Tiger Woods arrives at THE PLAYERS, says ‘everything is good’

NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. — Tiger Woods had his lowest round since his last victory more than five years ago, an 8-under 62 with birdie chances on all but two greens and only one bad swing all day. All it got him at the BMW Championship was a tie for the lead Thursday with Rory McIlroy. Woods did his part in the scorching air at Aronimink that made the 7,267-yard course feel like a pitch-and-putt. He didn’t hit anything longer than a 9-iron into the par 4s and didn’t miss a green until his 14th hole. He came within inches of chipping that one in. “Got off to a better start than I have most of the season. And as of right now,” he said, pausing to smile, “I’m one back. Just the way it goes.” It didn’t go perfectly for McIlroy, either. He was at 9 under when Woods finished, only to make consecutive bogeys and finish with a two-putt birdie for a 62. They had a one-shot lead over Xander Schauffele. “It was one of those days where it was out there,” McIlroy said. McIlroy could have seen a day like this coming. He finished his pro-am round with a 27 on his final nine, and then reached 9 under through 14 holes. That’s a stretch of 17 under par over 23 holes, even if only 14 of them counted in the tournament. Woods generated the biggest buzz, though. He had failed to break part in the opening round at 10 of his last 11 tournaments. This was a big exception. Woods returned to the same putter he has used to win 13 of his 14 majors — his third different putter in as many weeks — and saw some familiar results. He opened with a 20-foot birdie putt at No. 10, shot 29 on the back nine, and then rolled in a 15-foot birdie putt on No. 1 to reach 7 under through 10 holes. He didn’t make many more, but he had chances. Woods was posing on his tee shot at the par-3 fifth, the sun glaring into him, and he couldn’t figure out immediately where it went. “Is that long?” he asked his caddie. “I thought it was perfect.” Everything else felt that way to him at that point. His only bogey came at the par-3 eighth, by far the most difficult pin on the course. Woods was between clubs, went with a soft 4-iron and yanked it into the rough. He pitched to 18 feet, a good shot up a ridge and onto a green that sloped away from him. The putt caught the lip. Woods and McIlroy still had to hit the shots and make the putts. The wide fairways and temperatures in the 90s that allowed the golf ball to seemingly fly forever made for such low scoring that 48 players in the 69-man field broke par. Rickie Fowler opened with a 65 in his first tournament since the PGA Championship, and at times it felt like he was getting lapped playing alongside Woods. Jordan Spieth couldn’t keep it in play off the tee and didn’t get under par until his 15th hole. He birdied three of the last four for a 67. Peter Uihlein, who only advanced to the third FedExCup Playoffs event with birdies on his last three holes on the TPC Boston last week, had a 64 to join a group that included FedExCup champion Justin Thomas. McIlroy was on the second green when he looked over at Woods, who had just hit wedge to 4 inches for birdie on the seventh hole and was waiting for the green to clear on the par-3 eighth. The crowd was much thinner for McIlroy, but those fans saw quite a show. He holed an 8-foot birdie putt on No. 2, part of a run six straight birdies. When he was 9 under with four holes left — the last one a par 5 — he started thinking about breaking 60. Instead, he missed the fairway on his next two tee shots, took bogey from about the same spot Woods was on No. 8, and those hopes were gone. “You don’t get many opportunities to break 60 and today was one of them,” he said. “And I didn’t capitalize. I’m not going to say it stings too bad because I’d much rather shoot 62 today and win the golf tournament Sunday than shoot 59 today and maybe not win.”

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MEDINAH, Ill. – By Sunday night, two-thirds of this year’s Presidents Cup participants will be identified. The top eight spots on the U.S. and International teams after this week’s BMW Championship will be locked in for Royal Melbourne in December. The four Captain’s Picks from Tiger Woods and Ernie Els will be announced after the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions in early November. Although some players on both teams have guaranteed a trip to Australia, there is still uncertainty with the final few automatic spots. Here’s a look at the possibilities for each team heading into Thursday’s first round at Medinah. UNITED STATES CURRENT TOP 8: Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas, Xander Schauffele, Matt Kuchar, Webb Simpson, Bryson DeChambeau, Patrick Cantlay A win this week at the BMW Championship is worth 1,100 Presidents Cup points. The formula for arriving at that number? Presidents Cup points in the FedExCup Playoffs events are weighted the same in points as World Golf Championships events, with the points doubled for this year’s Playoffs. Cantlay currently has 5,268 points, so that means anybody behind him with 4,168 points or better can catch him with a victory. Thus, No. 9 Gary Woodland (4,912), No. 10 Tony Finau (4,872), No. 11 Rickie Fowler (4,547) and No. 12 Patrick Reed (4,413) remain alive going into Medinah. Oh, and No. 13th on that list? U.S. Captain Tiger Woods, who cannot move inside the top eight with a win. Of course, he could enhance his argument for being a playing captain as a pick. But that’s for a later time. Reed – fresh off his victory at THE NORTHERN TRUST — or Fowler each have to win for any hope of a top-8 spot. A solo second doesn’t give either one enough points to catch Cantlay. Finau or Woodland each need a third-place or better finish. So who’s vulnerable among the American players inside the top 8? According to our projections, Koepka, Johnson and Thomas can rest easy. Even if they are pushed down the standings, there are no scenarios in which they fall out of the top eight. For Kuchar and Simpson, the odds are in their favor, but it remains mathematically possible for each one to finish outside the top eight. Simpson, DeChambeau and Cantlay are in the danger zone. Enough scenarios are in play this week to prevent them from feeling comfortable. It would behoove each one to have a solid performance at Medinah while keeping one eye on the leaderboard in case something spectacular is required. INTERNATIONAL CURRENT TOP 8: Marc Leishman, Louis Oosthuizen, Adam Scott, Hideki Matsuyama, Abraham Ancer, Haotong Li, Cameron Smith, C.T. Pan Outlining exactly what needs to be done in order to secure a spot for Els’ team is a bit tricky, given that it’s based on Official Golf World Ranking points and involves tournaments (including their strengths of field) on three different tours. So please take the following information as our best-guess information (our Aussie staff writer Ben Everill is pretty spot-on about these things) but realize nothing is definitive. Leishman, Oosthuizen, Scott, Matsuyama and Ancer, the top five in the standings, have separated themselves from the pack and can be considered locks. Ancer made the big leap from 10th to fifth with his runner-up finish Sunday at THE NORTHERN TRUST and will become the first player to represent Mexico at the Presidents Cup. “That’s huge,â€� Ancer said Sunday. “I get a little bit of goosebumps right now just talking about it.â€� Li, Smith and Pan – each seeking his first Presidents Cup appearance — are all within six points of each other in the final three spots. Li and Smith are not in action this week; Li is not a TOUR member and Smith is not inside the top 70 players in FedExCup points who advanced to Medinah. So they will be unable to improve on their ranking totals. Pan is on the bubble and in the BMW Championship field this week, so he controls his own fate. He knows it’s a big opportunity to guarantee his spot for Royal Melbourne. In his threesome for the first two rounds this week is Tiger Woods. It’ll be the first time he’s played with Woods. I know it’s going to be crazy playing with Tiger,â€� said Pan, who at 37th in FedExCup points and needs a big week also to move inside the top 30 for East Lake. “… It will be wild.  So I’m just looking forward to enjoying it and making the best out of it.â€� And as for the pressure of playing for a Presidents Cup spot? “All you can do is let good golf take care of everything,â€� Pan said. “I’ve been trying very hard out there and trying to finish strong every single round, last week or last two months, and definitely put me in a really good spot here, and I’m just very grateful and thankful for the opportunity. At least I have a shot.â€� It’s the next three players closest to the bubble who make things really intriguing, since each one is playing a different event. Jason Day, having fallen from seventh to ninth in International points at Liberty National, is in the BMW Championship field. While the Aussie seems almost certain to be a captain’s pick if he doesn’t earn a spot on merit, Day would obviously prefer moving back into the top 8. It likely requires him to finish 19th or better this week. Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond, 10th in points, is the highest-ranked OWGR player (56th) in this week’s field at the Sarawak Championship on the Asian Tour. A win there would net him 14 ranking points, good enough to surpass the current totals of Smith and Pan. South Africa’s Justin Harding, 11th in points, is the highest-ranked OWGR player (53rd) in this week’s Korn Ferry Tour event, the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship. A win there is worth 16 points; that would barely be good enough to surpass Pan’s current total. Pan will earn points this week if he finishes inside the top 60 in the 70-man field, so Harding faces the toughest task. Still, it’s not inconceivable that if Day, Janewattananond and Harding each win their respective events this week, all three could move inside the top eight. Meanwhile, there are a few wildcards still in play. South Korean Sungjae Im could be a factor with a top-3 finish in Chicago. Countrymen Sung Kang, Si Woo Kim and Ben An likely need a win or solo second. Canadians Corey Conners and Adam Hadwin, along with Argentina’s Emilio Grillo and South Africa’s Dylan Fritelli, could also make an impact by winning at Medinah. After all, Ancer showed last week that a big result in the Playoffs can have huge Presidents Cup implications. Chile’s Joaquin Niemann is 70th in FedExCup points and thus the last player in the field at Medinah; he could conceivable move into the top 8 with a win.

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – The season’s strongest field will face a new-look course in this year’s edition of THE PLAYERS Championship. THE PLAYERS Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass was renovated after last year’s tournament. The changes include a new drivable par-4 12th hole, a new hazard between Nos. 6 and 7 and subtle changes to several holes, including expanded greens and the removal of rough to promote creative recovery shots. The new 12th hole, where eagles are possible but a water hazard lurks left of the green, offers players another opportunity to be bold on the back nine. There are now three holes on that side where eagles are a real possibility (Nos. 11, 12 and 16). And then, of course, players must face the Island Green before tackling the challenging 18th hole. You can watch golf’s best players take on the new Stadium Course during PGA TOUR LIVE’s Featured Groups coverage on Thursday and Friday. This week’s Featured Groups include the top three players in the FedExCup standings, seven past winners of THE PLAYERS Championship and three former FedExCup champs. Featured Groups coverage will run from 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday and Friday. Two morning Featured Groups are available to PGA TOUR LIVE subscribers, while a single afternoon Featured Group will be shown free of charge. Featured Groups also can be watched on Twitter from 7:30 a.m. to approximately 8:45 a.m. on Thursday and Friday. Featured Holes will run from 9 a.m. until 7 p.m. with coverage of the drivable par-4 12th and the island-green 17th. On Tuesday, PGA TOUR LIVE will show THE PLAYERS Championship’s Military Appreciation Concert with Sam Hunt from 6-8 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday. A PLAYERS preview show will be featured on Wednesday from 12-2 p.m. MORE: Tee times (Note: All times Eastern; FedExCup rankings in parentheses) THURSDAY MORNING Rickie Fowler (8), Henrik Stenson (79), Jason Day (104): Three past champions of THE PLAYERS are in this group, including the past two winners. Day won by four shots last year after shooting a course-record 63 in the first round, while Fowler won a dramatic playoff two years ago. Stenson, winner of the 2009 PLAYERS and the 2013 FedExCup, also is the reigning Open champion, shooting a final-round 63 last year at Royal Troon to win a memorable duel with Phil Mickelson. Fowler has finished no worse than 16th in his past six starts, including a win at The Honda Classic. Tee time: 8:16 a.m. off No. 10. Jordan Spieth (7), Hideki Matsuyama (3), Phil Mickelson (36): A former winner of THE PLAYERS, a former FedExCup champion and the No. 3 player in this season’s standings are part of this threesome. This is the 10-year anniversary of Mickelson’s win at THE PLAYERS Stadium Course. He has more missed cuts (8) than top-10s (3) at this event. Spieth, the 2015 FedExCup champion, won this season’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am; he finished T4 in his PLAYERS debut (2014), but has missed the cut in his past two appearances. Matsuyama, a two-time winner this season, played in the final group of last year’s PLAYERS, finishing seventh. This group also could serve as a Presidents Cup preview. Spieth and Mickelson rank third and 14th in the U.S. Team standings, while Matsuyama is second in the International Team standings. Tee time: 8:27 a.m. off No. 10. THURSDAY AFTERNOON Dustin Johnson (1), Justin Thomas (2), Rory McIlroy (48): This group features last year’s FedExCup champion and the top two players in this year’s standings. McIlroy won the FedExCup after a dramatic playoff with Ryan Moore at last year’s TOUR Championship. Johnson and Thomas each have three wins this season, but Johnson has a 296-point lead thanks to five top-three finishes in eight starts this season. He was runner-up on Sunday at the Wells Fargo Championship after winning his prior three starts. Johnson and Thomas also are the top two players in the U.S. Presidents Cup standings. McIlroy is making his first start since finishing seventh at the Masters. He got married during that hiatus. He has finished no worse than 12th in his past four PLAYERS starts after missing the cut in his first three tours around TPC Sawgrass. Tee time: 1:52 p.m. off No. 1 FRIDAY MORNING Sergio Garcia (13), Adam Scott (77), Matt Kuchar (47): Three former winners of THE PLAYERS Championship are in this group. Garcia, the 2008 winner at TPC Sawgrass, is making his first start since his emotional victory at the Masters Tournament. All three members of this group finished in the top 10 at the Masters. Kuchar, who made a hole-in-one on the 16th hole Sunday, finished fourth. He won the 2012 PLAYERS and was third at THE PLAYERS Stadium Course last year. Adam Scott, winner of the 2004 PLAYERS, finished ninth at Augusta National this year. He has missed just three cuts in 15 appearances at THE PLAYERS. Tee time: 8:16 a.m. off No. 10. Dustin Johnson (1), Justin Thomas (2), Rory McIlroy (48): McIlroy, the reigning FedExCup champion, plays alongside the top two players in the FedExCup standings. Both Johnson and Thomas have won three times this season. Johnson leads the FedExCup after posting three wins and a runner-up in his past four starts. Tee time: 8:27 a.m. off No. 10. FRIDAY AFTERNOON Jordan Spieth (7), Hideki Matsuyama (3), Phil Mickelson (36): A former winner of THE PLAYERS, a former FedExCup champion and the No. 3 player in this season’s standings are part of this threesome. Mickelson is celebrating the 10-year anniversary of his PLAYERS win. Spieth, who finished fourth in his PLAYERS debut in 2014, won the 2015 FedExCup. Matsuyama is a two-time winner this season. Tee time: 1:52 p.m. off No. 1.

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