‘Dawgs Make Final Playoff Push For Tour Championship

A thrilling finish to the first playoff event in Memphis leaves us with just one more chance to make the Tour Championship.

Sixty-nine players competed at TPC Southwind, trying to finish high enough to move into the top 50 in points and a ticket to East Lake in Atlanta. Five former Bulldogs were in that field, with all but one mathematically safe. Unfortunately, the one that wasn’t safe didn’t get any safer.

Chris Kirk entered the week in 61st place, needing a very high finish to move up those crucial 11 places. An opening 68 on the par 70 layout wasn’t going to do the trick, so Kirk kicked it up and followed that with a 2nd round 67 and a 3rd round 66. So he entered Sunday in a tie for 6th and at one point up to 42nd in points – just what the doctor ordered.

The final round wasn’t so kind. Kirk only hit 8 of 14 fairways, and only 10 of 18 greens. That meant a lot of par saves and few opportunities for birdies. Sure enough, a late bogey on 15 and near misses on 16 and 18 gave him an even par 70, and a frustrating 51st final standng.

The good news is that Brian Harman (18th), Harris English (10th), Russell Henley (6th) , and Sepp Straka (5th) have advanced and will tee it up at Caves Valley outside of Baltimore. With only 50 players in the field, and points quadrupled in this playoff event, there will be more volatility.

All four should advance to the final 30, especially Straka and Henley. That point is hammered home by the unexpected withdrawal of Sepp Straka on Tuesday. The only reason given is a “private family matter”. It was also revealed he plans to play next week in Atlanta. So while we fervently hope this is nothing too serious for the Valdost-Austrian former ‘Dawg, it is serious enough that he is foregoing significant points this week, which will drop him from his guaranteed $1.45 million payout for his current 5th place.

The TV and streaming coverage is expanded a little for this elite event, so here’s where and when you can turn in:

• Thursday-Friday: 2-6 p.m. (Golf Channel, NBC Sports app)
• Saturday: 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel, NBC Sports app), 3-6 p.m. (NBC, Peacock, NBC Sports app)
• Sunday: noon-2 p.m. (Golf Channel, NBC Sports app), 2-6 p.m. (NBC, Peacock, NBC Sports app)

It’s a scant two weeks plus a couple sleeps until Bulldog football begins anew. Until then, enjoy watching former ‘Dawgs chasing little white balls for ridiculous amounts of money. And as always…

GO ‘DAWGS!!!