The world’s top golfers will head to Illinois this week for the 2017 staging of the BMW Championship. A cool $8.75 million is at stake for the 70-man field with the champion grabbing not only 2,000 FedExCup points, but also the $1.575 million top prize. Read on below for an in-depth analysis of this prestigious event and while you’re at it, you can check out this tournament’s purse breakdown.
2017 BMW Championship Preview
Where: Conway Farms Golf Club – Lake Forest, Illinois
Favorites – Jordan Spieth (+600) and Dustin Johnson (+700)
It isn’t a complete surprise to see Dustin Johnson and Jordan Spieth installed as favorites to win this week’s BMW Championship. Johnson and Spieth are the two highest-ranked players in the field and they’re both playing some terrific golf of late. Johnson has top-20s in each of his last five starts, including a stunning victory at the Northern Trust golf event last month.
The world no. 1 arrives at this tournament as the defending champion, winning last year’s BMW Championship by three strokes. Johnson’s recent form pales, however, in comparison to the stretch Spieth is enjoying right now. The three-time major champion has nabbed two victories and a couple of runner-up finishes in his last six PGA Tour events. Spieth is pegged at +600 to win the BMW Championship this week.
High-Value Sleepers – Phil Mickelson (+6,500) and Daniel Berger (+5,500)
Looking for a worthy sleeper this week? How about Phil Mickelson? Lefty turned back the hands of time in his last start at the Dell Technologies Championship, finishing in a tie for sixth. That was Mickelson’s best showing since his T5 at the WGC Match Play last March. That performance was enough for Lefty to nab an at-large selection for the 2017 Presidents Cup. He will look to repay captain Steve Stricker’s faith with a solid outing at Conway Farms this week.
Another golfer who’s primed for a huge performance this week is Daniel Berger. The last time the BMW Championship was held in Conway Farms (2015), Berger finished solo second. He shot a 16-under-par total of 268 to finish six strokes adrift of champion Jason Day. Berger has top-5s in three of his last nine Tour starts, including a victory at the FedEx St. Jude Classic.
One long shot who can definitely spring a surprise this week is Grayson Murray. Yes, Murray has missed the cut in three of his last six PGA Tour starts but he definitely has the power to tame Conway Farms. The par-71 course is 7,208 yards long, which is perfect for a bomber like Murray. The 23-year-old is 12th in the PGA Tour in driving distance, averaging 308.1 yards per drive this season. Murray is fresh off a T25 at last week’s Dell Technologies Championship.
Writer’s Prediction
Spieth (+600) stakes his claim for the 2017 FedEx Cup title with a three-stroke win at the BMW Championship.
