Stricker-Slocumb-Woods grouping should draw big crowds at Cog Hill
The most eagerly anticipated first-round grouping in the BMW Championship at Cog Hill won't be Bob Estes, Nathan Green and Bryce Molder, though that trio does tee off No. 1 at 12:31 on Thursday.
No, the group absolutely sure to attract the biggest galleries will be the one consisting of Tiger Woods, Steve Stricker and Heath Slocum, who will tee off on No. 10 at 11:03 a.m. Thursday morning.
Stricker won the Deutsche Bank Championship over Labor Day weekend, Slocum took The Barclays the previous week and Woods, as always, will be among the favorites to win the third leg of the FedExCup playoffs on the renovated Dubsdread.
And it's not just the fans who are excited about the grouping.
"I think it's a good thing," Slocum said. "It's good to play with those two. I really feel like you're going to see some good shots. You're going to see good tempo. You're going to see two good golfers, and a lot of times if things aren't going as well, it is easy to kind of look over and try to just get in their rhythm, either one of them or both, and kind of let them maybe pull you along.
"If you're playing well, they're a good pair to play with."
Loving/hating the bustle: Though there were a lot of tired-looking players making the rounds at Cog Hill Tuesday, fresh off Monday's final round in Boston, one player who is digging his hectic schedule is Hunter Mahan. Along with Lucas Glover, Mahan was selected by Fred Couples on Tuesday as a captain's pick for the upcoming President's Cup in San Francisco.
"I kind of like it because it is short, and boom, you're right in the action again," said Mahan, who flew into Chicago on Monday night. "You don't have to wait. I think in that fact it is kind of nice."
On the absolute other side is Heath Slocum, who missed the cut Saturday, and now in retrospect is kind of glad he did.
"It was probably a blessing in disguise," Slocum said. "I played the two weeks prior. After everything that went on, just a long week there.
"But the last two days it has been a blessing. I put my feet up. I came out and played nine yesterday, but no extra shots. Just played nine holes. Today played nine. I hit a few putts, and that's it. So yeah, trying to conserve, definitely, for the rest of the week."
Reminder: The first tee times on both Thursday and Friday for the 70-man field are at 10:30 a.m., with the final groups scheduled to go off at 12:31 p.m.
Things change dramatically on Saturday and Sunday when groups go off from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
"Seventy players, no cut - play is usually a lot faster," Hunter Mahan said. "Tee times are a lot nicer. They're kind of right in the middle. It's great."