The PGA Tour's FedEx Cup play-off series resumes this week with the BMW Championship at Cog Hill Country Club in Illinois.

Only the top-70 players in the FedEx standings have made it thus far and, after Cog Hill, these be whittled down to just 30 to contest next week's finale, the Tour Championship at East Lake in Georgia. They are an exalted bunch headed by world No.1 Luke Donald, who is clear market leader, with Ladbrokes one of those firms biggest at 12/1. Last year's winner Dustin Johnson is jostling for second favouritism with Adam Scott, Webb Simpson and Jason Day.

With holes like the 600-yard ninth and three par fours of over 480, you'd expect the the Dubsdread Course at Cog Hill to favour the longer hitters. That may be the case but it's not all about power and a degree of precision is required from off the fairways with ridged greens providing those golfers who don't hit it near the pin with a stiff challenge. The weather is set fair all four days.

My Three Against The Field:-

Phil Mickelson @ 25/1 Paddy Power
There's a strong case for backing Donald this week: in-form, game to suit, lives nearby so this will be like a home game, tenth here in 2009. However, while I concede he is almost certainly going to give you a run for your money, there are 69 other players capable of winning this week (well, almost all of them as I think we can safely put a line through the likes of Chris Stroud and Johnson Wagner) and 12/1 doesn't represent value for a player who, despite his recent golden run, has won just four times from his last 132 starts.

I'm desperate to see Dustin Johnson play well as I've backed him for the US Money List - realistically, he's got to win here and finish in the top three next week. At 16/1, he's no forlorn hope but, purely on the grounds of value, I'm liking the look of  Mickelson, who finished last week like a train at the Deutsche Bank with rounds of 63 and 69, having switched to a long putter. That side of his game has been the big letdown this season, but he's still won in Houston and finished runner-up twice (including at the Open Championship), along with seven other top-25 finishes, and I fancy he can go well again here, having had four rounds to hone his putting stroke with the new flat stick. It worked for Adam Scott (16/1 this week) so why not Mickelson?

Hunter Mahan @ 40/1 Ladbrokes
Mahan is one player I find it hard to catch right but rounds of 68, 69 and 66 at the Deutsche Bank for a tie of eighth place suggest he's about to hit top form and he has the perfect game for Cog Hill - ranked 13th for GIR and fifth in the All-Around. Granted, he's flattered to deceive on more than one occasion this season and his single top-five finish is pathetic for a player of his ability, but I'm a great believer in momentum in golf and the American looks to have that running for him. Odds of 40/1, are certainly big enough to encourage me to take a chance and find out.

David Toms @ 66/1 bet365
I'm taking more of a risk with my final pick as he's hardly covered himself in glory in the first two play-off events with a missed cut and tie for 59th place. It's a risk worth taking at the odds, though, as his precision game is tailormade for Cog Hill and no-one can argue with his stats, which read second for greens in regulation and fourth in driving accuracy percentage. Top-25s in seven of his last eight starts here also makes for impressive reading.

Recommended Bets:-

Phil Mickelson 2pts @ 25/1 Paddy Power
Hunter Mahan 1pt each-way @ 40/1 Ladbrokes
David Toms 1pt each-way @ 66/1 bet365