Sadly, the PGA Tour’s own entry rules could now rob Tiger Woods, and the lone player to put the Tour on the ultra-lucrative pedestal it now so richly enjoys, from defending next week’s Tour Championship in Atlanta.
Woods bogeyed his closing two holes in a second straight one-under par 71 for a two-under par tally after two rounds at the BMW Championship at Medinah in suburban Chicago.
The effort, and with still two rounds to play, is predicted to see Woods slip six places to 44th on the FedEx Cup points standing heading to the closing two weekend rounds of the $US 9.25m event.
Woods needs to be top-30 in Chicago on Sunday night to be assured of teeing-up next Thursday in Atlanta in the defence of his title that the 15-time Major Champion won in incredibly emotional scenes on the famed East Lake course.
ATLANTA, GA – SEPTEMBER 23: Tiger Woods of the United States celebrates making a par on the 18th green to win the TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club on September 23, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Tim Bradbury/Getty Images)
There was hardly a dry eye around the globe as Woods bravely ended a five-year, 1,800-day winless drought to also capture an 80th PGA Tour triumph.
Woods delivered a fairy tale ending to his amazing return from four career-threatening back surgeries.
He left his Atlanta rivals feeling hopeless, including final round playing partner Rory McIlroy in walking away with a two-shot success.
Woods raised both arms skywards silencing once and forever those ‘doubters’ who suggested Woods was a spent force, and then some eight months later and just 2-hours down the I-20 and Woods also ended an 11-year Majors drought in capturing his 15th Major with victory in the Masters.
But the PGA Tour has only itself to blame if Atlanta crowds are down next week as Woods, and if he doesn’t get back inside the top-30, will be back home in Florida having failed to qualify for tournament that went close to breaking the Tour’s own TV viewing audiences.
Woods also is desperate to qualify automatically for this year’s USA Presidents Cup side and with the leading eight to be confirmed at the close of the BMW Championship.
Captain Woods is set to host a phone-in conference on Monday where he will address the eight ‘automatics’ for this team to tee-up at Royal Melbourne on December 5th
He said: “Well, I am still hoping to put myself in the top eight even though I’m seeded 12th.
“I will be trying like hell over the weekend now to try and make the team on my own, okay, just be part of the core group of guys but it just didn’t work out
“And I obviously I still have some work to do.
“I’ve got to play better over the weekend here at Medinah to make that happen. But if not, then it’s going to come down to the top eight guys, myself and my vice captains about who are the next four slots, and whether that’s me and three other guys or it’s just four other guys, either way I’m going to Australia.
“It’s just whether I’m going to be playing or not”
