Kuchar maintains Cup charge

Poulter in the hunt after first round of BMW Championship

Last updated: 10th September 2010   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Kuchar maintains Cup charge

Kuchar: First-round leader

First round leaderboard
US unless stated
-7 M Kuchar
-6 R Moore
-5 I Poulter (Eng)
-4 R Goosen (SA)
-4 C Wi (KOR)

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FedEx Cup play-off leader Matt Kuchar continued his rich vein of form by setting the pace at the BMW Championship with an opening round of 64.

The 32-year-old carded six birdies and an eagle at the 15th to finish seven-under par at Cog Hill on Thursday and move a step closer to the £6.5million jackpot at the end of the four-tournament series.

Starting on the back nine, Kuchar picked up his first shot at the par-three 12th with an incredible 63-foot putt.

He then nailed a 10-footer for an eagle on the 526-yard 15th and birdied two of the next three holes to turn at five under after 31 shots.

He notched three more birdies on the outward half and his only blemish was a bogey on the eighth, his penultimate hole, after getting caught up in two bunkers.

"I've got good memories of this place, so it continued to go well for me," he said after the round.

Solid

"Last week was a little bit suspect and this week I kind of figured some stuff out, hitting the ball solid and making some putts."

Former US Amateur champion Ryan Moore was one shot adrift in second after a remarkable back nine of 29 sent him flying up the leaderboard.

Moore's round started less the spectacularly as he turned at one-over par but seven birdies in eight holes, including five in a row to finish, turned his day around in dramatic fashion.

England's Ian Poulter is alone in third despite a double-bogey six at the 10th - his first - as he eagled the 15th and picked up six birdies to finish five under after a round of 66.

And the Englishman already has his thoughts on Celtic Manor on October 1.

"I was trying to get in that kind of mindset, making as many birdies as I did in the Ryder Cup last time around," said Poulter.

"If you can somehow get into that frame of mind that anything is possible you can make 10 birdies in a round of golf.

"I want to perform again. It was special last time and it will be special again."

Compatriots Justin Rose and Luke Donald were two shots further back on three under to share sixth place after the first round.

"Three bogeys was a little disappointing just because I didn't short game it well enough from relatively simple up-and-downs," Donald said.

Tiger Woods, fresh from his Ryder Cup wildcard, disappointed again as he shot a round of 72 to finish the day two-over par, nine shots back of Kuchar.

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