Field Level Media’s Golf Glance provides weekly news and storylines from each of the major North American golf tours.
PGA TOUR
LAST TOURNAMENT: FedEx St. Jude Championship (Will Zalatoris)
THIS WEEK: BMW Championship, 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 winner will also earn 2,000 FedEx Cup points. … 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. … Matt Fitzpatrick (+1600) did the same for his fourth top-10 in his past five starts. … 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). … 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.
NEXT TOURNAMENT: Tour Championship, Atlanta, Ga., Aug. 25-28
LPGA Tour
LAST TOURNAMENT: ISPS Handa World Invitational (Maja Stark)
THIS WEEK: OFF
NEXT TOURNAMENT: CP Women’s Open, Ottawa, Canada, Aug. 25-28
Champions Tour
LAST TOURNAMENT: Boeing Classic (Miguel Angel Jimenez)
THIS WEEK: Dick’s Sporting Goods Open, Endicott, N.Y., Aug. 19-21
Course: En-Joie Golf Club (Par 72, 6,994 yards)
Purse: $2.1M (Winner: $315,000)
Defending Champion: Cameron Beckman
Charles Schwab Cup leader: Steven Alker
HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: Friday-Saturday, 8-10 p.m. ET; Sunday, 5-7 p.m. (Golf Channel, Tape Delay)
Twitter: @dicksopengolf
NOTES: This is a 54-hole event with a 78-player field. … En-Joie played host to the B.C. Open on the PGA Tour from 1971-2006. … Jimenez is coming off his third win of the season, equaling Alker and Jerry Kelly for the most on tour. … Padraig Harrington is making his event debut. He has six top-three finishes in his past nine starts. … Champions rookie David Duval is also making his first start in the event. … Bernard Langer won the event in 2014, one of six top-10 finishes in nine appearances.
NEXT TOURNAMENT: The Ally Challenge, Blanc, Mich., Aug. 26-28
–Field Level Media