On the Night of the 27th, the BMW Championship Opens with Rahm, Thomas, and Woods All Participating; Korea Represented by Im Sung-jae and An Byeong-hun
[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] World No.1 Dustin Johnson (USA) is on a 'PO 2 consecutive wins march.'
The BMW Championship (total prize money $9.5 million), opening on the night of the 27th (Korean time) at Olympia Fields Golf Club in Illinois, USA (par 70, 7,366 yards), is a fierce battleground. This tournament is the second round of the PGA Tour Playoffs (PO). Only 30 players advance to the third round, the Tour Championship. World stars such as Jon Rahm (Spain) and Justin Thomas have gathered, and the 'returning golf emperor' Tiger Woods (both USA) is looking for an opportunity. Korea is represented by Im Sung-jae (22) and An Byeong-hun (29, both CJ Logistics).
▲ Johnson vs. Thomas "Protect the No.1 seed" = Johnson achieved a huge 11-stroke victory (30-under 254) at the first round, The Northern Trust, which ended on the 24th, instantly rising to No.1 in the PO and also taking over the world No.1 ranking. It is noteworthy that he showed tremendous firepower, including hitting a maximum 327.2-yard drive on the second day and shooting 11-under. After winning the Travelers Championship in June, he is now aiming for his third win in two months.
For Johnson, the No.1 seed is above all important. The PGA Tour introduced a new 'PO system' last year, awarding 'stroke bonuses' such as 10-under for the No.1 after this tournament. The system applies different bonuses: 8-under for 2nd place, 7-under for 3rd, 6-under for 4th, 5-under for 5th, 4-under for 6th to 10th, 3-under for 11th to 15th, 2-under for 16th to 20th, 1-under for 21st to 25th, and even par for 26th to 30th. The higher the seed, the higher the probability of winning the third round.
Currently, No.2 Thomas is in the same position. This time, moreover, it is the 'promised land' where he won by 3 strokes (25-under 263) last year. The motivation of defending the title has been added. After winning The CJ Cup last October and the Sentry Tournament in January, he swept three wins including the World Golf Championships (WGC) FedEx St. Jude Invitational on the 3rd, challenging to sweep personal titles such as the money ranking No.1 ($7.275 million).
▲ Woods "Ticket to the third round?" = Experts have added No.4 Daniel Berger and No.5 Collin Morikawa to the list of contenders. It is interesting that No.3 Webb Simpson (both USA) is skipping the second round to prepare for the third. No.7 Bryson DeChambeau (USA), No.9 Rahm, and No.12 Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) are other top contenders. PO winning points are 1,500 points, three times that of regular tournaments (WGC series 550 points, majors 600 points). Winning directly propels a player to No.1.
Woods is 57th and survival is urgent. Although he won the Zozo Championship last October, which is included in the 2020 season, he has not shown remarkable results in three tournaments since the COVID-19 pandemic. It is encouraging that he showed late strength by shooting 5-under with an 88.89% greens in regulation rate on the final day of The Northern Trust, activating his 'needle-like iron shots.' He said, "My shot feel has improved a lot," showing fighting spirit.
Im Sung-jae is comfortably positioned 8th to advance to the third round. He made a splash by winning his first PGA Tour title at the Honda Classic last March. An Byeong-hun's situation is not easy. At 35th, he must secure as many points as possible to make the third round entry list. The final PO ranking is especially linked to money. After the third round, astronomical bonuses await, including $15 million (1.78 billion KRW) for first place, $5 million for second, $4 million for third, $830,000 for tenth, and $395,000 for 30th place.
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