NOW, it’s survival of the fittest in the quest for the FedEx Cup.
After last week’s Northern Trust (won by Tony Finau), only the top-70 on the FedEx Cup points standings are allowed to compete in this week’s BMW Championship at Caves Valley Golf Club, a Tom Fazio design in Owings Mills, Maryland near Baltimore.
With his win last week, Finau vaulted into first place in the 2021 FedEx Cup standings ahead of Jon Rahm.
At the end of this week, the field will be whittled down to 30 who will compete at the Tour Championship in Atlanta for a whopping $15 million large.
Jon Rahm won the 2020 BMW Championship, however, it was played at Olympia Fields CC, not Caves Valley, and Justin Thomas won the 2019 BMW Championship at Medinah CC.
The Favorites
Jon Rahm (+1200)
The Rahmster is kicking butt lately. He finished 3rd at The Northern Trust and played some great golf, shooting -18 and led the tournament for three days. At age 26, the spunky spaniard is really hitting his stride. He’s a favorite because he’s just been so darn consistent the last few weeks. According to PGA TOUR stats, Rahm is first in scoring average (69.3), 2nd in birdie average and 2nd in greens in regulation percentage. Impressive, too, is that Rahm seems to enjoy being the No. 1 ranked player in the world and not intimated by that position. His newfound confidence is one reason why he’s favored to win the BMW Championship.
Xander Schauffele (+2200)
He always seems to be on the leaderboard these days. That’s because he actually is on leaderboards a lot. In his last five tournaments, the X-Man has one top-10 and two top-20’s. Schauffele finished T-16 at the Northern Trust, but he’s got the game to be a serious contender this week.
Jordan Spieth (+2500)
Spieth pretty much played like crap at The Northern Trust finishing in 73rd place at +1. Even though the tough Texan struggled somewhat compared to recent performances, he definitely has his “A” game back this year. He hasn’t missed a cut in his past 12 tournaments. Spieth also has three top-20 finishes at the BMW Championship, with two of those being top-10’s.
Collin Morikawa (+2500)
No doubt about it, Morikawa is a viable threat to win every time he puts the peg in the ground. He has one win and three top-five finishes in his last five appearances. While he only averages 295 off the tee, his accuracy is super impressive. He’s 11th in driving accuracy percentage and 4th in greens in regulation percentage, according to PGA TOUR stats.
Justin Thomas (+2500)
J.T. was T4 at The Northern Trust and it feels like he’s due for a win. He switched back to his old putter (following some advice from a 15-year old playing partner) and, voila, he started draining putts at Liberty National. Thomas has a solid record at no-cut events so if he becomes the “boss of the moss” this week he just might be hoisting the trophy a weeks end.
Other Contenders
Brooks Koepka (+3000)
Once the ultimate finisher, Koepka seems to have lost a bit of his mojo. Following the weather delay at The Northern Trust he pretty much faded.
Rory McIlroy (+3500)
You never know what to expect from Rory these days. He seems to be a model of inconsistency. That said, he drove the ball beautifully at The Northern Trust. If he can find consistency on approach shots, he’s got a chance.
Cameron Smith (+3000)
Mullets rule! Man, that round of 60 at The Northern Trust was a thing of beauty. He lost in a playoff at The Northern Trust, but you gotta think he’s due to win based on how great he’s been playing lately.
Tony Finau (+3000)
Tony’s got the Big Mo (momentum) and he finally closed last week after so many second place finishes. Caves Valley will be set up at over 7,500 yards this week and Tony mashes it 305 yards off the tee, so if he can play his irons solidly he should be a contender.
Viktor Hovland (+3300)
He always seem to be in the mix in just about every tournament he enters lately. He was only three strokes back leading into the final day at The Northern Trust, but shot a disappointing 77. He’s got a killer long iron game and he plays well on Tom Fazio designed courses with top-15 finishes on Quail Hollow and Shadow Creek.
