PGA Tour Picks: BMW Championship

By Tom LaMarre

As the PGA Tour heads into its second playoff event, the BMW Championship at Olympia Fields outside Chicago on Thursday, things look a lot like they did in the opener, with everybody chasing Dustin Johnson.

DJ led most of the way while running away to an 11-stroke victory in The Northern Trust, and now leads the FedEx Cup points standings and is No. 1 in the World Golf Rankings.

“The game is very good right now,” said Johnson, who tied Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland for the most victories in playoff history with five. “I played really solid all four days this week, and we’ve got two more big tournaments coming up …. the BMW and then obviously the Tour Championship at East Lake.

“(The FedEx Cup) is something I haven’t won. It’s something I’ve been close to winning a few times and it’s just something that I would really like to have on my resume when I’m done playing golf. You know, it’s a big title. It means a lot to all the guys out here. It definitely means a lot to me, and it’s something that I really want, to be a FedEx Cup champion.

“ … Something that I’m very proud of is to be No. 1 in the world, and I’d like to stay there for a little while. The last time I was No. 1, I think I stayed there for quite some time, and that’s another goal of mine is just to see how long I can stay at No. 1.”

Johnson also won the playoff opener in 2011 and 2017, in addition to winning what is now the BMW Championship in 2010 at Cog Hill Golf and Country Club in Lemont, Ill., and in 2016 at Crooked Stick Golf Club in Lemont, Ill.

And as DJ said, he’s been close, but never claimed the FedEx Cup, coming closest when he finished second to defending champion and two-time winner McIlroy.

“So I’m looking forward to the rest of the playoffs,” said Johnson, who has two victories this season and 22 in his PGA Tour career, tied for 27th with Raymond Floyd, Jim Barnes and Johnny Farrell. “Obviously I’ve got myself into a really good position going into East Lake and next week, too. (It’s) a big tournament and I’m looking forward to going and playing Olympia Fields.

“Obviously you want to be up in that top spot, or close to the top going into East Lake because especially with the new format, obviously you want to start as far ahead as you can.

“But I like it, the new format, (because) everyone’s got a chance to win. So no matter what position I’m in going into East Lake, I’m still going to have to go play really good golf if I want to win the FedEx Cup.”

Right behind Johnson in the FedEx Cup standings are defending BMW champion Justin Thomas, the 2017 FedEx Cup champion, Webb Simpson, Daniel Berger and PGA champion Collin Morikawa.

Rounding out the top 10 are Harris English, Bryson DeChambeau, Sungjae Im of South Korea, Jon Rahm of Spain and Patrick Reed.

Two-time FedEx Cup champions McIlroy and Tiger Woods are at Nos. 12 and 57, respectively, while the only other former winner still alive is Billy Horschel at No. 30.

Only the top 30 in the standings after the BMW advance to the Tour Championship, but under the new rules anyone who gets to East Lake has at least an outside chance to lift the FedEx Cup.

There are 70 players in the BMW, so 40 will be finished for the season when it’s over, which should lead to plenty of drama late on Sunday.

BEST BETS

1. Dustin Johnson, United States – DJ has won two of his last six tournaments and tied for second in the PGA Championship to take the lead in the FedEx Cup standings, plus regain the No. 1 spot in the World Golf Rankings. Johnson has won the BMW Championship twice, but not at Olympia Fields CC, where it will be played this week.
2. Jon Rahm, Spain – Slipped to No. 2 in the world and is ninth in the FedEx Cup standings after finishing in a tie for sixth in The Northern Trust, his sixth top-10 finish of the season. Has yet to win during the playoffs, but has a good record in the BMW Championship, having tied for fifth in 2017 and last year, and tied for 24th in 2018.
3. Justin Thomas, United States – The 2017 FedEx Cup champion also is defending champion in the BMW Championship, claiming his second career victory in the playoffs by three strokes after shooting 61 in the third round. Thomas tied for 49th last week in The Northern Trust and is No. 2 in the FedEx Cup standings and World Golf Rankings.
4. Daniel Berger, United States – Surging with a win in the Charles Schwab Challenge and three other finishes in the top three since the restart, including solo third last week in The Northern Trust. Berger, who was second in the BMW in 2015 and tied for 10th the following year, sits fourth in the FedEx Cup standings and 13th in the World Rankings.
5. Bryson DeChambeau, United States – Missed the cut for only the third time this season in The Northern Trust, a week after tying for fourth in the PGA Championship, and is seventh in the FedEx Cup standings and No. 8 in the World Golf Rankings.
6. Rory McIlroy, Northern Ireland – Has been cold since the restart with a tie for 11th in the Travelers his best result in seven events during that time, but is too good not to snap out of it soon. Slipped three spots to No. 4 in the world and is 12th on the FedEx standings heading to the BMW Championship, which he won during the 2012 playoffs.
7. Collin Morikawa, United States – Coming off his first major victory in the PGA, Morikawa might have had a letdown because he missed the cut for only the second time this season in The Northern Trust. However, he still is No. 5 in the world and fifth in the FedEx standing heading to the BMW, in which he tied for 48th in his debut last season.
8. Sungjae Im, South Korea – Missed the cut last week in The Northern Trust after tying for ninth a week earlier in the Wyndham Championship and is eighth in the FedEx Cup standings after leading for a good part of this season. Im shot 66-67 on the weekend last year at Olympia Fields Country Club to tie for 11th in his BMW Championship debut.
9. Jason Day, Australia – Surprisingly, Day’s streak of four finishes of seventh or better ended when he missed the cut last week in The Northern Trust, and at 50th in the FedEx Cup standings he has some work to do this week to get to the Tour Championship. He won the BMW Championship in 2015 and finished fourth in both 2013 and 2017.
10. Tiger Woods, United States – Even though he managed only a tie for 58th in The Northern Trust, Woods closed with a 66 that is his best score of the season. At 57th in the FedEx Cup point standings, he needs a big finish in the BMW to make it to East Lake, but has won this tournament five times, including back when it was the Western Open.

Other Players to Watch: Xander Schauffele, United States; Tyrrell Hatton, England; Patrick Reed, United States; Hideki Matsuyama, Japan; Harris English, United States; Marc Leishman, Australia; Cameron Champ, United States; Billy Horschel, United States; Alex Noren, Sweden; Bubba Watson, United States.

SLEEPERS

1. Scottie Scheffler, United States – Shot 59 on his way to a T-4 in The Northern Trust after a T-4 in the PGA, has six top-10s and is 14th the standings. Making BMW debut.
2. Viktor Hovland, Norway – Tied for 18th in The Northern Trust, his eight top-25, and is in good shape at 24th in the FedEx Cup point standings. Also makes debut in BMW.
3. Lanto Griffin, United States – After T-19 in PGA, started 68-68 in The Northern Trust before sliding to a T-58. He’s another playoff rookie playing in his first BMW.
4. Sebastian Munoz, Colombia – Finished T-18 in The Northern Trust and figures to reach East Lake at 14th in FedEx Cup standings. Also playing in BMW for the first time.
5. Cameron Smith, Australia – Is 26th in the point standings after T-18 in The Northern Trust and needs good week to reach East Lake. T-12 in the 2017 BMW Championship.

For first-round tee times, visit: https://www.pgatour.com/leaderboard.html