Adam Scott turns back the clock, Ludvig Aberg lurking among 5 things to know at BMW Championship

CASTLE ROCK, Colo. – In preparation for the PGA Tour’s return to Castle Pines Golf Club after an 18-year absence, Jack Nicklaus returned 10 times and re-did every green and every bunker.

When he visited on Wednesday, he told officials of the club that he thought he’d finally gotten it right.

“I love Castle Pines,” Nicklaus said, “It’s a very special place in my heart.”

The course is more than 600 yards longer than when the International was last held here in 2006, stretching to 8,130 yards in the thin, mountain air, but as the old saying goes, these guys are good. On Thursday, Keegan Bradley shot 66, surpassing the previous course record held by Brady Duval, son of David, on May 23. Bradley’s record didn’t even last 24 hours as Adam Scott torched Jack’s handiwork to the tune of 9-under 63. Ludvig Aberg later matched Scott with a 63 of his own.

Adam Scott turns back the clock
Adam Scott said he’s reminded on an almost daily basis that he’s one of the old guys on the PGA Tour these days.

But playing this week at the BMW Championship at Castle Pines Golf Club has made the 44-year-old Australian a bit nostalgic. Twenty-four years ago, Scott was a newly minted pro and accepted a sponsor’s invite to the International. He had played in the British Open a few weeks earlier but essentially it marked his first start in the U.S. on the Tour. Another reminder that Scott’s been in this racket for an awfully long time: he and Jason Day are the only two players in the 50-man field this week who previously competed here. Scott has won the Masters, reached world No. 1 and captured 14 Tour titles, but it’s been four years since his last victory at the 2020 Genesis Invitational.

“It’s hard to keep pace with what the younger guys are doing, from hitting the ball at a speed that’s competitive to practicing enough to having the motivation and the drive to do it,” he said. “I think it’s harder for the older guys.”

Not on Friday for Scott. Despite a less-than-satisfying range session, Scott took advantage of softer conditions after a late afternoon rainstorm on Thursday and shot a bogey-free 9-under 63, setting a course record.

“I don’t think any players in this field thought 9 under was possible,” NBC’s Brad Faxon said.

Scott, however, envisioned low numbers when he played his practice rounds and was surprised that scoring wasn’t better in the opening round. He went out and made 107 feet of putts on Thursday, which ranked third in Strokes Gained: putting, and poured in 126 feet on Friday, which ranked first in SGP.

“I made everything,” said Scott.

PGA Tour Radio’s Mark McCumber agreed: “He looks like he can brush them in from everywhere.”

Scott, who ranks 37th in SGP this season has been able to depend on his putting. His iron play? Not so much.

“I putt well all the time. I don’t ever putt bad, actually. It’s really my iron play has been atrocious for two years,” he said.

He’s experimented with equipment this year, using a set of cavity-back irons last week in Memphis and going back to a set of blades this week.

“I’ve basically used a blade my whole life, but I kind of felt like watching this new generation, a lot of them play cavities, and it’s probably the future. It seems more forgiving. I think it is more forgiving. But it’s just not, like, what I’m used to. I thought it was worth having a go. I didn’t play terrible when I did that. There was some good stuff in there, too,” he said. “But I think when it comes down to it, under the most pressure, I feel most comfortable with kind of that blade. I’ll use that as long as I can.”

He hit a beauty at the par-3 16th. Scott said he had a perfect number to attack the back left hole location and stuffed a 6-iron from 229 yards to 4 feet.

Right at it 🎯@AdamScott sets up another birdie with a brilliant tee shot on No. 16. pic.twitter.com/sgHcMZRqmo

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 23, 2024

“You’ve got to put your foot down when you can and take advantage because someone else will be if you’re not,” Scott said. “Today it was me.”

Keegan Bradley: ‘I’m really swinging it well’

Keegan Bradley celebrates after a birdie putt on the 18th hole during the first round of the BMW Championship golf tournament at Castle Pines Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Keegan Bradley nearly made it to the house bogey-free for 36 holes around Castle Pines but dropped his lone stroke of the tournament at the final hole on Friday after missing his drive in the right rough. Still, his 66-68 start, good for solo second and three back of Scott has been impressive, to say the least.

“I just have basically hit every shot the way I wanted this week. Even that drive on 18, I hit really well. Just the wind got it a little bit,” he said. “Game feels really good.”

Bradley struggled last week, finishing T-59, and was the last man to qualify for the 50-man field at the BMW. He also hasn’t finished better than T-22 in his last seven starts dating to late May. So far at Castle Pines, he ranks first in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green and SG: Approach the Green. So what’s clicked?

“I don’t know,” he said. “Sometimes you show up to the golf course, it just feels better. I’m really swinging at it well. That’s about as high as I could have shot today.”

Bradley, the winner of the 2018 BMW, was inside the top 10 in the FedEx Cup standings for 43 weeks last season, but only one week this season. He’s projected to jump to No. 11.

Bradley jarred a 33-foot birdie putt at No. 4, his first of five circles on the card for the day, and a 17-footer at 14 and clenched his fist. Despite the first bogey of the week, Bradley played himself into the final group with Scott, a player he said he’s long admired.

“I’ll have to play my very best to catch him, for sure,” Bradley said.

Ludvig Aberg flips the switch
Ludvig Aberg didn’t realize he’d tied the course record at Castle Pines until a PGA Tour official asked him to pose for a photo with his scorecard.

“Darn, I really wish I made that putt at 18 now,” he said with a smile of his birdie effort that narrowly missed.

Aberg’s 63 came just hours after Scott set the mark. He and caddie Joe Skovron saw Scott’s score on the leaderboard walking down one of the first few holes and said, let’s go low too.

“We talked about it yesterday, too, that we could see a low one, and we were just fortunate that it was us today,” Aberg said.

He managed to go nine strokes lower than a day earlier. He was 3 over through 15 holes on Thursday before he made birdie on the final three holes. A seven-birdie round of 72 didn’t get him down.

“I was encouraged, to be honest with you, because I felt like the mistakes that I made, they were still aggressive, which I don’t really mind,” he said.

Aberg already has recorded 16 birdies or better this week, eclipsing his previous best for 36 holes in his Tour career by two.

Aberg nearly aced the par-3 11th, nicking the flag, and he also launched a 7-wood from 306 yards to 6 feet to set up an eagle at the par-5 14th.

𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙘𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙚 to a slam dunk ace 😲

Ludvig Åberg knew this one was good @BMWChamps. pic.twitter.com/AccQN2TD16

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 23, 2024

“Obviously I didn’t try to go that far left, but every now and then you get away with those,” said Aberg, who is 8 under on the par 5s this week.

Alex Noren’s pair of 68s
2024 BMW Championship
Alex Noren of Sweden plays his shot from the 18th tee during the second round of the BMW Championship at Castle Pines Golf Club on August 23, 2024 in Castle Rock, Colorado. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Alex Noren has fought a balky putter for much of the year. It’s the part of his game that he blames for a season in which he made a lot of cuts but didn’t get himself in the trophy hunt to his liking.

“When I’ve been playing good tee to green, just the putting that’s been missing,” he said.

On Thursday, the putter was his friend and he topped the field in SG: putting. On Friday, the putter cooled off a bit but he still ranks second in putting for the week.

“I hit the ball better today. I hit a lot more fairways, hit the iron shots better, wedges better. Got some more chances. I’m happy,” he said.

With a pair of 68s, he sits in fourth place and earned a pairing with Ludvig Aberg, his fellow Swede. The two just spent a lot of time together in Paris during the Olympics as teammates and even played a practice round on Monday.

“It’s always nice to have someone who I can speak my native language to,” Aberg said of being paired with Noren.

Everything else you need to know
It was an uncharacteristically mediocre day for the world No. 1 and 2. Scottie Scheffler shot even-par 72 and sits T-29 at 1-under 143. He lost 2.83 strokes to the field on the greens, his second-worst round of the year on the greens behind only the second round at the U.S. Open at Pinehurst. He’s still projected No. 1 in the FedEx Cup. Xander Schauffele shot 1-over 73 and sits T-23 at 2-under 142. He came home with four bogeys in his final six holes — the lone pars being at the par 5s.

Rain on Thursday softened the course. There were 26 drives of 400 yards or more in the first round and none in the second.

Hideki Matsuyama withdrew before the round citing a lower back injury. He will receive last-place unofficial money but no FedEx Cup points.

Collin Morikawa had to play as a single due to the Matsuyama WD and came home in 31.

Rory McIlroy tossed his 3-wood in the water in frustration during a round of 71.

FedEx Cup Bubble Watch: Scott, Bradley, Noren and Corey Conners are the four players currently projected to move into the top 30 and Justin Thomas, Jason Day, Davis Thompson and Denny McCarthy are projected to fall out. The top 30 after the BMW on Sunday advance to the Tour Championship and also qualify for three of the four majors.