This is the last call for East Lake.
Last call to make the top 30 and last call to finish in the top five on the FedEx Cup points list. Those five control their own destiny at East Lake.
Here’s how the top of the pack and the bottom of the pack fared during Thursday’s first round of the BMW Championship at birdie-friendly Aronimink.
1: Bryson DeChambeau: Admitted he’s “exhausted” after back-to-back wins that have assured him of the top spot at East Lake for the Tour Championship in two weeks. Despite his exhaustion, DeChambeau still managed a first round 67. With the low scoring on day one, that earned him a tie for 20th.
2: Dustin Johnson: D.J. hasn’t made much noise in the playoffs and Thursday was no different. An even par 70 was good for a tie for 49th.
3: Justin Rose: Rose was good enough to shoot 66 and stayed in touch with the leaders. Tied for 12th.
4: Tony Finau: His 68 left him tied for 40th, he’ll have to pick up the pace to stay in the top five come Sunday.
5: Justin Thomas: His 64 was the best effort among the top five. He’s serious about defending the FedEx Cup title he won last year.
And then there are the guys fighting for a spot in the top 30:
25: Tiger Woods: Talk about a super-charged start — Woods shot 62 and is tied for the lead. Could have been better but he’s got his old Scotty Cameron back in his hands.
26: Rickie Fowler: Rickie’s back and showed no ill effects of his oblique muscle tear. Rickie opened with 65, playing with Tiger Woods. Tied for eighth.
27: Jordan Spieth: Got a lesson from Tiger Woods on Thursday, played with him and Fowler. Jordy still managed to shoot 67 to improve his chances of a trip to East Lake.
28: Hideki Matsuyama: An opening 66 is just what Hideki needed to clinch a top 30 spot, will need to keep it up.
29: Emiliano Grillo: A 67 will help his cause.
30: Gary Woodland: He’ll like the 66 he shot on Thursday.
In all, 48 of the 70 players were under par Thursday. But some big names struggled.
Phil Mickelson had to birdie the last hole to shoot 73 and save himself from last place. Adam Scott and Marc Leishman weren’t so fortunate. They each shot 74 and were at the bottom of the field along with Brendan Steele.
