BMW Championship 2012: Players Topping Leaderboard Who Will Finish Strong

The BMW Championship is heading into the third round of play and several of golf’s biggest names are in striking distance of the top spot on the leaderboard.

A short rain delay caused tee times to be pushed back, but once play resumes, these top players will continue to tear through the course at Crooked Stick.

This is a FedEx Cup Playoff event, and the pressure of the tournament has already drawn out a few spectacular performances, setting up a thrilling finish. 

Here are the players who will continue to play well on the final two days in Indiana.

Vijay Singh

Singh led all players after two rounds with a score of -13. He has just two bogeys through his first 36 holes, compared to 13 birdies and an eagle.

The Fijian is one of four players placing fifth or higher who has been ranked No. 1 in the world at some point in his career. He has won three majors, and knows how to close out a tournament when in the lead. 

But 2012 has not been Singh’s best season, and the 49-year-old has failed to finish better than seventh at any event this season. Still Singh showed flashes of his younger days at The Barclays when he took the lead after two rounds, although he ended up plummeting down the leaderboard in the final two days at Bethpage.

Now, with the lessons learned from that recent performance, Singh will be competitive through the end of the tournament as the younger players set their sights on him.

Tiger Woods

Woods sits dangerously close to the top of the leaderboard at -12, and he has played extremely well thus far.

He did fire two bogeys on the first day, but also had nine birdies. His performance the next day was much more consistent, with just five birdies but no bogeys.

Woods is coming off a third-place finish at the Deutsche Bank Championship. He was able to avoid the letdown in the final two rounds that has plagued him at so many tournaments in 2012.

With the confidence gained in the final two days at TPC Boston, Woods will once again play four excellent rounds to close out the BMW Championship.

Rory McIlroy

McIlroy is the current No. 1 player in the world, and is continuing to show why at Crooked Stick. He is tied with Woods at 12 under. 

He and Woods were paired together and pushed each other to spectacular rounds. McIlroy hit just one bogey on the first day while recording seven birdies and an eagle. 

He was slightly more erratic the next day with four bogeys, but he still managed six birdies and another eagle.

McIlroy is coming off victories at the Deutsche Bank Championship and the PGA Championship and there is no player in the world with as much momentum as the young Northern Irishman. He will certainly be in the mix on the final day of play in Indiana.

Lee Westwood 

Westwood is the fourth player in the top-six who once owned the world’s top ranking, and he currently sits tied for fifth at -11.

He played well in the first round with eight birdies and just two bogeys through the first 17 holes, but a double bogey on the 18^th was a terrible way to end the day. 

Westwood responded by blazing through the next 18 holes, hitting just one bogey compared to six birdies and an eagle.

With that excellent performance fueling him going forward, Westwood also looks ready to compete for Singh’s spot on the leaderboard.