How to Watch the BMW Championship, Round 2: Featured Groups, live scores, tee times, TV times

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Rickie Fowler called it a “little kick in the butt.” That’s because the popular PGA TOUR veteran will miss the FedExCup Playoffs this year after making an early exit on Friday at the Wyndham Championship. Fowler came to Sedgefield Country Club ranked 130th in the standings but ended up going backwards after rounds of 71 and 72. It’s the first time in Fowler’s 12-year TOUR career that he won’t finish inside the top 125. “It’s a bummer and I don’t want to be in this position,” Fowler said. “Never been here. I’m used to being in contention, ready to go to East Lake and go have some fun through the Playoffs. That’s not the case this year. … Go home and get ready to go. Put the work in and get after it.” With the exception of the news that he and his wife Allison are expecting their first child, a daughter, in November, it’s been an eminently forgettable year for Fowler. He’s only had one top-10 finish in 24 starts this season, and this is his ninth missed cut. Fowler, who was once firmly entrenched among the top-10 players in the world, has slipped from 38th to No. 110 and finds himself searching for regain his form. “Yeah, it sucks,” Fowler said. “I mean, I know what I’m capable of; I’ve been up there and played against the best in the world and been a top-5, top-10 player in the world for a number of years in my career. “I’m not in a position where I’m comfortable or where I want to be. … With the season ending now for me, it’s kind of just added motivation; hey, let’s figure out what we need to go do and let’s go do it.” A tie for eighth at the PGA Championship appeared to be a positive step, and Fowler followed that with a share of 11th at the Memorial Tournament. He came to Greensboro with some momentum, too, on the heels of three straight made cuts. “It’s not far off, but there’s a lack of confidence there after not having played well very much over the last two years, so part of it is just need to get that built back up,” Fowler said. “A big part of it, too, is the reason I had some of those good results is my ball-striking was a little bit better, but the putter finally got back to where it should be. “That’s been something I’ve been able to rely on throughout my career and growing up is I’ve always been a really good putter. Over the last couple years I haven’t been able to rely on that. Not that I should have to every week, but when I’m putting well, should be in contention and having chances to win tournaments. So having off ball-striking weeks and not making putts on top of that, miss cuts and go home early.” Fowler ranked 131st in Strokes Gained: Putting entering the Wyndham Championship. Fowler says missing the Playoffs has made him even more determined to regain the kind of form that landed him on three Presidents Cup and four Ryder Cup teams, as well as in the 2016 Olympic Games. The first step, he says, is a call with his team to figure out how to best use the three-week layoff during the Playoffs to his advantage. “I was telling (caddie) Joe (Skovron) out there today towards the end, obviously weren’t going to make the cut, so it was a little bit more like I operate best when I’m kind of told what to do,” Fowler said. “Like I love having my trainer, Derek, he’s there with us at home, on the road taking care of what I need to be doing in the gym. … If I had to go work out on my own, I probably wouldn’t do as well. “So just being efficient with time and taking advantage of the time that we do have, whether it’s in the gym, at the range, on the course. So that’s the big thing is just kind of lay out a plan that we all want to accomplish and take advantage of the time that we have and get after it.”

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THE OVERVIEW Charles Howell III was finally rewarded for his hard work. His victory at The RSM Classic was his first win in more than a decade and just his third in more than 500 starts on TOUR. He will start 2019 as the FedExCup leader. He won at Sea Island and finished fifth in the CIMB Classic. Those finishes alone wouldn’t be enough for him to hold the top spot, though. Proving that every point matters, it’s the four points he earned for his 61st-place finish at THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES that prove to be his advantage over Xander Schauffele, who won the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions. Howell’s persistence made him a popular winner. He has had a successful career according to multiple metrics – he has never lost his card in nearly two decades as a pro and earned more than $36 million on the course – but he will be the first to admit that his resume is short on victories. Just two players needed more TOUR starts to win for the third time. Even though Howell’s love for the game is often unrequited, it’s his passion for improvement that keeps the one-time phenom grinding away. “I always go back to, ‘OK, how do I improve, how do I get better, what do I need to work on?’â€� he said. “That’s the part I really, really enjoy.â€� Howell has an analytical mind, illustrated by the fact that he recently was investigating the discrepancies between his two launch monitors. He says he would work in finance if golf wasn’t his way to make a living. “I love (golf) because it’s all on you. It’s all on the player,â€� he said after his win. “What I hate about it is that you can work and work and work and get absolutely no results from that.â€� The hard work paid off in the final event of 2018. — By Sean Martin Click here to see who else made the Top 30 list. BY THE NUMBERS FEDEXCUP UPDATE Current 2018-19 position: 1st Playoff appearances: 12 TOUR Championship appearances: 2 Best FedExCup result: 18th in 2007, the first year of the FedExCup Playoffs. SHOTLINK FUN FACT Current FedExCup points leader Charles Howell III will try to continue the trend of points leaders after the fall events. Since the start of the wraparound season, each of the five previous points leaders after the fall have advanced to the TOUR Championship. INSIDER INSIGHTS PGATOUR.COM’s Insiders offer their expert views on what to expect from Charles Howell III in 2019. TOUR INSIDER: Leave it to Howell to have not one, but two, swing coaches. He works with California-based Dana Dahlquist as well as former TOUR winner Grant Waite, who lives closer to Howell’s home in the Orlando area. Playing with Waite at Isleworth has helped Howell focus on his score instead of his swing mechanics. Dahlquist has quieted the transition in Howell’s swing, teaching him to keep his arms passive as his body turns more during the downswing. — By Sean Martin FANTASY INSIDER: No doubt Howell was one of the best stories of the first eight events for having ended his drought at The RSM Classic, but he hasn’t fallen short of success in our world throughout his career. While the absence of a victory in the mainstream yields questions over time, because of consistently strong performances amid a busy schedule season after season, he’s retained cornerstone status in all formats. The win was a bonus, but it’s more of a reminder that he’s not slowing down as his 40th birthday approaches in June. — By Rob Bolton EQUIPMENT INSIDER: Known as a gearhead among gearheads, Howell’s recent win was all-too-fitting. Rumors began swirling about a big switch for CH3 after being spotted using Titleist metalwoods at the CIMB Classic. Then, the former PXG staffer sent the equipment world into a frenzy when he showed up to The 2018 RSM Classic with a bag full of new Titleist equipment — sans announcement from Titleist or Charles — and a TaylorMade putter. He won in his first week with the new arsenal. His winning bag consisted of a Titleist TS3 driver (10.5 degrees) with a Mitsubishi Tensei AV Blue 65TX shaft, TS2 fairway woods (15 and 21 degrees), a combo set of 718 T-MB, AP2 and CB irons, Vokey SM7 wedges, a TaylorMade Spider Tour Red putter, and a Titleist Pro V1 prototype golf ball. With a new Titleist staff bag and Titleist hat at the event, it’s obvious CH3 will be a Titleist staffer in 2019, we’re just awaiting the official announcement. It was a nice start for his new (assumed) deal. — By Andrew Tursky STYLE INSIDER: Howell is consistently one of the best dressed players on TOUR. Early in his career, he sported fashion-forward outfits, but recently he settled into timeless kits that turn heads for all the right reasons. The keys to his sartorial success are clean and well-balanced looks. The fit of his clothes falls into that perfect not-too-tight-not-too-loose range. While he doesn’t shy away from adding pops of bright colors, he always keeps them grounded with cool neutrals. — By Greg Monteforte

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FORT WORTH, TEXAS – The historic PGA TOUR tournament held annually at the Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, has been renamed the Charles Schwab Challenge. On April 12 this year, Charles Schwab was announced as the title sponsor for the event, in a four-year agreement beginning in 2019. Traditionally hosted over Memorial Day weekend, the Charles Schwab Challenge has been held at the Colonial Country Club since 1946 making it the PGA TOUR’s longest-tenured tournament at a single venue. The dates for the 2019 Charles Schwab Challenge will be confirmed when the PGA TOUR announces the 2018-19 schedule.  “Greatness is achieved through challenge. Colonial has challenged the world’s greatest golfers for over three quarters of a century. The tournament title — Charles Schwab Challenge — certainly celebrates our long history of great competition,” said Rob Hood, Charles Schwab Challenge tournament chairman. “As a tournament that is known to be a shot-maker’s course and one that has challenged the best players in the game for over 70 years, we wanted to pay homage to the tradition of the event as a challenger’s competition,â€� said Jonathan Craig, senior executive vice president, Charles Schwab & Co, Inc. “We’re a company that has challenged the status quo for investors since day one so being a part of this inspiring tournament gives us great pride.â€� The Charles Schwab Challenge is among the PGA TOUR leaders in charitable giving, including generating a record $13 million awarded to charities in 2018. The tournament has generated $100 million for more than 150 charitable organizations over the past two decades. Many of the game’s biggest names, representing a wide range of styles of play, have won the tournament since its inaugural playing in 1946, from golf greats like Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson to modern-day stars such as Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, Jordan Spieth and Justin Rose, who won the 2018 title by three strokes over Brooks Koepka.

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