BMW Championship preview: TV times and betting tips
Well, ladies and gentleman, it finally happened! Tony Finau finally broke his winless run in securing the Northern Trust, and that is exactly the kind of start we needed to kick off this year’s FedEx Cup Play-offs. The top 70 will now travel to Maryland for the second of the three play-off events, the BMW Championship. With a quick turnaround needed, I have crammed in as much studying of the field as I could and picked out three players who I think can do the business here. But first…
BMW Championship details
Venue: Caves Valley Golf Club, Owing Mills, Maryland
Date: August 26-29 , 2021
Course stats: Par 72; 7,542 yards
Course summary: This track has a bit of everything, with tight tree-lined fairways but enough length to challenge even the biggest hitters. Water lurks on five of the holes, whereas well-positioned bunkers guard the small Bentgrass greens. Ball striking will be key here, as will the ability to cope with long iron shots and scrambling when necessary.
Purse: $9,500,000
Defending champion: Jon Rahm (-4)
BMW Championship TV times
Thursday: Sky Sports – Red Button from 3pm; Sky Sports Golf from 3.30pm; Sky Sports Main Event from 10.30pm
Friday: Sky Sports – Red Button from 3pm; Sky Sports Golf from 3.30pm; Sky Sports Main Event from 10.30pm
Saturday: Sky Sports Golf – Red Button from 1pm; Sky Sports Golf from 4.30pm; Sky Sports Main Event from 8:30pm
Sunday: Sky Sports Golf – Red Button from 1pm; Sky Sports Golf from 4.30pm; Sky Sports Main Event from 7:30pm
BMW Championship betting tips
Bazza’s Banker: Collin Morikawa @ 20/1 with Bet365
When entering the play-off events you may think that missing the cut at the first hurdle is a negative thing, but for Morikawa I have a feeling it could have played straight into his hands. A delayed finish to the Northern Trust means that for many in the field they have a very quick turnaround before the BMW Championship, but in Morikawa’s case he will have been able to capitalise on some additional rest and preparation.
This course should also suit him perfectly, as a very accurate and consistent ball striker who plays well on tough golf courses. The evidence for that this season is overwhelming, with a win at Royal St. George’s and a runner-up at Muirfield Village two notable examples.
Morikawa also ranks 1st for Approaches-to-the-green from 125-150 yards, 150-175 yards and 175-200 yards. When you add into the mix that he ranks 6th for Fairway Proximity, 11th for Driving Accuracy and 4th for Greens-in-regulation, he picks himself as far as I am concerned.
Scottie Scheffler @ 33/1 with Bet365
Following on from Finau’s win, I fancy another player who is well-overdue to step up to the plate this week. Scottie Scheffler has been knocking on the door for a while now, and with a 3rd place finish at Muirfield Village earlier in the season he fits a similar profile to this week’s banker.
Scheffler has consistently turned up in the big events this season, finishing in the top-10 in three out of four major championships. Two further top-5 finishes in the WGC events, and only five missed cuts all season make him an interesting contender for this.
Scheffler also fits the bill in terms of his stats, ranking 9th for SG: Off-the-tee and 14th for SG: Tee-to-green in the last three months.
Sebastian Munoz @ 125/1 with Bet365
Munoz has been quietly going about his business of late, and I think he may have just snuck under the radar of the bookmakers for this event. At a three-figure price you are getting a player who has two-top 5 finishes on the PGA Tour this season, as well as narrowly missing out on Olympic Bronze in Tokyo recently.
Munoz was 8th in this event last season, and is usually a solid ball striker from the tee. In the last three months, the Colombian ranks 14th for SG: Off-the-tee, and appears to be improving in all areas of his game.
His last five events read 4-MC-4-29-21, and with a number of high quality performances in recent weeks I am sure he represents each-way value here.
For more prices visit Bet365.
