Golf

BMW Championship 2023 leaderboard and odds – how things stand after day 1

August 18, 2023 2:13 am
BMW Championship 2023 leaderboard and odds – how things stand after day 1
Aug 17, 2023; Olympia Fields, Illinois, USA; Brian Harman tees off from the 15th tee during the first round of the BMW Championship golf tournament. Credit: Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA - Photo by Icon Sport

After the first 18 holes Thursday at the BMW Championship hosted by Olympia Fields Country Club, things are crowded near the top, with Rory McIlroy and Brian Harman sharing the lead at 5-under par.

Trailing the two recent winners by just a stroke is a group of six players at 4-under, including world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark and Rickie Fowler.

With 54 holes remaining, some players will battle for the $3.6 million prize for first, while others will attempt to finish inside the top 30 of the FedEx Cup standings in order to qualify for next week’s Tour Championship.

BMW Championship leaderboard 2023

Place/Player
Score
Round
T1
R. McIlroy
-5
-5 (F)
T1
B. Harman
-5
-5 (F)
T3
M. Fitzpatrick
-4
-4 (F)
T3
S. Theegala
-4
-4 (F)
T3
C. Kirk
-4
-4 (F)
T3
W. Clark
-4
-4 (F)
T3
S. Scheffler
-4
-4 (F)
T3
R. Fowler
-4
-4 (F)
T9
C. Young
-3
-3 (F)
T9
C. Conners
-3
-3 (F)
T9
C. Morikawa
-3
-3 (F)
T12
S. Im
-2
-2 (F)
T12
J. Spieth
-2
-2 (F)
T12
P. Cantlay
-2
-2 (F)
T12
M. Homa
-2
-2 (F)
T12
J. Rahm
-2
-2 (F)
T12
H. English
-2
-2 (F)

Highlights from round one

The following section will showcase key moments from Thursday.

Can Harman do it again?

The famous “major” winning hangover affects many players, and it appears to have done so to Jon Rahm, who hasn’t won or played up to his high standards since winning the green jacket in April. It doesn’t look like Harman has been phased.

Less than a month after convincingly triumphing at the 2023 Open Championship, the former Georgia Bulldog finds himself atop the leaderboard in his second start since the victory.

The 36-year-old carded a 65, which featured three birdies on each pair of nines compared to a lone bogey on the day. The highlights of Harman’s day were a chip-in from thick rough for a birdie on the 17th hole and a 42-footer for birdie on the 16th.

McIlroy is excelling again in the playoffs

The world No. 2 is trying to win back-to-back FedEx Cup titles, and his razor-sharp start is helping his chances.

McIlroy’s bogey-free round of 65 featured two birdies on the front and three on the back. The Northern Irishman went for a daring second shot on hole 17 after finding the rough and with trees in front of him. Rather than punching out and playing it safe, he ended up chipping in for birdie.

The 34-year-old is attempting to win for the second time in about a month after lifting the trophy at the Genesis Scottish Invitational on July 16. Entering this week, he’d recorded eight consecutive top-10 finishes.

A number of winners this season are in contention

Five of the six players just one stroke behind the lead have earned at least one win this season. Scheffler is going for his third victory of 2023.

List of 2023 winners trailing by a stroke

    • Scheffler: Waste Management Phoenix Open, Players Championship
    • Rickie Fowler: Rocket Mortgage Classic
    • Matt Fitzpatrick: RBC Heritage
    • Chris Kirk: Honda Classic
    • Wyndham Clark: U.S. Open

The second-year pro, Sahith Theegala, is the only player in the group yet to earn a title on tour but has come close, earning a second-place finish at the RSM Classic in November.

Updated BMW Championship odds

Rory McIlroy: 14/5 (+280)
Scottie Scheffler: 4/1
Jon Rahm: 11/1
Rickie Fowler: 14/1
Brian Harman: 14/1
Patrick Cantlay: 14/1
Wyndham Clark: 16/1
Collin Morikawa: 20/1
Cameron Young: 20/1
Matt Fitzpatrick: 22/1

Subscribe to Punditfeed on Google News for all the latest updates from the world of sports!