Solid Scott On Course For Denver Win

After a beautiful third round in the Deutsche Bank Championship on Sunday, is Rory on target for a win in Denver this weekend?

The Tournament

The top one hundred players in the FedEx Cup rankings took part in the Deutsche Bank Championship last week, and that field has been whittled down to the top seventy before the third and final leg of the FedEx Cup play-offs, the BMW Championship. The prize fund for this tournament is a whopping $8 million, but more importantly, it’s the last chance to pick up FedEx Cup points, with the top thirty in the rankings after this event qualifying for the prestigious Tour Championship.

The Course

This year’s venue for the BMW Championship is Cherry Hills Country Club in Denver. Established in 1922 it has hosted three US Opens and two US PGA Championships as well as numerous other events, although no Major has been played there since 1985. The course measures 7644 yards, but at 1500 metres above sea level, the ball will travel further than usual so it will play shorter.

In The Bunker

Rory McIlroy did hit a stunning third round of 64 on Sunday, but overall his form in the FedEx Cup play-offs hasn’t been quite up to the stellar golf he produced in his double-Major winning run. That is hardly a criticism, but it is enough to once again make him opposable as the short-priced antepost favourite this week.

Recommended Bets

Since his victory at Colonial back in May, Adam Scott has been one of the most consistent performers on the PGA Tour, racking up seven consecutive top-twenty finishes including four top-tens.

A poor opening round spoiled his chances at the Deutsche Bank last week, but he has otherwise been playing some solid golf in the play-offs so far and at odds of 14/1 I prefer him to McIlroy.

Bill Haas has been hit and miss this year, but he shot a final round 64 to finish second in the Wyndham Classic and has carried that form into the play-offs. He was solid at the Barclays and broke into the top ten last week at the Deutsche Bank with four good rounds of golf. He ranked highly in the Greens In Regulation stats at TPC Boston and similar consistency could be rewarded at Cherry Hills. He’s picked up a Tour win in each of the last four seasons and he’s worth backing to extend that run at 40/1.

Russell Henley has had a poor run of results since his victory at the Honda Classic in March, but he returned to form in spectacular fashion last week. After a steady start, he led the field by Sunday evening and although he ended up sharing second place, his performance will have given him plenty of confidence. His putting was particularly impressive at TPC Boston and players in good touch on the green are always worth sticking with. At 80/1 he offers plenty of value in Denver.