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Collin Morikawa Among Contenders After One Round of BMW Golf Event

Ex-Cal golfers Morikawa and Max Homa in good position to advance to next week's Tour Championship on PGA Tour
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Former Cal golfer Collin Morikawa had a strong first round in Wilmington, Delaware, on Thursday, putting him in position to challenge for the title in this week's BMW Championship and to qualify for next weekend's Tour Championship.

Morikawa fired a 4-under-par 67 on the Wilmington Country Club South Course, leaving him three shots behind first-round leader Keegan Bradley. It also kept him in contention for the lucrative FedEx Cup championship. The top 30 in the FedEx Cup standings after BMW Championship advance to the Tour Championship in Atlanta, which is the final leg of the FedEx Cup playoff.

The winner of the FedEx Cup playoff earns $18 million.

After one round at the BMW Championship, Morikawa is projected to be 19th in the FedEx Cup standings, although that can change based on how he fares in the final three rounds this weekend.

A player's standing heading into the Tour Championship is important, because the No. 1 player in the standings will begin next week's event at 10 under par. The second-place player will start at 9-under, and so on.

Morikawa was 3 under par after nine holes Thursday, but bogeys on Nos. 11 and 13 dropped him to 1-under before his strong finish. He birdies No. 14, 15 and 18 to move to a tie for seventh place.

His round included this amazing 58-foot putt for birdie on No. 7.

Max Homa, the other former Cal golfer in the field, struggled a bit on Thursday and finished with a 1-over-par score of 72.  He began the day 16th in the FedEx Cup standings, but he is projected to be 20th, one spot behind Morikawa, after Thursday's round.

Homa was in the pairing that teed off right after Morikawa, and Homa began his round with a birdie, one of five birdies he would have on the day.  

However, Homa also had four bogeys plus a double bogey on the par-4 fifth hole.

It could have been worse, but he holed out twice from the bunker during the round.

First he did it on the seventh hole:

Then he did it again on the 13th hole:

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Cover photo of Collin Morikawa by Bill Streicher, USA TODAY Sports

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