Live notes: First round of BMW Championship

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The first-round leader has won seven of the first 38 stroke-play events on TOUR this year. Will Camilo Villegas make it eight?

The BMW Championship is the third stage of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup, and PGATOUR.COM's crew is on the scene in St. Louis. We'll provide continuous coverage of Friday's first round (postponed from Thursday due to rain), so check back often for live notes.
FIRST ROUND: Leaderboard | PGA TOUR Shot Tracker | FedExCup points points projection
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VILLEGAS BY THE NUMBERS: Here are some key numbers for Camilo Villegas, who leads the BMW Championship after the first round. -- (7:11 p.m. ET)

VILLEGAS WITH LEAD: Camilo Villegas has the lead following a round on the PGA TOUR for the fifth time in his young career. His 5-under 65 leads Steve Stricker, Kenny Perry, Tim Herron, Andres Romero and Stuart Appleby by one shot.

Here is how Villegas, who is still looking for his first PGA TOUR win, has fared with the lead: -- (6:34 p.m. ET)

PIN PLACEMENTS: Jay Williamson, who not only is competing this week but is also a member of Bellerive, on the location of the pins in Friday's first round:

Williamson

"I don't play here as much as I used to before the renovation, but I saw 18 brand-new pin placements out there today," Williamson said.

By the way, even with the new pin placements, the local knowledge may have helped. Williamson shot a 2-under 68, drawing huge roars when he rolled in a 37-foot birdie putt on his final hole to end his round.

"Obviously I'm proud of the way that I've handled my emotions and that I've been able to perform, but I'm really proud of the people that got this golf course together," Williamson said. "I was shocked. The first putt I think I hit went 10 feet past the hole on the practice putting green this morning. The golf course is in phenomenal shape.

"And then secondly, I'm really proud of the crowd here in St. Louis. I wasn't convinced it was a golf crowd, but after making that putt and hearing that roar on No. 9, this is a golf town, and it was a lot of fun out there and I was really happy to be a part of it." -- (6:31 p.m. ET)

KIM UPDATE: Anthony Kim's round of 68 could have been so much better.

Kim

He made birdie on his first two holes and his last two Friday, andadded two more birdies in between. Kim simply gave too many shots back with four bogeys, though.

"I played a lot better than I scored," Kim admitted. "That's been the case the last several months. My game's moving in the right direction. I'm looking forward to putting some good holes together, stringing some good rounds together and then it'll all pay off."

Kim had his chances on Friday, too. He started on the back nine and rolled in a 21-footer at No. 10 and a 22-footer at the 11th. His other birdie putts came from 11, 25, 2 and 30 feet as Kim tied for first in total distance of putts made at 135 feet, 6 inches.

"I'm excited with how I'm playing," said Kim, who entered the BMW Championship ranked sixth in the FedExCup. "It's been coming and my scores haven't shown it. ... I just have to stay patient." -- Helen Ross (6:30 p.m. ET)

PADRAIG'S BETTER: Padraig Harrington missed an 8-footer for birdie on the 18th hole Friday during the first round of the BMW Championship, but overall he couldn't be too disappointed.

Harrington

His round of 1-under 69 left him four strokes off the lead as the man who won the last two majors battles for a spot in THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola.

"68 would've been a good return but 69 is probably what I deserve,' Harrington said.

The Irishman left himself behind the eight-ball when he missed the cut in the first two Playoff events. Harrington was fourth in the FedExCup standings when the Playoffs began but has plummeted to 44 after the two early exits.

Maintaining his focus has been a challenge for Harrington in the aftermath of those two major victories in a four-week span. He sees the sharpness gradually returning, and Friday's first round was another stepping stone.

"The game is obviously pretty good," Harrington said. "Just trying to really recover and get my mindset right coming in here. ... (My focus was) definitely better than it has been the last couple of weeks. Definitely more into it today."

Harrington said he wasn't sure exactly where he needed to finish to make the field for the Playoff finale at East Lake. He figured he needed at least a top-10 but some permutations have it sixth or better. -- Helen Ross (6:24 p.m. ET)

LOW ... BUT NOT TOO LOW: The soft conditions of the greens allowed the players to take target practice at the pins in Friday's first round. But those soft conditions also made an already-long course (7,386 yards) even longer, despite a few of the tee boxes being moved up.

"You just felt like you could really make a lot of putts," said Phil Mickelson, who finished with a 2-under 68. "And with (the greens) being soft, we were able to get the ball close, so you saw a lot of low scores.

"(But) it was hard to go really low because of the length of the course."

Ernie Els also shot a 68 and was just glad that Bellerive was in playable condition, given the three inches of rain that wiped out Thursday's play.

"I think the greenskeepers and the rules officials are really doing a hell of a job," Els said. "The course is in really playable shape."

The key, most players said, was to stay in the fairway and avoid the rough.

"That rough today was wet and it was difficult to get the ball out of it," said Strick Stricker, who's tied for second after a 4-under 66. -- (6:17 p.m. ET)

CLARK BOUNCES BACK: That double bogey on the 10th hole wasn't exactly the way Tim Clark had hoped to start the first round of the BMW Championship.

Clark

"I thought, whew, it's going to be a long day," Clark admitted,

Once he recovered from that errant tee shot at the 10th hole, though, Clark was on top of his game. He made five birdies, hit 11 of 13 remaining fairways and all but two greens.

"Really after that I thought that I played flawless," said Clark, who finished T15 last week at the Deutsche Bank Championship, shooting a second-round 62 in which he challenged the PGA TOUR record of 59..

The rain-sodden Bellerive Country Club was playing particularly long, though, which doesn't play into Clark's favor. He ranks 155th in driving distance with an average of 281.8 yards but still found a way to prosper.

"Obviously, I had a lot of hybrids into some holes today but if you're hitting the ball good, you're still going to be able to score," he said. -- Helen Ross (6 p.m. ET)

VILLEGAS IN AT 65: Camilo Villegas has the lead after finishing with a 5-under 65, a round that included eight birdies -- including four straight from holes 5-8. - (5:45 p.m. ET)

WHO CAN VIJAY ELIMINATE?: Twenty-three players other than Vijay Singh are still mathematically alive to win the FedExCup. (Note: this assumes Singh earns points at both the BMW Championship and THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola.)

All but three of those players (Sergio Garcia, Mike Weir and Justin Leonard) must win this week in St. Louis to avoid elimination -- and some of those players could be eliminated even if they win, depending on what Singh does.

Here is who Singh will mathematically eliminate from FedExCup title contention with a given finish in St. Louis, even if the listed player wins the BMW Championship and moves on to East Lake:

If Mike Weir or Sergio Garcia wins this week in St. Louis, Singh can not clinch the FedExCup this week, regardless of his finish. -- Steve Dennis (5 p.m. ET)

PHIL ON THE GREENS: Phil Mickelson, who finished with a 2-under 68, just told XM radio that the greens at Bellerive "are so pure. You feel like you should make everything." -- (4:57 p.m. ET)

VILLEGAS MOVES IN FRONT: Camilo Villegas just rolled in a 23-foot, 7-inch putt to move to 6 under. Meanwhile, Stuart Appleby just dropped a shot. So now Villegas leads by two strokes with two holes to play. -- (4:55 p.m. ET)

PERRY IN AT 66: Kenny Perry has just finished with a round of 4-under 66 and is now the clubhouse leader.

For Perry, that's his lowest score since shooting 64 in the final round of the U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee -- the last tournament in a six-week stretch in which he won three times and finished T6 in two other starts.

Since shooting that 64, Perry has finished T66 at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational; withdrew after shooting 79 in the first round of the PGA Championship due to an eye injury; finished T48 at The Barclays; and finished T80 at last week's Deutsche Bank Championship.

No doubt U.S. Ryder Cup Captain Paul Azinger is glad to see Perry back in form, with the showdown against the Europeans set for next week at Valhalla.

Perry's playing partners, Phil Mickelson and Anthony Kim, each posted 2-under 68s.

Also finishing with a nice round Friday is Tim Clark, who shot a 3-under 67.

Camilo Villegas and Stuart Appleby currently share the lead at 5 under. -- (4:40 p.m. ET)

MICKELSON UPDATE: Phil Mickelson has birdied his last two holes and is now 2 under with two holes remaining in his round. If he can finish under par, Mickelson will record just his third sub-70 round in his last 13 rounds on the PGA TOUR. -- (4:13 p.m.)

CANADIANS REJOICE!: Not only is Mike Weir continuing his fine play of last week -- despite the length of this course that would not seem to favor a shorter-hitting player like him -- but Stephen Ames is also off to a good start.

Weir is a 3 under and has a bogey-free round through 14 holes. Ames is also at 3 under, having just made the turn. Ames, who teed off on the 10th hole, had five birdies and two bogeys in his first nine.

Weir is assured of getting to THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola, as he started this week third place in points. But Ames needs a big move to reach the final event of the Playoffs; he began the tournament 50th in points. -- (3:56 p.m. ET)

OUTSIDE SHOTS: Of the 16 players currently at 2 under or better, six are currently outside the top 30 and in danger of missing the chance to play at THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola in two weeks.

The most glaring name is Padraig Harrington, who won the last two majors but missed the cut in the first two Playoff events and is currently 44th in the standings. The Irishman, who, is 2 under and two strokes off the lead, likely needs to finish no lower than sixth to advance.

Others among the leaders who need a good week to advance are Tim Herron (No. 48), Stephen Ames (50), Ben Crane (57), Martin Laird (61) and Lucas Glover (62). All are 2 under.

Tim Clark, who ranks 28th, and Geoff Ogilvy, the bubble boy at No. 30, aren't safe, either. Both players are also 2 under, though. -- Helen Ross (3:20 p.m. ET)

WELCOME TO THE PARTY: Kenny Perry entered the Playoffs with the points lead, but didn't do much with it in the first two events. He tied for 48th at The Barclays, and then tied for 80th at the Deutsche Back Championship after missing the "second" cut following the third round.

Perry

That dropped him to ninth in points coming into the BMW Championship.

But he appears to have found his game Friday. Perry is now tied for the early lead at 4 under after reeling off three straight birdies on his second nine (meanwhile Camilo Villegas has bogeyed the fall back to 4 under).

Perry has one-putted his last three holes, with two of his approach shots landing with 6-1/2 feet.

You can follow the rest of Perry's round on PGA TOUR Shot Tracker by clicking here. -- (3:13 p.m. ET)

CAMILO ON A ROLL: Camilo Villegas is now 5 under through eight holes, having just birdied his fourth consecutive hole. So far, he's hit every green in regulation and has one-putted five of those first eight holes. -- (2:54 p.m. ET)

VIJAY'S PUTTING: On his second hole Friday, Vijay Singh drilled in a 30-foot, 9-inch putt for birdie on the par-4 11th (Singh started his round on the 10th hole) and it appeared the same kind of magic he displayed on the greens in the first two Playoff events would carry over to Bellerive.

But since that long putt, the putter has grown cold. For instance, on the 601-yard par 5 17th (which is actually playing at 610 yards Friday), Singh reached the green in two, but he three-putted from 39 feet, settling for par.

The on the par-4 18th, he couldn't save par from eight feet.

In fact, other than his long putt on the 11th, Singh hasn't rolled in a putt longer than five feet in his front nine. -- (2:51 p.m. ET)

NOW AT 4 UNDER: Camilo Villegas just birdied his third consecutive hole, the par-4 seventh in which he nearly holed out from 121 yards before tapping in for birdie. Villegas is now at 4 under.

You can follow the rest of Villegas' round on PGA TOUR Shot Tracker by clicking here. -- (2:25 p.m. ET)

CAMILO UPDATE: Camilo Villegas, who was in the final group in Monday's final round of the Deutsche Bank Championship, is the first player to get to 3 under in Friday's first round. Villegas, who is still seeking his first PGA TOUR title, just rolled in a 9-foot, 8-inch putt for birdie at the par-3 6th. -- (2:17 p.m. ET)

NEW RECORD: The 3.34 inches of rain that wiped out Thursday's first round goes down as the wettest day in the history of the Western Open/BMW Championship -- which is saying something considering the tournament dates back to 1899.

Here are the wettest rounds in tournament history. -- (1:57 p.m.):

SUNSHINE ON THE WAY?: According to the latest weather forecasts, the cloudy skies currently hovering over Bellerive will burn off and allow for some sunshine by early- to mid-afternoon. Temperatures will eventualy warm into the lows 70s this afternoon.

Looking ahead, Saturday's 36-hole day (second and third rounds) will see mostly cloudy skies during the afternoon and evening hours, but the day will be dry with no precipitation expected.. On Sunday, partly cloudy skies can be expected with highs around 80 before a cold front moves into the region that night. -- (1:50 p.m. ET)

THOMPSON BOUNCES BACK: Having opened with a double bogey at the 10th hole, Nicholas Thompson rebounded nicely with three consecutive birdies -- a 9-1/2-foot birdie putt on the 11th, a 16-foot birdie putt on the 12th and a 37-foot bomb on the 13th that got him to red numbers at 1 under for his round. -- (1:30 p.m. ET)

KIM OUT FAST: Anthony Kim has started off quickly, draining a 20-foot, 8-inch putt for birdie on the 10th hole, then following that with an even longer putt -- a 21-foot, 9-inch putt for birdie on the 11th hole. He two-putted for par from 44 feet, 7 inches at the 12th. -- (12:58 p.m. ET)

BIG GREENS: Steve Stricker thinks the player who can figure out Bellerive's big greens the quickest will be at a huge advantage this week.

Stricker

"They're huge," Stricker said of the size of the greens. "It's taken a little while to get used to because of the speed of them -- they're quite a bit slower than what we played last week (at TPC Boston).

"They look like they should be really fast and they're just not rolling out yet. I image that will be the hardest part if it rains -- just getting the ball to the hole." -- (12:46 p.m. ET)

PREFERRED LIES: Lift, clean and place rules are in effect Friday. It's the 11th tournament this season on the PGA TOUR when "preferred lies" are allowed. Here's the list. -- (12:42 p.m. ET)

TOUGH START: Tim Clark, who last week in the second round of the Deutsche Bank Championship shot a 9-under 62 after threatening to tie the PGA TOUR record of 59, probably isn't going to shoot 62 on Friday. He started off with a double-bogey on the 10th hole after hitting his tee shot way left and having to take a penalty stroke.

Incidentally, Clark's 72nd hole last Sunday at TPC Boston was a double-bogey.

Nicholas Thompson also took a double-bogey on the 10th. Both Clark and Thompson bounced back with birdies on the 11th hole, however.

As for the 10th, though -- you can probably expect to see several of those kinds of scores this week at that hole, which is a 505-yard par 4 (although it's playing at 482 yards on Friday). The players will be aiming at a pin placement Friday that's tucked in on the right side behind a protective bunker, six paces from the right and 16 paces from the front.

Earlier this week, Vijay Singh said the 10th is "one of the hardest par-4s I've played." If it's hard for Vijay, you can imagine how the rest of the field feels. -- Mike McAllister (12:24 p.m. ET)

AND WE'RE OFF: The first groups have just teed off as scheduled. Padraig Harrington, Jerry Kelly and Scott Verplank are on the first hole; John Merrick, Charlie Wi and Nicholas Thompson are on the 10th hole. Due to the wet conditions, players will be allowed to lift, clean and place. -- (11:40 a. m. ET)

PARKING INFO: Due to the heavy rains Thursday, the public and volunteer parking area at Hunter Farms off Ladue Road is impassable and is closed for Friday's opening round.

There will be no ticketholder parking at Bellerive on Friday. Shuttle service to and from Bellerive Country Club will be provided free of charge. Additional info for Friday's round only:

PARKING: Parking will be provided free of charge for volunteer and golf fans at Verizon Wireless Amphiteater (Riverport) located on the Earth City Expressway just south of Interstate 70. Golf fans and volunteers should plan to park at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater (Riverport) and shuttle service will be provided to Bellerive Country Club. In the event of overflow, parking will be available at Harrah's St. Louis Casino and Hotel, located on the Earth City Expressway just south of Interstate 70.

SHUTTLES: Shuttles from public and volunteer parking will begin running at 9 a.m. ET for volunteers and at 10:30 a.m. for golf fans. Shuttles will run contnuously throughout the day. Shuttles will be provided free of charge. Golf is expected to conclude on Friday at approximately 6 p.m. ET.

DROP-OFF: Fans taking the public and volunteer shuttles will be dropped off at the corner of North Mason Road and Ladue Road, and will enter Bellerive Country Club nearby. The will-call window will be relocated to the new entrace for Friday's first round. Fans will pick up the return shuttles at the point of drop-off.

TICKETS: Only grounds passes and hospitality passes dated Friday, Sept. 5, will be honored on Friday. Tickets from Thursday's postponed round will be honored either on Saturday or Sunday.

MISCELLANEOUS: Personal or private transportation to the BMW Championship on Friday is discouraged. There is no drop-off area for private transportation. There is no public parking available in the vicinity of the golf course or in the nearby neighborhoods. Only vehicles with the appropriate permits will be allowed to park near the club on Friday, with strict enforcement from traffic officials. Carpooling is highly encouraged by fans who park at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater and Harrah's

For a map and driving directions (.pdf), click here. -- (11:30 a.m. ET)

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Four aces were recorded Thursday in the first round of this week's Nationwide Tour event, the Utah Championship presented by Zions Bank. That's the most aces ever recorded in a single round of a Nationwide Tour event.

For more information on the ace makers, click here for the full report. -- (11:24 a.m. ET)

WEATHER UPDATE: A light rain is falling at Bellerive, but the first tee time remains at 11:40 a.m. ET. Players are on the practice range, so that's always a good sign. It'll be sloppy out there this morning, but the rain isn't expected to last all day. -- (11:10 a.m. ET)

TV/TICKET INFO: We posted this note on Thursday, but just in case you didn't see it ...

Tickets for Thursday's postponed round of the BMW Championship will be honored over the weekend.

Here is the policy for fans attending the tournament the rest of the week, as well as the latest TV information (note -- all times are ET; St. Louis is on CT):

FRIDAY (First round): First tee time at 11:40 a.m. ET as originally scheduled. Only grounds passes and hospitality passes dated Friday, Sept. 5, will be honored. Public parking and gates to open at 11 a.m. Television -- The Golf Channel, 2-6 p.m. ET

SATURDAY (Second, third rounds): First tee time at 8 a.m. ET. Grounds passes and hospitality passes for Thursday's postponed round, and Saturday's round, will be honored. Public parking and gates to open at 7 a.m. ET. Television -- NBC, Noon-3:30 p.m. ET. The Golf Channel will then broadcast the remainder of play following the conclusion of the NBC telecast.

SUNDAY (Fourth round): First tee time at 9 a.m. ET as originally scheduled. Grounds passes and hospitality passes for Thursday's postponed round, and Sunday's round, will be honored. Public parking and gates to open at 8 a.m. ET. Television -- NBC, 2-6 p.m. ET

Note: Unusued passes from Thursday's postponed round may be used only once over the weekend. Fans holding hospitality passes should check with their hosts for additional information. -- (10:30 a.m ET)