FedEx also-rans tied atop Northern Trust
Woods shoots an uninspired 71 and trails by five
The Associated Press
PARAMUS, N.J. — Tiger Woods failed to carry any momentum he had from his previous tournament into the start of the FedEx Cup playoffs. Neither did Sean O’Hair. That was only good news for one of them Thursday in The Northern Trust.
O’Hair missed the cut last weekand saw his FedEx Cup standing slip to No. 121, meaning he has to play well this week or his season is over. His immediate goal is to advance to the third stage of events because the BMW Championship is at Aronimink outside Philadelphia, where O’Hair is a member.
He drilled a 3-wood from 284 yards to 6 feet for eagle on No. 3. He hammered another 3-wood on the par-5 17th to 10 feet, settling for a two-putt birdie. That carried O’Hair to a 5-under 66, giving him a share of the lead with Kevin Tway, Jamie Lovemark and VaughnTaylor.
“I’m obviously very disappointed that I’m not in a better position, but I’m kind of in charge of my destiny,” O’Hair said. “If I play good golf I’m just going to work
What: Round 2 of The Northern Trust, Ridgewood Country Club, 7,385 yards, par 71, Paramus, N.J.
TV: Golf Channel, 2 p.m. into the next week.”
Woods, playing for the first time since his runnerup finish at the PGA Championship, had two birdies, two bogeys, a lot of pars and a 71. He was five shots behind and in a tie for 60th. After a rough start off the tee, Woods wound up hitting 9 of 14 fairways. He just never got it close enough for good looks at birdie.
“Just didn’t have the situations where I had the full club and I could go ahead and take a rip at it and start being aggressive and going after these flags,” Woods said.
Woods is back in the FedEx Cup playoffs for the first time in five years, and it was his first time at Ridgewood Country Club since 2010. Thousands came to watch him play, and they heard plenty of cheers from the group behind him.
Dustin Johnson rimmed out a 6-iron on the par-3 sixth for one of his seven birdies to offset a triple bogey for a 67. U.S. Open and PGA champion Brooks Koepka ran off four birdies and an eagle for his 67. FedEx Cup champion Justin Thomas had four birdies in his round of 69.
O’Hair isn’t alone in the urgency to play well. The top 100 advance to the second stage next week at the TPC Boston, with the top 70 going to the BMW Championship and the top 30 making it to East Lake in Atlanta for the Tour Championship.
Tway and Lovemark are 85th and 86th in the FedEx Cup standings, respectively, while Taylor is at No. 112. All three, as well as O’Hair, would vault into the top 10 with a win Sunday.
Last week’s winner at the Wyndham Championship, Brandt Snedeker, withdrew because of back spasms. He will drop in the standings, but still will high enough to play next week at TPC Boston.