World number one Jason Day heads into his title defence at this week’s BMW Championship in IN with one eye firmly fixed on Player of the Year honours as he bids for his fourth PGA Tour win of the season.
Advertisement
That means most of the field for this week’s tournament at Crooked Stick outside Indianapolis, will need to perform well just to have a shot to reach the Tour Championship and earn the opportunity to compete for the $10 million prize. “If you do that, that just takes care of everything else”. The BMW Championship features the top 70 remaining on the FedEx Cup points list and takes place Thursday-Sunday this week from Crooked Stick Golf Club in Carmel, IN. “It will be my last tournament of the year, so try and make it a really good one”.
McIlroy said: “There’s been a handful of great athletes in the world in my lifetime – or in any of our lifetimes – that have put up numbers and consistent years like Tiger did over a 10-year period”. If I can get a feeling and feel like I really own it, instead of seeking out advice …
“Someone like Danny Willett on our team, who’s won the Masters, I’m going to say, ‘That final round (at Augusta) was great – but you were playing with Lee Westwood, who’s a buddy of yours”.
The poster child for the last-minute surge is Bill Horschel.
The eight-time European Ryder Cup team member compiled one of the all-time best records in the biennial event, posting a 20-7-1 stat line without losing a singles match.
“Everyone here this week can do what Billy Horschel did a couple of years ago”, said Marc Leishman. Third? There you go.
The trio of legends was joined by five other players of note in the event’s most recent commitment list, with World Golf Hall of Fame member Mark O’Meara leading the way.
The Australian is effectively vying with second-ranked American Dustin Johnson for the coveted accolade and has targeted at least one victory in the final two FedExCup playoff events to make his case. Even Olympic gold medalist Justin Rose needs to finish among the top three to advance.
“Everything can’t be the gold standard for what I did a year ago”.
World number three McIlroy – speaking ahead of the BMW Championship – said he planned to brief the five first-timers in Europe’s ranks about what to expect when hostilities get under way at Hazeltine National from September 30.
Advertisement
Crooked Stick, designed by Pete Dye, has undergone several changes since it hosted the 2015 BMW Championship. A lake was added along the left side of the 17th hole, adding to the potential for a dramatic finish with water hazards on the final three holes.
