Byrd’s birdies give him BMW lead

LEMONT, Ill. – Jonathan Byrd forgot what it was like to play in one of those PGA Tour boondoggles that have no cut and guaranteed money even for last place.

But the BMW Championship is no place for him to relax, even if Cog Hill had the atmosphere of a library Thursday.

Needing a solid week to advance to the FedEx Cup finale at the Tour Championship, Byrd fired off three straight birdies late in his round for a 7-under-par 64 and a one-shot lead at soft, calm and ghostly quiet Cog Hill.

“I’m the bubble boy this week, and I told my wife this is the worst bubble to be on,” Byrd said.

He is at No. 30 in the playoff standings, the cutoff for going to East Lake. He could easily be knocked out if someone behind him finishes in the top 10, so Byrd figured the best solution was to play his best golf.

It was his best score of the year, capped off by a string of birdies that began with a 25-foot putt up the shelf on the par-3 sixth green and ended with a wedge into 6 feet on No. 8.

Justin Rose reached 8 under through 11 holes before he dropped two shots coming in and had to settle for a 65, leaving him tied with Camilo Villegas. Stewart Cink was among those another shot back.

Tiger Woods, a three-time winner at Cog Hill, was poised to join the leaders until a double bogey on No. 7 spoiled his round of 67. He went over the green with a pitching wedge, flubbed a flop shot that moved only about four paces and then chipped 12 feet by the hole.

“Other than that, it was a pretty good day,” Woods said.

Byrd wasn’t the only player desperate for good results. Villegas is at No. 34 in the standings, while Cink is at No. 32.

“Obviously, we’re out here to win golf tournaments,” Villegas said. “But I believe if I finish top eight, I will be in for next week. I’m trying to win the golf tournament, trying to hit one shot at a time, and it’s not going to change the way I play out there.”

The tournament, for years known as the Western Open, moved its traditional Fourth of July spot on the calendar to the third event in the PGA Tour Playoffs.