Triumph brings Tiger Woods step closer to Crooked Stick

The timing of Tiger Woods’ breaking his 28-month-long winless streak last weekend couldn’t be better for the BMW Championships, which will be held at Crooked Stick Sept. 6-9.

Of course, the timing is pretty good for The Masters, too.

It seems the entire golf world is whipped into a frenzy after Woods’ triumph at Bay Hill.

With Woods—one of the sport’s biggest stars—now the favorite to win The Masters April 5-8, interest in golf is on the rise.

Organizers of the 2012 BMW Championship—the third leg of the FedEx Cup playoff—hope that will translate into an onslaught of sales when single tickets become available April 1.

Already, there have been more tickets sold for this year’s BMW Championship at Crooked Stick than there were for last year’s event held in Chicago. That has given rise to hopes that central Indiana could land another PGA Tour event, possibly even the PGA Championships.

“There’s no doubt that when the biggest names, the stars of the sport, are playing well, that does nothing but help us,” said Sally White, spokeswoman for the 2012 BMW Championship. “Golf fans are definitely buzzing right now, and we think that could translate into sales.”

Organizers of the event at Crooked Stick are launching an advertising campaign next week to capitalize on the momentum. Not only is Woods flying high right now, but so too is 22-year-old Irishman Rory McIlroy, who sits No. 2 in the FedEx Cup standings.

Only the world’s top golfers—based on a season-long points system—are qualified to play in the four-tournament FedEx Cup playoff toward the end of the season. The field is whittled down from the top 125 heading into the first playoff to the top 100 heading into the second round of the FedEx Cup playoff. The top 70 in the FedEx Cup standings will play at Crooked Stick, with the top 30 squaring off at The Tour Championship.

After his recent victory, Woods has climbed from No. 31 to No. 7 in the FedEx Cup standings. Woods is a strong bet to qualify to play at Crooked Stick and a strong showing at The Masters make him all but a shoo-in.

The points system is weighted, with more available in any of the four majors than in other PGA Tour events.

But Woods isn’t the only one drawing the attention of local golf fans. There’s plenty of interest in two PGA players with Indiana ties.

Bo Van Pelt, a Richmond native, is sitting No. 33 in the Fed Ex Cup standings, down from No. 28 a week ago. He’s in a strong position to make the field at Crooked Stick.

Jeff Overton, an Evansville native and Indiana University graduate, is in a more precarious position. After last week, Overton dropped from No. 60 to No. 65.

Single tickets are $20 for each of the three practice days at this year’s BMW Championship. Tickets for each of the four tournament days listed at $75 and $125.