Sports

McIlroy, Tiger tango again at BMW Championship

CARMEL, Ind. — Only the top 30 from the 70-man field at this week’s BMW Championship advance to the Tour Championship, and they will be exempt for the Masters, U.S. Open and British Open. And, of course, there’s a five-year Tour exemption and a chance to win $10 million.

Anyone who plays next week’s Tour Championship in Atlanta has a mathematical shot at the $10 million top prize because the FedEx Cup points are reset. The higher a player is on the list, the better the odds. The top five are guaranteed the big bonus simply by winning at East Lake, although everyone in the field now has reason to believe it could be them. A year ago, Bill Haas was No. 25 when a curious chain of events — including Haas saving par with his ball half-submerged in a lake — led to him winning the FedEx Cup.

The idea is to get there. And the final gateway is the BMW Championship, which begins today at Crooked Stick, a Pete Dye design near Indianapolis.

Rory McIlroy, firmly established now as No. 1 in the world after his win last week at Boston, is No. 1 in the FedEx Cup standings. He’s followed by Nick Watney, Tiger Woods, Brandt Snedeker and Louis Oosthuizen.

Crooked Stick is best known for John Daly winning the 1991 PGA Championship as the ninth alternate, where he introduced his “grip it and rip it” approach to golf. The course also has hosted the U.S. Senior Open and the Solheim Cup, but this is the first time in two decades it has had the very best players in the world.

“This is the biggest one,” said Pat Perez, who checks in at No. 55. “The biggest prize to me is top 30. The $10 million is nice, but it’s only for one guy. I’d like to be in the top 30 because then I’m in everything. I’d have a chance to win majors. And that’s what you need — a chance.’’

“If I could never win the FedEx Cup, but knew I would be top 30 for the next 10 years? Sign me up.”