The second leg of the FedEx Cup Playoffs begins Thursday with the BMW Championship in Wilmington, Del.
The PGA Tour hits Delaware for the first time in its history, with the top 70 players in the standings qualifying for the event. The winner of the BMW Championship will also earn 2,000 FedEx Cup points, with the top 30 after this week qualifying for the season-ending Tour Championship.
BMW CHAMPIONSHIP
Location: Wilmington, Del., Aug. 18-21
Course: Wilmington Country Club (Par 71, 7,534 yards)
Purse: $15M (Winner: $2.7M)
Defending Champion: Patrick Cantlay
FedExCup Leader: Will Zalatoris
HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: Thursday-Friday, 3-7 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Saturday, 12-3 p.m. (GC), 3-6 p.m. (NBC); Sunday, 12-2 p.m. (GC), 2-6 p.m. (NBC).
Streaming on ESPN+: Thursday-Friday, 9 a.m.-7 p.m. ET; Saturday-Sunday, 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m.
Twitter: @BMWChamps
NOTES
–The top 70 in the FedEx Cup Standings qualified for the no-cut event, with the top 30 after this week qualifying for the season-ending Tour Championship.
–The BMW Championship dates back to 1899 and is the oldest non-major on the PGA Tour schedule.
–This will be the tour’s first event held in Delaware. The Wilmington Country Club played host to the 2013 Palmer Cup, where Justin Thomas and Daniel Berger played on the United States team that defeated the European team, 20.5-9.5
–Eight rookies advanced to the second leg of the playoffs: Joohyung Kim, Taylor Moore, Taylor Pendrith, Mito Pereira, Davis Riley, Alex Smalley, Sahith Theegala and Cameron Young. Young (13), Kim (25), Riley (26) and Theegala (27) are currently inside the top 30. There has never been a season when more than two rookies qualified for the Tour Championship.
BEST BETS
–Rory McIlroy (+1100 at BetMGM) is coming off a missed cut, but the two-time FedEx Cup champion is arguably the best driver on tour and Wilmington is expected to be dominated by long hitters at nearly 7,600 yards.
–Jon Rahm (+1200) is coming off a T5 after shooting four rounds in the 60s last week. He is second with 6 percent of the bets and 11 percent of the action at DraftKings, where he is being offered at +1400. Rahm is also +1200 at PointsBet, where he leads the field with 16.2 percent of the handle backing him and is third with 6.3 percent of the bets.
–Matt Fitzpatrick (+1600) did the same for his fourth top-10 in his past five starts. However, he isn’t among the top five in total bets or handle at any of the three sportsbooks.
–Scottie Scheffler (+1600) has four wins on the season and is seeking to become the second player to win the Masters and the FedEx Cup in the same season (Jordan Spieth, 2014-15). He is second at BetMGM with 8.4 percent of the handle.
–Patrick Cantlay (+1600) is trying to become the first player to successfully defend his BMW title since it became a playoff event in 2007. At No. 7 in the standings, Cantlay is also trying to become the third repeat winner of the FedEx Cup title and the first to do it in consecutive years.
–Zalatoris (+1600) jumped to the top of the standings with his first win on tour last week. He has the same odds at PointsBet, where Zalatoris has drawn 4.5 percent of the bets and 10.0 percent of the handle.
–Tony Finau (+1600) has a pair of wins and a T5 in his past three starts. He’s second at BetMGM with 5.7 percent of the total bets, but has seen his odds lengthen after opening at +1400.
–Collin Morikawa (+2000) arrives in Delaware with a very sporadic game of late with three missed cuts and a pair of T5s in his past five starts. The two-time major champion is the second biggest liability at BetMGM, having drawn 5.6 percent of the bets and 7.5 percent of the handle. He’s third at DraftKings with 9 percent of the handle. Morikawa is first with 13.0 percent of the total bets at PointsBet, where he has also drawn 12.7 percent of the handle at the same odds.
–Young (+2200) opened at +3300 but saw his odds shorten dramatically and is BetMGM’s biggest liability. Young leads the field with 9.2 percent of the total bets and 14.8 percent of the handle backing him. The rookie has yet to win on tour but has risen to 17th in the Official World Golf Ranking and has five runner-ups this season. Young is being offered at +2500 at DraftKings, where he also leads with 8 and 12 percent of the action, respectively.
–Joaquin Niemann (+3300) has been a more popular pick at DraftKings, where he has been backed by 3 percent of the bets and 5 percent of the handle at +3500.
–Sahith Theegala (+8000) is another impressive rookie still seeking his first tour win. He’s BetMGM’s third biggest liability this week as he has been supported by 3.1 and 2.8 percent of the action, respectively.
–Field Level Media