BMW Championship Preview

BMW Championship Preview

What would you rather watch? Playoff golf or every half-yard your backup bye-week fantasy tight end fights for during Jets – Browns? I’ll have to admit, for me, it’s Jets – Browns. Unfortunately, the FedEx Cup Playoffs aren’t nearly as exciting as major championship golf or even the PLAYERS. It’s hard to care too much about someone worth half a billion winning $12 million. When golf starts to compete with the NCAA on Saturdays and the NFL on Sundays, you know what’s going to give.

So, all that being said, this year is actually pretty good. We have three of the best young players at the top, and whichever one wins this thing will almost certainly be crowned Player of the Year (golf’s MVP I guess?). The PGA modeled their playoff format off the highly successful NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and overall, it has worked well. Here’s a little preview of the upcoming “semifinal” this weekend:

Course: Conway Farms G.C., Lake Forest, Ill.

7,208 Yards, Par 71

Architect: Tom Fazio

Purse: $8.75 Million

Defending Champ: Dustin Johnson

The top 70 in the FedEx Cup Standings will be playing. This is the first FedEx Cup event without a cut. Here are the top 10 in the FedEx Cup Standings and their points:

RK	GOLFER	CNTRY	WINS	TOP 10 FINISHES	TOP 25 FINISHES	POINTS
1	Jordan Spieth		3	10	15	5,071
2	Justin Thomas		5	11	13	5,044
3	Dustin Johnson		4	8	13	4,650
4	Hideki Matsuyama		3	7	12	3,021
5	Jon Rahm		1	9	12	2,894
6	Rickie Fowler		1	9	15	2,217
7	Marc Leishman		1	6	14	2,084
8	Paul Casey		0	8	16	2,065
9	Brooks Koepka		1	6	11	1,952
10	Pat Perez		1	6	12	1,894

 

As you can see, it’s going to be extremely difficult for anyone to catch the top 3. By the end of the BMW Championship, the field will be trimmed to 30 for the Tour Championship (the one Happy Gilmore won) at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.

First off, look for an extremely low score here. DJ won last year with a score of 23-under, so a bunch of pars are not going to win. Key stats this week are going to be Strokes Gained (SG): Tee-to-Green, SG: Approach, Birdie or Better % and Approach Proximity: 100-125 Yards. Players like Dustin Johnson and Zach Johnson have both won at this course, so there are multiple ways to get it done. Here’s my losing DraftKings lineup:

Zach Johnson

Kevin Na

Marc Leishman

Rickie Fowler

Charl Schwartzel

Xander Schauffele

Prediction: While I think any of the top 3 could easily win, I’ll roll with Rickie Fowler. There’s so much talent there, but he keeps getting barely overshadowed…this is the week.

Hope you enjoy the golf this weekend (if you watch any), and all the best to your NFL team, as long as it’s the Vikes. Skol!

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