Given everything that is at stake during the BMW Championship, it may be easy to turn your attention away from the road. Who will compete in Atlanta’s 30-man TOUR Championship? Why not mention the Ryder Cup? What benefit does the Starting Strokes format’s top seed have in East Lake? In the third round, Sam Burns tied the course record with a score of 62, one day after Max Homa scored the same mark.
The BMW Championship is a lesson in staying in the moment, much like high-speed racing, and even the leaders occasionally let their minds drift off.
“Yes, there is no assurance. I’m still in Atlanta. On Sunday, I need to tap in from a strong position. Yes, I’m glad to at least give myself a shot tomorrow.” said Matt Fitzpatrick (66, 11 under), who is tied for the lead after 54 holes with Scottie Scheffler (64) who is predicted to climb from 40th to fifth in the FedExCup standings.
Last season’s Masters Tournament and U.S. Open were respectively won by Scheffler and Fitzpatrick.
That makes sense because Olympia Fields has offered a challenging test.
“When it comes to projections, I don’t really pay attention to what’s happening with the leaderboards. I don’t really worry too much about next week as it is a Saturday here. Simply said, I was attempting to play well and climb the rankings.” said Scheffler who required just 25 putts, which is eight fewer than the day before, to finish.
Homa recovered from a triple-bogey 7 at the seventh for a 71 and was 9 under par, two back while reigning Open champion Brian Harman shot 67 and is 10 under par, just one back.
“Of course it’s difficult. However, you have the option to let some of your thoughts drift by while focusing on others. It suddenly enters your mind. I’ll be No. 1 heading into next week if I win this competition. However, you must play well the following week. You undoubtedly give it some thought, but I wasn’t particularly focused on it. I was relieved that today didn’t feel like there was a mental problem; golf may be challenging on some days.” Homa said.
Only three behind at 8 under are Rory McIlroy (67) and Viktor Hovland (65).
One of the select group of golfers seeking a position on the American Ryder Cup team is Burns. Sadly, he hasn’t finished in the top 10 since May. He had eight birdies and no bogeys on Saturday, and he is currently four shots behind the lead at 7 under par.
“It’s a difficult game that occasionally will brutally beat you,” Burns said.
Denny McCarthy (65), Justin Rose (68), and Xander Schauffele (67) are also at 7 under. The only player that appears safe for the TOUR Championship is Schauffele, who is now ranked 19. McCarthy is at position 34, and Rose is at position 32.
When asked about his FedExCup ranking and chances of competing in the TOUR Championship (he is expected to finish 30th), McCarthy responded, “Well, I’m in the chase to win a tournament, too.
Wind gusts on Saturday dried up the course and appeared to interfere with players’ short putts. At the 10th hole, McIlroy missed a par putt from 2 feet, 10 inches. In the eighth, Homa missed a triple attempt from two feet and two inches.
“Yes, I believe it’s a combination of the wind, the fact that the greens are becoming a little choppy, and the fact that they occasionally act strangely. The fact that some short ones are being missed by guys is not surprising to me,” said McIlroy, who was 4 under after six holes but missed putts for birdies on holes 16 and 17 from 8 and 5 feet, respectively.
Homa believed his brief miss was an accident.
“My objectives were simply just to regulate my internal state and establish mental goals, and I thought I did a fantastic job. With the exception of one really strange hole, I just swung the club really nicely,” he said after coming back with birdies during two of the last four holes.
There will be a lot to watch on Sunday, from the BMW trophy to TOUR Championship places to Ryder Cup ramifications (the top 6 on the U.S. points list after the BMW will make the squad). The fans may even have to train their eyes in opposing directions like a hammerhead shark to maintain track of two or even three divergent possibilities at once. Even for those who have an inside track to the finish line, the day may turn out to be rather peculiar.
