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Five players to watch in BMW Championship

By Mike Spellman

mspellman@dailyherald.com

Five to watch

Henrik Stenson

FedEx rank: 1

The skinny: Is it possible for any golfer to be any hotter heading into the BMW? Outside of a clunker in The Barclays, here’s how Stenson has done in four of his last five tournaments: second in the British Open, T-2 at the Bridgestone Invitational, third in the PGA Championship and a victory two weeks ago in the Deutsche Bank Championship to vault him to the top of the FedEx standings.

The quote: “I’m going to keep on working away on the things that’s worked out well for me in the last couple of months, and we’ll see where it takes us.”

Jordan Spieth

FedEx rank: 10

The skinny: What a year it’s been for the 20-year-old from Texas who began the year playing his way into tournaments via sponsors’ exemptions. And then he won the John Deere Classic in July and since then it’s been nothing but good for the youngster who has already earned over $3 million and just recently was named to the Presidents Cup team. Oh, and he’s also put together a pair of top-4 finishes in his last three events.

The quote: “My focus is on this week. A goal of mine is to finish wherever I have to in order to control my own destiny next week in Atlanta.”

Tiger Woods

FedEx rank: 2

The skinny: The world’s No. 1 has five Tour victories in 14 events this season and was leading the FedEx points standings until Stenson wrested it from him two weeks ago. Woods, who has been nursing a sore back of late sounds like he’s rested and ready to get back to it this week at the BMW after a week off between tournaments.

The quote: “That was nice. It was nice to have that week of treatment and strengthening — so that was all good. And then being able to practice toward the end of the week.”

Jason Day

FedEx rank: 12

The skinny: The bigger the event, the more likely it is you’ll see Day hovering near the top of the leaderboard. He has six top-10 finishes in 19 events this season, including a third at The Masters, a T-2 at the U.S. Open and a T-8 at the PGA Championship.

The quote: “I like stepping up and playing on big stages against the best players in the world. Knowing that you have to hit the shots under pressure with the amount of people watching around the world gets my blood running.”

Steve Stricker

FedEx rank: 8

The skinny: Even when he cuts back his playing schedule, Stricker has proven too good to ignore as his 6 top-10 finishes in 11 events and earnings of nearly $3.5 million this year proves. The 46-year-old’s second place finish at the Deutsche Bank Championship vaulted him right into contention in the FedEx Cup playoffs. The quote: “It’s been a pleasant surprise. I didn’t know what to expect coming into the year. I’m excited that it worked out well.”

Henrik Stenson
Jason Day
Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker
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