BMW Championship: Best Bets, Course Info, and Key Stats
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The PGA Tour's FedExCup Playoffs move onto the second and penultimate round with this week's BMW Championship at Castle Pines Golf Club in Castle Rock, Colorado.
This is the first time the course has hosted a PGA Tour event since 2006.
How can you bet this week's event?
Here's all you need to know.
All golf odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook and may change after this article is published.
BMW Championship Event Info
Castle Pines Course Info
Data from GCSAA, PGA Tour, and data golf's course table unless otherwise noted.
- Par: 72
- Distance: 8,130 yards (long but at high elevation)
- Average Green Size: 5,600 square feet (small-to-average)
- Green Type: Bent/poa
- Stimpmeter: 13
Castle Pines Course Key Stats
- Strokes Gained: Approach
- Strokes Gained: Off the Tee
- Strokes Gained: Putting
- Par 5 Scoring
- Putting from 5 to 15 Feet
This is a course that we have seen on the PGA Tour in the past -- but not since 2006.
And back in 2006 (and prior), the course hosted a modified Stableford event, and we don't have ShotLink data to help flesh out the course's tendencies.
One thing to mention is that -- while the course is listed over 8,000 yards -- the elevation will reduce the effective distance listed.
I am looking at performance at some other higher elevation courses (and other Jack Nicklaus designs), but it's only a small piece of the puzzle this week.
When in doubt, I like to lean on ball-striking and putting, and in a field this tough, those types of players tend to win out anyway.
BMW Championship Best Bets
These picks stand out relative to their FanDuel Sportsbook golf betting odds at FanDuel Sportsbook. All stats cited below originate at datagolf and reference ranks relative to the field over the past 50 rounds unless otherwise noted.
Collin Morikawa
- BMW Championship Odds To Win (+1600)
- To Finish Top 10 (+130)
Ah...here we go again.
Morikawa has a lot going for him but just can't shut the door on the field. His most recent win was last October at the ZOZO Championship, but in his last 25 starts, he has 21 top-25s and 10 top-10s.
If we look at comp courses (high elevation and/or Nicklaus designs), Morikawa has some of the best stats over the last 24 months.
Additionally, Morikawa is one of three golfers in this small field to rank top-15 in both strokes gained: tee to green and strokes gained: putting over his last 50 rounds. The others are Xander Schauffele (+550) and Russell Henley (+4000), who we'll talk about more later.
Morikawa also rates out as an 86th-percentile putter from within 15 feet and is still due for some putting regression to go in his favor.
Wyndham Clark
- To Win (+3000)
- To Finish Top 10 (+230)
- To Finish Top 20 (-125)
Wyndham Clark's odds have shortened even without a win because his recent performances have been quietly really good.
He missed the cut at The Open, but prior to that, he was T9 at the Travelers and T10 at the Genesis Scottish Open prior. Following The Open, he finished T14 at the Olympics and T7 at the FedEx St. Jude Championship. That means four top-15s in his last five starts.
In that span, he has gained +1.02 strokes per round on the greens (a field best in that stretch), but he's also gained an average of +0.51 strokes per round with his approach play. And that factors in -1.06 strokes gained: approach per round at The Open.
Clark was also born in Denver and lives in Scottsdale, Arizona, so he could have the elevation angle in addition to the current form.
Tony Finau
- To Win (+3300)
- To Finish Top 10 (+240)
- To Finish Top 20 (-120)
Tony Finau is golfing really well of late and has gained in approach in eight straight events and in 11 of his last 12.
More specifically, Finau has averaged +1.31 strokes gained: approach per round over the last three months. Only Scheffler (+1.88) has averaged more.
Finau also putts neutrally on bent and poa greens but is a negative on Bermuda greens. Finau is also from Salt Lake City, Utah and lives in Scottsdale, so the elevation angle fits him, too. Of course, the rest of the game is there, so that narrative is just icing on the cake.
Russell Henley
- To Win (+4000)
- To Finish Top 10 (+250)
- To Finish Top 20 (-120)
As mentioned already, Henley is one of three golfers to rank top-15 in T2G and putting over the last 50 rounds, and while he's not long off the tee (48th), he's accurate (4th), and that can set him up well to use his irons (13th) to hit these average-to-small greens.
He's a neutral bentgrass and poa putter and is much better on Bermuda.
With that said, though, he's played comp courses pretty well and actually ranks eighth in strokes gained: total over the last 50 rounds.
The eighth-best mid-to-long-term form for a mid-range number and solid finishing position odds is appealing.
Sungjae Im
- To Win (+5000)
- To Finish Top 10 (+320)
- To Finish Top 20 (+110)
Sungjae Im actually ranks 12th in total strokes gained per round over the last 50 rounds but has some pretty lengthy win odds at +5000.
Im's irons have been pretty strong again (21st over the last three months but a +0.52 per round), he's a better bentgrass/poa putter than a Bermuda putter, and he's a 70th-percentile putter from within 15 feet this season.
Im gives us a top-six short game and improving irons.
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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.