Golf

BMW Championship 2023 picks – top betting tips and predictions

BMW Championship 2023 picks – top betting tips and predictions
USA's Patrick Cantlay tees off the 5th during day one of The Open at the Royal Liverpool, Wirral. Picture date: Thursday July 20, 2023. - Photo by Icon sport

These odds from Ladbrokes were correct at the time of writing.

After an enthralling season on the PGA Tour, where we have seen three men exchange the world number one ranking spot between them throughout, we enter the final regulation tournament at the BMW Championship in Illinois.

Only 50 players remain in the hunt for the FedEx Cup after the FedEx St Jude Championship last week and come Sunday that number will be down to 30 ahead of the season-ending Tour Championship next weekend where all usual PGA protocol goes out the window with different players starting on different scores.

This week, however, proceedings will go largely as normal aside from the fact that there will be no cut line at the halfway mark and that quadruple points will be on offer to everyone in the field. This should allow for drastic movement in the FedEx Cup rankings to give all 50 players a legitimate shot at qualifying for the finale next week.

One man who has already taken full advantage of the quadruple points on offer in the playoffs is Lucas Glover. The 43-year-old jumped up more than 40 spots in the rankings thanks to his win last weekend and he will be in a confident mood heading into this week. Ahead of the first round tomorrow, here are some free tips and predictions to consider.

Best BMW Championship picks and predictions

Tommy Fleetwood to win the tournament

Yes, that’s right, we believe the time has finally come for Tommy Fleetwood to break his duck on the PGA Tour and get his first win. For too long now, Fleetwood has been the “nearly man” in golf but we believe he is playing far too well at this moment in time to end the season without a win.

The Englishman has enjoyed another impressive season on the tour, in terms of performances if not results, and has eight top-ten finishes to his name. His level has accelerated in recent times, with five of those top ten finishes coming in his last six tournaments which suggests the work he has been doing with experienced coach, Butch Harmon, is really paying off.

The closest he has come to getting a win this year was at the Canadian Open at the beginning of June. Fleetwood lost out in a playoff to Nick Taylor, but he had several putts to win the championship. He hasn’t let that disappointment deter him, though, and has played a lot of excellent golf ever since.

Last week, he finished third but there arguably isn’t anyone on tour – other than perhaps Lucas Glover – who is playing better than Fleetwood now and all the signs point to a big win at some point in the near future. Why not this week?

Top American player – Patrick Cantlay

As we know, Americans dominate the PGA Tour which makes this a stacked market. However, Patrick Cantlay is certainly the logical pick this week. Scottie Scheffler is still struggling with his putter and hasn’t won since March while Lucas Glover surely can’t secure three wins in a row. Meanwhile, the likes of Jordan Spieth and Xander Schauffele just aren’t quite at their best.

Patrick Cantlay, on the other hand, is playing as well as he has done all season. He played exceptionally last week to force a playoff with Glover and will perhaps still be rueing his tee shot in that playoff which found the water.

Cantlay hasn’t secured a win on the PGA Tour so far this season but his recent record in FedEx Cup playoff events is nothing short of remarkable. In his last six playoff events, he has won three and lost out in a playoff once (last week). He has been very open about the fact that he loves the course at Olympia Fields and we expect him to enjoy another successful week.

Top ten finish – Lucas Glover

The man everyone is talking about coming into the BMW Championship is Lucas Glover after his two victories in as many weeks. Two weeks ago, he came out victorious at the Wyndham Championship before backing that up at the FedEx St Jude Championship last week.

What was most impressive by Glover last week was his clutch putting when things started to go wrong around the back nine of his final round. He made several par saves but the biggest shot of all was his 30-foot bogey save on the 14th hole after he found the water with his tee shot. It allowed him to stay close to Cantlay which eventually paid dividends when he scrambled through to a playoff.

We can’t envisage him winning a third consecutive event but he is playing so well that it’s hard to imagine his game falling off a cliff and him too far down the leaderboard. Therefore, a top-ten finish seems like a reasonable prediction for the 43-year-old however an each-way bet should also be considered.


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