Tiger expecting low scores at Crooked Stick this week
Thanks to remnants from Hurricane Isaac, Crooked Stick Golf Club could be soft and vulnerable this week for the BMW Championship, the third of four tournaments in the race for the PGA Tour’s FedExCup. Nearly two inches of rain drenched the course last weekend, which has basically eliminated roll but made the greens soft and forgiving.
“But you’ve got to hit it in the fairway,” Tiger Woods said Wednesday after taking part in the pro-am for 16 holes before play was halted due to rain. “If you do, you can attack a lot of these flags. The ball is just going to hit and plug.”
Located in Carmel, Ind., on old farmland, the classic Pete Dye layout was designed in 1964 and can play 7,516 yards from the championship tees. It’s a spacious course with big landing areas that put a premium on approach shots. In 1991, Crooked Stick hosted the PGA Championship, won by upstart John Daly.
This week, 70 players will compete, with the low 30 in the FedExCup points standings advancing to the TOUR Championship, Sept. 20-23, at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta. The overall winner will earn $10 million.
Tiger currently ranks third on the points list.
“We’ve never played here,” he said of Crooked Stick. “I don’t think anyone in the field was here in ’91. Guys will start getting a feel for it, and I think you’ll see some low scores.”
Woods, ranked third in the Official World Golf Ranking, has had a solid season. Only Tiger and Rory McIlroy have posted three PGA Tour wins. Woods is tied for first in total driving; is second in money earnings and scoring; and is third in scrambling.
“I’m driving the ball probably better than I ever have,” said Woods, who finished third on Monday at the Deutsche Bank Championship. “I’m hitting it further, I’m hitting it straighter, which is a nice combo.”
On Monday, Tiger became the first player in PGA Tour history to surpass $100 million in career earnings. Asked if he can accumulate $200 million, he said. “God, I hope so. That would be nice. That would mean I would have won some more tournaments.”
Woods said he is excited about competing for the U.S. Ryder Cup team later this month at Medinah Country Club near Chicago. He acknowledged that team captain Davis Love III had some tough choices to make with his four captain’s picks, which were revealed Tuesday.
“Yeah, it’s a tough one,” Woods said. “It’s tough for Davis and it’s tough for Hunter [Mahan, who wasn’t selected]. Any time you’re in that one spot out of the guaranteed spots, it’s a tough one. And unfortunately, it just didn’t go Hunter’s way.”
Woods starts first-round play at Crooked Stick on Thursday at 11:48 a.m. ET with McIlroy and Nick Watney off the 10th tee. The trio will also play together Friday beginning at 12:54 p.m. off the first tee.
