Max Homa wasted no time in firing putts into the back of the cup on his second round of the BMW Championship. Setting a fast pace on his front nine at Olympia Fields Country Club with four birdies for a 32.
However, it would be an even more impressive 30 on the back that would lock in Homa’s final score of 62 sending him to the top of Friday’s leaderboard. A total of 10-birdies today thanks to his red-hot putter on a relatively soft course still drying out from this week’s rain in Chicago.
“I felt that the tee ball set up everything,” Homa said. “It was a major bonus to make as many putts as I did, but it was all really good. I think that out here when you’re in the fairway, it becomes significantly easier, more so than other golf courses.”
Clocking in at almost 7,400 yds. with its thick rough, the North Course at Olympia Fields allows some of the PGA Tour’s longest drivers like Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy to attack par-4 and par-5 holes with minimal regard for playing outside the runway.
Adding spin through that forgiving rough is what yesterday’s co-leader, now T5, McIlroy is hoping to take advantage of for the last two days of play on Saturday and Sunday as the course firms up and dries out from this week’s heavy rain.
“It’s still super receptive,” McIlroy highlighted. “There’s still some greens that you’d almost rather – especially to some of these back pins, you’d rather be hitting out of the rough than out of the fairway because you know it’s not going to spin back on you.”
Echoing McIlroy’s sentiments regarding the rough was current third place competitor, Matt Fitzpatrick who was once again 7-under on Friday. The former Northwestern golfer who played in Evanston for one quarter in 2013 before focusing on his amateur and eventually pro career full time had a clean card with four birdies and a boat-load of pars until 18.
Fitzpatrick came in with his only bogey on the hardest ranked hole of the North Course that is 18. A long par-4 at 509 yds with water on the right side causing some nerves and tricks for the competitors even with the amiable rough.
Both McIlroy and Fitzpatrick predict a more physical puzzle to maneuver on Saturday and Sunday as the course continues to get blasted by the August Chicago sun.
“Hopefully it’s going to get firm and fast,” Fitzpatrick said. “I remember when it was here a couple years ago, and it was fantastic. Come Sunday the greens were boring, erring yellow and the fairways were running, and it becomes a real tough test.”
“You’ve got to hit fairways. It becomes more penal off the fairway and missing the greens, so you’ve really got to plot your way around.”
Still not looking too far into the future though, McIlroy dropped to T5 amongst the Top 50 in the field. Unlike Fitzpatrick who stayed consistent at T3. McIlroy finished today with a 70. The Irishman calling his own performance, “pretty mediocre.” That assessment after one bogey and only one birdie, leveling him net even for the day.
“Gave myself tons of chances. I felt like I hit good putts, just hit a lot of edges, and the ball just sort of slid by.”
McIlroy was in the unlucky putting club, with Jon Rahm, though not as severe as the Spain native and top FedEx Cup Points Leader coming into the BMW Championship. Rahm did not find a single birdie on Friday. Instead picking up a very frustrating four bogeys leading to a final score of 74.
Still, Rahm won’t be fretting too much in Chicago as he’s practically guaranteed his spot in the Tour Championship in Atlanta, GA on August 24-27. The culminating round of the season for the Top 30 players in the FedEx Cup playoffs.
Other names of competitors to keep in mind who will likely be sitting tight and heading south for the Tour Championship thanks to their second playoff leg incoming FedEx Cup rankings include: Scottie Scheffler, Lucas Glover, Patrick Cantlay and Chris Kirk.
If you want to come out and watch these PGA players at Olympia Fields transportation and ticket information from the Western Golf Association Evans Scholars Foundation is below.
Schedule and Tickets
To purchase tickets, visit bmwchampionship.com/tickets. Youth 15 and under receive free grounds admission when accompanied with an adult. Active duty, retirees, active reserve and veterans of any military branch are offered a complimentary ticket on each day of the BMW Championship. The BMW Championship will use mobile entry, enabling fans to easily manage, view, scan and transfer tickets. More ticket information can be found here.
Parking and Transportation
General fan parking (G-Lot) will be at Lincoln Mall (255 Lincoln Mall Dr., Matteson, Illinois). Passes must be purchased in advance. A complimentary shuttle will take fans to the course; service begins 30 minutes before gates open and runs throughout the day. Shuttle service concludes one hour after play has finished.
The rideshare pick-up and drop-off location is at Gate 1 (3033 203rd St., Olympia Fields, Illinois). Drop-offs and pick-ups are not allowed near the club’s front gate or residential areas. Spectators can also ride the Metra Electric Line (ME) to the Olympia Fields Station, located next to the Gate 1 Entrance, or park their vehicle and utilize Park and Ride Metra stations along the ME route.
