Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Woods slides as Schauffele surges
NEWTOWN TWP. » There is an interesting subplot at work this weekend at the BMW Championship.
It is the scramble to secure the 12th and final spot on the U.S. Ryder Cup team, which may not get as much attention as Tiger Woods or Rory McIlroy, but it’s important, nonetheless, with the biennial clash with Europe less than three weeks away.
Team captain and West Chester native Jim Furyk will make the final selection Monday morning, and even though it looks like Tony Finau has the inside edge, second round BMW leader Xander Schauffele is making a big late push.
“I’m sort of in a position where I feel like a win is the only way I’d be in consideration,” said Schauffele, 24, who just put together the two best back-to-back rounds of his young career.
“Tony is the guy right now, (but) he just shot a 64 as well. He’s not making it easy on anyone else trying to get on that team.”
The PGA Tour’s Rookie of the Year in 2017, Schauffele backed up a rock-solid opening round 63 with a nearly as impressive 6-under 64 Friday. He has a two-shot lead in his quest to win for the first time on Tour since he did it twice a year ago.
“I have lots to prove to myself, and I just want to win and just handle my business,” he said. “I feel like I’ve sort of been a little more focused this week and a little more serious.”
Trying to catch a consistent competitor like Finau is probably going to take a remarkable effort this weekend. The 28-year-old from Utah already has 10 top-10 finishes this season, and is in the thick of things this week, in a tie for 12th place, at 8-under 132.
“I try not to really change anything,” Finau said. “To me, I’ve been playing good golf all year and I don’t need to put more pressure on myself that what’s already there.
“It’s a lot easier to say than it is to do.”
Finau followed up an un-extraordinary first round 68 with a sleek 64 in round two. He is hitting 89 percent of greens in regulation so far, and has amassed 11 birdies and just three bogeys.
“I’m doing my best to control the possibilities of what could happen, but from what I’ve learned in this game, you can’t look ahead,” he said. “I’m trying to just focus on now and control what I can.”
••• The way Tiger Woods explains it, there was very little difference between his exhilarating 62 Thursday and his deflating even-par 70 Friday.
“I hit it just as good and putted it just as good,” he said. “Nothing went in. That’s the way it goes. That round was easily 6-7 under par. It turned into even par, which is not what I needed to do (Saturday). ”
Woods slipped from a share of the first round lead to a tie for 12th place at 8-under 132, and his finish was particularly damaging. He moved into the top-5 momentarily with a birdie at the 16th to get to 10-under, but then bogeyed both 17 and 18.
With 36 holes to go, he knows what it is going to take to challenge for his first PGA Tour victory in over five years.
“I’ve got to make birdies,” Woods said. “I have to try and keep pace, and this golf course is playing soft and getable, and (Saturday) will be the same thing.”
••• NOTES » The average score so far is a nearly 3-under par 67.7. … The toughest hole Friday was the 457-yard 4th (average score 4.18). The easiest hole both days: the par-5 16th. … The final group of Schauffele and Justin Rose will tee off Saturday at 2 p.m. Woods will get underway at 12:40 p.m. And superstar Phil Mickelson is all alone and will tee off first at 8:35 a.m. Mickelson is currently alone in last place at 5-over 145.