Betting tips: Who wins the BMW Championship?

The winner: Rory McIlroy

Oh yes, very original. I’m putting up the favourite. You could probably have guessed that for yourself.

So let me tell you why he might still be worth a little dabble for the BMW at Crooked Stick.

Anyone who watched McIlroy putt at TPC Boston last week must have been impressed with the work new coach Paul Kenyon has done in such a short space of time.

The Northern Irishman looked like a man reborn on the greens and, if he is holing out, there is no one in this tournament who can stop him.

Contrary to what you might think, given his average PGA Tour form this season, McIlroy has been exemplary everywhere else apart from on the dancefloor.

He leads the tour stats in strokes gained off the tee, is 2^nd from tee to green and is 4^th in total. Surprisingly, his birdie average is 1^st and he also leads the numbers in going for the green.

Scrambling has been good but putting (93^rd in strokes gained, 158^th in total putting, 183^rd in 3-putt avoidance) has been his Achilles’ heel.

Except that might not be the case anymore.

Add in that McIlroy won the last time this tournament was staged at Crooked Stick – when he swept round in 20 under to beat Phil Mickelson and Lee Westwood by 2 strokes – and does that 11/2 still look a bit stingy?

I think there might be some room to manoeuvre in that price.

The each-way back: Phil Mickelson

There’s a Ryder Cup coming up fast on the horizon and Big Phil needs to rediscover the form that very nearly brought him a 6^th Major title at the Open Championship.

This could be the week it happens. I’m not overly concerned with his missed cut at the Deutsche Bank – in fact, I think it only makes his price of 40/1 more attractive as an each-way back.

Mickelson has always flung in a few shockers, it comes from the aggressive way he plays the game and, with firms offering as much as 6/5 for the American to make the top 20, I think there’s an opportunity here.

Runner up to McIlroy at Crooked Stick four years ago, Mickelson also has two top 10s and three top 20s in eight BMW appearances.

The dark horse: Zach Johnson

There’s nothing in his current form – tied 48^th at the Barclays, tied 57^th at the Deutsche Bank – to suggest the 2015 Open champion is suddenly going to snap out of the funk he’s been in since the PGA Championship.

But he is a former winner of this event, in 2013, was tied 12^th at Crooked Stick the year before and, at 100/1, the price just seems too big for a player who oozes class when he is on his game.

Two top 5s, two top 10s and 4 top 20s in the BMW in the past means we only have to see a couple of good rounds to cash in those latter markets.

I’m prepared to take the chance.