Patrick Reed claimed a fantastic win at the Northern Trust on the weekend to jump from 50th in the FedEx Cup rankings to 2nd behind only Brooks Koepka! The FedEx Cup Playoffs continue this weekend as we head to Medinah in Illinois for the annual BMW Championship!
We preview the second event in the playoffs and give our betting tips below.
2019 BMW Championship Betting Tips
After finishing just T30 at the Northern Trust, Brooks Koepka barely held onto his lead overall in the FedEx Cup standings as both Patrick Reed and Rory McIlroy charged into contention with high finishes. Reed won the event by one shot, picking up 2,000 points and moving into second place. McIlroy picked up 400 points for his T6 finish and now sits within striking distance of the pair.
The field has been cut from 125 to just 70 for this weekend’s BMW Championship, and another 2,000 points will be up for grabs for the winner. After this weekend’s event, the top 30 will advance to the Tour Championship next weekend, where they will receive starting handicaps based on their rankings.
The Field
Just 70 players will tee it up on Thursday in the BMW Championship and all of them will have the opportunity to play on the weekend as there is no cut for the remaining two events in the FedEx Cup Playoffs. Tiger Woods is the big story leading into the tournament. The 2019 Masters Champion withdrew from the Northern Trust last week with a strained oblique but is confident he can suit up this week.
Along with Woods, the starting list is an absolute who’s who of golf, led by the top ranked players in the world in the likes of Koepka, McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, Justin Rose, Jon Rahm, Francesco Molinari, Bryson DeChambaeu and Justin Thomas.
The Course
Founded in the 1920s, Medinah No.3 is a 7,657-yard, Par 72. It has hosted some famous tournaments across its history, most recently the 2012 Ryder Cup, more commonly referred to as the ‘Miracle at Medinah’ where Europe were one point victors over the United States.
It has hosted five major championships, three U.S. Opens from 1949 to 1990 and two PGA Championships in 1999 and 2006, which were both won by Tiger Woods.
While known for it’s length, the tree-lined Medinah No.3 is a true test of all-round golf. Severe dog-legs on par fours make the course even longer and undulating greens will give players a massive challenge with the short stick.
Prediction
We love the look of Englishman Justin Rose heading into the tournament at Medinah. He is arguably the hottest putter in the world at the moment, ranking in the top two on the PGA Tour in shots gained putting, total putting, putting average, and one-putt percentage. He’s also one of the purest ball strikers on tour, ranking highly in shots gained on approach and in driving distance.
He finished T10 in the Northern Trust last weekend and is the defending FedEx Cup champion. He also has fantastic pedigree at Medinah after being one of the catalysts in the thrilling Team Europe win back in 2012.
