Will big crowds crown BMW's final round?
With four wins already at Cog Hill and a fifth almost assured, to go with a pair of major championships at Medinah, Tiger Woods can certainly call Chicago his kind of town.
But is Chicago the PGA Tour's kind of town?
What kind of crowds turned out for the BMW Championship on Saturday and again today will prove crucial in determining the answer to that question.
"This is kind of the litmus test for this tournament today," said John Kaczkowski, president and CEO of the Western Golf Association. "You've got Tiger leading, you've got absolutely perfect weather, the Sox and Cubs are out of it - this is it. This is the day.
"If you don't have big attendance today, maybe you have to look at the tournament's formula. Is mid-September a good date? Is there too much competition from other sports?"
So did it pass the test Saturday?
"For sure," Kaczkowski said, noting the aerial shot on NBC showing a full set of parking lots. "And Thursday's crowds were bigger than the Thursday of 2007, and the same for Friday.
"But I'm greedy, I'd like a lot more."
Na gonna happen: Until Tiger Woods went crazy Saturday afternoon, it looked like 26-year-old Kevin Na might have the low round of the day with a sterling 65, one that included a stretch of 6 birdies over eight holes.
It was a strong rebound for Na after a pair of 72s to open the BMW Championship and it keeps him within that magical top 30 spot (23rd) in the FedExCup playoffs.
"I'm paying as close attention as anybody else out here probably," Na said. "I'm eyeing this computer every day. I came in this week and I thought, 'as long as you don't finish dead last, you're looking good.' So I'm not finishing dead last."
Nice comeback: A rib injury forced Brandt Snedeker to miss much of the early part of the PGA Tour season, but he's made up for it big time by playing 13 of the past 14 weeks - beginning with the St. Jude's Classic, where he came in entered 176 in the FedExCup standings.
He has risen all the way to No. 42 in the standings and is projected No. 7 in the standings heading into today's final round.
"It's been great," said Snedeker, whose 66 Saturday ensured him a spot in today's final pairing with Tiger Woods. "I went from not having a job about six months ago to at least being safe for next year and hopefully have a good day tomorrow and getting into the Tour Championship."
Steady: It should come as no surprise that Jim Furyk is tied for eighth after a 4-under 67 Saturday.
Not counting 2009, his last 10 starts at the tournament have yielded eight top 7 finishes, including a win in 2005 and top 3 finishes in 2000, '03 and '08.
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