LEADER BOARD
STEVE STRICKER [UP]
New world No. 2 bumps Phil and Tiger with his Deutsche Bank victory
WALKER CUP [DOWN]
You have to question the logic of holding the event opposite the NFL’s opening weekend
NEPOTISM/NATIONALISM [UP]
Greg Norman makes a dubious Presidents Cup wild-card choice in countryman Adam Scott
FAR EAST [UP]
Ryo Ishikawa, 17, will be the youngest ever to play in the Presidents Cup
EURO TOUR [UP]
After a quiet month, Europe’s best return this week at Mercedes-Benz
QUOTABLE
“There’s 5 million Irish people in Ireland and 40 million in the States, and it seems like a huge amount are in Boston. … It did feel like I was at home. I played with a few U.S. guys the last couple of days, and we were joking who was actually the home guy.”
— Ireland’s Padraig Harrington, who tied for fourth at the Deutsche Bank Championship
“I’m close to home, and I went to school at the University of Illinois, so I’ll be double dipping from both states. It will be a lot of fun.”
— Wisconsin native Steve Stricker on this week’s BMW Championship outside Chicago
BY THE NUMBERS
34th In the Deutsche Bank field in putts per greens in regulation (1.740) for Tiger Woods, yet another poor putting performance from the world No. 1. In the five tournaments this season in which Woods has finished 15th or better in that category, he has collected his five victories.
5 Japanese Tour victories for Ryo Ishikawa before his 18th birthday. Japan’s “Bashful Prince” won his third event of the season this past weekend, prompting International team captain Greg Norman to add Ishikawa for next month’s Presidents Cup.
69.06 Scoring average for Padraig Harrington in his four starts since the British Open. Since slogging to a tie for 65th in his title defense at Turnberry, Harrington has tied for second (Bridgestone), tied for 10th (PGA Championship), tied for second (Barclays) and tied for fourth (Deutsche Bank).
ON THE FENCE
Top 50 players* in the world rankings who have been eliminated or need a strong finish at this week’s BMW Championship to make the field for the Tour Championship (Sept. 24-27), the final event in the FedEx Cup playoffs. Only the top 30 will qualify:
Player Ranking Standings
Paul Casey 4 36
Sergio Garcia 7 55
Stewart Cink 11 25
Vijay Singh 14 Out
Camilo Villegas 16 52
Anthony Kim 17 34
Ian Poulter 21 30
Luke Donald 28 32
Mike Weir 29 27
Robert Allenby 31 40
Ben Curtis 35 Out
Tim Clark 36 33
Justin Leonard 37 31
Rory Sabbatini 43 35
* Only regular PGA Tour players considered
TRACKING TIGER
Although Tiger Woods has struggled by his standards since winning the Bridgestone Invitational early last month, there’s no disputing his claim that each of his swing changes has made him a more consistent player. A closer look at the four distinct periods of his pro career:
Years Starts Wins (pct.) Top 10s (pct.) Top 25s (pct.)
1996-97 286 (21.43) 14 (50.00) 21 (75.00)
1998-2003 *116 33 (28.45) 80 (68.97) 105 (90.52)
2004-08** 77 26 (33.77) 56 (72.73) 69 (89.61)
2009*** 155 (33.33) 12 (80.00) 14 (93.33)
Totals 236 70 (29.66) 162 (68.64) 209 (88.56)
* First swing change under Butch Harmon
** Switch to Hank Haney and second swing change
*** First season after reconstructive left knee surgery
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