Woods 3 Over Par "PO Game 3 Ticket?"... Matsuyama Leads at 2 Under Par

BMW Championship Day 1 Tied 35th 'Thorny Path', PO Leader Johnson 1 Over Par Tied 14th, Im Sung-jae 7 Over Par Tied 65th

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] The 'returning golf emperor' Tiger Woods (USA) is facing a tough challenge securing a 'PO 3rd round ticket.'

On the 28th (Korean time), at Olympia Fields Golf Club in Illinois, USA (par 70, 7,366 yards), the second round of the PGA Tour Playoffs (PO), the BMW Championship (total prize $9.5 million), began. On the first day, Woods lost 3 strokes and is tied for 35th place. Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) leads at 3 under par, with Tyler Duncan (USA) chasing closely in second place at 1 stroke behind (2 under par, 68 strokes). Dustin Johnson (USA), currently PO 1st, is tied for 14th at 1 over par.

Woods recorded 2 birdies and 5 bogeys. Starting at the 10th hole (par 4), he exchanged 2 birdies and 2 bogeys up to the 6th hole in the back nine (par 3), maintaining steady progress, but collapsed with 3 consecutive bogeys from holes 7 to 9. At the 8th hole (par 3), a disappointing near-miss occurred as his 1.2m par putt just brushed past the hole. He only kept the fairway 4 times, had a green hit rate of 66.67% with his iron shots, and averaged 2.00 putts per hole, walking a thorny path.

Currently ranked 57th in the PO, survival is urgent. At least entering the 'top 4' is necessary to advance to the final 3rd round Tour Championship, where only 30 players survive. It is interesting that Woods was the 2018 Tour Championship winner. He secured his 80th career win after 5 years and 1 month since the Bridgestone Invitational in August 2013. However, last year he ranked 42nd in the PO and could not even defend his title. He vowed, "I will do my best over the remaining three days."

Hideki Matsuyama is teeing off at the 8th hole on the first day of the BMW Championship. Olympia Fields, Illinois, USA = Getty Images / Multibits Photo by Multibits

Matsuyama swept up 6 birdies (and 3 bogeys), successfully making an early surge. Along with the win, he will rise to 2nd place in the PO. It is important to note the 'stroke bonuses' given after the 2nd round: 1st seed gets 10 under par, 2nd place 8 under par, 3rd place 7 under par, 4th place 6 under par, 5th place 5 under par, 6th to 10th place 4 under par, 11th to 15th place 3 under par, 16th to 20th place 2 under par, 21st to 25th place 1 under par, and 26th to 30th place even par. The higher the seed, the greater the chance of winning the 3rd round.

In the leading group, Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) is positioned 4th at even par. Johnson can comfortably maintain his PO 1st place with his current ranking. After a huge 11-stroke victory in the first round, The Northern Trust, he not only secured PO 1st but also took over the world ranking 1st, now challenging for 'PO back-to-back wins.' Defending champion Justin Thomas (USA), on the other hand, is struggling to defend his title as his iron shots faltered, dropping to tied 35th place.

'The Hulk' Bryson DeChambeau (USA) joined this group. He drew more spotlight by blasting a 401-yard long drive at the 17th hole (par 4). However, he missed the green 11 times, showing low cost-effectiveness, and suffered a critical double bogey when his tee shot at the 18th hole (par 4) landed in the rough. In Korea, Byeong-Hun An (29) is fighting hard tied for 35th place. Sungjae Im (22, both from CJ Logistics) remained tied for 65th at 7 over par.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.