BMW Championship, Rd. 2
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By PGATOUR.COM Staff
BUBBLE CHECK (7 p.m.): If the BMW Championship ended today, four players would have worked their way into the top 30 according to the projected standings for the FedExCup.
Mark Wilson would make the biggest move from 41st to third. Rory Sabbatini would jump from 35th to 22nd, Bo Van Pelt from No. 54 to 25th and Anthony Kim from No. 34 to No. 29.
The odd men out for THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola would be Ian Poulter, Stewart Cink, Jerry Kelly and Charley Hoffman. Luckily for those four, there is no cut at the BMW Championship and there will be two more rounds to improve their position. -- Helen Ross
WRAPPING UP ROUND 2 (6:12 p.m.): Two rounds of the BMW Championship are in the books and, not surprisingly, Tiger Woods is in a familiar position at Cog Hill, where he's won four time previously and is in position to do so again with a share of the 36-hole lead with Mark Wilson.
Woods scrambled plenty on Friday -- he hit 69 percent of his fairways and just 59 percent of his greens in regulation -- but he had the short game working, taking just 25 putts.
With a one-shot lead this is hardly over, though, especially considering Padraig Harrington is one of those players just one back after an all-world bogey on the 18th, where he hit his tee shot out of bounds. Harrington will have to straighten out the driver, though -- he ranks near the bottom of the field in driving accuracy this week.
There are plenty of other in contention, too -- Zach Johnson, who tied for the lowest round of the day with John Rollins with a 65 is three back, as is Anthony Kim, who shot his second straight 69.
Johnson really got it going on the front nine, which was his second of the day, in shooting 31. He made a 23-footer at the first hole, then birdied three of his last five on putts of 11, 13 and 22 feet.
"Just solid all around," Johnson said. "I putted really, really well. I think I had nine putts on the front nine, which was my back. If I got myself into a trap, I hit it close out of the trap, which is rare and pleasant. I missed one putt I should have made, and that was for birdie at 11. And other than that, I played really, really solid. "It feels good. I hit the ball good, putted it well. If I missed a green, I missed it on the proper side and that sort of thing. All in all, just a solid round."
And with no cut, everyone will have a chance to chase Woods, or a spot in the top 30 for THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola. -- Brian Wacker and Helen Ross
SABBATINI ON HIS DAY (6:10 p.m.): Rory Sabbatini started on the back nine Friday and lengthened his lead with a trio of birdies. But he gave two of those shots front and had to settle for a round of 70 that left him tied at 6 under and one stroke off the lead.
"I was actually striking the ball nicely when I made the turn," Sabbatini said. "It was a tale of three greens, two nines. The greens on my back nine, there were a few people out there that didn't lift their feet, so they were doing a pretty good job marking them up, and it makes it hard to play golf when conditions are increasingly difficult."
Sabbatini also found fairways difficult to hit on Friday, unlike in the first round when he hit 10 of 14 and 13 of 18 greens.
"I need to get back to where I was doing yesterday, put the ball in the fairways, put it on the greens, make some putts," the South African said. "Obviously I'm still in contention. I'm still hitting the ball well, just lost some brain cells out there today.
"The brain was a little haywire for a few holes and I needed to recorrect things and just get myself back, and I managed to do that coming down the final stretch there. Just unfortunately not able to capitalize on some good birdie opportunities today." -- Helen Ross
BO KNOWS PUTTING (6:05 p.m.): Bo Van Pelt is weilding a red-hot putter, taking just 26 in each of the first two rounds of the BMW Championship. He's managed to find 24 of 36 greens, too, despite struggling Friday to hit just four fairways.
"But I still felt like I was driving it pretty good," Van Pelt said. "I was just barely missing. I had a couple good par saves out of the bunker and also had a couple (of birdies) coming in here."
Van Pelt, who picked up his first PGA TOUR victory in July, will start the third round just three strokes off the lead. He's currently inside the top 30 in projected FedExCup points, too, after coming in ranked a distant 54th. He'll need to continue to play well to make the field for THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola, though.
"I'm excited," said Van Pelt, who is tied with Rory Sabbatini, Padraig Harrington and Marc Leishman. "I'm playing well, and I felt like my game was better than my past two or three weeks results, so it's exciting to be in this position." -- Helen Ross
STREAK ENDS FOR HARRINGTON (6:05 p.m.): Padraig Harrington's bogey on the 18th hole Friday ended his streak of 41 consecutive holes without a bogey.
Harrington hit a poor drive that landed out of bounds, and had to play a provisional ball. He ended up rolling in a putt of 17 feet, 9 inches for bogey that gave him his second consecutive 68 and a two-day score of 6 under heading into the weekend.
Harrrington said he has hit a few wayward drives in the first two rounds but had managed to avoid bogey until his last hole Friday.
"I was due to not get away with it at some stage," he said. -- Mike McAllister
TIGER TIES FOR THE LEAD (5:50 p.m.): The second round of the BMW Championship is winding down, and a certain somebody just tied for the lead at 7 under with a birdie on the 17th hole. That somebody would be Tiger Woods, who is 4 under on the day as he plays his last hole of the day. Woods has won here four times previously and course changes or not, he looks poised to do so again, at least so far. -- Brian Wacker
ROLLINS ON A ROLL (5:40 p.m.): John Rollins just matched Zach Johnson for the low round of the day with a 6-under 65 that moved him up into a tie for seventh for the moment. Actually, he had the same round as Johnson yesterday, too, with a 73.
Comparing their rounds today, Rollins had seven birdies and one bogey while hitting 83 percent of his greens in regulation, while Johnson had six birdies and no bogeys while hitting just 63 percent of his greens in regulation. -- Brian Wacker
DON'T TAKE THE FIFTH LIGHTLY (5:28 p.m.): The 509-yard par-4 fifth hole has been the most difficult thus far at Cog Hill. It yielded just 11 birdies in the first two rounds, and it is playing to a stroke average of 0.241 strokes over par now that the last group of the day, Marc Leishman and Woody Austin, having just completed the hole.
The fifth hole did play slightly easier on Friday than on Thursday, when it played to a stroke average of 0.275 over par. In Friday's second round, the stroke average was 0.206 over par.
At 509 yards, the fifth is the longest par-4 at Cog Hill, and new trees planted just past the fairway bunkers on the right side are preventing most players form cutting the corner of the dogleg right.
Just 21 of 68 players hit the fifth green in regulation on Friday; on Thursday, just 25 of 69 players found the green in two strokes. -- Mike McAllister
FEDEXCUP UPDATE (5:15 p.m.): The second round of the BMW Championship is starting to wind down, though Luke Donald probably wishes today was the final round instead of the second.
The Chicago resident entered the week ranked 32nd in the FedExCup standings, but is currently projected to finish 30th and right on the number for THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola.
Donald failed to reach THE TOUR Championship each of the past two years, but after a 68 Friday could be headed to Atlanta if he can keep it up.
This year has been an up-and-down one for the Brit -- he has five top-10s, including a runner-up at the Verizon Heritage, but he has finished in the top 30 in any of his last four tournaments. Right now, he's tied for 14th and would need to finish somewhere around there, or higher, to keep his Playoffs hopes alive. -- Brian Wacker
ZACH ATTACK (4:48 p.m.): Add Zach Johnson's list to a growing list of big-name contenders at the BMW Championship, where he just chipped in for birdie to cap off a round of 65. That's good for the low round of the day so far and has moved Johnson into the top 10, three shots back of clubhouse leader Mark Wilson.
Johnson, just like Wilson, was bogey-free today, making six birdies while taking just 23 putts (though it should be pointed out Johnson hit just 61 percent of his greens in regulation, so he obviously scrambled well, much the way he did on his final hole of the day, the par-5 ninth).
Others at 4 under or lower with Johnson right now? Sean O'Hair, Anthony Kim, Padraig Harrington, Tiger Woods and Rory Sabbatini, among others. -- Brian Wacker
Below is a look at Johnson's scorecard from today:
MORE ON MARK (4:35 p.m.): Mark Wilson started slowly in Friday's round, with a poor drive on his opening hole (the par-4 10th) and then an approach shot that sailed over the bunker behind the green.
But he made an 8-foot putt for par that "settled my nerves" on the way to his second-round 66 that makes him the clubhouse leader at 7 under for the tournament.
Putting, said Wilson, was definitely the key to his round. He needed just 25 putts on Friday, and with one-putts on 11 greens. In shooting a first-round 69, he had eight one-putt greens.
On Friday, he rolled in a 23-foot, 2-inch putt on the par-4 18th to save par, and then finished his round with a 16-foot, 3-inch putt for birdie.
"I've made a lot of putts," Wilson said. "That's definitely the reason for my low scores so far." -- Mike McAllister
ROUTE 66 (4:15 p.m.): Padraig Harrington might be the only player in the field yet to make a bogey so far, but Mark Wilson was also bogey-free for today, shooting a 5-under 66 to grab the early clubhouse lead at the BMW Championship.
For the week, Wilson is second in the field in birdies with 10 and he ranks 10th in the field for putts per green in regulation at 1.64 after taking just 25 total putts on Friday.
Not only is Wilson in the lead, he's also projected to move from 41st to fourth in the FedExCup standings should he go on to win. -- Brian Wacker
Below is a look at Wilson's scorecard from today:
PERRY'S PLAYOFFS STRUGGLES (3:55 p.m.): With five wins in the last two years, Kenny Perry has been one of the TOUR's most successful golfers of late. But the Playoffs haven't exactly been his cup of tea.
While Perry made the cut in the first two events this year, he was not in contention either time. And after shooting a 6-over 77 in Thursday's first round here, he found himself 11 shots off the lead.
Perry, however, is playing better today, at 3 under on his round through the first 12 holes. But he still has a lot of ground to make up if he wants to be in the hunt Sunday.
It's obviously a tough time for Perry, since his mother is gravely ill. Plus, as the oldest player in the BMW Championship field -- he turned 49 years old last month -- Perry can be forgiven for feeling a bit worn down near the end of the season.
A year ago, Perry's focus was on the Ryder Cup, which was held in his home state of Kentucky. In the first three Playoffs events prior to the Ryder Cup, he finished no higher than a tie for 44th and the week after Ryder Cup, Perry finished in a tie for 24th in the 30-man field of THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola.
Despite his struggles in this year's Playoffs, Perry is assured of a spot in THE TOUR Championship, as he entered this week sixth in FedExCup points. The top 15 are guaranteed a spot at East Lake, no matter where they finish in the BMW Championship. -- Mike McAllister
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TIGER AT THE TURN (3:24 p.m.): Rory Sabbatini still leads comfortably by three shots, but one very large name is lurking -- Tiger Woods.
Woods just made his third straight birdie, making the turn in 2-under 33 here at Cog Hill, where Woods knows a little something about winning, having been victorious four times previously.
Perhaps more interesting is the fact that Woods, now in a tie for third could potentially be paired with Sabbatini in tomorrow's third round. The two were famously paired together in the final round of the 2007 Wachovia Championship, where Woods left Sabbatini -- and everyone else -- in his wake. The next week at THE PLAYERS Championship, there were some interesting salvos fired by both men.
"The funny thing is after watching him play on Sunday, I think he's more beatable than ever," Sabbatini said at THE PLAYERS Championship that year. "I think there's a few fortuitous occasions out there that really changed the round for him. And realizing that gives me even more confidence to go in and play with him on Sunday again."
That prompted Woods to respond thusly: "Well, if I remember the quote correctly, he said he likes the new Tiger. I figure I've won nine of [the last] 12 [tournaments] and I've won three times this year -- the same amount he's won in his career. So I like the new Tiger, as well."
To be paired with Sabbatini again Saturday, though, Woods will have to leapfrog a couple of players. Stay tuned -- literally. -- Brian Wacker
FURYK ON FIRE (3 p.m.): Jim Furyk's week didn't exactly start the way he would have liked -- he double-bogeyed his first hole of the tournament, the par-4 10th on Thursday. Well, Furyk has certainly turned it around since then. He went on to make four more birdies (and just one bogey) the rest of the first round and here in the second round he is 4 under through 12 holes after making his third straight birdie.
That brings Furyk to 5 under for the week and into a tie for second. It also puts him in good position -- though still three back at the moment -- to end a two-year winless drought during which he has the somewhat dubious honor of having 17 top-10s since his last victory. (Click here to follow Furyk's round live with Shot Tracker.) -- Brian Wacker
STRICKER STRUGGLING (2:40 p.m.): Earlier this week, Steve Stricker talked about how tired he was, how he didn't get much sleep and how tough it would be, winning late Monday afternoon, to have a short turnaround for this week's BMW Championship. So far, his play seems to be paying for all of the above.
Stricker, who has compiled a remarkable Playoffs record (more on that below), is 2 over through his first six holes today and 3 over for the week after a 72 yesterday.
The fact that Stricker, who is first in the FedExCup standings, just ahead of Tiger Woods, has to play in the Woods vortex might not help, either. By that, it has less to do with the pressure of playing with Woods as it does all the attention and focus that goes with playing with the world's No. 1 golfer and all the subsequent eyeballs that are now on you all the time. -- Brian Wacker
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SABBATINI WIDENS GAP (2:30 p.m.): Rory Sabbatini is picking up from where he left off on Thursday. Beginning on the back nine, the South African birdied two of his first four holes to move to 7 under. He's two shots clear of the field.
He rolled in birdie puts of 5 and 9 feet, respectively, on the par-3 12th and par-4 13th, and he birdied No. 13 for the second straight day.
If Sabbatini keeps this up, it will put real pressure on guys like Tiger Woods (5 shots back), Phil Mickelson (6 back) and Steve Stricker (11 back).
It's still early, but with a win, Sabbatini would move to No. 3 in the FedExCup standings behind Stricker and Woods. (Click here to follow Sabbatini's round live with Shot Tracker.) -- Nick Zaccardi
AK DOING OK (2:17 p..m): Anthony Kim's 2-under 69 in Thursday's first round was just the second time in his last 15 rounds that he produced a score in the 60s. Kim shot 67 in the third round of last week's Deutsche Bank Championship, ending a streak of 12 consecutive rounds of 70 or higher.
For the year, Kim has managed to post consecutive rounds in the 60s in just five of his 20 TOUR starts. With an early birdie on Friday, Kim might be able on his way to doing it for the sixth time.
Kim's scoring average of 70.47 ranks 57th on TOUR. Last year, he had the third-lowest scoring average at 69.28. His scoring average in his rookie season in 2007 was 70.13, which ranked 28th. -- Mike McAllister
ON THE BUBBLE (2:10 p.m.): The projected standings for the FedExCup are getting pretty interesting.
At one point today, British Open champ Stewart Cink, who lives in Atlanta and plays out of East Lake, was sitting on the bubble at No. 30. Only the top 30 advance to play in the finale of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup and he would be sorely disappointed not to get to play in THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola on his "home" course.
There are currently four players who are making moves into the top 30 -- Mark Wilson, Brandt Snedeker, Bo Van Pelt and Anthony Kim. Bryce Molder and Marc Leishman, who are both playing in their first Playoffs, are knocking on the door at Nos. 31 and 32, respectively, in the projections.
Those numbers are sure to change as the afternoon progresses, but it's fun to watch. Check them out here. -- Helen Ross
FEELING GREEN (1:57 p.m.): If clothes make the round, then Padraig Harrington is hoping his "lucky" green shirt produces another solid round Friday like it did in the first two weeks of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup.
For the third consecutive week, Harrington is wearing a lime green shirt with blue piping.
When he wore in the final round of The Barclays, he shot 67 and finished in a tie for second, one stroke behind Heath Slocum.
When he wore it in the second round of the Deutsche Bank Championship last week, he also shot 67 and would eventually finish tied for fourth.
In his first nine rounds of the Playoffs, Harrington has posted 67 six times, 68 on two others and a 75.
After shooting 68 in the opening round at Cog Hill, Harrington started Friday's round two shots off the lead shared by Steve Marino and Rory Sabbatini. -- Mike McAllister
ON THE MARK (1:46 p.m.): Look up Elmhurst, Ill., in Wikipedia and among people listed as one the Chicago suburb's notable residents is Mark Wilson.
The BMW Championship is a home game for the PGA TOUR veteran, who lives about 25 minutes north of Cog Hill. He also plays out of the sprawling public facility and got in an estimated six extra practice rounds on the Dubsdread Course in advance of the third event of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup.
Wilson, who won his second TOUR event earlier this year in Mexico, is playing well before the home crowd, too. He started on the back nine and has made birdie on both the par 5s -- rolling in a 6-footer at the 11th hole to get up-and-down from a greenside bunker and tapping in from 13 inches at the 15th hole.
Wilson currently stands 4 under and is one shot off the lead held by Steve Marino and Rory Sabbatini. He needs a big finish, too, if he is to realize his goal of playing in THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola for the first time. He's 41st in the FedExCup and only the top 30 advance to East Lake. -- Helen Ross
TIGER OFF (1:40 p.m.): Tiger Woods is on the golf course and if he's going to get his fifth career win at Cog Hill, he's going to have to make up some ground. Woods has already bogeyed the first hole and as such has dropped a shot after shooting a very solid 68 yesterday.
The bogey on the par-4 opening hole came when Woods found a fairway bunker off the tee and was forced to pitch out. His approach shot landed 35 1/2 feet away and Woods two-putted. (Click here to follow his round with Shot Tracker.)-- Brian Wacker
POULTER'S INTERESTING START (1:33 p.m.): Just as Ian Poulter was about to tee off on No. 1 Friday, a couple of fans wandered into the fairway, oblivious to the action that was unfolding less than 100 yards away from them.
"Please get on the path," yelled someone near the tee box. Others tried to wave them away. Meanwhile, Poulter was forced to refocus before starting his round.
In the crowd, one fan mocked, "What? A tournament's going on?"
But no harm, no foul. Poulter found the fairway with his drive and he even managed to share a laugh with Charley Hoffman, one of his playing partners as they walked down the fairway.
Poulter eventually parred the hole. -- Mike McAllister
MARINO BATTLES BACK (1:20 p.m.): After two early bogeys, Steve Marino has bounced back, making back-to-back birdies at Nos. 14 and 15 to get back to even par for the day -- and more importantly back into a tie for the lead at 5 under with Rory Sabbatini.
We're still early in the second round with the first groups having gone off just about two hours ago, but several players continue to hover around par -- or worse. -- Brian Wacker
TOUGH TRACK (1 p.m.): How different is Cog Hill playing this week than in past years? "They're different misses," Tiger Woods said yesterday in an answer to how the course played in the first round.
Specifically, Woods was talking about No. 11, where players could dump it to the right of the green and still get up-and-down rather easily. Now, there's a deep bunker over there.
As such, Cog Hill certainly seems to be playing much more difficult. "I think anything under par is a really good score," Woods said. "Usually it takes a little bit before the guys get accustomed to what the scoring is going to be."
Judging by the early stages of round 2, they haven't quite adjusted just yet. Several players are already over par today and there's no way the winning score this week will approach anything near Woods' winning 22-under score from 2007. -- Brian Wacker
COURSE SETUP (12:41 p.m.): In setting up the course for the second round at Cog Hill, officials have moved the tees up on five holes, according to ShotLink data.
As in Thursday's first round, that means Cog Hill will not play to its maximum scorecard length of 7,616 yards. -- Mike McAllister
Here are the holes that have tees moved up on Friday:
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STEVE STUMBLES (12:30 p.m.): Steve Marino entered today's round having led or shared the 18-hole lead twice before in his career -- both times came this year -- but he'd failed to go on to win on both occasions. He's not doing anything to change that, either, with two bogeys in his first three holes today.
On the par-4 10th, Marino found a greenside bunker from inside 100 yards on his approach and failed to get up-and-down to save par. On the par-3 12th, Marino again found a greenside bunker and failed to save par when he missed a putt from just over 4 feet. As a result, Marino has dropped two back of first-round co-leader Rory Sabbatini, who will tee off in about 40 minutes from now. -- Brian Wacker
TIME RUNNING OUT (12:05 p.m.): Of the eight players who played their way into this week's field, rookie Marc Leishman got off to the best start on Thursday with a 4-under 67. He'll have a chance to build on that when he tees off in a little over an hour from now.
Leishman is one of only two rookies still left in the Playoffs -- Webb Simpson is the other -- and at No. 51 in the FedExCup standings, he'll need to continue to play well to advance to Atlanta in two weeks. Simpson, by the way, came in No. 67 in the standings and shot a 70 yesterday. -- Brian Wacker
INSIDE THE NUMBERS (11:45 a.m.): With all the course changes made by Rees Jones to Cog Hill, here's a look at the 7,400-yard, par-71 course played in the first round.
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FIRST DOESN'T LEAD TO FIRST (11:30 a.m.): As the second round of the BMW Championship gets under way, Rory Sabbatini and Steve Marino will both try to do something they've never been able to do -- carry the first-round lead all the way to victory.
This is the eighth time in Sabbatini's career that he has held at least a share of the lead after the first 18 holes. The last time he was in this position was in 2007, when he led after Round 1 of The Barclays only to finish in a tie for third.
Marino, meanwhile, has been in this spot three times now. The first two both came earlier this year -- first at the AT&T National, where he opened with a 65 before finishing in a tie for 24th, then at The Barclays, where he again shot 65 only to eventually finish in a tie for 15th.
Both men can at least take solace in the fact that just last week, Steve Stricker led after the first round and led after the final round. History, though, doesn't serve Sabbatini and Marino well here, though, as only eight out of 38 players this year have been able to turn first-round leads into victories. Of course, if both men continue to hit as many greens in regulation as they have -- a combined 27 of 36 -- and putt as well as they have -- 27 putts apiece -- that could change. -- Brian Wacker
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