Stenson Sets Sights On Whopping BMW Windfall

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 Tournament
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
Conway Farms Golf Club, Lake Forest, Illinois hosted this event in 2013. It is an American take on the traditional links course, and whilst the howling sea gales may be absent, there are undulating fairways, patches of tall heather and deep, strategically placed bunkers. Accuracy is essential on what is a pretty tough layout and any player out of form with the putter is likely to struggle on the rolling links-style greens.

In The Bunker
Jason Day has won three of his last five tournaments, finishing inside the top fifteen in seven consecutive events and that astonishing record has ensured his place at the top of the antepost betting once again this week. He finished fourth at Conway Farms in 2013, so there’s no reason to think he will struggle with the course, but the fact remains that 15/2 is a very short price for an ultra-competitive tournament full of Major contenders and given those odds I’ll be looking elsewhere this week.

Recommended Bets
After finishing second at the Barclays, Henrik Stenson put in another excellent performance at the Deutsche Bank Championship last time, only to lose out to Rickie Fowler. But providing he can recover from that disappointment, in his current form, a big win won’t be long in coming.

He made the top twenty-five last time he played this course and for a player of his class in this kind of form, 11/1 is a good price.

Jim Furyk has found some consistent form in recent weeks and has to be on your shortlist. He finished just outside the top ten at the Barclays and a second round 65 helped him to crack the top five at the Deutsche Bank. Last time he played Conway Farms, he hit a course record 59 en route to a third-placed finish and he has four other top-five finishes to his name in this event. Back him to finally win it at 18/1.

Like Furyk, Matt Kuchar has been consistent of late, recording three top ten finishes in his last five tournaments, the latest of which came at the Deutsche Bank, where he shot an excellent third round 65. He finished just inside the top twenty-five when he last played Conway Farms, but would have done a lot better if he hadn’t spoiled his efforts with a final round 78 and at 30/1 he’s a good bet this week.

*Prices correct at time of publication