Digital Sports Desk

Online Destination for the Best in Boston Sports

PGA Tour

DeChambeau and Cantlay Share Lead

by

OWINGS MILLS – Tournament leaders Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Cantlay will play together in the final group in a final round for the second time in their careers. They previously played together in the final grouping in the final round of the 2018 Memorial Tournament presented by Workday, which DeChambeau won; each has won the Memorial Tournament (Dechambeau in 2018, and Cantlay in 2019 and 2021)

Embed from Getty Images

21-under par equals the second-lowest 54-hole score to par in a FedExCup Playoffs event.

After rounds of (64)-(66), World No. 1 and defending BMW champion Jon Rahm posts a 2-under 70 and sits five shots off the lead. The six-time PGA Tour winner has never successfully defended a tourney title.

Three of the four players who qualified for their first BMW Championship are inside the Top 12: Sam Burns (T-4), Erik van Rooyen (T-10), K.H. Lee (T-12); Other: Cam Davis (T-22)

• Current projections of player(s) to move into Top 30: Sergio Garcia

• Current projections of player(s) to move outside Top 30: Max Homa

Leaderboard After 54 Holes:

Bryson DeChambeau 68-60-67—195 (-21)

Patrick Cantlay 66-63-66—195 (-21)

Sungjae Im 67-65-66—198 (-18)

Rory McIlroy 64-70-65—199 (-17)

Abraham Ancer 66-67-66—199 (-17)

Sam Burns 64-70-65—199 (-17)

Sergio Garcia 65-67-67—199 (-17)

DeChambeau Cards a 60 to Lead BMW

by

The BMW Championship/FedExCup Playoffs

OWINGS MILLS – Bryson DeChambeau missed a 6-foot, 3-inch birdie putt on the final hole and posted a career-low 12-under (60) for the round. Prior to missing the putt on No. 18, he was 13-for-13 inside 10 feet (including 3-for-3 from 4-8 feet) during the round.

Currently at (+11.135) when play was suspended, Patrick Cantlay would set the record for lowest Strokes Gained: Putting through the first two rounds of a PGA Tour event in the ShotLink era (2003-present)

Sergio Garcia, who entered the week No. 44 in the FedExCup, is bogey-free through two rounds for the third time in his Tour career.

Friday play was suspended due to a dangerous weather situation at 4:32pm (EDT) and resumed at 6:18pm (EDT) – (1 hour, 46 minutes). Play was suspended due to darkness at 7:40pm (EDT), with 15 players yet to complete their round.

The second round resumed at 8:30am (EDT) this morning.

The third round, consisting of threesomes off split tees, will tee-off from approximately 10:40am to 12:50pm (EDT) today.

 

Leaderboard:

Bryson DeChambeau 68-60—128 (-16)

Patrick Cantlay 66-63—129 (-15)

Jon Rahm 64- (-15 thru 15 holes)

Sungjae Im 67-65—132 (-12)

Sergio Garcia 65-67—132 (-12)

Rahm, McIlroy & Burns Lead at BMW

by

OWINGS MILLS – World No. 1 and defending BMW Championship winner Jon Rahm holds a share of the 18-hole lead for the second consecutive week while 2012 BMW Championship winner Rory McIlroy tied his lowest score of the season with a (64) same as R-4/Waste Management Phoenix Open).

In his BMW Championship debut, Sam Burns posted a (64) for the fourth time in his last eight rounds on the PGA Tour.

The top 30 players in the FedExCup at the conclusion of the BMW Championship will advance to the season-ending Tour Championship

• Current projections of players to move into Top 30: Sergio Garcia, Keegan Bradley

• Current projections of players to move outside Top 30: Charley Hoffman, Max Homa

The Top 70 PGA Tour pros in the current FedExCup standings are eligible for the BMW Championship.; After this weekend, the Top 30 will advance to the TOUR Championship, where the FedExCup Champion will be crowned.

Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills, Maryland is the ninth different venue to host the BMW Championship since the inception of the FedExCup in 2007.

Be sure to see: PGA Tour Brunch

Leaderboard After 18 Holes

Jon Rahm 64 (-8)

Rory McIlroy 64 (-8)

Sam Burns 64 (-8)

Sergio Garcia 65 (-7)

PGA Tour Rolls Into BMW Championship

by

Preview – The BMW Championship

COURSE: Caves Valley Golf Club – (Owings Mills, MD)

ARCHITECT: Tom Fazio

YARDS/PAR: 7,542 yards/Par 72

PRIZE Money/First Place Winnings: $9,500,000/$1,710,000

DEFENDING CHAMPION: Jon Rahm (2020)

PAST RESULTS: (link)

PAST CHAMPIONS: (link)

FEDEx CUP Points / Winner: 2,000

SOCIAL MEDIA: #PGATour #FedExCup @BMWChamps

OFFICIAL SITE: (BMW Championship)

TV COVERAGE: Thursday, August 26 and Friday, August 27: Coverage from 3:00pm to 7:00pm (EDT) on Golf Channel.

On Saturday, August 28, Round 3 coverage 12:00pm Noon to 3:00pm (EDT) on Golf Channel. NBC Sports takes over from 3:00pm to 6:00pm (EDT). On Sunday, August 29: Golf Channel opens final round coverage 12:00pm to 2:00pm (EDT) and NBC wraps it up from 2:00pm to 6:00pm (EDT).

PGA TOUR LIVE STREAMING: Streaming coverage on Thursday and Friday, from 10:00am to 7:00pm (EDT) on PGA Tour Live. Twitter coverage from 10:00am-11:45am (EDT) on Thursday and Friday.

On Saturday and Sunday, PGA Tour Live will stream 8:00am to 6:00pm (EDT). Twitter will stream 8:00am-9:15am (EDT) on Saturday and Sunday.

PGA TOUR RADIO COVERAGE: SiriusXM Radio will have live radio coverage of the The BMW Championship with Thursday and Friday broadcasts from 1:00pm to 7:00pm (EDT). Weekend coverage on Sirius XM Radio begins at 1:00pm to 6:00pm (EDT) or conclusion on Sunday. PGA Tour Radio is available on Sirius 208/XM 92)

How to Watch: In case of changes, visit: (PGATourCom)

The BMW Championship/FedExCup Playoffs

OWINGS MILLS – The Top 70 PGA Tour pros in the current FedExCup standings are eligible for the BMW Championship, and after this weekend, the Top 30 will advance to the TOUR Championship, where the FedExCup Champion will be crowned. Since the points structure changed in 2009, an average of 2.83 players per year enter the BMW Championship outside the Top 30 and go on to qualify for the TOUR Championship, including two in 2020 (Joaquin Niemann, Mackenzie Hughes).

With his win at THE NORTHERN TRUST, Tony Finau moved to No. 1 in the FedExCup standings for the first time in his PGA Tour career. Since the points structure changed prior to the 2009 season, two players occupying the No. 1 position in the standings entering the BMW Championship have gone on to win the FedExCup: Henrik Stenson (2014) and Dustin Johnson (2020).

Jon Rahm will attempt to defend his 2020 BMW Championship title at a new venue, just outside Baltimore, Maryland instead of its usual Chicago destination. Rahm enters the week at No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking and No. 2 in the FedExCup standings. Rahm defeated Dustin Johnson in a playoff in 2020 to win the BMW Championship and finished third at last week’s THE NORTHERN TRUST after holding at least a share of the lead through 18, 36 and 54 holes.

Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills, Maryland is the ninth different venue to host the BMW Championship since the inception of the FedExCup in 2007.

The Basics:

With the limited field of 70, Tournament Tee Times begin a bit later than usual, starting Thursday at 9:40am and going to 2:05pm (EDT).

Weather: Morning thunderstorms are on the radar with a 40% chance of rain throughout the day. Temps 81-degrees+ with humidity 73% and winds at 6 mph. (link)

PGA Tour: Finau Takes Northern Trust

by

JERSEY CITY – The first round of the FedEx Cup Playoffs concluded Monday after a day-long delay due to tropical storm Henri drenching the New York-New Jersey region and dumping some six-plus inches of rain on Liberty National.

Embed from Getty Images

The NORTHERN TRUST became the third consecutive tournament – and third straight week on the PGA Tour schedule – with a playoff, marking the first time with three straight playoffs since 2019 The RSM Classic, 2020 Sentry Tournament of Champions, 2020 Sony Open in Hawaii. Overall, it was the 13th playoff of the PGA Tour season.

Tony Finau defeated Cameron Smith in the playoff, earning his second PGA Tour title in his 143rd start since his first victory on Tour back at the 2016 Puerto Rico Open. In the 142 starts between victories, Finau recorded eight runner-up finishes and 39 top-10s. With the 2,000 FedEx Cup points for winning the NORTHERN TRUST, Finau moves to No. 1 in the FedExCup standings for the first time in his career.

World No. 1 Jon Rahm, who held at least a share of the lead after each of the first three rounds, played the final four holes in 2-over and finishes solo-third.

Keith Mitchell birdied each of the final three holes to move into the Top 70 in the FedExCup standings and he qualified for this week’s BMW Championship.

Six players moving into the Top 70 in the FedExCup standings and qualifying for the BMW Championship were: Alex Noren (T-4), Erik van Rooyen (7th), Tom Hoge (T-4), Harold Varner III (T-11), Mitchell (T-8), and Harry Higgs(T-16).

The six players moving out of the Top 70 were: Matthew Wolff, Matt Fitzpatrick, Tyrrell Hatton, Martin Laird, Troy Merritt, and J.T. Poston who all MTC.

Final Leaderboard from THE NORTHERN TRUST:

Tony Finau 67-64-68-65—264 (-20)*

Cameron Smith 69-68-60-67—264 (-20)

Jon Rahm 63-67-67-69—266 (-18)

Alex Noren 69-64-70-66—269 (-15)

Tom Hoge 69-64-67-69—269 (-15)

Justin Thomas 63-69-67-70—269 (-15)

* defeated Cameron Smith with a par-4 on the first playoff hole (No. 18)

Full Leaderboard (link)

PGA Tour’s Reed Hospitalized in Houston

by

HOUSTON – USA Olympian Patrick Reed, the No. 22 ranked pro golfer in the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup points standings, was admitted Friday to Houston Methodist Hospital as his heath rapidly declined due to bilateral interstitial pneumonia, often referred to as “double pneumonia.”

Embed from Getty Images

Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis and golfchannel.com writer Rex Hoggard first reported Reed’s condition, which is considered a “very serious infection that can inflame and scar lungs.”

“It got really bad very quickly,” Reed’s wife, Justine, told Lewis.

Reed played in The Open in the United Kingdom, the 3M in Minnesota, then was called upon by Team USA to fill Bryson DeChambeau’s spot on the US Olympic golf team in Tokyo and then returned to the United States and played at the WGC-FedEx-St. Jude tournament in Memphis.

After the WGC-FedEx-St. Jude, Reed did not play in the Wyndham Championship, withdrawing from a tournament only two days before it started. Reed won the Wyndham in 2013. A week later, again on short notice, Reed withdrew from the Northern Trust, the first round of the FedEx Cup Playoffs. His withdrawal from the event placed his chances to participate for the USA in the Ryder Cup in serious doubt. Should his health improve, there would be a slight chance of being added to the USA team with a captain’s pick.

Today, via written statement, Reed confirmed he will not be able to play in the BMW Championship later this week, thus ending his season because of such a slight chance of playing in the PGA Tour’s Championship in Atlanta. It also severely limits his chances to make the USA Ryder Cup team. Reed had cited an “ankle injury” as the reason for withdrawing from the Northern Trust.

“I’m on the road to recovery,” Reed said in his statement. “Once I’m cleared from the doctors, I look forward to returning. I wish you all the best and I can’t wait to get back out there.”

In the statements and communications, the pneumonia case or complications of Reed’s condition as it might relate to COVID-19 and the disease was not mentioned in the statements, although a severe case of double pneumonia is frequently the end result of the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) and it can be quite dangerous. The optimistic words of improvement bode well for Reed’s overall health but such a severe condition will likely shut down his golf game for the few remaining weeks of the PGA Tour season.

Should the double pneumonia be the result of a COVID-19 infection, Reed would rank as the most acclaimed United States professional athlete from any sport to suffer such a severe case from the conditions effecting the human respiratory system.

 

PGA Tour: Monday Finish for NORTHERN TRUST

by

JERSEY CITY – The final round of THE NORTHERN TRUST was delayed once again today and the final round began at 11:30 a.m. (EDT). That’s a four hour delay from the planned start this morning. Practice facilities are open.

Golf Channel began coverage at 12:30pm with the final group tee-off at 1:42pm.

Play will begin with a weather report showing cloudy skies, scattered showers with a 41% chance of rain by 1:00pm (EDT). Humidity is high (94% dropping to 70% by evening). Winds are at 10 mph.

Due to the heavy rain from tropical storm Henri and saturated onsite conditions at Liberty National Golf Club, the PGA Tour decided that the final round of THE NORTHERN TRUST will be played without spectators. The golf course saw six inches of rain fall on Sunday. The walkways and cart paths are impassable.

Players currently projected to move inside the Top 70 (5): Erik van Rooyen, Harold Varner III, Tom Hoge, Keith Mitchell, and Joel Dahmen.

Players currently projected to fall out of the Top 70 (5): Matt Fitzpatrick, Tyrrell Hatton, Martin Laird, Troy Merritt, and J.T. Poston.

The Top 70 advance to this week’s BMW Championship.

Leaderboard After 54 Holes:

Cameron Smith 69-68-60—197 (-16)

Jon Rahm 63-67-67—197 (-16)

Erik van Rooyen 69-67-62—198 (-15)

Justin Thomas 63-69-67—199 (-14)

Tony Finau 67-64-68—199 (-14)

Full Leaderboard (link)

PGA Tour: Final Round Postponed

by

JERSEY CITY – A Tropical Storm warning was issued by the National Hurricane Center for the greater Metropolitan area, site of The NORTHERN TRUST. There will be no play on Sunday, August 22nd. Round 4 will be played on Monday, August 23rd. Tee times and groupings will be published on Sunday afternoon, with play on Monday slated to begin no earlier than 7:30 a.m.

On Saturday, Cameron Smith recorded a career-low 18-hole score and set the Liberty National course record with a (61). Smith enters the final round tied for the lead with Jon Rahm who holds at least a share of the lead for the third consecutive round.

Players currently projected to move inside the top 70 (5): Erik van Rooyen, Harold Varner III, Tom Hoge, Keith Mitchell, and Joel Dahmen.

Players currently projected to fall out of the top 70 (5): Matt Fitzpatrick, Tyrrell Hatton, Martin Laird, Troy Merritt, and J.T. Poston.

Only the Top 70 advance to this week’s BMW Championship.

Leaderboard After 54 Holes:

Cameron Smith 69-68-60—197 (-16)

Jon Rahm 63-67-67—197 (-16)

Erik van Rooyen 69-67-62—198 (-15)

Justin Thomas 63-69-67—199 (-14)

Tony Finau 67-64-68—199 (-14)

Full Leaderboard (link)

Rahm Leads at Northern Trust

by

JERSEY CITY – (PGA Tour Brunch) – Jon Rahm leads THE NORTHERN TRUST after recording the second-lowest 36-hole total of his PGA Tour career (130) while Tony Finau tied his career-best 36-hole total at (131) and sits in solo-second after 36 holes.

Embed from Getty Images

Xander Schauffele and Jordan Spieth carded matching rounds of 9-under (62), both tying the course record at Liberty National G.C.

Defending champion and 2020 FedExCup Champion Dustin Johnson, FedExCup points leader Collin Morikawa both missed the cut.

Players currently projected to move inside the Top 70 (6): Keith Mitchell, Harold Varner III, Alex Noren, Tom Hoge, Erik van Rooyen, and Seamus Power.

Players currently projected to fall out of the Top 70 (6): Talor Gooch, Matt Fitzpatrick, Tyrrell Hatton, Martin Laird, Troy Merritt, and J.T. Poston.

Only the Top 70 advance to next week’s BMW Championship.

Leaderboard After First Round:

Jon Rahm – 63-67—130 (-12)

Tony Finau – 67-64—131 (-11)

Justin Thomas – 63-69—132 (-10)

Keith Mitchell – 68-64—132 (-10)

Xander Schauffele – 70-62—132 (-10)

Full Leaderboard (link)

Thomas, Rahm Lead Northern Trust

by

JERSEY CITY – Justin Thomas and Jon Rahm share the 18-hole lead after matching 8-under (63)s, three strokes better than any other player. Thomas and Rahm both entered the week in the Top 10 in the FedExCup standings and Top Five in the Official World Golf Ranking.

Embed from Getty Images

Harold Varner III (FedExCup No. 72 entering the week) finished T3 at the NORTHERN TRUST at Liberty National in 2019, moving inside the top 70 to qualify for the BMW Championship.

Bryson DeChambeau (71) became the fourth player since the record was kept (1983) to make two or fewer pars and record a score of even-par.

Early Scoreboard Watching for Top 70 in FedEx Cup Points: Players currently projected to move inside the top 70 (6): Harold Varner III, Adam Scott, Andrew Putnam, Erik van Rooyen, Keith Mitchell, and Harry Higgs.

Players currently projected to fall out of the top 70 (6): Shane Lowry, Tyrrell Hatton, Talor Gooch, Martin Laird, Troy Merritt, and J.T. Poston.

Leaderboard After First Round:

Justin Thomas 63 (-8)

Jon Rahm 63 (-8)

Harold Varner III 66 (-5)

Six players 67 (-4)