Just 70 players remain in the FedEx Cup race with 59 lining up for the penultimate leg, the BMW Championship played at the Bellerive Country Club. Only the top-30 players after this week will move forward to the lucrative Tour Championship finale at East Lake in three week’s time.
The Course: Bellerive Country Club, St Louis, Missouri (par-71, 7,456 yards)
A Robert Trent Jones course, last used on the main Tour for the 1992 USPGA Championship. A shot-maker’s course, it was brought up to date by Trent Jones’ son Rees and reopened in 2006. Features now include two par-5’s of over 600 yards, the 8th and 17th, and a 515-yard par-4, the 10th. For this week’s event, the course is likely to be set up tight, which will place a premium on accuracy off the tee.
Ross’ Top Tip: CamiloVillegas @ 33/1 Stan James
Vijay Singh’s victory last week meant that regular bettingpro followers were rewarded with a 14/1 winner (at last!), and there’s no reason why the evergreen Fijian can’t go in again this week. Odds of around 6/1 are stingy though, especially as he has some tendonitis in his forearm to concern him. Instead, my main pick goes to the young Colombian, who also did us a good turn last week when making the frame at 45/1. He keeps putting himself in contention to win and, having learned plenty from those experiences, I’m convinced that elusive ‘maiden’ win can't be too long coming.
Next Best: Ben Curtis @ 50/1 BetFred
For some reason, bookmakers are underestimating the former Open champ. Certainly, on current form he should be shorter than 50/1. Tied-27th last week on a course where his previous record was poor, he’d previously finished fourth at the Barclays and joint runner-up in the USPGA. What’s more, his superb putting will stand him in good stead on these big greens.
Outsider: John Senden @ 150/1 Skybet
Any player getting this far in the playoffs is clearly no mug, and a shock win can’t be ruled out. Step forward Senden, who is always near the top of the greens in regulation stats, and a good each way bet around tightish tracks, such as this one. It’s no coincidence that he finished second at this year’s PODS Championship on a course that also rewarded long game accuracy.
Tournament Lay (Betfair): Phil Mickelson
Lefty was very disappointing last week (73rd) and I get the impression he’s just waiting for the Ryder Cup now.
Ross’ 72-Hole Match Bet: Camilo Villegas to beat Steve Stricker @ 10/11 bet365
Recommended Bets:
Camilo Vilegas 1pt each way @ 33/1 Stan James
Ben Curtis 1pt each way @ 50/1 Betfred
John Senden ½ pt each way @ 150/1 Skybet
