Hideki Matsuyama sunk a 66-foot putt for birdie on the last hole of his first round at the BMW Championship on Thursday to assume the outright lead at 3 under, giving him the edge over a congested leaderboard that battled– primarily unsuccessfully– to hang around par on the challenging track at Olympia Fields. Matsuyama is one of just 3 golf players in the field to get in Round 2 at a loss, with the rest of the field at par or above par.
Chasing him on the leaderboard is Tyler Duncan (-2 ), Mackenzie Hughes (-1) and a host of golf players at even-par led by Rory McIlroy and Tony Finau. Dustin Johnson, who is ranked first in the FedEx Cup playoff standings, sits at 1 over..
Meanwhile, Tiger Woods and Justin Thomas, playing partners in an upcoming charity match, both carded 3-over-par 73s to remain in the mix entering Friday. Thomas is 2nd in the FedEx Cup playoff standings while Woods is coping his playoff back versus the wall. He likely requires a minimum of a top 10 finish this week to get approved for next weeks Tour Championship. That makes what he does Friday possibly must-watch television, else his season will fulfill its end..
Below are the full Round 1 tee times and pairing for Friday.
BMW Championship tee times, pairings for Friday.
Perpetuity Eastern|Included groups are italicized.
Hole No. 1.
12:30 p.m.– Joel Dahmen, Danny Lee, Tom Hoge12:41 p.m.– Byeong Hun An, Mackenzie Hughes, Patrick Cantlay12:52 p.m.– Kevin Kisner, Viktor Hovland, Cameron Champ1:03 p.m.– Tyrrell Hatton, Hideki Matsuyama, Abraham Ancer1:14 p.m.– Andrew Landry, Corey Conners, Matt Kuchar1:25 p.m.– Alex Noren, Harry Higgs, Adam Hadwin1:36 p.m.– Tony Finau, Billy Horschel, Joaquin Niemann1:47 p.m.– Sungjae Im, Jon Rahm, Patrick Reed 1:58 p.m.– Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas, Daniel Berger 2:09 p.m.– Carlos Ortiz, Tiger Woods, Bubba Watson2:20 p.m.– J.T. Poston, Jason Kokrak, Maverick McNealy.
Hole No. 10.
12:30 p.m.– Adam Scott, Gary Woodland, Nick Taylor12:41 p.m.– Tyler Duncan, Matthew Wolff, Mark Hubbard12:52 p.m.– Xander Schauffele, Rory McIlroy 1:03 p.m.– Collin Morikawa, Harris English, Bryson DeChambeau 1:14 p.m.– Jason Day, Michael Thompson, Talor Gooch1:25 p.m.– Max Homa, Charles Howell III, Louis Oosthuizen1:36 p.m.– Richy Werenski, Brendan Steele, Brian Harman1:47 p.m.– Cameron Smith, Adam Long, Kevin Streelman1:58 p.m.– Marc Leishman, Kevin Na, Ryan Palmer2:09 p.m.– Scottie Scheffler, Lanto Griffin, Sebastian Munoz2:20 p.m.– Dylan Frittelli, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Russell Henley2:31 p.m.– Robby Shelton, Jim Herman, Paul Casey.
Tiger Woods and Justin Thomas, playing partners in an approaching charity match, both carded 3-over-par 73s to remain in the mix entering Friday. Thomas is second in the FedEx Cup playoff standings while Woods is battling with his playoff back against the wall. He likely needs at least a top 10 finish this week to certify for next weeks Tour Championship.
