Tiger Woods Tied for Lead at BMW

Just like the Tiger Slam of 2001, these last few weeks might best be described as the Tiger Slump. Why? Because it wasn't an actual slump like most golfers go through, it was just Tiger Woods doings things that aren't Tiger-like. A loss after a 54-hole lead in a major. A missed putt on the 18th green for birdie that would have tied the lead. A, gulp, finish out of the top-10.

All that could be erased after the first two rounds at the BMW Championship. Woods followed up a first round 68 with a 4-under 67 on Friday, tying the lead at the third leg of the FedEx Cup race and moving him closer to the $10 million bonus. On a course that Woods has won at four times, Woods needed five birdies after making bogey on his first hole of the day to tie Mark Wilson at 7-under, a shot clear of Padraig Harrington Rory Sabbatini, Bo Van Pelt and Marc Leishman.

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If Tiger wins this week, he will all but secure the Player of the Year award and will head into the Tour Championship at the top of the FedEx Cup. It will be his sixth win of the year if he holds on, the sixth year in his career that Tiger has won six or more events (by comparison, Sergio Garcia has only won seven events on the PGA Tour in his career).

The interesting thing is we can't chalk this up to a victory just yet. Back three years ago, when Tiger jumped to the top of leaderboards, names disappeared. He name up top was like kryptonite to other PGA Tour stars, forcing them to fall as fast as possible as he continued to plod around the course, making controlled birdie after controlled birdie.

Not so much anymore. Although he's won five times this season, only one, the Bridgestone Invitational, turned out to be a yawnfest.