The Starter: Round 4, BMW Championship

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The final round of the BMW Championship is set to begin Sunday. Here's a preview:

Groups we're watching:

Tee time Players   11:56 a.m. ET No. 1 Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods It should never be a surprise to see the World No. 1 and No. 2 playing together on a Sunday. It is surprising to see them eight shots off the pace. 1:35 a.m. ET, No. 1 Charlie Wi, Matt Kuchar Kuchar and Wi move from Saturday's final trio to Sunday's next-to-last pair. A win for Kuchar could go a long way toward securing Player of the Year honors. 1:45 p.m. ET, No. 1 Ryan Moore, Dustin Johnson Moore charged Saturday and needs to stay near the top of the leaderboard to make it to East Lake. Johnson has been close a number of times recently. Will he get win No. 2?

MORE ROUND 3: Tee times | Inside the field | Inside the course | Transcripts

EXPERT PREVIEW: PGA TOUR NETWORK on-site correspondent Bob Stevens previews Sunday's action:

First, the best news. After a gloomy Saturday that spared us any significant rain, in the words of the TOUR's own meteorologist on-site at Cog Hill, the final round weather will be the "best day on TOUR all year." Highs are expected in the upper 70s with light winds and plenty of sunshine. What that means for the course conditions, that have taken some criticism this week, is still up for debate. My guess is the course should not play as long as it did Saturday, and players might be forgiven more for hitting into roughs that were very thick and juicy Saturday.

Sunday's forecast

Sunny Temp: 81 high/59 low Chance of precipitation 0 percent. Winds from SW around 10 mph.

Who takes advantage of that opportunity? Ernie Els told us that Saturday was primed for scoring with soft conditions and more receptive greens, and seemed almost disappointed that what he called one of his best rounds in months, a 4-under-par 67, wasn't even better. Leader Ryan Moore echoed the sentiments (and the scoring, nobody went lower than his 66) that the course was slightly more "gettable," because short irons tended to stay put on the greens better than they had the first two days. Paul Casey told us earlier in the week that two kinds of players should be rewarded this week, precise iron players (Luke Donald was the one mentioned specifically) and bombers like Dustin Johnson who could hit it far enough to put shorter irons in their hands more often. Casey's been right, both are very much in contention. And so is he.

Can Ryan Moore finish off the tournament? It'll depend on a new "saw" putting grip he told me allows him to put minimal pressure around the putter shaft. He committed to the grip that has the putter resting only between the thumb and forefinger of his right hand just this week, saying he tended to choke the putter too tightly, particularly on short putts. All three days, Moore hit 13 of 18 greens (second best in the field). But Thursday, when he shot 65, he used only 25 putts, Friday he shot 74 because he used 33 putts. Saturday, he only needed 26 putts and shot 66. Moore is just one of the seven players within four shots of the lead who still hasn't clinched a spot in THE TOUR Championship. There could be a lot of squeezed putters in the final round, exactly what someone like Tiger Woods needs to gain any ground to make THE TOUR Championship himself.

The Film Room

PGA TOUR Today: September 12, 2010 Ryan Moore takes a one-shot lead into the final round of the 2010 BMW Championship, while Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson will be paired together Sunday. John Swantek previews the final round. Watch it BMW Championship: Round 3 Highlights Ryan Moore has the lead at 8-under-par with Matt Kuchar, Charlie Wi and Dustin Johnson just one shot back after the third round of the BMW Championship at Cog Hill. Watch it Shot of the Day: Kevin Na Kevin Na drains a 52-foot birdie putt on the par-4 16th during the third round of the BMW Championship. Na ended the day squarely on the FedExCup bubble, projected at No. 30 in the standings. Watch it