BMW Championship 2023 each way tips – best betting predictions

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Those competing on the PGA Tour will leave Memphis, Tennesse behind and head to Chicago, where the BMW Championship will be hosted at Olympia Fields Country Club. The tournament will be played on the North Course at the Illinois venue.

We’re now closing in on the end of the season, and we’ve reached the stage where the format switches slightly. Following last week’s reduced field, just the top 50 players in the world will tee it up at Olympia Fields, which means that there will be no cut. From the word go on Thursday, this is a straight-up stroke-play shootout.

What is each-way betting?

We go again. Before each tournament begins, like many punters, we look to see if we snuff out some each-way value, but first, it’s always good to go over the basics of each-way betting for any newbies.

Each-way betting is a big part of betting on golf.  For those who don’t know, an each-way bet is essentially one bet that is split into two. In other words, part of the bet will be on a golfer to win and the other part will be on a golfer to finish in the number of places allocated by a bookmaker, typically the first five or six. This week, most bookmakers are paying at least six places on the BMW Championship. Boylesports are currently paying eight places on each-way bets. Some bookmakers, such as bet365 allow you to select from a number of place options, paying up to a maximum of 12 places, though this does have an impact on the odds that you’ll receive.

If you have an each-way bet on a golfer who wins, you’ll win both parts of the bet. If the golfer does not win, but finishes in one of the allocated places, such as fifth, you’ll lose the win part of the bet, but win the place part of the bet. The place part of an each-way bet typically pays out at one quarter or one fifth of the full odds.

Here’s an example:

OK, so let’s say you have £10 each-way on Scottie Scheffler to win this tournament at odds of 9/1. Your total bet will amount to £20 (£10 to win, £10 to place). Should Scheffler win, you’ll win both bets. However, if Scheffler doesn’t win yet still finishes in one of the places, you’ll win the place part of the bet, which in this case would return £28. Why £28? One fifth of 9/1 equals 1.8/1 . £10 at 1.8/1 returns £28. If Scheffler finishes outside of the places, you lose both bets.

Each-way betting tips

Before the best in the business get down to it in Illinois this week, here are three eye-catching each-way plays:

Patrick Cantlay @ 10/1 (6 places, William Hill)

Patrick Cantlay will arrive at Olympia Fields off the back of an excellent performance last week at the Fedex St. Jude Championship. He found only one too good, and did so in agonizing fashion, losing to Lucas Glover in a play-off. Of course, such a near-miss will have disappointed the American, but also highlights that his game is once again where it needs to be at this crucial part of the campaign.

The world number four now has two top-four finishes in his last four starts, while he looks to have a skill set that should suit the test provided by this weeks’ venue. The North Course and Olympia Fields will demand that players plot their way round this week and let’s be honest, few are better than the measured Cantlay at that.

Accuracy off the tee will be important this week, so it bodes well that Cantlay ranks fourth for strokes gained: off-the-tee, first for total driving and 13th for driving accuracy. We’re also talking about a player who has a very healthy greens-in-regulation percentage. He ranks 12th on the PGA Tour for greens in regulation, not to mention first when it comes to going for the green.

We also should not ignore the fact that Cantlay seemingly loves to come to life around this time of year. He won this event last year, while he also came out on top in 2021 as well. After showing he’s bang-in-form last week, he’s hard to ignore if you ask me.

Hideki Matsuyama @ 33/1 (6 places, 888sport)

A player who has slipped under the radar somewhat this year is Hideki Matsuyama, but don’t be too quick to discount the Japanese player here. Down to 34th in the world rankings, Matsuyama has turned in a few steady performances of late and his 16th at the FedEx St. Jude last week tells me that he may just be ready to challenge here.

The first thing to note about Matsuyama is that he finished third when the BMW Championship was last played at Olympia Fields back in 2020. I’m not someone to ignore previous form at a particular venue. Moreover, as is the case with Cantlay, the former Masters winner ranks well in some important areas. Hitting greens is going to be key this week and Hideki is a player whose very good on approach. In this field, he’s in the top ten for strokes gained: approach, while he ranks first in several other approach categories such as approaches from 50-125 yards and approaches from inside 100 yards, so don’t be surprised if he challenges this week.

Tony Finau @ 40/1 (6 places, Betfred)

Last but certainly not least we have one of everybody’s favourite golfers, Tony Finau. A hugely talented player who makes ball striking look easy when he’s on song, Finau could very easily enjoy himself in Illinois this week.

The man from Utah hasn’t exactly been in flying form of late, but he is another player who historically tends to come alive around this time of the season. He’s finished eighth or better in four of his last six starts at the BMW Championship, finishing in a tie for fifth when the tournament was last played at Olympia Fields.

In addition to previous form at this venue, the six-time PGA Tour winner, who is currently ranked 19th in the world, is another player who has the profile to suit this test. He ranks sixth in strokes gained: approach, sixth for strokes gained: tee-to-green, while of those players in the field this week, he ranks very highly in terms of greens in regulation, which could be key. Only four players in the field have hit more greens in regulation than Finau, who simply looks too generously priced at 40/1.

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