Woods can’t back up hot run at BMW
NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. — Ryder Cup captain Jim Furyk had an easy time deciding on three of his four picks for the Ryder Cup.
Xander Schauffele is making the last one a little more difficult.
Schauffele nearly holed a wedge on his second hole, rolled in a 40-foot birdie putt in the middle of his round Friday and wound up with a 6-under 64 in the BMW Championship for the lowest 36-hole score of his career and a two-shot lead over Justin Rose.
“I’m sort of in a position where I feel like a win is the only way I’d even be in consideration,” Schauffele said.
He also made it more difficult on Woods, who again goes into a weekend have to catch up to the leaders.
One day after he opened with a 62 — his lowest score since his last victory more than five years ago — Woods went eight holes before his first birdie and didn’t make many after that. He finished with two straight bogeys for a 70 that left him five shots behind in a tie for 12th.
“Very simple. I didn’t make any putts,” Woods said. “I hit a lot of beautiful putts that were on the top of the edge, and then obviously hit a couple bad ones on the last hole, but looked like all the putts were going to in. But they didn’t go in today.”
Tony Finau is regarded the leading candidate for the final Ryder Cup spot, and he did nothing to hurt his chances. Finau made seven birdies in his round of 64 and goes into the final 36 holes at Aronimink just five shots behind.
“The possibilities are cool, the potential of what could happen,” Finau said. “But nothing good comes from thinking too far ahead. I got a couple rounds in front of me, 36 holes to try and win this tournament. And winning takes care of everything.”
Woods once used that phrase — “winning takes care of everything” — when he returned to No. 1 in the world after his injuries in 2013. Winning remains elusive, a cold putter didn’t do too much damage after starting with a 62.
He missed a 4-foot par putt on the par-3 fifth hole and didn’t convert any of the birdie putts from the 20-foot range. What he made Thursday, he missed Friday.
“I hit it just as good and putt it just as good,” Woods said. “Nothing went in. That’s the way it goes.”
Woods endorsed Nike’s latest “Just Do It” ad narrated by Colin Kaepernick with a message nearly as succinct.
“It’s a beautiful spot,” Woods said.
The two-minute ad, which debuted during the NFL opener, highlights superstar athletes LeBron James, Serena Williams and others, and touches on the controversy of NFL player protests during the national anthem.
Woods, a Nike athlete since turning pro in 1996 who rarely delves into divisive issues, said Friday he was a fan of the apparel giant featuring the former 49ers quarterback known for his social protests.
“I think Nike is trying to get out ahead of it and trying to do something special, and I think they’ve done that,” Woods said. “It’s a beautiful spot and pretty powerful people [are] in the spot.”