ST. LOUIS — There’s no guarantee Gary Woodland will be playing in next weekend’s Tour Championship in East Lake.
That’s why the 2019 U.S. Open winner is concentrating on taking this week’s BMW Championship focus hole-by-hole rather than letting his mind drift into the future.
“My focus right now is one day at a time. I don’t have that luxury to look ahead,” said Woodland after carding a bogey-free 65 on Friday.
He was No. 31 in FedExCup points entering the week but currently projects to finish 12th — all depending on the result of the final 36 holes at Bellerive.
“Tomorrow’s a new day, and hopefully I get some rest tonight and I’ll show up tomorrow and see how it comes,” he added. “But I don’t have the luxury to look ahead anymore.”
Woodland’s not the only U.S. Open winner near the top the leaderboard in the Show-Me State.
He sits one shot off two-time U.S. Open champ Wyndham Clark’s 36-hole lead.
Clark, who also got through the second round unscathed, went bogey-free in back-to-back rounds for the first time in 210 career tournaments and said he felt like his short game still left room to be desired.
“Feel like my putter still hasn’t gotten hot yet so it’ll be nice if it does over the weekend,” Clark told Golf Channel’s Kira Dixon after the round.
Clark and Woodland shared the lead with three others — Rory McIlroy, Chris Gotterup, and J.J. Spaun — after Thursday’s opening round.
Spaun, the 2025 U.S. Open champ who celebrated his 36th birthday on Friday, took the clubhouse lead at 10 earlier in the day.
“It’s exciting to have this opportunity — there’s a lot on the line. You know, making it to East Lake, Presidents Cup team, world rankings — all the above,” said Clark, who is a contender for Player of the Year after winning at Shinnecock and taking home the CJ Cup Byron Nelson a month prior.
Feeding off the energy of the crowd
If any of the three major champs have a tangible advantage heading into the weekend, it would be the Kansas native Woodland who is playing in front of high school and college friends this week.
Woodland confirmed it was the most relaxed he’s ever felt entering the weekend of a tournament when asked after his round
“I would say that — I feel very comfortable,” he said. “It’s nice being close to home. It’s nice having so much support out here. The fans have been amazing. I’m definitely feeding off that energy for sure.”
As for what the next 12 to 16 hours look like for the five-time Tour winner? Rest and recovery.
“I’ll get in the dark room, get my feet up, let my brain reset — a cold, dark room for a while,” the 42-year-old Woodland joked with reporters. “Hopefully for about 12 hours.”
