BMW Championship Preview

The FedEx Cup Playoff Series continues this week with the BMW Championship, just a few days after Justin Rose landed the spoils at the FedEx St Jude Championship. Rose beat J.J. Spaun in a nail-biting play-off to win his first PGA Tour title in two years, but he cannot rest on his laurels as the series moves on to the BMW Championship. The event, which starts on Thursday at Caves Valley Golf Club, will be available to watch on Sky Sports Golf and SkySports+.

Players need power this week, with the Caves Valley course sitting at just over 7,500 yards. Like last week, the field has been reduced before a ball has even been hit in anger. Austrian Sepp Straka has withdrawn from the event due to a family matter and will not feature in the second event of the FedEx Cup playoffs. The field has now been reduced to 49 players, while Scottie Scheffler has also had to adjust his preparation. Scheffler will have Chris Kirk’s caddie, Mike Cromie, on the bag, with regular partner Ted Scott also absent due to family reasons.

Tip 1: Rory McIlroy to win and each-way @ 13/2 with bet365

Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy decided to bypass the St. Jude Championship last week, but skipping that should not affect a player of his ability to make an impact here. McIlroy landed the Career Grand Slam earlier this season and has been so consistent in this event in recent years. He won the tournament in 2012 and has since finished in the top-10 on six occasions.

In his last seven starts in the BMW Championship, McIlroy has finished in the top 20 on each occasion and he is usually so consistent at this time of year. As one of the biggest hitters on tour, McIlroy should relish the challenge and his recent form is good. He has four wins and six top-seven finishes to his name in his last 15 starts. He offers better value than Scheffler, who may not be able to get the job done without his regular caddie.

Tip 2: Cameron Young to win and each-way @ 25/1 with bet365

Cameron Young has rediscovered his magic touch and has been in fine form in the last two weeks. He won the Wyndham Championship two weeks ago and then finished fifth at the FedEx St. Jude Championship. Young has ranked first and second Off The Tee in his last two starts and was fourth and second for Driving Distance. If he can repeat that sort of form at Caves Valley, he will be in with a great chance of victory.

Tip 3: Kurt Kitayama to win and each-way @ 40/1 with bet365

Like Young, Kitayama heads into this week’s tournament in good form. The American won the 3M Open three weeks ago and finished T31 at the Wyndham Championship before sharing ninth at the FedEx St. Jude Championship. He has not finished outside the top 32 in any of his last five starts on the PGA Tour and he has no pressure on his shoulders.

Kitayama has already secured his spot in the top 50 of the FedEx Cup standings, meaning he will be in the field for next year’s big events.He has been so consistent Tee to Green in recent weeks and should give punters a run for their money at a big price.