70 fight it out for FedEx final glory

BY Bruce Young | US PGA Tour | 2010 BMW Championship | Preview | 08 Sep 2010

The FedEx Playoffs road show hits Chicago this week or more correctly Lemont about 20 miles to the south west for the third and penultimate contest of the four Playoff series.

The BMW Championship is again played at the outstanding Cog Hill Golf and Country Club, designed and built originally in 1964 but significantly remodelled by Rees Jones in 2008. The venue has played host to this event or its equivalent since 1991, the only exception coming in 2008 when the tournament was moved to St Louis during its remodelling.

After 125 players began this journey two weeks ago, just 70 players remain in the FedEx Cup Playoffs with a further 40 eliminated this week before the Tour Championship in two weeks time.

All 70 have a mathematical chance at least of winning the US$10 million on offer on Sunday 26th in Atlanta but clearly there are some heroics needed and a little help from others if that is to be the case.

Once again Tiger Woods arrives at a golf course that holds special memories for him and one on which he has won on five occasions and been runner-up twice. After a slow start last week in Boston he finished strongly for 11th. That followed another similar effort at the Barclays.

Several weeks ago Woods played an event he has also dominated for much of his professional life, the WGC Bridgestone Championship but was unable to utilise his love affair with the South Course at Firestone to rediscover his mojo.

He has however continued to improve since and this week offers an insight as to just how he might yet be able to look back on a disastrous year with at least some joy.

If Woods can contend and possibly win he keeps his hopes alive of winning the FedEx Cup and if he was able to do that then the ‘write off’ the season appeared a few weeks ago will have been resurrected. At 51st in the current FedEx Cup points list however he needs something special to just make it to the leading 30 players who will play the Tour Championship.

Steve Stricker won on this golf course in those brilliant days of his when first on the PGA Tour and since returning to his former glory he finished third two years ago. He continues to play beautifully of late and it is hard to imagine he will not be a factor come Sunday of this week.

Phil Mickelson has never recorded a top ten at Cog Hill so it is hard to imagine things improving dramatically this week, especially give he has struggled so much since the US Open.

Jim Furyk broke a two year winning drought when he defeated Tiger Woods in 2005, the only concern about his chances of making it two wins at Cog Hill being a couple of indifferent tournaments in the last few weeks. Furyk further displayed his liking for the layout when he finished runner up to Woods last year, albeit eight shots adrift

Matt Kuchar got through the let down factor last week following his win at the Barclays in reasonable style and gets a further chance to highlight his amazing consistency in 20100 with a good yet another good week. Kuchar finished 10th in this event last year despite a last round 75. He might be getting tired but he is still a good chance.

Like Kuchar, Brandt Snedeker blew a great opportunity in this event last year with a final round of 76 but on a tough and demanding golf course he has put together several very good rounds at Cog Hill. With two top ten finishes in his last three starts this season his game is definitely coming around and he can again put himself in contention then he could well finish things off better this Sunday.

Luke Donald has put together several good finishes at Cog Hill including when 3rd in 2004. His effort to finish in a share of second last week is perhaps a reflection on the fact that he has been boosted by the faith Colin Montgomerie has shown in him and another big week would not surprise in what is effectively his home town.

The Australians are again likely to feature. Jason Day made the cut in his only start in the event at Cog Hill last year but the elevation in his game in 2010 has been there for all to see. The trend he has developed of putting himself in contention on such a regular basis should continue this week.

Adam Scott and Geoff Ogilvy made huge FedEx Cup strides last week when runner-up and 5th respectively in Boston and Adam Scott in particular appears to be developing some excellent momentum at just the right time. Eight of Scott’s twelve rounds in this event at Cog Hill have been in the 60’s and he might improve even further this week.

Other Australians in the field are; Robert Allenby, last year’s runner up Marc Leishman, John Senden, Michael Sim, Stuart Appleby, Matt Jones and Greg Chalmers.