Hurricane Earl looms at Deutsche Bank for second leg of FedEx Cup
Tiger Woods used to blow away fields on the PGA Tour. This week at the Deutsche Bank Championship in Boston, Hurricane Earl might do the deed.
Set to reach New England on Friday afternoon, the storm could halt play in the opening round and perhaps force postponement of the second round. Earl is expected to pass through the area quickly, but heavy rains and winds could leave the course unplayable with the possibility of downed trees, power lines and tents.
“If the wind blows so hard it blows the ball around on the greens, we can’t play,” PGA Tour official Mark Russell told reporters. “Or if it rains so hard that the hole goes under water, we can’t play. But we might get lucky.”
With the prospect of dicey weather Friday afternoon, the most coveted starting times are early. Unfortunately for Woods, he doesn’t tee off until 11:42 a.m.
Coming off a promising 12th place finish in the Barclays, Woods hopes for continued improvement in the second stage of the FedEx Cup playoffs.
With the help of advice from coach Sean Foley, Woods is getting more comfortable with his swing. Woods was solid last week tee-to-green. If it wasn’t for a balky putter, he would have been on the leader board Sunday.
“Some of the things that Sean and I have been working on are starting to feel a little bit more natural,” Woods told reporters. “I drove the ball great all week, and the only thing that kept me from really contending with the middle two rounds was my putter.”
For all the analysis of Woods’ swing flaws in this winless season, it has been his putting that has been uncharacteristically off. His No. 40 ranking (1.76 putts a hole) is his lowest on tour since 2002. He finished in the top 10 in putting five of the previous seven seasons.
“I found something in my setup that I had been missing,” Woods said. “Once I figured that out, I really putted good on Sunday.”
At No. 65 in the FedEx Cup standings, Woods needs to be in the top 70 after the Deutsche Bank to advance to the BMW Championship, where he is the defending champion. Woods won the event by eight strokes but hasn’t captured a PGA tournament since.
