Pinau vs Ram "Grab the PO No.1 Seed"..."K Trio?"

'PO Round 2' Full-Scale Battle at BMW Championship, Smith Joins 'No.1 Seed Race', Korea Says "Securing 3rd Round Ticket Is Urgent"

‘PO ranking No. 1’ Tony Finau (above) and No. 2 Jon Rahm compete for the ‘No. 1 seed’ at the BMW Championship.

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] "Grab the No. 1 seed."

It's a return match between Tony Finau (USA), the 'Playoff (PO) Ranking No. 1,' and Jon Rahm (Spain), No. 2. The BMW Championship (total prize money $9.5 million), opening on the night of the 26th (Korean time) at Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills, Maryland (par 72, 7,542 yards), is the 'PO second round' of the PGA Tour. Out of 69 players, only 30 can advance to the 'final third round,' the Tour Championship. Cameron Smith (Australia), ranked third, has joined the competition for the 'No. 1 seed.'

Finau surged to No. 1 with his victory at the 'PO first round,' The Northern Trust, which ended on the 24th. After a playoff battle with Smith on the final day, he secured his second career win in 5 years and 5 months since the Puerto Rico Open in March 2016. During that time, he had eight runner-up finishes, and this year he also fell short by '2%' with second places at the Farmers Open and Genesis Invitational in January. However, this time he thrilled fans by racking up one eagle and 22 birdies (with 4 bogeys).

For Finau, above all, maintaining the 'No. 1 seed' is crucial. Since the PGA Tour introduced a new 'PO system' in 2019, a 'stroke bonus' is awarded immediately after this tournament for the top 30 players: 1st place gets 10 under par, 2nd 8 under, 3rd 7 under, 4th 6 under, 5th 5 under, 6th to 10th 4 under, 11th to 15th 3 under, 16th to 20th 2 under, 21st to 25th 1 under, and 26th to 30th even par. The higher the seed, the greater the chance of winning the 'final third round.'

Rahm is in the same boat. This tournament is especially the 'promised land' where he achieved a dramatic come-from-behind victory last year. On the final day, he fired a 6-under-par round to take the top spot on the leaderboard, then faced Dustin Johnson (USA) on the 18th hole (par 4) in the first playoff hole, sinking an incredible 20.1-meter winning birdie putt. Following his historic US Open win in June as the first Spanish player to claim the 'national title' in the U.S., he has shown tremendous power in his last three events, including a 3rd place at The Open and the 'PO first round.'

Sungjae Im challenges to advance to the final third round at the BMW Championship 'PO Round 2'.

Patrick Cantlay, Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Jordan Spieth, Harris English, Bryson DeChambeau (all USA), Abraham Ancer (Mexico), and others currently in the 'Top 10' are in a position to leap to No. 1 with the 2,000 points awarded for winning this tournament. The 'K trio' must focus on survival for now. Im Sung-jae (23) starts at 25th, Kim Si-woo (26) at 33rd, and Lee Kyoung-hoon (30, both from CJ Logistics) at 37th, all vying to secure a 'final third round ticket.'

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