After last week’s overwhelming performance at the Northern Trust, Dustin Johnson is the strong favorite heading into the second leg of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, the BMW Championship, which begins Thursday at Olympia Fields in Illinois. But capturing back-to-back victories isn’t easy to do, especially at this point in the season.
It’s not impossible, however. Bryson DeChambeau did it in 2018, winning The Northern Trust and then the Dell Technologies Championship. Billy Horschel captured both the 2014 BMW Championship and the Tour Championship.
Odds to Win BMW Championship
Here’s a look at the favorites and long shots heading into the second event of the FedEx Playoffs.
| William Hill | Bovada | BetMGM | |
| Dustin Johnson | 8/1 | 8/1 | 8/1 |
| Jon Rahm | 10/1 | 19/2 | 9/1 |
| Justin Thomas | 12/1 | 11/1 | 11/1 |
| Bryson DeChambeau | 12/1 | 12/1 | 14/1 |
| Rory McIlroy | 16/1 | 16/1 | 18/1 |
| Xander Schauffele | 18/1 | 14/1 | 14/1 |
| Collin Morikawa | 22/1 | 18/1 | 20/1 |
| Daniel Berger | 22/1 | 18/1 | 20/1 |
| Patrick Reed | 28/1 | 33/1 | 33/1 |
| Jason Day | 28/1 | 33/1 | 30/1 |
| Scottie Scheffler | 33/1 | 33/1 | 28/1 |
| Tony Finau | 33/1 | 33/1 | 35/1 |
| Patrick Cantlay | 33/1 | 33/1 | 33/1 |
| Tiger Woods | 33/1 | 33/1 | 40/1 |
| Tyrrell Hatton | 35/1 | 40/1 | 45/1 |
| Harris English | 35/1 | 40/1 | 40/1 |
| Viktor Hovland | 40/1 | 33/1 | 35/1 |
| Adam Scott | 40/1 | 40/1 | 45/1 |
| Matthew Wolff | 40/1 | 40/1 | 50/1 |
| Hideki Matsuyama | 40/1 | 33/1 | 33/1 |
| Kevin Kisner | 40/1 | 40/1 | 33/1 |
Johnson certainly looked impressive last week, winning The Northern Trust by 11 shots, so it would be foolish not to take a look at him this week. The 36-year-old told reporters he’s trying to hold on to the momentum from his victory.
“I mean, still working on exactly the same things as I was doing last week, just making sure everything is staying consistent, got the same feels,†Johnson said. “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.â€
Johnson does come in with a slight disadvantage, not having played Olympia Fields before.
So who could have an edge this week and win? We take a look at some golfers to consider, and others to stay away from at the BMW Championship.
Golfers to Consider
Justin Thomas (12/1)
Don’t think Thomas is going to lay down and let Johnson take the FedEx Cup from him. The BMW Championship’s defending champion won at a different golf course last year, but is motivated to win back the No. 1 ranking in both the Official World Golf Rankings and the FedEx Cup.
Daniel Berger (22/1)
Quietly, Berger has been playing some really strong golf. He has six top-5 finishes in his last eight events, including finishing third last week at The Northern Trust. With these odds, he’s a great value bet.
Tiger Woods (33/1)
It is hard to think of Woods as a long shot, but at 40/1 at BetMGM, he might be worth plunking down a bet. He finished tied for 20th when the US Open was last at Olympia Fields, and if he is going to get back to the Tour Championship, he needs a top-5 finish this week.
Golfers to Avoid
Rory McIlroy (16/1)
You could make McIlroy 50/1 and I still wouldn’t bet on him. The Irishman is struggling, and no one has really talked that much about it. The former No. 1 player in the world hasn’t had a top-10 finish since the restart, and has placed 30th or worse in six of his seven tournaments.
Tony Finau (33/1)
Finau missed the cut last week at The Northern Trust, and could find a similar fate at the BMW Championship. The putter was his enemy last week, as he only made six birdie putts in 28 attempts. That kind of performance isn’t going to win him any tournaments.
