Persistent rain delays put BMW event in park
Two putts began taking on more significance with each rain delay until there was no golf at all Sunday at the BMW Championship. Aronimink Golf Club already was saturated when a steady rain caused tiny streams and large puddles in the fairways, leaving the PGA Tour little choice but to wait until Monday to either play the final round or decide to cut short the third FedEx Cup playoff event to 54 holes. “We had a golf course we couldn’t play,” said Slugger White, the tour’s vice-president of competition. “We’re shovelling sand against the tide.”
Justin Rose was ahead by one shot, all because of one putt. He was tied with Xander Schauffele on the 18th hole of the third round Saturday when Schauffele’s eight-foot par putt rimmed around the high side of the cup, giving him a bogey and Rose the lead.
Rose can go to No. 1 in the world for the first time with a victory, making him the 22nd player to reach the top since the ranking began in 1986.
He also would be the No. 2 seed behind Bryson DeChambeau among the 30 who advance to the Tour Championship in two weeks, giving him a clear shot at the US$10 million prize. Keegan Bradley might be there, too, all because of one putt. Bradley made a seven-foot par in 18 to finish the third round in sixth place, three shots out of the lead. That projects him to move up 22 spots into the 30th position in the FedEx Cup, which would bump out Jordan Spieth.
Still to be determined was whether another shot is hit — or enough of them. The forecast was for light, scattered showers Monday morning, with thunderstorms developing in the afternoon.
If the final round starts Monday and more than half the field completes the round, the BMW Championship would go into Tuesday if necessary to finish. If not, the 54-hole scores would stand. Tiger Woods sits with a 198 total, five strokes back while Canada’s Adam Hadwin trails by eight.