WATCH: Highlights from the second round of the BMW Championship where Graham DeLaet is in the hunt
It has been seven years since Tiger Woods took the first FedEx Cup, golf’s playoff system that sees the PGA Tour’s best battle over four weeks for a $10-million prize.
Last year Swede Henrik Stenson took the title and the big cheque, while this year last week’s winner, American Chris Kirk, is leading with the third week of the playoff, the BMW Championship in Colorado, underway, and is being chased by the likes of Rory McIlroy, Jimmy Walker and Hunter Mahan.
With that in mind, here’s five things to watch for heading into the Tour Championship, where 30 players will move to the final.
Graham DeLaet—The only Canadian in the field (Brantford’s David Hearn was knocked out in the first round), DeLaet has a strong track record in the FedEx Cup, with two Top 5 finishes in four events last year.
He’s currently ranked No. 43 on the list, outside of the Top 30 who will make the third round of golf’s playoff, but DeLaet is in the midst of a strong week in Colorado. If DeLaet were to pull off a win this week he’d move up to fifth spot in the FedEx Cup, and guarantee himself a return to the Tour Championship.
Rory McIlroy—With Tiger Woods on the shelf, McIlroy, who won both the British Open and the PGA Championship, has emerged as the game’s biggest star. In an interview two weeks ago, McIlroy said he felt his hot hand would continue: “I’ve had stretches like this before where I felt I played this well before, but I feel I’m in control of my game as much as I’ve ever been and more so the mental side of it,” he said.
“I feel really good on the course. I’m happy with my swing, my equipment—everything. I hope it isn’t another streak. I hope it is something that becomes more common. I’m just trying to play as good as I can and I know if I play like that these results are possible. Hopefully it isn’t a streak—but something that I can continue.” McIlroy is currently ranked second in the FedEx Cup.
Cherry Hills Country Club—One of the game’s most fabled courses, Colorado’s Cherry Hills is hosting the third leg of this year’s FedEx Cup.
It has hosted numerous major championships, most notably the 1960 U.S. Open where Arnold Palmer staged the greatest comeback in that championship’s history, overcoming a seven shot deficit to win the tournament.
The course, which recently held the 2012 U.S. Amateur, is at 5,300 feet in elevation, meaning the ball flies farther than at courses near sea level and players have to make adjustments.
Jordan Spieth—He’s heading to the Ryder Cup, and the young American star has a lot of eyes on him as he heads towards the Tour Championship.
A lot is expected from Spieth at the Ryder Cup, which is played immediately after the conclusion of the FedEx Cup, and many are watching his play to see whether Spieth can be a leader for the American squad.
For Spieth, coming back to Cherry Hills, where he played the 2012 Ryder Cup, has brought back great memories, and he’s happy with his position. Spieth sits ninth heading into the BMW Championship.
“If you move forward in the playoffs from the place you started to the place you finish, you know you’ve did something well,” he says. “I’m in a good position this week to try to work my way to where next week I could be dangerous.”
Phil Mickelson—It is hard to imagine a Tour Championship without Mickelson, but there’s a good chance of that happening if the left hander doesn’t step it up this weekend.
Coming into the final two rounds of the BMW Championship, Mickelson sits 56th on the FedEx Cup standings, well outside the Top 30 needed to play next week. Mickelson says Cherry Hills reminds him of Augusta a couple of decades ago, before the course was lengthened, adding the greens are its key defense.
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