the week in pretty good, but not great, shape in terms of qualifying for his fist TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola. Saturday, he did a pretty good job of making sure he doesn't drop any further.
After a 1-under 34 on the front nine at Cog Hill, Na cranked it up on the back, making five birdies over his final eight holes to turn in the best round of the day so far, a 6-under 65.
Na scrambled well all day after hitting just 8 of 14 fairways and 11 of 18 greens in regulation while taking just 23 putts. The 65 also moves Na into the top 10 (for now) and certainly puts him in good shape to secure a spot at East Lake going into tomorrow's round. -- Brian Wacker
STRICKER SOLID (2:30 p.m.): It hasn't been the most productive of weeks for FedExCup points leader Steve Stricker, but he did post a solid 3-under 68 on Saturday, his best result in his first three rounds at Cog Hill.
That leaves him at even par for the tournament.
Stricker, thanks to his win last week at the Deutsche Bank Championship, can only be caught by one player -- Tiger Woods -- this week on the points list. Since he's guaranteed a top-five spot for THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola, he's one of the few players who's not feeling much pressure this week.
No matter how Stricker finishes at Cog Hill, he will still control his own destiny at East Lake -- if he wins there, he will be the FedExCup champion.
Stricker shot 72-73 in the first two days to effectively take himself out of the tournament. He had a bogey-double bogey stretch in the middle of his back nine on Friday, with the double bogey coming at the par-5 15th.
On Saturday, Stricker reeled together three consecutive birdies, including one at the 15th. But typical of his week, he sandwiched that three-hole stretch with bogeys at the 13th and 17th. -- Mike McAllister
HARRINGTON OFF TO HOT START (2:17 p.m.): If Padraig Harrington keeps playing like this, Steve Stricker might have to be stripped of his "Mr. September" moniker.
Harrington, who entered the third round having made just one bogey all week, continues to play today with birdies on two of his first three holes. Thanks to that, Harrington is now in the lead at 8 under.
In two Playoffs events this year, Harrington has finished in a tie for second (The Barclays) and in a tie for fourth (Deutsche Bank Championship). Last year, Harrington missed the cut in those two events and finished in a tie for 55th in this one. In 2007, his best Playoffs result was a tie for 11th at THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola.
OK, so maybe he has some catching up to do in terms of Stricker's Playoffs career, but he's certainly well on his way today. -- Brian Wacker
CAMPBELL'S UPHILL CLIMB (2:15 p.m.): Chad Campbell faces an uphill battle to make the field for THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola. He came to Cog Hill as the last man in at No. 70 in the FedExCup standings and he needs to move into the top 30 to advance.
The Texan is making a bid, too. He has two birdies in his first eight holes, moving him to 4 under for the tournament and within three strokes of the lead. His first birdie came from 19 feet and the second from 7 feet.
Campbell likely needs to finish third of better to earn a spot at East Lake in the finale of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup. -- Helen Ross
A PERFECT 10 (2:10 p.m.): Tiger Woods said the greens at Cog Hill have posed problems this week because the knobs that were added as part of the extensive redesign by Rees Jones make for some difficult putts, and that approach shots aren't holding or spinning back as much as he expects.
"These greens," Woods said, "you have to be so precise going over them."
Of course, you wouldn't know it from Tiger's putting this week.
He enters the third round as the only player at the BMW Championship to not miss a putt from inside 10 feet in the first two days. It's the sixth time in Woods' career since 2003 in which he hasn't missed a putt inside 10 feet through the first two rounds (excluding majors).
See below for how Tiger has fared in non-major events when he hasn't missed a putt inside 10 feet through the first two rounds. -- Mike McAllister
| Perfect inside 10 feet | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Sip of Maginnes | |
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TIGER, WILSON TEE OFF (2 p.m.): Tiger Woods and Mark Wilson teed off about 15 minutes ago in the day's final group (click here to follow them live with Shot Tracker) and it wasn't exactly the kind of start Woods was looking for.
Woods bogeyed the par-4 opening hole for a second straight day after taking three shots to get down from just off the back of the green. That dropped him a shot off the lead. Wilson, meanwhile, made par. -- Brian Wacker
LOCAL FLAVOR (1:55 p.m.): The people of Chicago and its environs should have quite a vested interest in the outcome of this year's BMW Championship.
Not only is Mark Wilson, who lives in the suburb of Elmhurst, tied for the lead with Tiger Woods, but another "local" is in the mix.
Luke Donald, the Englishman who went to school at Northwestern and splits his time between homes in Chicago and West Palm Beach, birdied his second hole on Saturday to move to 4 under and three strokes off the lead. Donald, who is looking to end a three-year victory drought, made a 6-footer at the second hole to get moving in a positive direction in the third round.
Donald missed the cut in his first appearance at Cog Hill as an amateur but he's never finished lower than 30th as a pro. His best finish is a tie for third in 2004. -- Helen Ross
MOVING DAY (1:45 p.m.): With the final groups teeing off, here is a look at the third-round scoring averages for the top six players on the leaderboard as they begin their rounds today. -- Mike McAllister
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TWEET OF THE DAY (1:30 p.m.): "Which college best represented at Cog Hill? Oklahoma State with 4, followed by Ga Tech with 3." -- Associated Press golf writer Doug Ferguson (@dougferguson405).
On a college football Saturday, that seemed appropriate -- especially given how many players on TOUR are into college football and their respective schools. As for our leaders, Mark Wilson went to North Carolina and Tiger Woods, of course, Stanford. Both their alma maters are playing as we speak, by the way, with the Tar Heels at Connecticut (and currently losing 3-0) and the Cardinal at Wake Forest (and winning 14-3). -- Brian Wacker
TIGER VS. WILSON (1:15 p.m.): Don't expect Mark Wilson to be intimidated by Tiger Woods today when the two tee off in a half-hour from now.
Yes, Woods beat Wilson to win his second U.S. Junior in 1991. But the underdog did own the lead with five holes to go and only lost 1 down. Their history as pros is pretty even, too
In the four times the two have been played together since playing for par, Wilson has won one and tied another with Woods beating him by a total of just three shots in the other two. All four of those rounds came at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard at Bay Hill. -- Helen Ross
| Woods vs. Wilson: When paired together | ||||||||
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COURSE SET-UP (1 p.m.): According to ShotLink data, the pros will not have to play from the back tees on five holes during Saturday's third round.
The hole with the most dramatic reduction in length is the par-3 sixth. On the scorecard, it's listed at 244 yards, but Saturday's length is 187 yards.
That doesn't necessarily mean the hole will play significantly easier. The pin is tucked into the back left, guarded by bunkers in front and behind the green.
The sixth has been one of the five hardest holes this week, currently playing to a stroke average of 0.153 strokes above par.
Here are the holes in which the tees have been moved up, albeit the reductions in length on the par-5 holes are very slight. -- Mike McAllister
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MICKELSON IN THE MIX (12:45 p.m.): It's been a less-than-stellar year for Phil Mickelson on the golf course and that's certainly understandable given all he's had to deal with off it. The PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup haven't been much different, either, with Mickelson finishing outside the top 25 in each of the first two events.
This morning, however, Mickelson is trying to change that. He's already 1 under through his first three holes today and is just four shots off the lead. That's certainly more than respectable when you add in the fact that this has been a short week in terms of preparation and that Mickelson hopped a quick flight home to San Diego from Boston before making his way to Cog Hill. -- Brian Wacker
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SNEDEKER RUNNING OUT OF TIME (12:30 p.m.): For all the talk of a short week and all the important golf that's been played over the last two months, no one can match Brandt Snedeker's schedule.
Snedeker has played 13 out of the last 14 weeks, missing only the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational. He's also played well during that grind, recording a runner-up finish at the John Deere Classic and three other ties for fifth at the AT&T National, RBC Canadian Open and Wyndham Championship.
That streak could be about to end, though, with Snedeker entering this week 42nd in the FedExCup standings. Even though he's playing well again and currently tied for eighth, Snedeker is still projected to finish only 38th, meaning he'll likely need something in the top 5 or top 3 this week. -- Brian Wacker
TRYING TO MAKE A MOVE (12:10 p.m.): Unlike Anthony Kim, who is projected to play his way into the top 30 in the FedExCup standings, Charley Hoffman could be headed out of the top 30.
Hoffman came into the BMW Championship ranked 28th, but after shooting 73-71 in the first two rounds, he dropped to 31st in the latest projections. Well, Hoffman is trying to make up for that today, playing his first 10 holes in 2 under. That's moved him up 15 spots on the leaderboard and if he can get to somewhere around the top 20 by the end of the day, he should be in good shape for tomorrow's final round. -- Brian Wacker
AK HANGING ON ... FOR NOW (11:55 a.m.): Anthony Kim entered this week 34th in FedExCup points, meaning that he'd need to play well to advance to THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola.
So far, Kim has done just that, playing his first 36 holes in 4 under to sit in a tie for eighth. He doesn't have much, if any, room for error this weekend, though -- Kim is currently projected to finish the week 29th in FedExCup standings.
Another thing Kim should be worried about: His scoring average on the weekend. He's been good in the first two rounds with a scoring average of 70.39 before the cut (35th on TOUR) and 70 in the third round (39th on TOUR). Where Kim has gotten into trouble has been the final round, where his average rises to 71.8 (152nd on TOUR). If he does that this weekend, he'll be headed home. -- Brian Wacker
SCENE SETTER (11:45 a.m.): Tiger Woods and Mark Wilson won't tee off in the day's final group until about 2 hours from now and when they do they'll be playing together -- as a twosome -- for the first time since the 1992 U.S. Junior Amateur final.
Guess who won that match? The same guy who will be favored this time around.
The last time Woods and Wilson were paired together period was in the first and second rounds of this year's Arnold Palmer Invitational -- Padraig Harrington was the third member of the group. Woods won that one, too.
Don't sleep on Wilson, though. As you'll see in the chart below, history shows that Wilson gets better with each round at the BMW Championship. Wilson also held just one other second-round lead in his career -- at the 2009 Mayakoba Golf Classic at Riviera Maya-Cancun -- and he converted that into a win.
Woods, however, is 32 for 39 when owning at least a share of the 36-hole lead has won 32 of 39 career TOUR events when holding the second-round lead/co-lead. He's also won here four times previously and has eight top-10s in 10 career starts at the BMW Championship. -- Brian Wacker
| Mark Wilson at the BMW Championship | |||||||||||||||
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