NORTON, Mass. — William McGirt isn’t feeling any pressure as he continues his run in the FedEx Cup playoffs this week at the Dell Technologies Championship.
“My attitude this week is that I win no matter what happens,” McGirt told The Robesonian on Wednesday. “I either go home to rest and spend time with my family or I go play another playoff event in two weeks. I’m completely fine either way.”
Sitting 96th in the FedEx Cup standings, the Fairmont native will need at least a top-20 finish to keep his FedEx Cup playoff hopes alive in his seventh season on the PGA Tour. Only the top 70 players in the standings advance to the BMW Championship, the third leg of the playoffs.
McGirt said he thinks he needs a top-15 finish to advance, but he’s not “100 percent sure.”
“Either way, it’s a win-win,” he said. “I either play well and play (the) BMW (Championship) in two weeks or I don’t play well and go home for six weeks.”
McGirt is no stranger to heroics at TPC Boston. He was fighting for his playoff life in 2015, sitting outside the top 70 players in the FedEx Cup standings during the final round of the Deutsche Bank.
He arrived at the par-4 17th hole 88th in standings and walked away 68th, holing an eagle from the fairway to keep his playoff run alive.
McGirt has advanced to the third leg of the playoffs in each of the last three seasons, making his debut in the Tour Championship last year.
He’ll take aim at TPC Boston’s par-71, 7,342-yard track starting Friday, where he missed the cut last season, finished in a tie for 12th in 2015 and tied for 69th in 2014.
The Dell Technologies Championship, scheduled to end with a Monday finish on Labor Day, is the last tournament of the season with a 36-hole cut.
Grouped with Chris Kirk and Patton Kizzire, McGirt tees off from the opening hole at 2:04 p.m. Friday. The trio will start from the 10th tee box at 9:39 a.m. Saturday.
Rory McIlroy, the reigning FedEx Cup champion, won the event last season. Two of the past four winners at TPC Boston have gone on to win the FedEx Cup.
In a year that has seen its up and downs through 27 events, with a trio of top-10 finishes and $1,170,668 in earnings, McGirt welcomes the offseason.
“It’s been a long hard year. I’m looking forward to the offseason to get rested and healthy again,” he said.
“I may play three events in the fall and I can promise you they will not include any of the events in Asia. I have no desire to go that far to play golf this time of year. If my body isn’t rested and ready then I may just enjoy being home with my family for four months. It sure would be nice to have an offseason for a change.”
