Joe Champion
Show Bio
Hideki Matsuyama produced a magnificent birdie-birdie finish to win the FedEx St Jude Championship on Sunday and cash a +3000 pick for us, and he will take his place in the 50-man field for the penultimate event of the PGA Tour season, the BMW Championship, in Colorado. Castle Pines, once the home of The International, has not staged a PGA Tour event since 2006 but it takes over BMW hosting duties this week.
The top 50 on the FedEx Cup standings will tee it up in the BMW Championship with one of two things in mind: achieving the best possible starting position at the Tour Championship or making sure they make the top 30, which books a ticket to East Lake next week. However, the BMW is a valuable prize in its own right and those who have hopes of banking the $18 million FedEx Cup bonus know that winning at Castle Pines will put them in a stronger position with next week in mind.
On paper, this Jack Nicklaus-designed Colorado layout is brutally long. Longer, in fact, than any other PGA Tour course at 8,130 yards. However, the high altitude makes the yardage deceptive and several winners of The International – a modified stableford event played from 1986 to 2006 – were among the shorter hitters in the field.
BMW Championship golf picks and predictions
Collin Morikawa (+1400)
Odds generally available at time of publishing.
Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele both went close last week and remain the men to beat on any given week but, as was the case in Memphis, it could pay to take them on again and this time it’s Collin Morikawa who catches the eye at this venue. The Californian arrives at Castle Pines after a couple of moderate performances – 24th at the Olympics and 22nd last week – but that has only served to keep him available at good odds.
The 27-year-old has a superb record on Nicklaus courses, winning the Workday Charity Open at Muirfield Village in 2020 and twice finishing second in the Memorial Tournament at the same venue, while he also won the one-off Workday Championship at the Golden Bear’s The Concession in 2021. Morikawa’s first PGA Tour win came at altitude at Nicklaus’s Montreux Golf Club in the 2019 Barracuda Championship, while his Las Vegas practice base, the Summit Club, is 3,500 feet above sea level so he should be well equipped to handle this test.
Patrick Cantlay (+2200)
Odds available at FanDuel Sportsbook at time of publishing.
Castle Pines features punishing rough, putting an emphasis on fairway finding, and that’s a plus for both Morikawa and his fellow Californian Patrick Cantlay, who deserves another chance. Cantlay made a horror start to the St. Jude, playing his first 4 holes in 3 over, but rounds of 67-66-66 from Friday made for a share of 12th place and, with any post-British Open rust firmly knocked out of his system, he’s unlikely to fall so far behind in Colorado. Like Morikawa, he has a superb record at Muirfield Village, where he has won the Memorial twice, and he also claimed the 2020 Zozo Championship at Nicklaus’s Shadow Creek. His record at high altitude is also impressive.
Get the best odds on our Patrick Cantlay pick with FanDuel Sportsbook, where right now new users that sign up by clicking here can INSTANTLY secure $150 in bonus bets from a first wager of just $5!
Wyndham Clark (+3500)
Odds available at Bet365 at time of publishing.
Wyndham Clark has found form again, signing off with a 64 at Southwind to finish in a share of 7th place, and he will have had this date circled on his calendar for a long time. Clark was born in Denver and will be backed to the hilt by the locals, who could be rewarded by a big performance from last season’s US Open champion.
Looking for a new sportsbook? Why not check out Bet365, where you’ll find the best odds available on Wyndham Clark and new users can get $150 in bonus bets when they bet $5 after signing up. All you have to do is join Bet365 by clicking this link.
