Round 1: BMW Championship

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Sep. 10, 2009
By PGATOUR.com Staff

The first groups are ready to tee off in Round 1 at the BMW Championship. Here's how it sets up:

Groups We're Watching

Tee time	Players
12:03 p.m. ET, Hole No. 10		Tiger Woods, Steve Stricker, Heath Slocum The same top three in the FedExCup standings are paired together for the second consecutive opening round.
12:58 p.m. ET, Hole No. 10		Sean O'Hair, Retief Goosen, Jim Furyk All three players are safely in the top 30, but they can certainly afford to make a move in the standings.
12:58 p.m. ET, Hole No. 1		Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Nick Watney Ranked Nos. 10-12 in the standings, these three are in great position to start making a run at the title.

EXPERT PREVIEW: PGA TOUR on-site correspondent Mark Carnevale previews Thursday's round:

Thursday's forecast

Partly Cloudy
Temp: 81 high/58 low
Partly cloudy. Winds from the east at 5 to 10 mph.

Two down and two to go; soon we will crown the 2009 winner of the FedExCup. We head into the BMW Championship at the newly redesigned Cog Hill Golf and Country Club, which was undertaken by Rees Jones. With the excitement we have had in the first two events, I anticipate more of the same this week in the suburbs of Chi-Town.

Speaking of the redesign, I spoke to a number of players prior to the first round about their thoughts on the course. Not surprisingly, there were a number of different takes and responses to my question. Jim Furyk liked it a lot. Jim is a former winner of the Western Open held at Cog Hill. Zach Johnson said it will play long, and FedExCup points leader Steve Stricker said it will be a tough test, but he liked the changes. Stricker is also a former winner at Cog Hill (1996). They all felt the key would be how the TOUR sets up the golf course. Personally, I don't think we will see it played to its full length of 7,616 yards.

As far as the setup goes, I spoke with PGA TOUR Rules Official John Brendel, and he indicated that the course was in good condition and that, at the moment, it was a little soft. He felt that it would be "wait and see" each day as to what length was played, but if the course dried up and became firm and fast, he felt there was a good possibility they could play it at its full length.

Either way, the field will be vying for 2,500 FedexCup points, which will go to the champion on Sunday. I will be out in the first round with the pairing of Steve Stricker, Tiger Woods and Heath Slocum, so I know I will see some pretty good golf in the first round. Lucky me!

Stat of the day

Tiger Woods is a four-time winner of the BMW Championship (1997, 1999, 2003 and 2007) and has eight top-10s in 10 career BMW Championship starts as a professional.

The Film Room

	Preview: 2009 BMW Championship The PGA TOUR heads to Cog Hill Golf and Country Club for the 2009 BMW Championship. Watch it
	Stricker on Playoffs battle Wisconsinite Steve Stricker spoke of his ongoing battle with Tiger Woods in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup and the great fan support as he prepared for the 2009 BMW Championship. Watch it
	Opening Shot The BMW Championship will determine the final 30 players who will compete in this year's TOUR Championship. Brian Katrek and Marc Fein sort out all the drama that awaits. Watch it