The second leg of the FedEx Cup Playoffs tees off on Friday with Olympia Fields in Illinois playing host to the BMW Championship.
The field has been reduced from 125 down to 70 following last week’s Northern Trust, a tournament Dustin Johnson won decisively finishing -30 under on his way to the top of the standings.
Johnson is the obvious favourite heading into the weekend, but golf bettors have another tough market on their hands this week.
Olympia Fields hasn’t played host to a PGA Tour event since the 2003 US Open, so it’s very unlikely we see the ridiculously low scores that TPC Boston offered up last weekend.
To help you find a winner, we’ve offered our top tips in this year’s 2020 BMW Championship Preview below.
BMW Championship Best Bet
Harris English at $36.00
I’ve been a big fan of the way English has been swinging since the restart.
Not only has he made the cut in all six tournaments, he’s also coming off an outright second last week at the Northern Trust.
At one stage he ranked 149th in the FedEx Cup standings, but he now he sits sixth.
He’s been money with the irons all year and is well worth a shout at these odds.
BMW Championship Best Value
Xander Schauffele at $17.00
He won’t be short on motivation, we know that.
Schauffele finished runner-up to Justin Thomas at this event last year and is also coming off two strong final rounds last week at TPC Boston where he finished T25.
I’ve included him in my betting several times this year because it just feels like a fourth win on Tour is right around the corner.
Six straight finishes inside the Top 25 make him a worthwhile play.
BMW Championship Top 10 Finish
Collin Morikawa at $3.00
The reigning PGA Champ missed the cut at TPC Boston last week, a result that has seen him slip from second down to fifth in the FedEx Cup standings.
Still, that was only the second missed cut in his career and he looks well suited to Olympic Fields.
The 23-year-old ranks 28th on Tour in accuracy off the tee and 33rd in greens in regulation percentage.
Scottie Scheffler at $3.50
Back to back T4’s at the PGA Championship and the Northern Trust, but the question remains, when will he finally earn that elusive Tour win?
Scheffler carded a 59 in the second round at TPC Boston last week, so it may not be far away.
Like many others, this is his first look at Olympic Fields, but he has a good all-round game to suit. 14th in driving distance, sixth in birdie average and 12th in scoring average.
Memorial Tournament Best Roughie
Louis Oosthuizen at $51.00
The South African is well over the odds if you ask me.
Oosthuizen was among the leaders heading into the final day at TPC Boston last week before a final round 73 saw him slump to a T13 finish.
He grabbed a spot in this weekend’s field with a birdie on the final hole, so this would be quite a remarkable story if he were to go on and win.
Memorial Tournament Best of the Rest
Dustin Johnson at $9.00
DJ is the man to beat after moving from 15th right up to 1st in the FedEx Cup standings after finishing -30 under to take out last week’s Northern Trust.
Johnson has won this event twice previously (2010, 2016) and is tied with Rory McIlroy for the most wins (five) in Playoffs history.
To everyone else, good luck.
Jon Rahm at $10.00
Rahm missed the cut at the Charles Schwab when play resumed, but he’s been magic ever since.
The Spaniard is coming off a strong T6 at the Northern Trust last week after shooting under 70 across all four rounds.
This is his first look at Olympia Fields, but based on his recent form, a win wouldn’t surprise.
Justin Thomas at $13.00
Thomas opened the month with a brilliant win at the St Jude Invitational, but he’s struggled for consistency in his last two appearances finishing T37 at the PGA Championship and T49 last week at TPC Boston.
Even so, he won this event last year at Medinah and has the statistical profile to suggest a bounce back is imminent.
Accuracy is paramount at Olympic Fields, something Thomas has in abundance ranking 19th in greens in regulation and fourth overall in scoring average.
Bryson DeChambeau at $15.00
DeChambeau became the US Amateur Champion on this course back in 2015, so this will likely bring back some fond memories for the long bomber.
He struggled with his putting last week making only six birdies before missing the cut at the Northern Trust.
Fortunately, this course suits his style of game much better.
Rory McIlroy at $17.00
Rory is currently ranked fourth in the world, but it’s difficult to back him with any confidence based on his performances since the restart.
On the plus side, he hasn’t missed a cut. But on the down side, he hasn’t finished Top 10 in each of his last seven appearances.
Daniel Berger at $21.00
The 27-year-old has hardly put a foot wrong since winning the Charles Schwab back in June.
Berger finished outright third at the Northern Trust last week, his sixth Top 5 finish in his last eight starts.
Accuracy is no worry, either as Berger ranks 40th in driving accuracy percentage.
Jason Day at $31.00
Day’s run of four consecutive Top 10 performances came to an end last week after missing the cut at TPC Boston.
Still, he won the BMW Championship back in 2015 on his way to No. 1 and he typically responds to previous failure pretty well.
Like last week though, accuracy off the tee might be the only thing that lets him down.
Patrick Reed at $34.00
Reed is seeking his seventh consecutive TOUR Championship berth this week.
He was in the mix early on at TPC Boston but fell away in the middle rounds to finish T49.
Before that though, Reed finish T9 at the Wyndham and T13 at the PGA Championship, so there’s a lot to like about where he is headed.
Eighth in birdie average and ninth in scoring average are two very handy numbers.
Adam Scott at $41.00
Failed to make much noise on one of his favourite courses last week at TPC Boston, but there was a bit to like about Scott’s final round 67.
Unlike others in the field, he also has some familiarity with Olympia Fields after playing this course way back in 2003 at the US Open Championship.
Tiger Woods at $41.00
We saw the same story unfold with Tiger last week at TPC Boston.
Despite a strong start, he was still missing his usual touch with his irons alongside another forgettable weekend the putter.
He did close out with a final round 66, so that’s something to build on at least.
Bubba Watson at $67.00
Like Louis Oosthuizen, Bubba was another that faded in the crucial stages last week.
The Tour veteran was right in the hunt heading into the final day before a 72 got in the way of a Top 10 finish.
He isn’t the most accurate guy going around, but the distance he gets off the tee should help him immensely on this course.
Marc Leishman at $91.00
Leishman won this event back in 2017 finishing five strokes in front.
He hasn’t finished any higher than T40 since the restart though, so it’s a little tough to have him this weekend.
