Horses for Courses: Patrick Cantlay might be BMW Championship specialist

Formerly the Western Open, the now BMW Championship and oldest non-major championship began in 1899 in Chicago. Starting with the FedExCup Playoffs in 2007 it became the penultimate event in deciding the FedExCup Playoffs winner.

Returning to Colorado for only the second time as the BMW Championship, Castle Pines Golf Club will debut as host. The Jack Nicklaus design will tip at 8,130 yards and play to par 72. The 2014 edition, hosted at Cherry Hills and won by Billy Horschel, is just 20 miles north on I-25.

The field of 50 players, who all qualified for the eight Signature Events in 2025, is led by 2024 BMW Championship champion Viktor Hovland (+1800), the seventh choice at the BetMGM Sportsbook. The Norwegian, who registered a top-10 payday for the first time in four tries at the event, blistered Olympia Fields North Course outside Chicago with 61 on Sunday to come from three back. The following week, he breezed home at East Lake outside Atlanta by five shots for his first FedExCup title.

SG: Total

Players listed are in the field this week; 2024 season stats.

Tipping at 8,130 yards and playing over 6,000 feet above sea level, Castle Pines will present multiple challenges. Not used on TOUR since 2006, it has added over 600 yards. The longest course in PGA TOUR history will be a mystery for most.

Wyndham Clark (+2500) grew up at Cherry Hills southwest of Denver but has played this course over 25 times during his lifetime. Adjusting the elevation equation on each shot plus navigating the 400 feet of elevation change in the mountains is an acquired skill. The local favorite will be more familiar with any changes in the weather and how it affects the golf ball off the club face and will have a head start on the Bent/Poa greens. That acute knowledge is vital.

Strokes Gained: Tee to Green

The altitude will provide relief from the 8,130 yards on the scorecard at Castle Pines, but regardless this Nicklaus design has plenty of meat on the bone. Navigating 77 bunkers, four inches of Bluegrass/Fescue rough, forced carries, blind tee shots, elevation changes, and 10 holes with water penalty areas, the separation on the leaderboard will be a product of those who are in control off the tee and into the greens.

Labelling Patrick Cantlay (+1800) as a horse for the EVENT would be accurate for the BMW Championship. Winning his first FedExCup Playoffs event outside Baltimore in 2021 at Caves Valley, he defended the title the following year in 2022 at the Wilmington Country Club in Delaware. Like Castle Pines, those two tracks were in play for the first time in the Playoffs. The 2021 FedExCup champion posted 27-under at Caves Valley to set the event scoring record and has an excellent record on Bent/Poa and at Nicklaus' Muirfield Village Golf Club. Playing seven BMW Championships on six different courses, the Californian has won twice, was the runner-up in 2019, and has cashed T15 or better in six of seven.

Strokes Gained: Putting

The pure greens are the toughest part of the examination. The complexes average 5,600 square feet and feature T1-Bentgrass/Poa annua that should run upwards of 13 feet on the Stimpmeter. Tiered, unfamiliar putting surfaces will be getting a workout Monday through Wednesday to learn the nuances of the breaks and tilts of golf on the mountain. Pin placements will be firm and fair, but this is not the U.S. Open.

Justin Thomas (+4000) joins Hovland and Cantlay as the only other to win this event in the last five years. The winner at Medinah No. 3 in 2019 returns to the penultimate event in 2024 after not qualifying for the FedExCup Playoffs in 2023 for the first time in nine years. The 2017 FedExCup champion has only one top-10 result in the BMW Championship.

Oddsmaker’s extras

Rory McIlroy (+1400): The joint third choice at BetMGM has not won this event since 2012 at Crooked Stick outside Indianapolis. The only man to win the FedExCup three times, he is the only player in the field this week to post top-10 finishes in his last three starts and four of his last six at this event, regardless of venue.

Billy Horschel (+3300): The only man to win the BMW Championship in Colorado, the 2014 FedExCup champion won the event at Cherry Hills. After breaking a streak of 10 consecutive years playing in this event in 2023, the Florida man returns in form to add to his three top-10 paydays.

Sungjae Im (+4000): The Korean ran solo third in 2021 and backed it up with T15 in 2022 before cashing seventh last year outside Chicago.

Scottie Scheffler (+333): Yet to win a FedExCup Playoffs event, the Texan has been close in his last two tries the week before the final event at East Lake. Playing in the final group last August, he was pipped by Hovland for the crown and settled for a share of second after sharing third place in 2022. The No. 1 player in the Official World Golf Rankings has cashed T22 or better in all four visits.

Xander Schauffele (+600): Making his eighth start, the Californian has been close, but a share of third twice is the best of the bunch. Signing for T8 and T3 over the last two editions, he knows a victory this week, plus T4 or worse for Scheffler can vault him into the Starting Strokes lead next week in Atlanta.

Corey Conners (+4500): The Canadian has produced T33 or better over the last five seasons with three top-10 paydays, including the previous two years.

-Odds courtesy of BetMGM-

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