Tiger ties for 11th at BMW, reclaims FedExCup lead

Tiger Woods didn’t win his sixth BMW Championship on Monday, but he reclaimed the top spot in the FedExCup Playoffs points standings. The playoffs conclude this week with the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola at East Lake Golf Course in Atlanta.

Woods closed with an even-par 71 at Conway Farms Golf Club in cool and blustery Lake Forest, Ill., and tied for 11th at 9-under 275, seven strokes behind winner Zach Johnson. Tiger’s final round was extended to Monday due to heavy rain Sunday, when played was suspended twice.

Tiger’s finish enabled him to move past FedExCup points leader Henrik Stenson and gain the No. 1 seed in the 30-player field. A five-time winner on the PGA TOUR this year, Tiger now leads Stenson by 123 points. Others in the top five include Adam Scott (-230), Zach Johnson (-509) and Matt Kuchar (-1,022). If any of the top five players win this week, they will clinch the $10 million FedExCup bonus.

“We’re jockeying for position to be in the top five, and I was able to accomplish that,” said Woods, after his three-birdie, three-bogey round that included two three-putts.

Tiger previously won FedExCup titles in 2007 and 2009. He has won the TOUR Championship twice, most recently in 2007 at East Lake, and was the runner-up in 2009.

Bothered by back tightness Monday, Woods bogeyed the par-4 first hole after missing a short par putt. He also bogeyed the par-4 fifth. Tiger rebounded with back-to-back birdies at the par-4 seventh and par-5 eighth holes and made the turn in even-par 35.

On the back nine, Woods bogeyed the par-3 11th and birdied the par-5 14th. He parred the rest of the side.

“It was not a very good putting week,” Tiger said. “It’s just one of those weeks where I didn’t have it.”

Woods thinks his back will be fine for the TOUR Championship, which starts Thursday. Weather is expected to be in the low to mid-80s most of the week, with a 30 percent chance of isolated thunderstorms on Saturday and Sunday.

Tiger tees off Thursday at 2 p.m. ET in the final twosome with Stenson.