Norton, U.S.A,: It was another powerful performance by iconic golf star Tiger Woods at the Deutsche Bank Championship that made him move up on to the BMW Championship this week.
He birdied three of the last four holes at TPC Boston and shot a 3-under-par 68 to tie for 11th at 10-under 274,on Monday, 12 strokes behind winner Charley Hoffman, who fired a 62, his official site said.
The top-ranked Woods, who entered the tournament ranked 65th in the FedExCup points standings, now ranks 51st. The top 70 players have advanced to Cog Hill Golf and Country Club to play the BMW, after which the top 30 on the points list qualify for Atlanta’s THE TOUR Championship, the final event in the PGA Tour playoffs for the FedExCup. The overall winner receives $10 million.
Woods will have to play well at Cog Hill to reach Atlanta’s East Lake Golf Club, but he has history on his side. In 11 pro starts at Cog Hill, he has won the BMW Championship five times — including last year — and has nine top-10 showings.
“I feel very comfortable there,” he said.
Woods is also starting to feel more comfortable about his game. Monday’s finish was his third consecutive sub-70 round. The last time he accomplished that feat was at last year’s TOUR Championship, where he finished second and won his second FedExCup title.
“I’m very satisfied,” Woods said of his play at the Deutsche Bank Championship. “The things that we have been working on are starting to come together. I’m starting to feel more comfortable and am able to fix it on the golf course, which is the key.”
Paired with Angel Cabrera on another sunny day and followed by a large, enthusiastic gallery, Woods made eight pars and one birdie on the front nine. His lone birdie came at the par-5 second hole, which he reached in two and two-putted from 43 feet.
After two-putt pars at 10 and 11, Woods did well to escape the par-4 12th with a bogey. He holed an eight-foot par putt at the 13th and a five-footer for par at the par-4 14th.
Woods broke through with a 17-foot birdie putt at the par-4 15th. He kept his round going with another five-foot par putt at 16, then two-putted the par-4 17th from long range.
At the par-5 18th, Woods split the fairway with a 3-wood, then muscled a long iron over the back of the green, near the grandstand. As he did the day before, Woods hit a wonderful flop shot just inside four feet and made the birdie putt.
“I was just trying to put the golf ball where I needed to put it,” he said. “I was trying to go out there and shoot 62. I thought that would be a pretty good number.”
For the second consecutive day, Woods hit 12 of 18 greens in regulation and found seven of 14 fairways. He also finished with 27 putts.
Proceeds from the tournament benefited the Tiger Woods Foundation and New England charities.
On Tuesday, captain Corey Pavin will announce the remaining four players on the U.S. Ryder Cup team. Wood has played on five teams and would love to get a call from Pavin.
“We’ll see,” Woods said. “Hopefully, he has my number.”
The Ryder Cup will be played Sept. 27 through Oct. 3 at Celtic Manor Resort in Newport, South Wales.