The second leg of the FedEx Cup Playoffs tees off on Friday from the Wilmington Country Club in Delaware.
The field has been reduced to 70 following Will Zalatoris’ dramatic win at TPC Southwind last week, but there won’t be 70 golfers in attendance with Aussie Cameron Smith an early withdrawal due to a minor hip injury.
Last year’s winner Patrick Cantlay is among the early favourites behind world No. 3 Rory McIlroy and 2020 winner, Jon Rahm, but there’s plenty of uncertainty about the weekend with Wilmington playing host to its first PGA TOUR event.
Who will prevail heading into next week’s TOUR Championship?
BMW Championship Best Bet
Justin Thomas at $15.00
Thomas won this tournament back in 2019 when he finished three strokes clear of last year’s winner, Patrick Cantlay. The world No. 7 has cooled off since winning the PGA Championship back in May, but he did finish strongly at TPC Southwind last week with a final round 66. Of the 70 golfers in attendance this week, Thomas is the only one with experience at Wilmington, having played this course as an amateur back in 2013. Things have drastically changed since then due to renovations, but he does rank highly in two key categories this week: Ball Striking and Strokes Gained: Tee to Green. An unfamiliar course calls for consistent play with the irons, while a wide arrangement of bunkers and four-inch high rough also makes a consistent approach off the tee a must.
BMW Championship Best Value
Xander Schauffele at $21.00
Schauffele made it back-to-back wins at the Scottish Open before carding a T15 at St Andrews last month. A sloppy third round cost him at TPC Southwind last week, but his form prior suggests a bounce-back is imminent. Schauffele has also done some of his best work in limited-field events, and as history suggests, he’s plays his best golf at this time of year.
Aaron Wise at $51.00
Wise is still chasing his second career win on TOUR, but if you’re looking for a player on the up, I think the American is worth a look. The 26-year-old finished just outside the Top 30 in Memphis last week, but he did finish 13th in approach. If he can strike a hot putter, he’s a sneaky chance.
BMW Championship Best Roughie
Keith Mitchell at $81.00
Mitchell has just the one win on TOUR, but he did come very close to earning another back in June when he finished Top 10 at both the Canadian Open and the Travelers. There’s a solid par 5-3-5-3 stretch at Wilmington between holes 12-15, which should suit Mitchell nicely when you consider he ranks fifth in Par 5: Birdie or Better.
Wyndham Clark at $126.00
Clark has been flying under the radar for most of the year, most notably finishing T7 in Canada and T8 at the Rocket Mortgage a few weeks ago. Surprisingly, he’s ranked second in Strokes Gained: Putting, but I also think distance could be a key metric this week given the long fairways on the renovated south course. Clark ranks fifth in distance off the tee, so he’s worth something small at huge odds.