Willy Z suffered an apparent injury on the 4th hole of the third round of the BMW Championship and has decided to withdraw from the tournament.
Here's something you don't see every day: A pro golfer card a 9...on a par 4 no less.
Si Woo Kim hits it into the water twice, and then proceeds to 3-putt from under 6 feet.
I've never carded a 9. Because when we play, you pick the ball up at 8.
You can't win the tournament (or make the Tour Championship) on Thursday, but you can lose it (or not make it).
Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote. - George Jean Nathan
Willy Z suffered an apparent injury on the 4th hole of the third round of the BMW Championship and has decided to withdraw from the tournament.
Back spasms, will drop to no worse than 3rd for next week. Hope he's ok, he's one of my favorites.
https://www.cbssports.com/golf/news/...h-back-injury/
Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote. - George Jean Nathan
Well, we did kinda see it coming.
Not to worry, next week is all that matters. Unless the injuries are lingering, you're still in better shape than most of us.
Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote. - George Jean Nathan
I hope he is ok, too, my friend. Awesome guy and golfer. Great kid. I have never disliked a Wake PGA Tour golfer. Arnie, obviously. He is one of my all time favorite PGA Tour golfers along with Tiger. But I cannot dislike Webb Simpson (major winner from Raleigh) or Willy Z … both seem like great dudes!
Patrick Cantlay wins the BMW. He will go into the Tour Championship in 2nd, behind Scottie Scheffler. The way they will start the Tour Championship is like this:
10 under: Scottie Scheffler
8 under: Patrick Cantlay
7 under: Will Zalatoris (if he plays)
6 under: Xander Schauffele
5 under: Sam Burns
4 under: Cam Smith (if he plays), Rory McIlroy, Tony Finau, Sepp Straka, Sunjae Im
It would take a pretty phenomenal round for anyone else to win.
Why are you wasting time here when you could be wasting it by listening to the latest episode of the DBR Podcast?
I don't know, Rahm starts at 3 under and I'd take him over several of those above him. I think both Z and Smith play, but wonder how effective they will be. They're all on a razor's edge right now. Those left are the best of the best, and the best of the best of the best are playing very well right now. If I had to pick my 'Mt. Rushmore' for next week, I think I'd go with Scheffler, Cantlay, Schauffele, and McIlroy. They are the hottest and have the most 'big game' experience.
Here are the rest:
3 under: Jon Rahm, Scott Stallings, Justin Thomas, Cameron Young, Matthew Fitzpatrick
2 under: MaxHoma, Hideki Matsuyama, Jordan Spieth, Joaquin Niemann, Viktor Hovland
1 under: Collin Morikawa, Billy Horschel, Tom Hoge, Corey Conners, Brian Harman
Even par: K.H. Lee, J.T. Poston, Sahith Theegala, Adam Scott, Aaron Wise
Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote. - George Jean Nathan
Yeah, I’d say if it were only one round it would be hard to make up that many shots but over four rounds anything can happen. Some of those guys (e.g., Hovland, Niemann, Spieth, Morikawa, Horschel, Matsuyama, Thomas) can get hot jump into the mix quickly - especially if Scheffler struggles.
Congrats to Lexus Brand Ambassador Patrick Cantlay for winning his second consecutive BMW Championship!
In our event, dudog84 played all four days right alongside Cantlay and Schauffele for the W:
Team Player Place Winnings Team Winnings dudog84 Patrick Cantlay Win $2,700,000 $4,076,700 dudog84 Xander Schauffele T-3 $870,000 $4,076,700 dudog84 Rory McIlroy T-8 $420,000 $4,076,700 dudog84 Alex Smalley T-44 $48,000 $4,076,700 dudog84 Matt Fitzpatrick T-48 $38,700 $4,076,700 JasonEvans Patrick Cantlay Win $2,700,000 $3,763,500 JasonEvans Rory McIlroy T-8 $420,000 $3,763,500 JasonEvans Sam Burns T-19 $188,250 $3,763,500 JasonEvans Jordan Spieth T-19 $188,250 $3,763,500 JasonEvans Cameron Young T-23 $133,500 $3,763,500 JasonEvans Max Homa T-23 $133,500 $3,763,500 CDu Patrick Cantlay Win $2,700,000 $3,409,200 CDu Sungjae Im T-15 $247,500 $3,409,200 CDu Sam Burns T-19 $188,250 $3,409,200 CDu Cameron Young T-23 $133,500 $3,409,200 CDu Tony Finau T-28 $104,250 $3,409,200 CDu Justin Thomas T-52 $35,700 $3,409,200 Rogue Xander Schauffele T-3 $870,000 $2,198,700 Rogue Scottie Scheffler T-3 $870,000 $2,198,700 Rogue Rory McIlroy T-8 $420,000 $2,198,700 Rogue Harold Varner III T-48 $38,700 $2,198,700 Rogue Will Zalatoris WD $0 $2,198,700 Rich Xander Schauffele T-3 $870,000 $2,091,750 Rich Scottie Scheffler T-3 $870,000 $2,091,750 Rich Sungjae Im T-15 $247,500 $2,091,750 Rich Tony Finau T-28 $104,250 $2,091,750 Rich Will Zalatoris WD $0 $2,091,750 rasputin Scottie Scheffler T-3 $870,000 $1,894,950 rasputin Joaquin Niemann T-8 $420,000 $1,894,950 rasputin Sungjae Im T-15 $247,500 $1,894,950 rasputin Sam Burns T-19 $188,250 $1,894,950 rasputin Max Homa T-23 $133,500 $1,894,950 rasputin Justin Thomas T-52 $35,700 $1,894,950 pcal6vb Scottie Scheffler T-3 $870,000 $1,677,000 pcal6vb Sungjae Im T-15 $247,500 $1,677,000 pcal6vb Sam Burns T-19 $188,250 $1,677,000 pcal6vb Cameron Young T-23 $133,500 $1,677,000 pcal6vb Max Homa T-23 $133,500 $1,677,000 pcal6vb Tony Finau T-28 $104,250 $1,677,000 mr. synellinden Scottie Scheffler T-3 $870,000 $1,526,950 mr. synellinden Rory McIlroy T-8 $420,000 $1,526,950 mr. synellinden Cameron Young T-23 $133,500 $1,526,950 mr. synellinden Hideki Matsuyama T-35 $67,750 $1,526,950 mr. synellinden Justin Thomas T-52 $35,700 $1,526,950 nmduke2001 Xander Schauffele T-3 $870,000 $1,497,700 nmduke2001 Rory McIlroy T-8 $420,000 $1,497,700 nmduke2001 Tony Finau T-28 $104,250 $1,497,700 nmduke2001 Billy Horschel T-35 $67,750 $1,497,700 nmduke2001 Justin Thomas T-52 $35,700 $1,497,700 mkirsh Scottie Scheffler T-3 $870,000 $1,331,700 mkirsh Sam Burns T-19 $188,250 $1,331,700 mkirsh Cameron Young T-23 $133,500 $1,331,700 mkirsh Tony Finau T-28 $104,250 $1,331,700 mkirsh Justin Thomas T-52 $35,700 $1,331,700 accfannfriom1970 Scottie Scheffler T-3 $870,000 $1,305,450 accfannfriom1970 Sungjae Im T-15 $247,500 $1,305,450 accfannfriom1970 Tony Finau T-28 $104,250 $1,305,450 accfannfriom1970 Collin Morikawa T-44 $48,000 $1,305,450 accfannfriom1970 Justin Thomas T-52 $35,700 $1,305,450 Bob Green Jon Rahm T-8 $420,000 $1,216,500 Bob Green Rory McIlroy T-8 $420,000 $1,216,500 Bob Green Sam Burns T-19 $188,250 $1,216,500 Bob Green Jordan Spieth T-19 $188,250 $1,216,500 Bob Green Will Zalatoris WD $0 $1,216,500 elvis14 Jon Rahm T-8 $420,000 $1,132,500 elvis14 Rory McIlroy T-8 $420,000 $1,132,500 elvis14 Jordan Spieth T-19 $188,250 $1,132,500 elvis14 Tony Finau T-28 $104,250 $1,132,500 elvis14 Will Zalatoris WD $0 $1,132,500 Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15 Adam Scott T-5 $547,500 $1,110,450 Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15 Jon Rahm T-8 $420,000 $1,110,450 Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15 Tony Finau T-28 $104,250 $1,110,450 Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15 Harold Varner III T-48 $38,700 $1,110,450 Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15 Will Zalatoris WD $0 $1,110,450 Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15 Cameron Smith WD $0 $1,110,450 CrazyNotCrazie Shane Lowry T-12 $315,000 $1,090,600 CrazyNotCrazie Sungjae Im T-15 $247,500 $1,090,600 CrazyNotCrazie Sam Burns T-19 $188,250 $1,090,600 CrazyNotCrazie Max Homa T-23 $133,500 $1,090,600 CrazyNotCrazie Tony Finau T-28 $104,250 $1,090,600 CrazyNotCrazie Billy Horschel T-35 $67,750 $1,090,600 CrazyNotCrazie Davis Riley T-54 $34,350 $1,090,600 CrazyNotCrazie Will Zalatoris WD $0 $1,090,600 tbyers11 Scottie Scheffler T-3 $870,000 $1,048,650 tbyers11 Tony Finau T-28 $104,250 $1,048,650 tbyers11 Matt Fitzpatrick T-48 $38,700 $1,048,650 tbyers11 Justin Thomas T-52 $35,700 $1,048,650 tbyers11 Will Zalatoris WD $0 $1,048,650 sagegrouse Scottie Scheffler T-3 $870,000 $1,009,950 sagegrouse Tony Finau T-28 $104,250 $1,009,950 sagegrouse Justin Thomas T-52 $35,700 $1,009,950 sagegrouse Cameron Smith WD $0 $1,009,950 DevilHorse Rory McIlroy T-8 $420,000 $748,200 DevilHorse Jordan Spieth T-19 $188,250 $748,200 DevilHorse Tony Finau T-28 $104,250 $748,200 DevilHorse Justin Thomas T-52 $35,700 $748,200 DevilHorse Will Zalatoris WD $0 $748,200 CameronDuke Rory McIlroy T-8 $420,000 $593,250 CameronDuke Tony Finau T-28 $104,250 $593,250 CameronDuke Justin Thomas T-52 $35,700 $593,250 CameronDuke Keegan Bradley T-58 $33,300 $593,250 CameronDuke Cameron Smith WD $0 $593,250
Through two events, 2020 Fed Ex Champ Rich is holding a narrow lead over the rapidly depleting roster of Mtn.Devil:
Team Fed Ex BMW Total Rich $3,562,950 $2,091,750 $5,654,700 Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15 $4,400,893 $1,110,450 $5,511,343 tbyers11 $3,920,893 $1,048,650 $4,969,543 CrazyNotCrazie $3,857,529 $1,090,600 $4,948,129 Rogue $2,734,200 $2,198,700 $4,932,900 elvis14 $3,660,000 $1,132,500 $4,792,500 CDu $1,355,541 $3,409,200 $4,764,741 dudog84 $548,400 $4,076,700 $4,625,100 Bob Green $3,332,813 $1,216,500 $4,549,313 DevilHorse $3,440,893 $748,200 $4,189,093 JasonEvans $320,649 $3,763,500 $4,084,149 rasputin $1,078,098 $1,894,950 $2,973,048 accfannfriom1970 $1,569,643 $1,305,450 $2,875,093 pcal6vb $1,115,199 $1,677,000 $2,792,199 mkirsh $972,591 $1,331,700 $2,304,291 nmduke2001 $775,093 $1,497,700 $2,272,793 sagegrouse $1,001,786 $1,009,950 $2,011,736 mr. synellinden $339,779 $1,526,950 $1,866,729 CameronDuke $1,001,786 $593,250 $1,595,036
Sorry, hit a character limit and had to break this into two posts.
Now things get interesting, as the prizes go up almost 600%. Here is where things would stand if the current rankings hold:
Team Player Rank Fed Ex BMW Projected Fed Ex Projected Total Projected Team Winnings Rich Scottie Scheffler 1 $0 $870,000 $18,000,000 $18,870,000 $35,154,700 Rich Will Zalatoris 3 $2,700,000 $0 $5,000,000 $7,700,000 $35,154,700 Rich Xander Schauffele 4 $34,200 $870,000 $4,000,000 $4,904,200 $35,154,700 Rich Tony Finau 8 $480,000 $104,250 $1,500,000 $2,084,250 $35,154,700 Rich Sungjae Im 10 $348,750 $247,500 $1,000,000 $1,596,250 $35,154,700 Rogue Scottie Scheffler 1 $0 $870,000 $18,000,000 $18,870,000 $33,932,900 Rogue Will Zalatoris 3 $2,700,000 $0 $5,000,000 $7,700,000 $33,932,900 Rogue Xander Schauffele 4 $34,200 $870,000 $4,000,000 $4,904,200 $33,932,900 Rogue Rory McIlroy 7 $0 $420,000 $2,000,000 $2,420,000 $33,932,900 Rogue Harold Varner III 67 $0 $38,700 $0 $38,700 $33,932,900 tbyers11 Scottie Scheffler 1 $0 $870,000 $18,000,000 $18,870,000 $31,079,543 tbyers11 Will Zalatoris 3 $2,700,000 $0 $5,000,000 $7,700,000 $31,079,543 tbyers11 Tony Finau 8 $480,000 $104,250 $1,500,000 $2,084,250 $31,079,543 tbyers11 Matt Fitzpatrick 15 $480,000 $38,700 $760,000 $1,278,700 $31,079,543 tbyers11 Justin Thomas 13 $260,893 $35,700 $850,000 $1,146,593 $31,079,543 pcal6vb Scottie Scheffler 1 $0 $870,000 $18,000,000 $18,870,000 $27,812,199 pcal6vb Sam Burns 5 $152,813 $188,250 $3,000,000 $3,341,063 $27,812,199 pcal6vb Tony Finau 8 $480,000 $104,250 $1,500,000 $2,084,250 $27,812,199 pcal6vb Sungjae Im 10 $348,750 $247,500 $1,000,000 $1,596,250 $27,812,199 pcal6vb Cameron Young 14 $78,886 $133,500 $800,000 $1,012,386 $27,812,199 pcal6vb Max Homa 16 $54,750 $133,500 $720,000 $908,250 $27,812,199 rasputin Scottie Scheffler 1 $0 $870,000 $18,000,000 $18,870,000 $27,203,048 rasputin Sam Burns 5 $152,813 $188,250 $3,000,000 $3,341,063 $27,203,048 rasputin Sungjae Im 10 $348,750 $247,500 $1,000,000 $1,596,250 $27,203,048 rasputin Joaquin Niemann 19 $260,893 $420,000 $660,000 $1,340,893 $27,203,048 rasputin Justin Thomas 13 $260,893 $35,700 $850,000 $1,146,593 $27,203,048 rasputin Max Homa 16 $54,750 $133,500 $720,000 $908,250 $27,203,048 mkirsh Scottie Scheffler 1 $0 $870,000 $18,000,000 $18,870,000 $26,454,291 mkirsh Sam Burns 5 $152,813 $188,250 $3,000,000 $3,341,063 $26,454,291 mkirsh Tony Finau 8 $480,000 $104,250 $1,500,000 $2,084,250 $26,454,291 mkirsh Justin Thomas 13 $260,893 $35,700 $850,000 $1,146,593 $26,454,291 mkirsh Cameron Young 14 $78,886 $133,500 $800,000 $1,012,386 $26,454,291 sagegrouse Scottie Scheffler 1 $0 $870,000 $18,000,000 $18,870,000 $24,861,736 sagegrouse Cameron Smith 6 $260,893 $0 $2,500,000 $2,760,893 $24,861,736 sagegrouse Tony Finau 8 $480,000 $104,250 $1,500,000 $2,084,250 $24,861,736 sagegrouse Justin Thomas 13 $260,893 $35,700 $850,000 $1,146,593 $24,861,736 accfannfriom1970 Scottie Scheffler 1 $0 $870,000 $18,000,000 $18,870,000 $24,845,093 accfannfriom1970 Tony Finau 8 $480,000 $104,250 $1,500,000 $2,084,250 $24,845,093 accfannfriom1970 Sungjae Im 10 $348,750 $247,500 $1,000,000 $1,596,250 $24,845,093 accfannfriom1970 Collin Morikawa 21 $480,000 $48,000 $620,000 $1,148,000 $24,845,093 accfannfriom1970 Justin Thomas 13 $260,893 $35,700 $850,000 $1,146,593 $24,845,093 mr. synellinden Scottie Scheffler 1 $0 $870,000 $18,000,000 $18,870,000 $24,216,729 mr. synellinden Rory McIlroy 7 $0 $420,000 $2,000,000 $2,420,000 $24,216,729 mr. synellinden Justin Thomas 13 $260,893 $35,700 $850,000 $1,146,593 $24,216,729 mr. synellinden Cameron Young 14 $78,886 $133,500 $800,000 $1,012,386 $24,216,729 mr. synellinden Hideki Matsuyama 17 $0 $67,750 $700,000 $767,750 $24,216,729 CDu Patrick Cantlay 2 $34,200 $2,700,000 $6,500,000 $9,234,200 $18,414,741 CDu Sam Burns 5 $152,813 $188,250 $3,000,000 $3,341,063 $18,414,741 CDu Tony Finau 8 $480,000 $104,250 $1,500,000 $2,084,250 $18,414,741 CDu Sungjae Im 10 $348,750 $247,500 $1,000,000 $1,596,250 $18,414,741 CDu Justin Thomas 13 $260,893 $35,700 $850,000 $1,146,593 $18,414,741 CDu Cameron Young 14 $78,886 $133,500 $800,000 $1,012,386 $18,414,741 dudog84 Patrick Cantlay 2 $34,200 $2,700,000 $6,500,000 $9,234,200 $17,885,100 dudog84 Xander Schauffele 4 $34,200 $870,000 $4,000,000 $4,904,200 $17,885,100 dudog84 Rory McIlroy 7 $0 $420,000 $2,000,000 $2,420,000 $17,885,100 dudog84 Matt Fitzpatrick 15 $480,000 $38,700 $760,000 $1,278,700 $17,885,100 dudog84 Alex Smalley 69 $0 $48,000 $0 $48,000 $17,885,100 JasonEvans Patrick Cantlay 2 $34,200 $2,700,000 $6,500,000 $9,234,200 $17,784,149 JasonEvans Sam Burns 5 $152,813 $188,250 $3,000,000 $3,341,063 $17,784,149 JasonEvans Rory McIlroy 7 $0 $420,000 $2,000,000 $2,420,000 $17,784,149 JasonEvans Cameron Young 14 $78,886 $133,500 $800,000 $1,012,386 $17,784,149 JasonEvans Max Homa 16 $54,750 $133,500 $720,000 $908,250 $17,784,149 JasonEvans Jordan Spieth 18 $0 $188,250 $680,000 $868,250 $17,784,149 CrazyNotCrazie Will Zalatoris 3 $2,700,000 $0 $5,000,000 $7,700,000 $16,768,129 CrazyNotCrazie Sam Burns 5 $152,813 $188,250 $3,000,000 $3,341,063 $16,768,129 CrazyNotCrazie Tony Finau 8 $480,000 $104,250 $1,500,000 $2,084,250 $16,768,129 CrazyNotCrazie Sungjae Im 10 $348,750 $247,500 $1,000,000 $1,596,250 $16,768,129 CrazyNotCrazie Max Homa 16 $54,750 $133,500 $720,000 $908,250 $16,768,129 CrazyNotCrazie Billy Horschel 22 $0 $67,750 $600,000 $667,750 $16,768,129 CrazyNotCrazie Shane Lowry 31 $42,330 $315,000 $0 $357,330 $16,768,129 CrazyNotCrazie Davis Riley 35 $78,886 $34,350 $0 $113,236 $16,768,129 Bob Green Will Zalatoris 3 $2,700,000 $0 $5,000,000 $7,700,000 $16,179,313 Bob Green Sam Burns 5 $152,813 $188,250 $3,000,000 $3,341,063 $16,179,313 Bob Green Rory McIlroy 7 $0 $420,000 $2,000,000 $2,420,000 $16,179,313 Bob Green Jon Rahm 11 $480,000 $420,000 $950,000 $1,850,000 $16,179,313 Bob Green Jordan Spieth 18 $0 $188,250 $680,000 $868,250 $16,179,313 Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15 Will Zalatoris 3 $2,700,000 $0 $5,000,000 $7,700,000 $15,971,343 Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15 Cameron Smith 6 $260,893 $0 $2,500,000 $2,760,893 $15,971,343 Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15 Tony Finau 8 $480,000 $104,250 $1,500,000 $2,084,250 $15,971,343 Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15 Jon Rahm 11 $480,000 $420,000 $950,000 $1,850,000 $15,971,343 Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15 Adam Scott 29 $480,000 $547,500 $510,000 $1,537,500 $15,971,343 Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15 Harold Varner III 67 $0 $38,700 $0 $38,700 $15,971,343 elvis14 Will Zalatoris 3 $2,700,000 $0 $5,000,000 $7,700,000 $14,922,500 elvis14 Rory McIlroy 7 $0 $420,000 $2,000,000 $2,420,000 $14,922,500 elvis14 Tony Finau 8 $480,000 $104,250 $1,500,000 $2,084,250 $14,922,500 elvis14 Jon Rahm 11 $480,000 $420,000 $950,000 $1,850,000 $14,922,500 elvis14 Jordan Spieth 18 $0 $188,250 $680,000 $868,250 $14,922,500 DevilHorse Will Zalatoris 3 $2,700,000 $0 $5,000,000 $7,700,000 $14,219,093 DevilHorse Rory McIlroy 7 $0 $420,000 $2,000,000 $2,420,000 $14,219,093 DevilHorse Tony Finau 8 $480,000 $104,250 $1,500,000 $2,084,250 $14,219,093 DevilHorse Justin Thomas 13 $260,893 $35,700 $850,000 $1,146,593 $14,219,093 DevilHorse Jordan Spieth 18 $0 $188,250 $680,000 $868,250 $14,219,093 nmduke2001 Xander Schauffele 4 $34,200 $870,000 $4,000,000 $4,904,200 $11,222,793 nmduke2001 Rory McIlroy 7 $0 $420,000 $2,000,000 $2,420,000 $11,222,793 nmduke2001 Tony Finau 8 $480,000 $104,250 $1,500,000 $2,084,250 $11,222,793 nmduke2001 Justin Thomas 13 $260,893 $35,700 $850,000 $1,146,593 $11,222,793 nmduke2001 Billy Horschel 22 $0 $67,750 $600,000 $667,750 $11,222,793 CameronDuke Cameron Smith 6 $260,893 $0 $2,500,000 $2,760,893 $8,445,036 CameronDuke Rory McIlroy 7 $0 $420,000 $2,000,000 $2,420,000 $8,445,036 CameronDuke Tony Finau 8 $480,000 $104,250 $1,500,000 $2,084,250 $8,445,036 CameronDuke Justin Thomas 13 $260,893 $35,700 $850,000 $1,146,593 $8,445,036 CameronDuke Keegan Bradley 53 $0 $33,300 $0 $33,300 $8,445,036
I'm not defending my 2020 FedEx title, I'm pursuing a new one
Rich
"Failure is Not a Destination"
Coach K on the Dan Patrick Show, December 22, 2016
I'm not saying it is impossible, not at all, but it would take a pretty special performance to get it done for the folks outside of the top 5 or so in the standings.
To be clear, it is not just about catching Scheffler, you need to pass all those folks ahead of you.
So, Rahm, for example, needs to do ALL OF THE FOLLOWING:
- Beat Scottie Scheffler by 7 strokes (or by 6 and then win a playoff)
- Beat Patrick Cantlay by 5 strokes (or by 4 and then win a playoff)
- Beat Will Zalatoris by 4 strokes (or by 3 and then win a playoff)
- Beat Xander Schauffele by 3 strokes (or by 2 and then win a playoff)
- And beat Sam Burns by 2 strokes (or by 1 and then win a playoff)
It is easy to get hung up on how far the player is behind Scheffler and forget that they are also behind everyone else ahead of them.
There is a reason that in the 3 previous times this format has been used, there has never been a winner to come from more than 5 strokes back.
Still, 72 holes is a lot of golf.
Why are you wasting time here when you could be wasting it by listening to the latest episode of the DBR Podcast?
I'm not too worried. I fully expect either Rory or Xander to win the whole thing. That just means that I need the guy that didn't win, plus JT and Tony Finau to make big moves up the leader board too.
With the caveat that it was only 2 rounds and they were "low pressure" since Rahm was not really in contention, Rahm shot 65-67 over the weekend beating:
Scheffler by 6
Cantlay by 2
Schauffele by 5
Burns by 8
Rory by 7
Finau by 3
Straka by 4
Sungjae by 6
And that was just 2 not 4 rounds. So while not likely, its not totally improbable.
Also worth noting that, while McIlroy started at -5 when he won it in 2019, he also won by 4 strokes, meaning he could have been much lower in the standings and still won the tournament. And the guy who finished second (Schauffele) was not among those ahead of McIlroy either (he started at -4). In fact, 6 of the top 10 that year started at -5 or worse.
So clearly not totally improbable. Obviously the leaders coming in stand the best chance. But in 1 of out the 3 events, two guys from well outside the lead overtook the leaders in the final standings. If someone gets hot and the top two have mediocre showings, it can be done.