Day withdrew while playing the eighth hole at East Lake. Then just to show it wasn’t a fluke, he made a double-bogey at the second hole.
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Now, he is playing the Tour Championship and is assured of playing at least three majors next year, along with World Golf Championships in Mexico and Firestone. It was disappointing not to make a birdie on the last [after a drive of 359 yards] but it seems like everyone is finding it quite hard out there so I’m not too far away and if I can straighten it out over the weekend, hopefully I still have a chance. “I like being in the position after Saturday of previous year, being in the last [group]”.
“Obviously there was some, or else we wouldn’t have been there”, he said.
Johnson and Chappell separated themselves from the pack, with third-placed Kevin Kisner and Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama four strokes from the lead at three-under 137.
After withdrawing from his last start with an annular ligament tear in his back, Day continued to feel the pain, hitting just five of 14 fairways. His back nine was much better, as birdies on 10, 12 and 17 saw him rescue his round.
Defending Champion: Jordan Spieth.
McIlroy three-putted after twice finding the rough at the par-four, and he exacerbated his situation at the next hole by hitting his approach into the water and making a second successive six. “But I also have a chance to see why he’s the best player in the world right now, and I look forward to taking advantage of that opportunity”.
Both Spieth, ranked fourth in the world, and McIlroy, ranked third, have plenty to prove this week.
The murmurings in relation to Paul Casey’s refusal to make himself eligible for the Ryder Cup could take the form of an epic storyline within days. He’s tied for the lead through 18 holes at the PGA Tour’s season finale, the Tour Championship.
The top 125 players in the regular season point standings qualify for the FedEx Cup playoffs, which consists of four events.
Fernandez-Castano is eighth on the money list with $41,500, likely enough to secure a PGA Tour card. “What happened a year ago, it was a weird week and I know I’m not going to repeat that tomorrow”, said Wiesberger, 30. “He was 3 over through four holes and ends up winning by a couple of shots at 18 under”.
“I felt I played really, really solid today”. I have no doubt. I made some really sloppy swings and poor shots.
The top five entering East Lake this year: 1.
His victories at Kapalua and the Colonial are certainly nothing to be ashamed of, but Spieth has mostly been on the outside looking in over the past few months. Those five control their own fate, meaning that if they win the TOUR Championship, they’d also win the FedExCup.
This year, no one had a significant edge for Player of the Year honors before Johnson’s BMW win.
Should the Englishman win the FedEx Cup on Sunday, as he has a decent chance of doing, life would instantly become more uncomfortable for Europe’s captain, Darren Clarke.
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“But I need to cut out mistakes here if I am going to win”.
