A Wild Day at the BMW Championship Changes Little for Cal Golfers

Collin Morikawa and Byeong Hun An on target to reach the Tour Championship; Max Homa rides a roller-coaster on Friday

Collin Morikawa / Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Collin Morikawa took the long way to finishing where he started the day at the BMW Championship on Friday. Fellow Cal golfing alum Byeong Hun An stayed the course as both moved through the FedEx Cup playoffs toward next week’s season-ending Tour Championship.

For Max Homa, the second round at Castle Pines Golf Club outside Denver was a strange trip that only confirmed the reality he won’t make the cut among the top 30 golfers who will play next week in Atlanta, chasing a first-prize of $25 million.

The 33-year-old began the day in 38th place and sunk to 47th in a field of 49 golfers after shooting a 3-over 75. How he got there we’ll explain later, but the bottom line are the FedEx Cup standings, and Homa is now 47th — 17 spots away from advancing to next week.

Morikawa, 27, began the day in 10th place in the second leg of the playoffs and at No. 5 in the FedEx Cup points standings. The 27-year-old included two bogeys and a double-bogey on the front nine, then got hot.

He ran off four straight birdies from No. 12 through 15, then made a fifth birdie in a span of six holes on No. 17. With a par on 18, Morikawa finished with a 2-under 70 for the second straight day, leaving him a minus-4 and tied for 10th. He now resides comfortably at No. 6 in the points standings.

An included an eagle on the 17th hole on his way to a 3-under 72 and now is tied for 15th, along with Rory McIlroy, at minus-3. The 32-year-old South Korean also is 15th in the points standings, just where he was after Thursday’s first round.

Meanwhile, Homa’s challenging season reached perhaps a new height for up-and-down performance. He shot 75 despite making seven birdies — six of them on the front nine.

But he also carded three bogeys, a triple-bogey and, yes, a quadruple bogey. All of that more than neutralized the spate of birdies and left him, somehow, three strokes over par for the day.

Adam Scott, the 44-year-old Australian, leads the field at minus-13 after shooting a bogey-free 9-under 63 in the second round. 

 The one-time UNLV golfer, who has to add this season to his career total of 14 PGA wins, began the day in the precarious position of No. 41 in the points standings. Now, after rapidly soaring 37 slots, he heads into the weekend at No. 4.

First-round leader Keegan Bradley is second at 11 under after posting a ??.  Bradley is now No. 11 in the points standings. Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg is in third at minus-9 after a stacking eight birdies and an eagle to score 63.

Hideki Matsuyama withdrew Friday morning with a lower back injury the day after he shot a 67 to sit one stroke off the lead. Masuyama won the first leg of playoffs last week, capturing FedEx St. Jude tournament to climb to No. 3 in the points standings. He will retain that position and qualify for the Tour Championship.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who also enjoys a huge lead in the FedEx points standings, is unaffected by the fact that he is tied for 29th place at Castle Pines after an even-par 72 on Friday.