PGA Tour BMW Championship
Venue: Aronimink Golf Club, Medinah, Illinois.
Dates: Thursday 15th – Sunday 18th August 2019
Tournament Preview
The penultimate round of the FedEx playoffs gets underway at Medinah as the world’s best arrive in Illinois for the BMW Championship. Formerly known as The Western Open, the event has been a staple on the calendar since 2007 and is open to the top 7 players in the world rankings. The event is unique in that it does not have a cut after 36 holes, meaning staying in contention throughout the weekend will be high on the agenda for all the big hitters in Illinois. In addition, there is over $9 million to be shared within the prize pot, making the BMW Championship one of the most lucrative events on the calendar.
Betting Preview
Outright Winner
With only two weeks left of the FedEx play offs, the competition for supremacy could not be more intense at Medinah this week:-
Another week, another favourite start with the bookmakers for Rory McIlroy who continues to toil on the PGA Tour but he will be relishing a return to Medinah where he helped inspire a European Ryder Cup miracle in 2012.
World number one Brooks Koepka is the form man on the planet currently and he’ll be keen to add yet another trophy to his ever growing cabinet and with one FedEx in the bag in 2019, few would bet against him.
Dustin Johnson has not enjoyed his most impressive year on the PGA Tour yet still finds himself second in the rankings and he will be keen to kick on from a reasonable showing at the Northern Trust last week.
Former world number one Adam Scott produced a stunning final round to finish in the top 5 at the Northern Trust last time out and the Australian is a consistent performer on the PGA Tour.
Big-hitting American Tony Finau has broken into the world’s top 15 players in recent weeks and has looked to be one of the men in form on the tour – epitomised by his 3rd place finish at the British Open last month.
1st Round Leader
Producing the goods over 72 holes is often the most difficult thing for any golfer to do therefore here are our first round leader picks:-
Spaniard Jon Rahm has been flying out of the traps in most of the events he has played lately and with Medinah looking a good fit for him on paper, he could surge ahead on day 1 here.
Despite showing so much promise on a regular basis, Rickie Fowler is yet to enjoy a major win but the American looked in good form at the British Open last month and should be one to watch here.
PGA Tour as stalwart Kevin Kisner has been in solid form throughout 2019 and he is a notoriously quick starter in most events he plays and if he hits his stride on day 1, he could be the man to catch.
Top Ten Finish
With so many quality players assembled here in Illinois, getting into the winning enclosure could be tough but there are plenty of candidates to finish in the top 10 come Sunday:-
Englishman Justin Rose is the figure of consistency across both the European and PGA Tours and he’ll be eager to build on his 10th place finish at the Northern Trust last week.
Fellow Brit Tommy Fleetwood has endured a season of missed opportunities but the Lancastrian is always one of the main draws in any event he plays and he looks full of confidence here.
Enigmatic Australian Marc Leishman isn’t in the best form of his life but he showed glimmers at the WGC Bridgestone that could suggest he is somewhere near his best on arrival here in Illinois.
BetXChange Best Bets:
Outright Winner: Brooks Koepka – 9.00
1st Round Leader: Jon Rahm – 16.00
Top Ten Finish: Justin Rose – 1.30
