Final-round preview of BMW Championship
Golf Betting Tips: BMW Championship Final Round
2 points win Xander Schauffele wins BMW Championship with 4/1 (General)
1pt ew Collin Morikawa wins BMW Championship at 12/1 (Boyles 1/4 1,2,3)
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The last two editions of the BMW Championship have given us an exciting Sunday finish with extra holes to decide a winner and with just three shots between the top seven players in today’s final round it could well be the same year.
Heading into Day 4 we have defending champion Patrick Cantlay sitting 12-under and one shot ahead of the field.
Cantlay, who rode a red-hot putter to victory at nearby Caves Club last year before completing the entire Fedex Cup package at East Lake the following week, has done things a bit differently so far this week, finishing first in the Wilmington CC rankings from the tee to the green, second in the approach game but only 30th with the flat stick.
On Saturday, Cantlay rocketed to the top of the rankings with a 65, culminating in a 106-yard holeout for Eagle in the 14th. Likewise, he missed three putts from within 5 feet to show he’s certainly not entirely comfortable on those greens.
Since winning at East Lake last year, Cantlay has not been able to claim a solo tour title, with his only success coming alongside his close friend Xander Schauffele in the Zurich pairs competition and it’s Schauffele who will join Cantlay for the fourth year in a row today as he starts a stroke behind in second place at 11-under.
It’s fair to say that this duo have been little strangers this year, as not only did they bag the trophy together at TPC Louisiana, but they also found themselves side by side in Sunday’s final pairing at Travelers a few months ago, in a role reversal for today, Schauffele holds the slim one-shot advantage heading into day four.
On this occasion it was the 2021 Olympic champion who clung to victory as Cantlay struggled and it was the start of great form for Schauffele as he not only clinched the prestigious JP McManu’s Pro-Am title in the following week, but also the Genesis Scottish Open the week after.
Refreshed since that run and after blowing the cobwebs off last week’s Fedex St. Jude hiatus, Schauffele has the bit back in his teeth this week, leading the field in the approach game and lying third from tee to green .
As we know, confidence in this game is a big factor and as Schauffele has found the winning formula again after his long winless streak lately while Cantlay has struggled to complete events this year and lost in two playoffs, I’m happy above Take it easy on Schauffele to continue his recent winning streak and bag the trophy today.
Needless to say, with so many players within striking distance, this is anything but a two-horse race where the penultimate two-baller sees Scott Stallings, also starting 11-under, and Adam Scott, starting 10-under.
Stallings was in strong form before missing the cut in Memphis last week and after knocking on the door of a long-overdue fourth Tour win this season, his chances for a shock shouldn’t be wasted. He’s never made it to East Lake, although his priority today will certainly be to produce the solid lap he needs to reach that goal and it’s hard to imagine him taking too many risks on track , when the ranking is tight. While Scott is far more experienced in this situation than Stallings, who started the playoffs outside the top 70, a place at East Lake will mean a great two-week run for the Australian.
On this basis, the greatest danger for the final two-ball should come from the third-to-last pairing of Scottie Scheffler and Collin Morikawa and at more than double the Masters champion’s odds, it’s two-time major champion Morikawa, starting 9-under three behind, who I play alongside Schauffele today.
By his own high standards, it’s been a sluggish season for Morikawa, but after a couple of missed cuts in Scotland, he seems to have found something in Memphis last week that he brought to Delaware. Finishing sixth from tee to green and fourth in this week’s approach game, the 25-year-old says he has rediscovered his standard fade shot that has served him so well over the past few years.
Song Morikawa has proven excellent at breaking the pace on a Sunday, which we saw earlier this season at the CJ Cup, The Sentry and The Genesis Invitational, and with three spots on offer in each direction, I’m excited about that today take my chances.
World no So far in the playoffs he’s looked like a man who played with a target on his back and made it to the season finale number one.
With plenty of subplots to play out with the likes of Davis Riley, Sahith Theegala and Denny McCarthy trying to bag East Lake spots and all the riches that come with it, it promises to be an intriguing day and I’m looking forward to sitting back and watch the drama unfold as you trust Shovel and Morikawa to bring the loot home for us.
Posted at 1015 BST on 08/21/22