Golf: Relieved Thomas wins BMW Championship by three strokes

Justin Thomas faltered in the final round at the BMW Championship on Sunday but held on for an ultimately comfortable three-stroke victory at Medinah in suburban Chicago.

He carded a closing four-under 68 to finish on a 25-under-par total of 263, while fellow American Patrick Cantlay shot a 65 for second place on 22-under.

Thomas started the day with a six-shot advantage but when he bogeyed the 10th hole, after almost hitting his second out of bounds, the lead over Cantlay was down to two.

But Thomas steadied with clutch play over the next three holes, twice holing putts of around 12 feet to re-establish his authority.

"Patrick made that very interesting," a relieved Thomas said.

"I hit the ball so bad to start the day. I made it hard on myself because usually I'm pretty good at hitting fairways and greens and I couldn't hit a fairway ... but I stayed patient and that birdie on 11 was huge.

"I was really nervous today. It's hard to play with the lead. I was enjoying it, though."

The victory was the 10th of his PGA Tour career but the first this year in what has been an injury-interrupted season. Thomas hurt his wrist in March and took six weeks off to rest.

"I'd forgotten how hard it was to win," said the 26-year-old former world number one.

"This game is so hard, you don't know how often things like this are going to happen.

"It's not like I've been playing bad. I would argue I've played just as well this year as any other year. It's a very humbling and tough game and I learned to respect it and be patient."

The result means Thomas is the number one seed at next week's season-ending Tour Championship in Atlanta.

The top 30 players on the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup points list qualified for the event, where the winner at East Lake will collect $15 million.

For the first time the tournament will use a staggered start based on players' position in the points race, with Thomas starting at 10-under-par.

The qualifiers ranked 26th to 30th will begin at even par.

Three players who started the BMW Championship outside the top 30 in the standings snuck into the Tour Championship -- Japan's Hideki Matsuyama and Americans Lucas Glover and Jason Kokrak.

Matsuyama has never missed a Tour Championship since joining the tour in 2014.

Missing out was Ireland's British Open champion Shane Lowry, along with Americans Andrew Putnam and Harold Varner III.

There will be no defending champion at East Lake, as Tiger Woods did not qualify after finishing equal 37th on Sunday. 

(Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina; editing by Tony Lawrence/Peter Rutherford)

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Golf: Thomas shoots course-record 61 for six-shot lead at BMW

Justin Thomas enjoyed "one of those freaky days in the zone" as he carded a course-record 11-under-par 61 to vault to a six-stroke lead in the third round at the BMW Championship in suburban Chicago on Saturday.

An eagle with an eight-iron from 180 yards at the par-four 16th was just one highlight of an eventful day for the American, who broke by two strokes the previous best score at Medinah, set just 24 hours previously by Hideki Matsuyama.

Thomas posted a 21-under 195 total in the penultimate event of the PGA Tour season, while compatriots Tony Finau and Patrick Cantlay fired 68s for a share of second place on 15-under.

Halfway leader Matsuyama plunged 10 strokes behind with a 73.

"I hit the ball pretty unbelievable," Thomas told broadcaster NBC after his fourth career round of 61 or better.

"It's not like I made any long putts. I hit it close to the hole, and took advantage of some opportunities.

"I got a couple of good breaks and that's stuff that happens when you shoot 11 under."

Thomas started his round with five successive birdies, and later recorded a tap-in eagle at the par-five 10th after a precise five-wood approach shot.

The highlight reel continued when he chipped in from 20 feet from lush rough to birdie the 14th hole.

He then drove his tee shot into a pond at the 15th and took a penalty stroke, but still saved par, setting the stage for his most unlikely eagle at the par-four 16th, where his ball landed a couple of yards in front of the cup and trickled in.

"It looked good in the air," said the 26-year-old. "That's a little bit of a bonus."

Thomas finished with two eagles, eight birdies and one bogey, and vowed to continue attacking the rain-softened course in the final round.

"I'm trying to win by as many as I possibly can. If I just keep playing how I've been playing I feel like I can shoot another good round."

The performance was a reminder of the talent possessed by Thomas, who clinched his first major title two years ago at the PGA Championship and has been ranked number one in the world.

But his 2019 campaign suffered a setback when he injured a wrist in March and he eventually took six weeks off to let it heal, missing the PGA Championship before failing to make the cut at the U.S. Open.

If Thomas wins, he will start next week's season-ending Tour Championship in Atlanta as the top seed, with a two-stroke headstart over the second seed in the 30-man field, which may not include last year's winner Tiger Woods.

Woods shot 67 on Saturday to improve to equal 31st, but is projected to need a top-six finish to advance to East Lake, where he ended a five-year victory drought last year after returning from major back surgery.

"This was nice to at least give myself a chance to make it to next week," the 15-times major champion said of his round.

"It has been in the back of my mind to get there (to East Lake)." 

(Reporting by Andrew Both; Editing by Greg Stutchbury)

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Golf: Tiger 'way better' entering PGA playoff test at Medinah

WASHINGTON -- Tiger Woods said Wednesday he feels "way better" after withdrawing last week with an oblique strain, but major concerns remain around the 15-time major winner entering the BMW Championship.

The most important worry for Woods starting Thursday at Medinah in suburban Chicago, seeking his first victory since capturing the Masters in April, is to play his way into next week's season-ending US PGA Tour Championship in Atlanta.

At 38th in the season points standings, Woods is projected to need a top-11 finish to place well enough to reach the top 30 in points and earn a chance at defending the crown he won last year at East Lake, his first triumph since 2013.

"This week is no different," Woods said. "I'm trying to win this tournament just like anybody else in this field and trying to get to East Lake and trying to get to a place where a lot of things changed for me last year and hopefully I can make that happen."

Sixth-ranked Woods raised fears about his physical fitness by withdrawing from last week's Northern Trust event at Liberty National with his injury, which dropped him out of the top 30.

After playing the front nine in a pro-am Wednesday, hitting full shots for the first time since last week's exit, Woods only chipped and putted over the back nine, saying he was glad for the extra rest and felt "way better".

"It was nice to take those days off and I had to just let it calm down and get a bunch of treatment on it, and it feels so much better," Woods said.

"Played the front nine and played well, which was nice to see, nice to feel. Took the back nine off, chipped and putted quite a bit and it definitely doesn't feel like it did on Friday, that's for sure."

Woods said tweaking his swing caused his latest injury setback.

"If it's not one thing, it's another. Things just pop up," Woods said.

"I'm making tweaks and changes trying to play around this back and trying to be explosive and have enough rest time and training time. That has been the biggest challenge of it all.

"The forces have got to go somewhere, and unfortunately when I make any kind of tweaks and changes to my swing, it's like a new body part is aching."

The 43-year-old is set to make only his sixth start since Augusta National alongside Taiwan's C.T. Pan and fellow American Billy Horschel on Thursday afternoon, having played only 13 rounds since donning his fifth green jacket.

The Masters victory capped an amazing comeback for Woods from spinal fusion surgery when it appeared his career might be over.

Instead, he has won 81 career US PGA titles, one shy of matching Sam Snead's all-time record, and has moved within three of tying the record 18 major wins of Jack Nicklaus.

- Two major Medinah wins -

Woods has tasted success before at Medinah, capturing the 1999 and 2006 PGA Championships on the course as well as five BMW Championships at nearby Cog Hill.

"I'm excited to be back in Chicago," Woods said. "This is one of the places that I've thoroughly enjoyed playing over the years, and this was the area that I made my first cut on the PGA Tour, a long time ago."

Woods also has an eye on the field as captain of the US Presidents Cup team that will play the non-European Internationals squad at Royal Melbourne this December, with eight qualifying for eight automatic US spots concluding after this weekend.

While Woods is too far back to play his way onto the US squad automatically, he could make himself a captain's pick.

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Golf: Woods ready to play in BMW Championship

Tiger Woods says he is ready to play golf again this week after the former world number one withdrew from last week's Northern Trust due to back pain.

Woods arrived on Tuesday at Medinah, Illinois, venue for this week's BMW Championship, and said he would play in the second event of the FedEx Cup playoffs.

“I feel good,” Woods told Golfweek. “Feel a lot better than I felt last week. Felt good this morning so I thought I’d give it a go.”

Woods, 43, said he would get treatment on Tuesday but would not hit any golf balls.

The 15-times major champion has an early morning tee time for Wednesday's pro-am and an early afternoon start in the first round on Thursday.

Lying 38th in the FedEx Cup standings, Woods will need a strong showing this week since only the top 30 advance to next week's Tour Championship at East Lake in Atlanta. 

(Reporting by Gene Cherry in Raleigh, North Carolina, editing by Ed Osmond)

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Golf: Woods and McIlroy share lead at BMW Championship

Tiger Woods fired his lowest opening round in nearly 20 years to join Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy at the top of the leaderboard at the BMW Championship on Thursday.

The 14-time major winner Woods and McIlroy have a one-stroke lead after both shot eight-under 62 which marked the American's best PGA first round since the 1999 Byron Nelson Classic.

Woods managed an eagle and seven birdies and his only hiccup being a late bogey on his back nine at the Aronimink Golf Course in Philadelphia. 

Woods was joined in the lead by McIlroy who highlighted his round of 10 birdies with a career-best six in succession, beginning with the last hole of his front nine.

McIlroy though let slip any thoughts of a 59 when he bogeyed his 16th and 17th holes of the round.

This is the first time Woods has shared a PGA Tour lead after any round since capturing the 2013 WGC-Cadillac Championship.

Woods and McIlroy had played a nine-hole practice round together on Tuesday.

"I made a few putts today and also from right out of the gate with birdies at 10 and 12 and 13 so that was a nice way to get things rolling," said Woods, who started on the back nine.

Woods had ignited thoughts of his career first 59 after an outward nine that produced a seventh hole eagle and four birdies in a six-under par 29.

It is the sixth occasion in Woods’ career he’s recorded nine holes in 29 or better, and on four of those five prior occasions he has gone on to win.

Woods moved to seven-under par with a birdie at his 10th hole. He then parred his next five holes ahead of a 16th hole birdie before his only bogey at his 17th. He also birdied 18.

"I made some great putts out there today including getting off to a better start than I have most of the season," he said.

"To shoot 29 on the front nine helps. It helped a lot."

Looked refreshed

Woods clearly looked refreshed after electing not to visit the course on Wednesday. He also skipped the Pro-Am due to the heatwave conditions.

"The heat is hard for me because I lose so much weight out here," said Woods. "I lose strength and I lose power and endurance."

McIlroy had been a shot clear of Woods at nine-under par after 15 holes when Woods headed for the clubhouse.

McIlroy pared his 15th but three-putted for bogey both his seventh and eighth holes before a consolation birdie at the last.

"What was worst was just not giving myself a better chance to shoot the 59," he said.

"I can accept a bogey on a hole like on the eighth (17th) hole and the bogey on seven wasn't good, but you don't get many opportunities to break 60 and today was one of them and I didn't capitalize."

American Xander Schauffele, who hopes to secure the last spot on the USA Ryder Cup team, is in third place with a 63, while Rickie Fowler, who played alongside Woods, returned from injury to shoot a 65.

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Jason Day carries old back, new caddie to first-round 64 at BMW

Jason Day had a new caddie to carry his clubs but was stuck with the same old troublesome back in the opening round of the BMW Championship on Thursday.

Walking gingerly between shots at Conway Farms outside Chicago, the former world number one nevertheless swung with apparent freedom to card a seven-under-par 64 and end the day two strokes behind compatriot Marc Leishman in share of second.

"It's just a little stiff in the back," said the long-suffering Australian, who has been plagued by recurrent pain throughout his career. "I feel I have a stiff back every week."

After dumping Col Swatton in the run-up to the tournament, Day strode the fairways in the company of childhood friend Luke Reardon, who was working as a fill-in caddie this week.

Day says Swatton, his mentor, coach and caddie since the age of 12, will stay on as instructor.

"Luke did a fantastic job out there today," Day said. “You never know whether you're going to gel. He's a good golfer, has got a keen golf I.Q."

Day has happy memories of Conway Farms, where he gained the world number one ranking by winning the BMW Championship two years ago.

He is 40-under par in his career at Conway Farms, nine shots better than any other player, but he has not been his usual self for much of this year.

Something had to give and, as with Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson before him this northern summer, it was the caddie.

(Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina, editing by Nick Mulvenney)

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Get to know Fil-Aussie golfer Jason Day

Here are some quick facts on Filipino-Australian golfer Jason Day, who became golf's new world number one after winning the BMW Championship on Sunday.

Early life

Born: Nov. 12, 1987 in Beaudesert, a small rural town in Australia's eastern state of Queensland, to an Irish-Australian father and Filipino mother.

His father Alvin, a struggling meat plant worker, gave him his first golf club at the age of six after finding it at a local rubbish dump.

Before Day was a teenager, his father had died of stomach cancer. Day developed a drinking problem at 12 and started getting into fights at school.

His mother borrowed money to send him to a boarding school which had a golf course attached. Australia's first U.S. Masters champion, Adam Scott, had also been a student there.

Going professional

Tiger Woods was Day's inspiration as a teenager and he began to model his own practice regime on that of the American great.

He dominated Australia's amateur circuit before turning professional in 2006, making five of his first six cuts on the U.S. PGA Tour.

In 2010, his breakout season, he won his first U.S. Tour event at the Byron Nelson Championship as a 22-year-old, made the top 10 at his first PGA Championship and qualified for the season-ending Tour Championship.

Major heartbreak

At his Masters debut the following year, he finished joint runner-up with compatriot Scott behind Charl Schwartzel. Another runner-up finish behind Rory McIlroy followed at his debut U.S. Open. He subsequently broke into the world top 10.

Heartbreaking near-misses continued at the majors, and he squandered a winning position to lose the 2013 Masters to Scott and was runner-up behind Justin Rose at the U.S. Open that year.

Family tragedy

In November 2013, his maternal grandmother and another seven relatives were killed by Typhoon Haiyan (local name: Yolanda) in the Philippines.

Weeks later, a grief-stricken Day won the World Cup of Golf at Royal Melbourne.

Major breakthrough

Kicked off his 2015 season with a third U.S. Tour win at the Farmers Insurance Open in February but his hopes of a maiden major win at the U.S. Open were dashed by an attack of vertigo.

Day missed a putt that would have put him in a four-way tie for a playoff at the British Open but finally broke through for his long-awaited major win at the U.S. PGA Championship at Whistling Straits.

Staying cool in the face of a charging Jordan Spieth, Day's 20-under total was a record at the majors.

Top of the world

Day rode his hot streak to victory at The Barclays, the opener in the four-tournament FedExCup playoff series, to join Spieth and McIlroy in a battle for the world's top ranking.

A tired Day's bid stalled at the Deutsche Bank Championship, but he returned two weeks later to post a stunning wire-to-wire win at the BMW Championship, the third FedExCup event, on Sunday.

The six-stroke win made him the third Australian to take the world number one ranking, following Greg Norman and Scott.

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Unstoppable Day stretches BMW lead to six

CHICAGO -- Jason Day continued his march to try and claim the world number one ranking, stretching his lead to six shots after the third round of the BMW Championship on Saturday.

The 27-year-old Australian kept himself in position for a wire-to-wire victory as he fired a two-under 69 to reach 20-under 193 in the third of four tournaments in the USPGA Tour's FedEx Cup playoffs.

Day has a six-shot cushion over Americans Scott Piercy (67) and Daniel Berger (70) who are tied for second at the Conway Farms Golf Club.

World number one Rory McIlroy birdied three of the last four holes for a four-under 67 and is in sole possession of fourth, seven shots back of Day.

Day wobbled down the stretch, making two of his four bogeys on the back nine after making just two in the first two rounds.

But Day, who opened with rounds of 61 and 63, grinded it out and capped his third round by draining a long birdie putt on 18.

Day, of Forest Lake, Queensland, could get to world number one if he claims his fifth title of the season on Sunday. He is trying to join Tiger Woods and Vijay Singh as the only players in the last 20 years to win five or more tournaments in a season.

McIlroy will stay number one if he wins Sunday.

Jordan Spieth, who shot a 72 and is tied for 11th, can also claim number one with a win but was 10 shots off the pace.

Day began his round with back to back pars before making birdie on the par-four third. He played the final four holes of the front nine by balancing two bogeys with a couple of birdies.

He had two bogeys in his final six holes on the back nine but he managed to right the ship by draining a 25-foot putt on the par-five 18th for his sixth birdie of the day.

Day is aiming for his fourth title in his past six tournaments, a stretch that includes his first career major win at the PGA Championship and the first event of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, The Barclays.

He also has an opportunity to pass reigning US Open and Masters champ Spieth for player of the year honours.

Rickie Fowler had six birdies in a 66 and was in a tie for fifth with Dustin Johnson, who had a 68 with seven birdies, and Kevin Na, who birdied the last two holes for a 70.

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Jason Day on fire in quest for number one

It took a weather delay to slow surging Jason Day at the BMW Championship, where the Australian's fireworks left even Jordan Spieth's hole-in-one in the shade.

Day launched his bid for a victory that could lift him to number one in the world in scintillating fashion, an eagle and nine birdies with one bogey putting him 10-under when the horn sounded to end play shortly after he teed off at his final hole.

With play then suspended for the night, Day was four strokes clear of his nearest rival, American Daniel Berger -- who was in the clubhouse on six-under 65 after holing out for an unlikely eagle at the par-four ninth.

"Being able to be aggressive, more aggressive with my drives off the tee boxes here has definitely paid off," Day said after his first-round heroics.

"I'm just trying to -- just rolling with it right now, and it's worked out."

American Brendon Todd was in the clubhouse on five-under-par 66, while Spieth was five-under through 17, Kevin Chappell five-under through 16 and Justin Thomas five-under through 13.

Day, however, was the undisputed star of what was quite a show.

"I'm walking through the locker room and people are going, you're playing off the ladies' tees, or you're playing a different golf course, or every time you stand up there and hit a drive it's downwind for you," Day said.

"I'd like to say all of those things are true, but they're not. It's good to see that the guys are recognizing that I'm playing good. Obviously it's a good round. I'm not thinking about it too much. I don't want to get too high or too low."

He opened with back-to-back birdies from within six feet on the 10th and 11th holes at Conway Farms Golf Club, Illinois before rolling in a 37-footer for birdie at 13.

He drove the par-four 15th and two-putted for another birdie before giving back a stroke with a three-putt bogey at 17.

He followed that miscue by picking up five strokes in his next four holes with a birdie at 18, a hole out from a fairway bunker for eagle at the first and birdies at the second and third.

He could only laugh when his approach from the bunker at the par-four first hit the green, veered right and rolled in.

Shortly thereafter, playing partner Spieth saw his seven-iron from the second tee land just short, bounce forward and roll into the cup.

The ace jump-started a round that saw Spieth even through his first 10 holes with two bogeys and two birdies.

- 52 still on course -

The Masters and US Open champion -- left searching for answers after back-to-back missed cuts -- followed up with a chip-in birdie at the third and birdies at the fourth and seventh to reach five-under.

World number one Rory McIlroy, meanwhile, was three-under through 12 holes when play was halted with 52 players still on the course.

The first round was to resume Friday morning, with second-round tee times moved up because of a threat of more storms on Friday afternoon.

The three-way tussle for the world's top ranking is just an added spice to the penultimate tournament in the US PGA Tour's FedEx Cup playoffs -- in which a $10 million playoff bonus will be up for grabs in the Tour Championship.

Of this week's field of 70, only 30 will advance to the season finale, where all the remaining players have a theoretical shot at the bonus and the top five in the standings going in will be assured of capturing the big prize with a victory.

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