ST. LOUIS – It’s almost pointless to check the FedEx Cup bubble after one round because there’s so much golf to be played, but rather than force you to pull out your abacus, we’ll take a gander at it anyway.
With one round in the books at the BMW Championship
, two players are projected to move in the top 30 and two players are thus considering canceling their hotel reservations for next week in Atlanta.Gary Woodland got bumped out last week in Memphis, falling to No. 31 so a good week should take care of business. Winning? That would take care of a lot of problems. Woodland shot 6-under 64 on Thursday, one of a handful of players to do so including Rory McIlroy.
Woodland is seeking to make the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club for the first
time since 2019, the year he won the U.S. Open.
“I'm proud of where I'm at right now,” he said. “I can promise you East Lake wasn't on my mind to start the year. It's a goal, I think you write it down, but it seemed far, far away. The game's just continued to grind.”
He's projected to surge to No. 14 but that's assuming 750 points for first place, which is tenuous with a five-way tie at the top.
The other player projected to sneak into the top 30 is Jake Knapp, who started the week at No. 35 but shot 3-under 67 to sit T-11 and vault to 29th place and 15 points clear of No. 30. The new Bubble Boy at the moment is the same one at the start of the week: Rickie Fowler, who is 3.874 points ahead of the odd-man out.
That would be Kurt Kitayama, who started the week at No. 28 but shot 2-over 72. There may not be a courtesy car and parking spot at East Lake with Bud Cauley’s name on it. He shot 3-over 73, which is tied for last in the 50-man field and has him projected to fall from No. 29 to No. 32.
FedEx Cup standings: Last 5 in for Tour Championship
FedEx Cup standings: First 5 out for Tour Championship
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: FedEx Cup bubble: Who's up, who's down for Tour Championship after BMW Round 1
