Jason Day of Australia continued his brilliant play, touring 17 holes in 10-under-par to take a four-stroke lead over rookie Daniel Berger before rain halted the first round of the BMW Championship, the third event of the FedEx Cup playoffs, at Conway Farms Golf Club in Lake Forest, Ill.
Day, the FedEx Cup points leader, hit his tee shot on the ninth hole, his last of the round, 346 yards to within 44 yards of the flag and needs to hole his approach for an eagle when play resumes on Friday morning to post a 12-under 59.
“I thought it was a par 72, so I’m sitting there going, ’10 under, there’s no chance at all I can get it,'” said Day, who didn’t realize until afterward that he has a chance at 59. “But if it goes in, it goes in. Right now, I’m just trying to play the best I can. I’m just trying to get off to a good start.
” … No matter what you do, even if you hit a bad shot, it’s going to be all right,” Day said of his hot streak. “That’s kind of the way it feels. It’s hard to explain because I’m just out there and I’m not really paying attention to the score, and I’m hitting it down the middle and hitting it on the greens and holing putts.”
Day, the PGA champion who won three times in a span of four tournaments before tying for 12th in the Deutsche Bank Championship in his last outing, carded nine birdies and his only bogey on the 17th hole. The highlight of his round coming when he holed a fairway bunker shot from 80 yards for an eagle at No. 1.
Berger, whose best finish in his first year on the PGA Tour came when he lost to Padraig Harrington in a playoff at the Honda Classic, finished his 6-under 65 with a walk-off eagle on the ninth hole–where he holed his second shot from 69 yards.
Brendon Todd carded a 66 and was tied for third with Jordan Spieth, No. 2 in the FedEx standings and the World Golf Rankings, who made a hole in one from 196 yards on the second hole and was 5-under through 17 holes.
Kevin Chappell of Fresno and UCLA, also was 5-under through 16 holes, while rookie Justin Thomas was in the tie for third after 13.
Scott Piercy of San Diego State and Matt Kuchar shot 67s and were in a tie for seventh with Kevin Na of Diamond Bar, who was 4-under after 14 holes, Bubba Watson, who was through 13, and George McNeil, who had played 12 holes.
Zach Johnson, who won the Open Championship at St. Andrews, shot 68 and was in a tie for 12th that included Phil Mickelson, who was 3-under through 15, and Rory McIlroy, who had played 12 holes.
