Tag: BMW Championship

BMW Championship tee times, TV info for Thursday’s first round

Here’s everything you need to know for Thursday’s first round of the BMW Championship.

The field is set and the quest for the FedEx Cup and its $15 million prize continues this week at Olympia Fields Country Club outside Chicago.

The world’s best players have made their way to the BMW Championship, the second of three events in the PGA Tour’s season-ending playoffs. The loaded field is highlighted by the Northern Trust’s runaway winner Dustin Johnson and Mr. 59 Scottie Scheffler, as well as past champions Tiger Woods (2007 and 2009), Marc Leishman (2017), Jason Day (2015), Billy Horschel (2014) and Rory McIlroy (2012).

From tee times to TV info, here’s what you need to know for the BMW Championship.

BMW Championship: Odds | Betting on Tiger | DJ back to work 

All times listed below are Eastern.

Tee times

1st tee

Time Players
12:30 p.m. Richy Werenski, Brendan Steele, Brian Harman
12:41 p.m. Cameron Smith, Adam Long, Kevin Streelman
12:52 p.m. Marc Leishman, Kevin Na, Ryan Palmer
1:03 p.m. Scottie Scheffler, Lanto Griffin, Sebastián Muñoz
1:14 p.m. Dylan Frittelli, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Russell Henley
1:25 p.m. Robby Shelton, Jim Herman, Paul Casey
1:36 p.m. Adam Scott, Gary Woodland, Nick Taylor
1:47 p.m. Tyler Duncan, Matthew Wolff, Mark Hubbard
1:58 p.m. Xander Schauffele, Rory McIlroy, Brendon Todd
2:09 p.m. Collin Morikawa, Harris English, Bryson DeChambeau
2:20 p.m. Jason Day, Michael Thompson, Talor Gooch
2:31 p.m. Max Homa, Charles Howell III, Louis Oosthuizen

10th tee

Time Players
12:30 p.m. Alex Noren, Harry Higgs, Adam Hadwin
12:41 p.m. Tony Finau, Billy Horschel, Joaquin Niemann
12:52 p.m. Sungjae Im, Jon Rahm, Patrick Reed
1:03 p.m. Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas, Daniel Berger
1:14 p.m. Carlos Ortiz, Tiger Woods, Bubba Watson
1:25 p.m. J.T. Poston, Jason Kokrak, Maverick McNealy
1:36 p.m. Joel Dahmen, Danny Lee, Tom Hoge
1:47 p.m. Byeong Hun An, Mackenzie Hughes, Patrick Cantlay
1:58 p.m. Kevin Kisner, Viktor Hovland, Cameron Champ
2:09 p.m. Tyrrell Hatton, Hideki Matsuyama, Abraham Ancer
2:20 p.m. Andrew Landry, Corey Conners, Matt Kuchar

How to watch, listen

Thursday, Aug. 27

PGA Tour Live on NBC Sports Gold: 10:10 a.m.-7 p.m.
PGA Tour Radio on SiriusXM: 1-7 p.m.
Golf Channel (watch for free on fuboTV): 3-7 p.m.

Friday, Aug. 28

PGA Tour Live on NBC Sports Gold: 10:10 a.m.-7 p.m.
PGA Tour Radio on SiriusXM: 1-7 p.m.
Golf Channel (watch for free on fuboTV): 3-7 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 29

PGA Tour Live on NBC Sports Gold: 8:15 a.m.-3 p.m. (Featured Groups), 3 p.m.-6 p.m. (Featured Holes).
PGA Tour Radio on SiriusXM: 1-6 p.m.
Golf Channel (watch for free on fuboTV): 12-3 p.m.
NBC: 3-6 p.m.

Sunday, Aug. 30

PGA Tour Live on NBC Sports Gold: 9:15 a.m.-3 p.m. (Featured Groups), 3 p.m.-7 p.m. (Featured Holes).
PGA Tour Radio on SiriusXM: 2-7 p.m.
Golf Channel (watch for free on fuboTV): 1-3 p.m.
NBC: 3-7 p.m.

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Dustin Johnson celebrates playoff win by prepping for BMW Championship

Dustin Johnson celebrated his Northern Trust win by watching ‘Yellowstone’ and getting back to work ahead of the PGA Championship.

OLYMPIA FIELDS, Ill. – Wonder how Dustin Johnson celebrated his stunning rout in the Northern Trust at TPC Boston on Sunday?

Bottles of Dom Perignon? Massive party into the wee hours? Buy a new car?

Nah, he went back to work.

The FedEx Cup Playoffs leader and newly christened world No. 1 flew straight to the Windy City shortly after wrapping up his media obligations and was in a local gym at 10 a.m. Monday.

Then he headed to Olympia Fields Country Club, home to this week’s second event of the playoffs, and played seven holes in the afternoon. Tuesday morning he was on the putting green at 7 a.m. and then played another eight holes.

“He celebrates on his off weeks,” his coach, Claude Harmon III, said in a text to Golfweek. “It’s time to work. He wants to win the FedEx Cup.

“He’s been so close.”

Betting odds | Bet on Tiger | Fantasy golf | Field by the rankings

Yes, he has – Johnson wound up second in 2016, fourth in 2011, 2017 and 2018, fifth in 2010, seventh in 2015 and eighth in 2012. His victory in the Northern Trust was his fifth in a FedEx Cup playoff event, tied for most with Rory McIlroy. His 19 top-10s in the FedEx Cup Playoffs are the most, as are his 11 top-5s.

Thus, he’s concentrating on winning the FedEx Cup, not celebrating his win in The Northern Trust. On the plane westward, he ate, caught up on an episode of “Yellowstone” and watched and episode of “Deadliest Catch” on his iPad – and started studying his Olympia Fields yardage book.

“I haven’t had much time to reflect on the win last week, but it was really good,” Johnson said Tuesday. “Obviously I played very well, and everything went very well last week. This week I’m still just focused on getting ready for this tournament and this golf course.

“Obviously this week still is a big week, big tournament. I like this golf course. You definitely want to be on your game around here for sure.”

He certainly was on his game last week.

Johnson made 23 birdies and five eagles during rounds of 67-60-64-63. He was 26 under his last three rounds, in which he missed only three greens in regulation.

His 11-shot win was the first double-digit win on the PGA Tour since Brian Gay won the 2009 RBC Heritage by 10. Johnson’s margin of victory was the largest on Tour since Phil Mickelson won 2006 BellSouth Classic by 13.

Johnson finished at 30-under 254, making him only the third player in PGA Tour history to finish at 30 under or better in a 72-hole tournament. He fell just one shot short of tying Justin Thomas’ 72-hole record 253 total set in the 2017 Sony Open in Hawaii. Johnson also fell one shot short of tying Ernie Els’ 72-hole record in relation to par of 31 under set in the 2003 Sentry Tournament of Champions.

He left everyone was in awe. Harris English shot 64-66-66-69 to finish second but was 11 shots back. Jon Rahm shot 69-69-67-65 and was 14 shots back. Tyler Duncan shot four rounds in the 60s – and lost by 20.

“Last week is the best total control of his game I have seen in the eight years I have been around DJ,” Harmon said. “I walked almost every hole last week and it looked like a video game.”

It was Johnson’s 22nd Tour title, but all he’s thinking about is winning No. 23.

“For four rounds it’s the best I’ve ever hit it for sure,” said Johnson, who has signed for 12 consecutive rounds in the 60s. “That was by far the best ball-striking performance I’ve put on. And then obviously I putted very nicely the last three rounds, not the first round, but that’s all right, it still worked out for me.”

So he’ll just keep trying to do what’s been working.

“Still working on exactly the same things as I was doing last week, just making sure everything is staying consistent, that I got the same feels,” Johnson said. “That the ball is just starting on my lines and I’m hitting the same shots. That’s what I’ve been working on this week is just kind of going through the same routines I did last week just to keep the swing in check.

“For me it’s all about consistency. Last week I did a really good job of controlling my distance with my irons, and if you’re controlling your distance well, you can be a little left and a little right and still have a nice putt at it.

“This week is going to be more of the same. The greens have a lot of slope and they’re firm, so if you can control the distance with irons, then you can give yourself a lot of good looks. That’s all I’m working on, same thing as I was working on last week.”

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Louis Oosthuizen needs some more heroics at BMW Championship to get to East Lake

If Louis Oosthuizen’s quest for the FedEx Cup is to continue past this week, he’ll need some more heroics at the BMW Championship.

OLYMPIA FIELDS, Ill. – In a do-or-go-home spot, Louis Oosthuizen birdied the 72nd hole in last week’s Northern Trust – in the dark, no less – to make it to the BMW Championship, the second of three FedEx Cup Playoffs events.

But that was a walk in a sun-splashed park compared to what he has to do to get to next week’s Tour Championship, the playoff finale.

At No. 70 in the standings and the last man into the BMW Championship, the 2010 Champion Golfer of the Year has to likely finish at least third if he’s to be one of 30 players heading to East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta for a crack at the FedEx Cup title and $15 million bonus.

“I just need to have a really good week,” Oosthuizen said Tuesday with a bit of a laugh after playing nine holes at Olympia Field Country Club.

Well, at the very least, he can call upon his last-hole heroics on Sunday.

BMW Championship: Fantasy rankings | Betting on Tiger

Oosthuizen, who is ranked No. 24 in the world, was having a miserable day in the final round and his chances to get to Atlanta looked bleak after three consecutive bogeys earlier on the back nine. But a birdie at 16 gave him an outside chance, a par on 17 improved his shot and then he busted a solid drive on the par-5 18th to get within reach getting into the BMW Championship.

And then a storm rolled in and delayed play for more than an hour.

“It was such an awful day for me the way I was playing. Everything I was trying was going backwards and making bogeys and making a lot of mistakes,” Oosthuizen said. “It was good to have that break really and sort of see what was going on. I wasn’t sure if 4 or 3 was needed to get through. Eventually got into caddie dining and they told me birdie will make it on the number.”

Trouble was, when he returned to the golf course, he could hardly see it as he pulled 3-iron from his golf bag for his second shot.

“I couldn’t really see the pin,” he said. “I knew where the pin was. It was in line with the TV tower. I think that made it really difficult seeing, as well. When the ball took off, I just looked around to see the response from everyone, and I looked over and (on-course analyst) Mark Immelman was walking with us and he gave me a thumbs up.

“Only when I walked down and got to probably about 110 yards or so away from the green I could see my ball being about 30 feet from the hole.”

But reading a putt in the dark isn’t easy.

“Luckily I was using the books the whole week, so it gave me a good idea,” he said. “And I know the green. I knew the first (putt) was going to turn quite a bit. Obviously the speed was the main thing. I hit it a little lower than I wanted to, and it picked up a little speed, and the short one was a difficult one to trust myself to hit it just outside the hole. It was probably three-and-a-half feet or so, and you want to see the break to hit it outside the hole, but I just trusted it.”

And made it. And booked passage for Chicago.

And now has to finish top 3 to get to Atlanta.

“I worked hard to get through last week really, and I knew I had to play well,” said Oosthuizen, who last won at the 2018 South African Open. “I feel like I’m playing really good at the moment, just need to get four rounds together. I just really need a really good week to go to Atlanta.”

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BMW Championship field, by the rankings

Take a look at the field at the BMW Championship broken down by the Golfweek/Sagarin and the Official World Golf Rankings.

The top-70 golfers in the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup standings will compete at Olympia Fields Country Club just outside of Chicago, Illinois, for this week’s BMW Championship.

In the second of three events in the Tour’s season-ending FedEx Cup Playoffs, Dustin Johnson sits atop the FedEx Cup standings after his 11-shot victory at the Northern Trust. Justin Thomas sits in second, 92 points behind Johnson, followed by Webb Simpson, Daniel Berger and Collin Morikawa, respectively.

The top 30 in the standings after this week will advance to the Tour Championship at Atlanta’s East Lake Golf club for the finale of the 2019-20 season.

Betting odds | Bet on Tiger | Fantasy golf power rankings

The BMW Championship field is broken down below according to each player’s ranking in the Golfweek/Sagarin and in the Official World Golf Ranking.

For the 2019-20 season, the average ranking of the winner heading into the week in which they won PGA Tour event has been 77.26 in the Golfweek/Sagarins and 99.62 in the OWGR.

GW/Sagarin OWGR
 Jon Rahm 1 2
 Rory McIlroy 2 4
 Xander Schauffele 3 10
 Harris English 4 53
 Daniel Berger 5 13
 Justin Thomas 6 3
 Dustin Johnson 7 1
 Webb Simpson 8 6
 Tiger Woods 9 17
 Patrick Cantlay 10 12
 Bryson DeChambeau 11 8
 Collin Morikawa 13 5
 Patrick Reed 14 9
 Hideki Matsuyama 15 27
 Abraham Ancer 16 26
 Viktor Hovland 17 31
 Tyrrell Hatton 18 15
 Mark Hubbard 19 131
 Gary Woodland 20 23
 Scottie Scheffler 21 37
 Matthew Fitzpatrick 22 19
 Tony Finau 23 16
 Sungjae Im 24 25
 Louis Oosthuizen 25 24
 Adam Hadwin 26 61
 Billy Horschel 27 32
 Matt Kuchar 28 22
 Talor Gooch 32 138
 Ryan Palmer 33 34
 Brian Harman 34 121
 Adam Scott 35 11
 Joel Dahmen 37 60
 Kevin Na 39 33
 Paul Casey 41 20
 Adam Long 43 74
 Brendan Steele 46 103
 Kevin Kisner 47 29
 Brendon Todd 48 43
 Lanto Griffin 49 78
 Matthew Wolff 50 38
 Cameron Champ 51 72
 Jason Day 53 35
 Alex Noren 56 87
 Richy Werenski 59 140
 Russell Henley 61 128
 Corey Conners 66 69
 Dylan Frittelli 68 99
 J.T. Poston 76 68
 Tyler Duncan 79 150
 Marc Leishman 82 21
 Joaquin Niemann 85 71
 Maverick McNealy 86 181
 Danny Lee 92 102
 Charles Howell III 93 81
 Max Homa 95 75
 Bubba Watson 96 65
 Carlos Ortiz 97 151
 Kevin Streelman 102 48
 Nick Taylor 103 117
 Mackenzie Hughes 105 70
 Sebastián Muñoz 108 98
 Byeong Hun An 109 57
 Cameron Smith 111 52
 Jason Kokrak 126 63
 Harry Higgs 129 132
 Tom Hoge 132 144
 Andrew Landry 183 122
 Michael Thompson 190 110
 Robby Shelton 213 148
 Jim Herman 323 96

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Tiger Woods’ odds, best prop bets for the BMW Championship

Feeling lucky? Here’s how you can bet on Tiger Woods at the 2020 BMW Championship in Chicago.

The FedExCup Playoffs continue this week with the BMW Championship at Olympia Fields Country Club just outside Chicago.

Tiger Woods was able to advance to the second of the three season-ending events despite a disappointing finish last week at the Northern Trust. The 15-time major champion slipped in the FedEx Cup standings from 49th to 57th in the and will need to finish in at least the top-eight if he wants to qualify for next week’s Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.

Below, we look at Woods’ odds to win the 2020 BMW Championship and his most interesting prop bets for this week’s PGA Tour event.

BMW Championship: Fantasy golf power rankings

History at Olympia Fields

Woods is one of few in the field with any meaningful experience at Olympia Fields CC. The last PGA Tour event played here was the 2003 US Open. Woods finished in a tie for 20th at plus-3. His second round of 4-under, 66 was his best.

The par-70 course measures 7,366 yards and features Bluegrass (Poa Annua) greens. The fairways are guarded by tight tree lines and fairway bunkers further narrow the landing areas. The heavily-sloped greens are the course’s greatest challenge to scoring low.

Odds to win

Odds provided by BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Tuesday at 6:22 a.m. ET.

Woods is +4000 to win the 2020 BMW Championship, something he’ll need to come close to doing in order to extend his season. He has won this tournament twice before (2007 and 2009), but both of those victories were at different courses.

Tiger finished T-37 while experimenting with a new putter at the PGA Championship. He lost 0.02 strokes per round putting in the event and reverted back to his famed Scotty Cameron flat stick last week at the Northern Trust. He went on to lose 0.44 strokes per round and finished T-58.

He dropped to ninth in the Golfweek/Sagarin world rankings with last week’s result but is still a relative value while ranked 16th by the betting odds. His final-round 66 last week is enough incentive to place a small wager on Tiger Woods to win the BMW Championship.

New to sports betting? A $10 bet on Tiger to win the BMW Championship would return a profit of $400.

Looking to place a bet on Tiger Woods or this tournament? Get some action on it at BetMGM in CO, IN, NJ and WV!  Sign up and bet at BetMGM now!

Best props

Top-10 finish: +300

Using the motivation of continuing on through the FedExCup Playoffs, place a small wager on Tiger to finish inside the top 10 and give himself a chance to get to East Lake for a triple-up on your investment. He has just one top 10 this season other than his Zozo Championship victory, but he finally showed some promise with his final round last week.

Lowest score over 72 holes – Group D: +340

Woods has +340 odds to post the best tournament score in a group with Harris English (+300), Kevin Kisner (+330), Tyrrell Hatton (+400) and Viktor Hovland (+400). All four have been in a better form of late and much more active since the PGA Tour’s restart.

PASS on a bet here, as Tiger is more likely to be focused on the US Open (Sept. 17-20) and Masters (Nov. 12-15) in the fall schedule.

Get some action on the BMW Championship by signing up and betting at BetMGM. If you’re looking for more sports betting picks and tips, access all of our content at SportsbookWire.com. Please gamble responsibly.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

Fantasy golf power rankings for the 2020 BMW Championship

Check out our top 30 fantasy golf picks for the second event of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, the BMW Championship.

The top-70 golfers in the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup standings have moved on to Olympia Fields Country Club just outside of Chicago for this week’s BMW Championship, the second of three events in the Tour’s season-ending FedEx Cup Playoffs.

After his runaway Northern Trust win, Dustin Johnson sits 92 points ahead of second-place Justin Thomas. Webb Simpson is in third, followed by Daniel Berger and Collin Morikawa.

The top 30 in the standings after this week will advance to the Tour Championship at Atlanta’s East Lake Golf club for the finale of the 2019-20 season.

Below, we take a look at the fantasy golf power rankings for the top 30 competitors in the 2020 BMW Championship at Olympia Fields.

Fantasy golf power rankings

Odds provided by BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Odds last updated Monday at 5:15 p.m. ET.

30. Matt Kuchar (+6000)

Tied for 18th last week following his missed cut at the PGA Championship. He has been quiet this season since winning the SMBC Singapore Open with no other top 10s but for a T-2 at the Genesis Invitational. He needs a big week to crack the top 30 and get to East Lake.

29. Corey Conners (+10000)

Fourth among those who made the cut last week with 0.75 Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee per round, according to Data Golf. His approach game wasn’t as sharp as usual, preventing a top finish.

28. Matthew Wolff (+5000)

Has now made five straight cuts, including his T-4 at the PGA Championship to move up to 33rd in the FedEx Cup standings. He has been especially sharp off-the-tee of late and ranks 13th on Tour for the 2019-20 season.

27. Tiger Woods (+4000)

A disappointing showing last week but closed it off with a Sunday round of 66 to move into a tie for 58th. He dropped to 57th in the FedEx Cup standings and needs to finish in the top eight this week to have a chance of moving on.

26. Louis Oosthuizen (+5000)

Enters the week 70th in the FedEx Cup standings and qualified for this event with his strong T-13 finish last week. Tied for sixth in the no-cut WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational earlier this month.

25. Abraham Ancer (+6000)

Missed the cut last week at plus-1 while uncharacteristically losing 1.57 strokes per round from tee-to-green. He’s averaging 0.95 strokes per round in that category in 2020 and should rebound.

24. Tony Finau (+3500)

Snapped a streak of five straight made cuts last week. He had previously rung up three top 10s and two top 5s in those five events. Ranks 29th in the FedEx Cup standings and is just inside the line for the Tour Championship.

23. Ryan Palmer (+8000)

His T-8 showing last week was his third top 10 in eight events since the restart. His short game has been exceptionally strong, but he’ll need to be better off-the-tee this week.

22. Patrick Cantlay (+3300)

Lost 1.73 strokes per round putting last week in an abysmal performance on the greens resulting in a missed cut. Sits 37th in the FEC standings while looking for his first top 10 since a T-7 at the Workday Charity Open.

21. Hideki Matsuyama (+3300)

Three straight top-30 placings and four in his last five events. Typically shows well in the no-cut WGC events with two career wins and a T-6 at the WGC-Mexico Championship earlier this year.

Looking to place a bet on the 2020 BMW Championship? Get some action on it at BetMGM. Bet Now!

20. Sungjae Im (+6600)

Out of form with four missed cuts since the restart. The winner of The Honda Classic still ranks eighth in the season-long standings and is competing for starting strokes at the Tour Championship.

19. Gary Woodland (+6600)

The 2019 US Open champion has no wins but six top-10 finishes this year to sit 39th in the FEC standings. He has a great approach game and is typically much better on the greens than his 1.28 strokes lost putting per round last week.

18. Paul Casey (+5000)

Has disappointed since his T-2 finish at the PGA Championship with a T-31 at the Wyndham Championship and T-49 last week. He’s one of few in the field with course history at Olympia Fields CC from the 2003 US Open, even though he missed the cut that week.

17. Harris English (+4000)

The only golfer in the top 10 of the FedEx Cup standings without a win this season. English has six top 10s including last week’s distant runner-up finish to Dustin Johnson.

16. Jason Day (+3000)

Missed the cut at The Northern Trust to snap a resurgent stretch of four consecutive top 10s. Injuries finally no longer appear to be an issue and his expert ball-striking has returned.

15. Adam Scott (+4500)

Tied for 58th last week to slip from 36th to 38th in the FedEx Cup standings. Will be playing just his third event since the restart and needs a big move to play next week.

FedEx Cup standings: Who’s in, who’s out as playoffs move on

14. Patrick Reed (+3300)

Couldn’t defend his Northern Trust title with the move from Liberty National Golf Club to TPC Boston. Lost a rare 0.27 strokes per round putting to finish T-49 at minus-7.

13. Viktor Hovland (+3500)

Awful around-the-green last week but excellent with the putter; gaining 1.30 strokes per round. Averaging 1.19 SG: Tee-to-Green in 2020.

12. Xander Schauffele (+1800)

Ranks third on Tour in 2020 with 2.11 total strokes gained per round. Has no wins but six top 10s on the season.

11. Kevin Kisner (+3300)

Followed up a T-3 at the Wyndham Championship with a T-4 last week. His putter gets a large share of the credit with just 0.17 SG: Off-the-Tee at TPC Boston.

10. Tyrrell Hatton (+4500)

Seventeenth in the FedEx Cup standings and his nine events played are the fewest of anyone currently in the top 30. Gaining 1.42 strokes per round from tee-to-green.

9. Rory McIlroy (+1800)

It’s easy to forget Rory’s play earlier this season due to his results since the restart. He’s still 12th in the FedEx Cup standings with a win and six top 10s on the season but has nothing better than a T-11 at the Travelers Championship since mid-June.

8. Webb Simpson (+1800)

Simpson has strung together a T-3 and T-6 the last two weeks and enters the BMW Championship third in the FedEx Cup standings. He has two wins and eight top 10s on the season.

7. Justin Thomas (+1200)

The only three-time winner on the PGA Tour this season and his nine top 10s are tied for the Tour lead. Has disappointed in his last two events since winning the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational.

6. Scottie Scheffler (+2800)

Back-to-back T-4s at the PGA Championship and Northern Trust. Ranked second to Johnson with 2.39 SG: Tee-to-Green per round last week.

More: Assistant pro steps in to caddie for Scheffler at Northern Trust

5. Bryson DeChambeau (+1400)

Surprisingly missed the cut last week at a course he was seemingly well-suited for. Still leads the Tour with 1.174 SG: Off-the-Tee per round and ranked second in last week’s field with 1.15 per round despite missing the weekend. Won the 2015 US Amateur at Olympia Fields but under the match-play format.

4. Daniel Berger (+2000)

In the best form of anyone with 2.77 strokes gained per round on the average Tour pro over his last 20 rounds. Gaining 1.96 total strokes per round in 2020.

3. Collin Morikawa (+2000)

The winner of the 2020 PGA Championship and Workday Charity Open is just eighth by the betting odds to win this week. He slipped to fifth in the FedEx Cup standings with a missed cut last week and will be jostling for starting strokes at the Tour Championship.

2. Dustin Johnson (+800)

Last week’s winner by 11 strokes, there should only be a minor concern if Johnson takes his foot off the gas a little bit while seeking his first FedExCup win next week.

What’s in the bag? Check out Johnson’s clubs

1. Jon Rahm (+900)

The No. 1 player in the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings led the field in SG: Off-the-Tee last week for his best result (T-6) since winning the Memorial Tournament.

Get some action on the 2020 BMW Championship by signing up and betting at BetMGM. If you’re looking for more sports betting picks and tips, access all of our content at SportsbookWire.com. Please gamble responsibly.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

FedEx Cup standings: Who’s in, who’s out as playoffs move to Chicago

Who’s in, who’s out as the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Playoffs head to Chicago for the BMW Championship.

The first leg of the FedEx Cup Playoffs is in the books and Dustin Johnson is the new points leader after his walk-in-the-park victory on Sunday at the Northern Trust at TPC Boston.

Johnson won by 11 shots, the largest margin of victory this season on the PGA Tour. He jumped from 15th to 1st on the FedEx Cup standings and now holds a 92-point lead over Justin Thomas.

The playoffs now head to Chicago for the BMW Championship, with the top-70 players on the points list advancing.

There were six players who played themselves into next week’s event. Conversely, six players played themselves out of it. The 70th and final spot went to Louis Oosthuizen, who needed a birdie on the last hole on Sunday to knock Doc Redman out.

FedEx Cup: Standings | How do the playoffs work?

Who’s in

47. Alex Noren (up from 78)

48. Harry Higgs (up from 72)

61. Russell Henley (up from 101)

62. Robby Shelton (up from 81)

66. Jason Kokrak (up from 90)

70. Louis Oosthuizen (up from 99)

Who’s out

71. Doc Redman (down from 60)

72. Sung Kang (down from 61)

73. Denny McCarthy (down from 65)

75. Phil Mickelson (down from 67)

76. Henrik Norlander (down from 68)

78. Xinjun Zhang (down from 70)

The BMW Championship starts Thursday at Olympia Fields Country Club in Olympia Fields, Illinois. There is no cut for the tournament. From there, the top 30 players in the FedEx Cup standings will advance to the season-ending Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.

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Work to do

Billy Horschel sits at No. 30 heading into the BMW, with Joaquin Niemann sitting at No. 31. Tyler Duncan is 32, Matthew Wolff is 33 and Mark Hubbard is 34.

Those with even more work to do next week – and maybe even needing to get some help from others – include Patrick Cantlay at 37, Adam Scott at 38 and Gary Woodland at 39.

Tiger Woods, meanwhile, is down to No. 57 from No. 49. He had his best round of the week, a 66, on Sunday at the Northern Trust but needs to make a major move in Chicago if he wants to get to Atlanta.

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Dustin Johnson wins Northern Trust, builds momentum heading into the BMW Championship

Golfweek’s David Dusek recaps Dustin Johnson’s win at the Northern Trust and looks ahead for what’s to come in the FedEx Cup Playoffs.

Golfweek’s David Dusek recaps Dustin Johnson’s win at the Northern Trust and looks ahead for what’s to come in the FedEx Cup Playoffs.

Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy looking forward to Chicago after disappointing week at Northern Trust

Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy are both looking forward after each had a disappointing week at the Northern Trust for their own reasons.

NORTON, Mass. — Without fans in attendance at PGA Tour events these days, even Sunday rounds featuring marque players fail to create a buzz at the course. It’s up to the players to create their own energy and inspire themselves into a competitive mindset that brings out their best golf.

Tiger Woods, 44, demonstrated he could still do that by making six birdies over his first nine holes and shooting a 5-under 66 during the final round of the Northern Trust. Woods, a winner of 15 majors, is used to playing in front of thousands of fans, but he was trailed around TPC Boston on Sunday by a group of reporters, cameramen and volunteers who rarely grew over 20 people.

His playing partner for the second consecutive day, world No. 3 Rory McIlroy, struggled again. The Northern Irishman who has won four majors posted a 2-under-par 69 that left him looking for answers.

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“This is going to sound really bad, but I feel like the last few weeks, I’ve just been going through the motions,” McIlroy admitted. “I want to get an intensity and some sort of fire, but I just haven’t been able to. And look, that’s partly to do with the atmosphere and partly to do with how I’m playing. I’m not inspiring myself.”

The uninspired McIlroy played inconsistent golf this week in the first event of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, spraying the ball off the tee and statistically being among the least effective putters at TPC Boston.

“I’ll go a few holes and hit some good shots, and then on one hole, I’ll hit one way right or way left, and I’m sort of like, ‘Where did that come from?'” he said.

To remedy that, McIlroy plans to fly home to Florida and test some drivers before heading to Chicago for next week’s BMW Championship at Olympia Fields Golf Club.

Woods said he understands McIlroy’s perspective and acknowledged life on Tour doesn’t feel normal right now.

“The energy is not anywhere near the same,” he said. “There isn’t the same amount of anxiety and pressure, and people yelling at you and trying to grab your shirt, a hat off you. This is a very different world we live in.”

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Players ranked No. 70 or better on the FedEx Cup standings after this week advance to the BMW Championship. McIlroy arrived at the Northern Trust ranked No. 8 on the points list. In reality, he’s a lock to remain in the top 30 and qualify for the season-ending Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, an event he won last season.

For Woods, who arrived at the Northern Trust ranked No. 49 on the FedEx Cup standings, there is a greater sense of urgency. He knew that making the cut would assuredly punch his ticket to Chicago, but qualifying for the Tour Championship, which he won in 2018, is not a lock.

“I wish I would have played a little bit better this week to make it a little bit easier on me next week to try to get into East Lake,” Woods said. “This is going to be, if I play well, four out of five weeks, so it’s going to be a busy stretch.”

While both Woods and McIlroy would love to win a third FedEx Cup, both are also eyeing the U.S. Open at Winged Foot Golf Club in mid-September. They not only want to string good shots together, but also good rounds. They want to put themselves into contention before heading to the tournament that prides itself on being the toughest test in golf.

“This has been a very different year for all of us,” Woods said. “I’m just now starting to get into the rhythm and flow of competing and playing again. Hopefully, it gets better.”

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