The FedEx Cup playoff shifts gears this week with a trip to the Crooked Stick Golf Club in Carmel, Indiana for the BMW Championship. Rory McIlroy set the tone for this week with a thrilling finish en route to victory at the Deutsche Bank Championship and it should be no surprise that he boosted his own stock as he will enter this tournament as the betting favorite to win outright. All of the big boys are at the course this week as we’ll see McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Jason Day, Adam Scott and many more. As we head down the stretch of the golf season, we’re going to see stacked fields like this as everyone vies for the big prize.
Event Details
Event: BMW Championship
Category: PGA
Date: September 8-11
Location: Crooked Stick Golf Club, Carmel, Indiana
McIlroy won this tournament by two strokes at this course back in 2012 when he led the way at 20-under. 2016 will mark the return of the BMW Championship to the Crooked Stick for the first time since that win in 2012 and it will interesting to see if familiarity at this course can provide an edge for McIlroy as he looks to turn it up again this week. When you take a look at the betting odds for this event, obviously McIlroy is favored because of his history here. At the same time, he’s also favored here because he’s coming off a win and has some momentum on his side. He has three top five finishes in his last six appearances, but keep in mind that he’s also missed the cut twice in those events.
Past Five Winners
2015: Jason Day -22
2014: Billy Horschel -14
2013: Zach Johnson -16
2012: Rory McIlroy -20
2011: Justin Rose -13
What To Know About The Course
Crooked Stick is a long course with generous fairways and there is no doubt that Driving Distance will be a major factor. Par-Five scoring was a key stat back in 2012 when six of the top-eight ranked inside the top-10 in that department and it should be an important stat again this week. Keep an eye on Driving Distance and Par-Five scoring as the two most important statistics to consider for this week’s BMW Championship.
The Field
McIlroy is listed as the betting favorite to win this event outright at +500 odds followed by last year’s BMW Championship winner Jason Day and Dustin Johnson at +800 odds. Jordan Spieth provides the best value of the big four at +1400 odds but those odds are a strong indication of his form heading in to this tournament in comparison with the McIlroy, Day and Johnson. Patrick Reed has been in fine form and offers some value at +2000 odds while Phil Mickelson will remain a popular option at +4000 odds.
A Good Matchup To Bet: Jason Day over Jordan Spieth
Day won this event last year at Conway Farms and is impossible to overlook following seven straight top-25 finishes including three starts in which he finished in the top-five. Day followed up a runner-up finish at the PGA Championship with a fourth-place finish at The Barclays before sliding to 15th at the Deutsche Bank Championship so he should be in line for a bounce back performance at another important event. Meanwhile, Spieth has recorded just one top-10 finish since finishing third at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational back in early August and while he should be in the mix we definitely like Day in the head-to-head betting matchup for this week’s event.
Top-Five Pick: Rory McIlroy
The combination of elite course form and strong overall form heading in to this tournament makes McIlroy an obvious favorite for this week’s BMW Championship. McIlroy found his rhythm over the final three rounds of the Deutsche Bank Championship en route to victory and the fact that he won the last BMW Championship held at this course reaffirms his status as the favorite. McIlroy might not register wins in back-to-back weeks but he should be a strong pick to finish in the top-five.
Top 10 Odds To Win The BMW Championship
Rory McIlroy +505
Jason Day +750
Dustin Johnson +850
Adam Scott +1550
Jordan Spieth +1550
Patrick Reed +1850
Justin Rose +2050
Sergio Garcia +2550
Louis Oosthuizen +2550
Hideki Matsuyama +3050
