By SEAN MARTIN
Assistant EditorGREENSBORO, N.C. – Rich Beem is the same man he was last month, the month before that, and, well, the rest of the year. He’s just playing better golf.
This transformation may be hard to detect – except on the scorecard – but couldn’t come at a better time. Those that know him best aren’t surprised, though.
“A good buddy of mine always says, ‘Whenever your back is against the wall, you seem to play better,’ ” Beem said. “I don’t know what it is.”
The Wyndham Championship is the last week to earn points for the FedEx Cup standings. Beem came to Greensboro at No. 166 in the standings. The top 144 will advance to next week’s Barclays.
He rallied to make the cut on the number, then shot 63 early Saturday to move up 48 spots on the leaderboard into a tie for 13th. Another good round Sunday should be enough to get him into the postseason.
“I feel a little bit mentally tougher this week for whatever reason,” Beem said.
He made bogey on his first hole Saturday – despite having just 65 yards left for his second shot on the par 4 – but made birdie on his next four holes. On Friday, he made a long eagle putt on No. 15, birdied the next hole, then had to hang on and par the last two holes just to make the weekend.
Beem was projected after the third round to move up to No. 152 in the FedEx Cup standings, so a good final round will give him a chance to repeat last year’s FedEx performance.
Meanwhile, Davis Love III will have to watch the playoffs from home. He entered the week at No. 150, but his 71 in ideal scoring conditions leaves him near the bottom of the leaderboard.
Beem snuck into the first FedEx Cup playoffs, then had just his second top 10 of the year to advance from The Barclays to the Deutsche Bank.
Money is just as important as points for the former three-time Tour winner, though. He’s also 166th on the money list, and his exemption for winning the 2002 PGA runs out this year.
“I don’t like any of this,” Beem said. “This makes me sick that I’m in this predicament, but I am, and you have to do what you have to do.”
Beem isn’t the only player waiting until the last minute to make a move in the standings.
• Scott Sterling (No. 168) shot 64 Saturday to move into a tie for sixth through three rounds.
• Two-time U.S. Open champion Lee Janzen (No. 154) has shot three rounds of 67 or better and is T-13.
• Garrett Willis is in third place despite making bogey on his final two holes Saturday. Willis, who has played just nine events this year, will enter the final round on pace to finish 145th in the standings.
• Like Beem, Martin Laird (No. 164) barely made the cut, but now has a chance to play on.
Laird shot 63 to hold the first-round lead here, then followed with a 74 to make the cut without a shot to spare. His second round included a two-stroke penalty on the 18th hole (his ninth) for failing to replace his ballmarker.
Playing in the first group Saturday, he shot 64.
“I got a lot of text messages from friends saying, ‘Forget about it. You’re playing great,’ ” Laird said. “I knew I was playing well.”
Laird couldn’t always say that. He didn’t finish inside the top 50 once in his first 14 events. Since then, he put together top-30 finishes at the John Deere and Canadian Open and a T-4 in Reno.
Canada was a turning point for Laird. He roomed with good friend Chez Reavie, who went on to win.
“I saw his win from wire to wire, every step with him because at night he would come back and talk about it,” Reavie said. “He said to me Sunday night ..., ‘If I can do it, you can do it.’ ”
Posted: 8/16/2008
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