Collin Morikawa gave himself a much cleaner path into the weekend at the BMW Championship, and he did it with one of the sharper rounds of his event history.
The 29-year Cal graduate posted a 5-under 65 on Friday at Bellerive Country Club, matching his best score in seven tries at the BMW and vaulting 13 spots into a tie for eighth at the halfway point of the $20 million tournament. Morikawa had also shot 65 in the third round of the 2022 BMW, and this latest effort put him five shots behind second-round leader Wyndham Clark.
Morikawa closed with birdies on Nos. 17 and 18, finishing with six birdies and only one bogey, which came at No. 10. He has never done better than a tie for 25th at the BMW, but this was the kind of round that changes the feel of a week.
Clark, meanwhile, stayed in complete control. After opening with a 64, he repeated the number on Friday to reach 12 under through 36 holes. He started the week No. 5 in the FedEx Cup standings and has now made 12 birdies without a bogey over two rounds to take the lead.
Gary Woodland sits right behind him at 11 under after sharing the first-round lead. Woodland began the week on the edge at No. 31 in the standings, and the 42-year-old has drawn plenty of support after returning from surgery in 2023 to remove a non-cancerous tumor in his brain.
J.J. Spaun also stayed firmly in the mix, making birdies on five of his first eight holes and moving into third at 10 under, two back of Clark.
Rory McIlroy, who was a first-round co-leader, carded a 69 and is tied with Morikawa and two others for seventh. Scottie Scheffler had a big jump of his own after opening tied for 44th; the world No. 1 and FedEx Cup points leader shot 65 and climbed 20 places into a tie for 24th at 3 under.
Morikawa entered the week ranked No. 9 in the FedEx Cup standings and is now almost mathematically assured of finishing in the top 30 by Sunday night. That group will move on to the season-ending Tour Championship in Atlanta, where the players will compete for a share of the $40 million purse, including a $20 million first prize.
The BMW field was trimmed to the top 50 after last week’s St. Jude Classic, and it will be cut again after four rounds in St.
Louis, with 20 players eliminated by the end of the tournament. Morikawa has had a tougher time at this event than at the Tour Championship, where he owns three top-six finishes, including a runner-up finish in 2024 when he shot 26 under par and finished four strokes behind Scottie Scheffler.
In Other News...
Ex-Cal Players Are Suddenly Giving Bears Fans A Real NFL Reason To Watch
Former Cal linebacker Jackson Sirmon has turned preseason into a real showcase with the New Orleans Saints, adding some late August intrigue for Bears fans who are tracking ex-Cal players with an eye on NFL rosters. The former Golden Bear has been working to turn a training camp opportunity into something more lasting, and his recent play has put him squarely into the conversation as teams make their final evaluations for the 2026 season.
Sirmon is hardly the only name on that list, either. Several other former Cal players are still trying to make good on their preseason chances, with recent games and depth-chart movement offering a better sense of who is on the fringe and who may still have work left to do. For Cal fans, it is one of those rare late-summer storylines worth following because it gives the program a visible NFL presence, even if the final cut-down picture is still coming into focus. [Read more 🡒]
Collin Morikawa Heads To Atlanta With Cal Fans Watching Closely
Collin Morikawa left the BMW Championship with another strong finish and enough momentum to keep his season moving in the right direction. The former Cal star tied for fourth after an eagle on the 17th hole put him right in the thick of the chase, and he stayed close to the front alongside a leaderboard that featured Wyndham Clark at the top, with Patrick Cantlay and Rory McIlroy right behind him.
For Cal fans, the bigger note is where Morikawa goes next: Atlanta and the Tour Championship, with his name still firmly in the mix among the FedEx Cup elite. He remains seventh in the standings, which keeps the path clear for another high-stakes week and another chance to see one of the Bears' most accomplished pros on golf's biggest late-summer stage. [Read more 🡒]
Cal Great Mykolas Alekna Just Made A Huge Return Statement
Mykolas Aleknas return to the circle could hardly have gone much better. Competing in the Silesia Diamond League meet in Chorzow, Poland, the Cal hammer standout won the discus with a throw of 72.58 meters, a mark that showed he was back in form after time away from competition because of a pectoral tendon injury.
The field he beat made the result even more notable, with Kristjan Ceh, Daniel Stahl and other top throwers in the mix. For Cal, it was the kind of statement that travels well beyond one meet, a reminder that Alekna is still very much one of the sports premier throwers as he works his way back into full rhythm. [Read more 🡒]