Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions – BMW Championship

Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions for the BMW Championship

2019 BMW Championship Fantasy Preview

The secret to Patrick Reed winning the Northern Trust last week? Not playing golf.

Yes, that might sound counter-intuitive, but the artist formerly known as Captain America claimed after wrapping up his one-shot victory over Abraham Ancer that a three-month break from the Tour – including a ten-day stretch where he packed away his clubs – was vital in reenergizing his career.

Since the spring, his clubhead speed has been up, his approach game has improved and his putting has ranged from the competent to the red hot – all Reed needed was to put the whole package together at one time.

And that he did at Liberty National, where he drove the ball like a man possessed, hit plenty of greens and when he didn’t showcased why his chipping game is the envy of most.

Reed’s renaissance could not have come at a better time, although with just two FedExCup events left on the schedule he may just rue not making his move sooner.

Next up is the BMW Championship, where only the top 25 left in the FedEx standings will make it to the TOUR Championship next week. Our host this week, Medinah, will have contrasting emotions for some in the field who will remember the manic 2012 Ryder Cup rather well.

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Last Week’s Fantasy Results

Tough seeing our horse pick Rory drop to T6, but nice to see Reed grab a W. Reed was a pick on our Tuesday Sleeper report last week. 

Here’s what we had to say about Patrick going into THE NORTHERN TRUST:

Noteworthy recently with his much-improved ball striking, Reed’s irons went a touch cold at Sedgefield to be replaced by a red hot putter.

The former Masters champ ranked fifth for SG: Putting at the Wyndham Championship, backed by a ridiculous fourth round effort in which he gained +4.67 on the field.

Reed actually won this event when it was known as the Barclays back in 2016, and another victory at the WGC-Cadillac suggests a fondness for east coast golf.

Now if he can just combine his approach play with that streaky flat stick….’

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The 2019 BMW Championship Field

The 125 that started the FedExCup finale has been trimmed to 75 this week, with the likes of Sergio Garcia, Bubba Watson and Henrik Stenson missing out on the last two events. Wyndham Clark (68), Emiliano Grillo (69) and Joaquin Niemann (70) survived by the skin of their teeth!

Otherwise, it’s a high-class field with Koepka, McIlroy, Reed, Rahm and Cantlay all looking to boost their position towards the head of the FedExCup standings. The likes of Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas and Justin Rose will be happy with a confidence-boosting win to end their campaigns too.

Jordan Spieth showed flickers of his best form last week – he’s another with plenty of motivation right now, while Webb Simpson, Rickie Fowler, Xander Schauffele and Adam Scott head what is a multi-talented supporting cast.

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This Week’s Course Preview

Say the word ‘Medinah’ and it brings many a golf fan out in a cold sweat.

Not the Europeans, who will remember the ‘Miracle of Medinah’ very nicely, but certainly anyone who saw Team America wilt under the pressure on Sunday can be forgiven for not wanting to return to the venue in a hurry.

But it’s nice to have Medinah back on the rotation if, for nothing else, it’s a fantastic test of all-round golf.

Punishingly long – it can play anything from 7,400 to 7,650 yards at its extremities, this layout was originally built back in 1930 but has been tweaked ever since to ensure it remains ‘contemporary’ in its challenge to the players.

As we know, some architects go for length as their only defense against the modern golf swing, but Medinah has another weapon up its sleeve: or 4,700 of them to be exact. Big, glorious trees of varying species that provide a canopy lining the fairways.

And so the first key to tackling is long, straight driving: you need to be long because this will turn into a real grind if you’re not, and accurate because the rough is said to have been grown ice and lush and also the foliage from the trees can block out misplaced drives from having a line in to the Bentgrass greens.

Water is not so much a problem as it’s only in play on five holes, so actually it may come down to hits the ball best off the tee this week that gives themselves a monumental advantage on the field.

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Weather Forecast for Medinah, IL

Aside from the odd thundery downpour, the weather appears to be set fair for the BMW Championship.

There could be a bit of rain around on Wednesday, but Thursday looks set to be sunny with top temperatures of 77°F.

There’s more of the same on Friday and Saturday with the mercury tickling 84°F, before Sunday is shaping up to be the best of the lot: warm sunshine pushing temperatures to 89°F.

There will be a fairly constant breeze of between 9-12mph, but remember this will be mitigated somewhat by the presence of thousands of trees.

Last Year’s Results from the BMW Championship

Keegan Bradley wins a golf tournament are not words you might have expected to hear yourself say given his malaise in recent times, but something clicked at Aronimink 12 months ago and the former PGA Championship winner ended his lengthy title drought.

It was a victory based upon one scarcely believable fact: Bradley ranked first in the field for Strokes Gained: Putting, which is almost unheard of for this premium ball-striker with the heavy hands on the greens.

Still, he took the honors in style with a final round of 64, and that was an effort that saw him leapfrog 54-hole leader Justin Rose and his nearest challengers Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele.

Bradley did still need a playoff to defeat Rose, but he did so with the minimum of fuss on the first extra hole: the Englishman failing to get up-and-down to make par. It was Bradley’s first victory in more than six years.

Highlights | Round 4 | BMW 2018 2018

SUBSCRIBE to PGA TOUR now: http://pgat.us/vBxcZSh In the final round of the 2018 BMW Championship, 18 holes were not enough on Monday as Justin Rose and Keegan Bradley moved to a sudden death playoff. Bradley making a 4 on the 1st playoff hole to secure the win.

Where to Play Fantasy Golf for the BMW Championship this Week

This is the penultimate week of the 2018/19 PGA TOUR season, so if you’ve earned a nice stack over the course of the past few months now is the time to shine as the DFS campaign also reaches its final curtain.

• PGA $1M Mini Main Event: First place bags a cool $200k here, so why not throw your hat into the ring at $8 a time? The top 40 earn a minimum of $1,000 too.
• PGA $100k Birdie: If you’ve not been swayed by the Mini and Main Event contests then why not stick to a classic: this Birdie game is notoriously soft, yet offers players plenty of money-grabbing potential.

This Week’s Fantasy Notes for the BMW Championship

The good news is that Medinah is a characterful track that helps us to work nicely through the field and decide who might flourish this week.

On the other hand, we have 70 of the best golfers on the planet to sift through, each of whom is not lacking in motivation.

Not unusually but less common in big events like this, the emphasis will be on the big stick in Illinois. This is what we might call a ‘total driver’s’ layout, where hitting the ball miles, but with strategy and control in mind, is key.

Short hitters are going to find Medinah a physical test, whereas wayward bombers will find themselves in lush rough and often blocked out by the trees.

Naysayers will look to the 2006 PGA Championship leaderboard and say that shorter players can thrive at Medinah – the likes of Choi, Stricker and Donald all featured prominently in the shake-up.

But remember: the stewards can add up to 200 yards on that 7,400 yardage, and given that more than a decade has passed since that tournament we would expect them to do so.

Players comfortable going long and shaping the ball both ways around crazy doglegs will seize the initiative at Medinah CC, and there’s really not much else to add!

Our Top 5 (and Top 2 Sleeper) Fantasy Picks and Odds to Win the BMW Championship

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Fantasy Golf Predictions This Season (2018-2019)

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