OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Akshay Bhatia holed out a wedge for an eagle, then one-upped himself with an ace. Rickie Fowler rolled in a 57-foot putt for birdie. Taylor Pendrith’s first tee strike went way left, causing him to try again.
Normally, those shots would be mere footnotes by players who aren’t really in contention, but at the BMW Championship, the leaders aren’t the only ones with a lot to play for.
The top 30 players in the FedEx Cup standings make it to next week’s Tour Championship at Atlanta’s East Lake Golf Club, and Sunday’s final round at Caves Valley Golf Club will be make or break for those on the bubble.
Take Bhatia, who came into this second of three events in the PGA Tour postseason ranked 29th and shot a first-round 75 but has rebounded nicely since then. A 66 on Saturday — featuring those two sensational shots — left him at par, and he’s now projected at 28th in the FedEx Cup.
“Even when I’m putting, I try and see where my FedEx is projected,” Bhatia said. “Something that I’m aware of and need to, again, focus on what I’m trying to do. But just the nature of the game, you just want to know where you’re at.”