We’ve reached the penultimate week of the PGA Tour season with the 50 top golfers of the year vying for glory in the time-honoured BMW Championship, an event that traces its lineage back 125 years and has produced a stellar list of recent champions.
Key Stats/Skill Set Required
- Driving Distance
- Strokes Gained: Off The Tee
- Putting Average
- Strokes Gained: Putting
- Birdie
Castle Pines is the longest course used in PGA Tour history, stretching nearly 8100 yards.
While it is at altitude in Denver, distance off the tee is still going to be hugely important.
Scoring is expected to be low so a hot putter and sinking plenty of birds will be key to victory.
Key Correlation Courses/Tournaments
- Muirfield Village
- PGA National
- Valhalla
BEST BET
VIKTOR HOVLAND
Viktor Hovland is back and looks primed to defend his BMW Championship title.
After an indifferent year that has seen him change coaches and his swing and not a single win combined with a major Top 3, Hovland is finally trending back up.
He was outstanding last week at TPC Southwind and that had as much to do with his putting than anything else.
That will be key this week and Hovland has gained at least 0.53 strokes on the field with the flat stick in four of his last six starts.
He ranks fourth in Putting Average, eighth in Strokes Gained: Off The Tee and ninth in Birdies.
Hovland won this event last year and thrives on Jack Nicklaus designs, winning The Memorial last year and he also finished third at Valhalla in the PGA Championship.
BEST VALUE
WYNDHAM CLARK
After a few midyear struggles, Wyndham Clark has started to hit form of late with four Top 14 finishes in his last four non-major starts and finished T-7 in the St Jude.
He has gained strokes on the field in five straight with his putter while he has gained off the tee in 12 of his last 15.
He ranks third in Putting Average, seventh in Driving Distance, 11th in Birdies and 14th in Strokes Gained: Putting. Finished 12th in The Memorial last year.
Looks a big price for a player with so much upside.
SAM BURNS
Burns is one of the elite putters on the PGA Tour and has a great record of turning contention into wins.
Burns ranks second in Putting Average and 4th in Birdies and that puts him in good stead here having finished Top 16 in the last two Memorials.
He is in red-hot form with five Top 15 finishes in his last seven starts including a Top 5.
If the driver is anywhere near on, he is a great bet.
BEST ROUGHIES
TAYLOR PENDRITH
Canadian bomber Taylor Pendrith will be very well suited by Castle Pines.
Pendrith ranks Top 15 in Driving Distance while his putting game is class ranking seventh in Putting Average and 12th in Strokes Gained: Putting.
There are not many players in better form.
He has finished Top 25 in 10 of his last 13 including winning the Byron Nelson and has finished Top 5 in two of his last three.
MAX GREYSERMAN
Young talent Max Greyserman led the Wyndham by four shots with six to play before capitulating, but that takes nothing away from his form.
That made it back-to-back runner-ups and four Top 21 finishes in his last five.
He is playing quality golf, ranking ninth in Driving Distance and ninth in Strokes Gained: Putting and that is a good game for Castle Pines.
TOP AUSTRALIAN
JASON DAY
Three Aussies lineup this week and Jason Day’s putting puts him clearly on top.
He ranks seventh in Strokes Gained: Putting and 11th in Putting Average.
TOP CANADIAN
TAYLOR PENDRITH
Another three-horse field where we take on the favourite.
Pendrith is one of the selections and form off the tee is prized more than the approach game this week, which somewhat stymies Conners’ game.