Crowd sitting at top of BMW
Leishman two shots up on 3 at 7-under; 5 more at 6-under.
Marc Leishman left his clubs in the garage during his week break from the FedEx Cup playoffs and it didn’t make a difference. He had 10 birdies in his opening round of 9-under 62 at Conway Farms and built a twoshot lead in the BMW Championship in Lake Forest, Ill.
Leishman finished third two weeks ago at the TPC Boston and moved to No. 7 in the FedEx Cup. His goal is to get into the top five going into the final event at the Tour Championship.
“When you play golf and all you’re thinking about his making birdies, it’s a lot easier than trying to not make bogeys,” said Leishman, who matched his best round on the PGA Tour.
Jason Day, playing for the first time using a high school friend as his caddie, was 7 under for his last 11 holes and shot 64. Jamie Lovemark and Charley Hoffman also opened at 64.
Jordan Spieth had a bogeyfree 65, while Phil Mickelson shot 66.
“I felt like I really stole a few shots out of this golf course, which is rare to feel like you scored better than you played,” Spieth said.
Lefty, meanwhile, already is assured of competing in his 23rd consecutive team competition as a captain’s pick for the Presidents Cup.
Also at 65 was Rickie Flower, who showed a streaky side. Fowler birdied the first hole. He bogeyed the second hole. He followed with nine straight pars. And then he ran off six straight birdies, capped by a 65-foot pitch from short of the 17th green.
Tony Finau, Keegan Bradley and Rafa Cabrera Bello also were at 65.
The top 30 in the FedEx Cup after this week make it to the Tour Championship at East Lake for a mathematical shot at the $10 million bonus, with odds significantly higher depending on the position in the standings. The top five players — Spieth, Justin Thomas and Dustin Johnson already are assured that position — would only have to win at East Lake to claim golf ’s richest prize.
Thomas hit a tee shot into the water on the par-3 11th and made double bogey, though he still shot 67. Johnson had a three-hole stretch at 4 over early in his round and recovered for a 71.
For players like Mickelson, Finau and Bradley, they need to play well over the next three days to get into the top 30.
LPGA Tour: