BMW Friday Notebook: Clark on the course early, Hideki withdraws

 Crowds arrived early for second day of BMW Championship

By Jim Bebbington

Wyndham Clark and Rory McIlroy teed off early Friday in the second day of competition with Denver-native Clark hoping to improve on Thursday’s even par opening round.

Hideki Matsuyama withdraws

Hideki Matsuyama, who won last week’s FedEx St. Jude Championship, withdrew from the BMW Championship early Friday with back soreness, the PGA Tour announced.

Matsuyama was near the top of the leaderboard after Thursday’s first round. He shot a 5-under par on Thursday and was in second place going into Friday’s rounds.

Matsuyama has been very successful in the weeks leading up to the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup championships. He was the day-three leader at the Olympics and finished with the bronze medal. Last week, in the first of three FedEx Cup tournaments, he won and rocketed up the FedEx Cup rankings.

The FedEx Cup rankings determine how each player will start under-par in next week’s season-concluding Tour Championship in Atlanta. The FedEx Cup champion receives a bonus of $25 million.

Clark and McIlroy on the course early

Friday morning crowds filled the grounds of Castle Pines Golf Club early as one of the premier pairings went off at 9 a.m.

Wyndham Clark opened with two birdies in his first three holes. He began the day at even par. McIlroy was at 2-under par to start the day Friday. After a roller-coaster No. 17 that included Clark hitting out of the trees and McIlroy tossing his driver into the lake, Clark finished a 4-under and McIlroy at 3-under for the tournament.

Adam Scott set the pace early, firing a 63 and stood at 13-under par and in first place at the end of his round.

Stars come out