Jon Rahm returns to defend his 2020 title on this classic Chicagoland layout. This time he’ll have only 49 players trying to hunt him down.
BMW Championship
FedExCup Playoffs Event No. 2
Olympia Fields Country Club
North Course
Chicago, Illinois
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This Week – BMW Championship
Chalk (via Bet365.com)
Rory McIlroy (7/1) circled the second-most birdies here in 2020 but also squared 18 bogeys (T12). After posting eight consecutive top-10 paydays, including a come-from-behind victory at the Scottish Open, he is still looking for his first victory on U.S. soil in 2023. The only surprise this week would be if he’s not in contention Sunday afternoon.
Scottie Scheffler (7/1) surely cannot post three consecutive starts outside the top 20, right? His two worst paydays (T31, T23) have occurred in his previous two starts on TOUR. Everybody knows the club that is holding him back. Everyone has known this for three months. The Texan closed with 66 here in 2020 during his rookie season.
Jon Rahm (10/1) is the only player in the field who has a victory to their name on this course. Posting 4-under 276 after 66-64 on the weekend, the Spaniard forced and won a playoff to secure his first FedExCup Playoffs victory. The uneven waves of momentum (T37-T2-MC-T10) over his last four starts have confounded investors. The big money is on the line next week.
Patrick Cantlay (10/1) enters the week as the two-time reigning champion, albeit on two very different layouts in Maryland and Delaware. Sharing the 36-hole lead with McIlroy in 2020, the Californian has annually been in the mix at this point in the season over the last three years. Defeated last week in a playoff in Memphis after closing with 64, I’m not worried about his current form.
Viktor Hovland (16/1) won at the Memorial Tournament earlier this year, one of the toughest tests of 2023. Posting 7-under, he defeated Denny McCarthy in a playoff to pick up his first win in the U.S.A. The tight fairways, firm and fast Bentgrass, and deep Kentucky Bluegrass rough outside of Chicago proper should remind him of his happiest days of this season.
Top 10/Top 20/Top 40
Collin Morikawa (20/1): Anybody who ranks in the top four in Fairways AND GIR will factor this week. If he’s going to have a great week with the putter, it will be on Bent/Poa.
Max Homa (22/1): Watching him graduate to a tough-track specialist has been fantastic. Wins at Riviera, Quail Hollow, and Torrey Pines suggest this task is not too tall for him.
Corey Conners (40/1): The experience of winning twice at the challenging AT&T Oaks Course in San Antonio should translate this week. Fantastic metrics tee-to-green have my full attention.
Longer Shots
Use ’em wherever you see fit!
Cam Davis (55/1): I can’t ignore the heat and the results. He’s been in this column the last two weeks and has paid off handsomely. Crashing and burning is an option this week, I know, but I’m going to ride until I’m bucked off.
Sahith Theegala (80/1): Looking to book his second consecutive trip to East Lake, he’ll gladly take his chances on a tough, ball-striking layout.
Patrick Rodgers (150/1): His best paydays have been on big, burly tracks such as Quail Hollow, Torrey Pines, and Muirfield Village GC.
Angles at Olympia Fields
The summer of Lucas Glover heads to Chicago. After winning the final event of the regular season, the veteran picked up 2,000 more FedExCup points, winning last week at TPC Southwind to jump to No. 4 in the FedExCup standings.
2020 rewind:
- The course played as the fourth-most difficult track during the 2020 season (71.815).
- Through three rounds there were only 30 rounds (from 70 players) in the 60s before an additional 33 were signed for on Sunday.
- The first two rounds produced exactly 11 rounds in the 60s.
- There were eight bogey-free rounds for the week. Half of them posted on Sunday.
- Became the only event this century (non-major) to feature 2 or less players under par after 54 holes.
- Matt Fitzpatrick was the only competitor squaring fewer than 10 bogeys (9) for the week.
FedExCup Playoffs Event 2 Bubble:
25. Corey Conners
26. Tyrrell Hatton
27. Jordan Spieth
28. Sungjae Im
29. Chris Kirk
30. Sam Burns
31. Sahith Theegala
32. Justin Rose
33. Kurt Kitayama
34. Denny McCarthy
35. Seamus Power
The winner takes home $3.6 million of the $20 million purse, plus 2,000 FedExCup points.
NOW PLAYING:
Returning to the North Course at Olympia Fields for just the second time in FedExCup Playoffs history (2020), the top 30 players at the conclusion of play this week will advance to The TOUR Championship at East Lake GC in Atlanta.
Playing to Par-70 and 7,366 yards, the historic course set in the Chicago suburbs matches the scorecard from 2020. The challenges this week include tree-lined dog legs, water penalty areas on half of the holes, and the return to slick Bent/Poa putting surfaces.
Hosting the 2003 U.S. Open and 2020 BMW Championship, Olympia Fields is more mysterious than known quantity on TOUR. Of the 70 players who teed it up in 2020, 24 will return this week from the field of 50.
Good luck.
| Host Course | North Course |
| Yards (per official scorecard): | 7,366 |
| Par: | 70 (35-35). |
| Greens: | Bent/Poa; 6,000 square feet on average. |
| Stimpmeter: | 12.5 feet. |
| Rough: | Kentucky Bluegrass four inches and higher. |
| Bunkers/Water Hazards/In-Play | 85/2/9 |
| Architect(s): | Willie Park (1923) |
| Defending Champion (event): | Jon Rahm (-4; playoff). |
| Multiple Champion(s) Entered: | Patrick Cantlay has won the last two EVENTS (not played at this course). |
| Course Record (last): | 63; Vijay Singh (2003 U.S. Open). |
| 72 Hole Tournament Record: | 276; Jon Rahm (2020). |
| Fact of the Week: | 24 of the 50 players in the field played in the 2020 event (70 players). |
| Fact of the Week II: | Only five players broke par in 2020. |
Notes:
- Field of 50.
- The OWGR is represented by 41 of the top 50 players.
- No-cut event.
- At the conclusion of play, the top 30 players in the FedExCup Rankings advance to The TOUR Championship next week in Atlanta at East Lake Golf Club.
Season Winners
2022-2023 Season Winners
| Event | Winner |
| Fortinet Championship | Max Homa |
| Sanderson Farms Championship | Mackenzie Holmes |
| Shriners Children’s Open | Tom Kim |
| ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP | Keegan Bradley |
| CJ CUP at CONGAREE | Rory McIlroy |
| Butterfield Bermuda Championship | Seamus Power |
| Mayakoba Championship | Russell Henley |
| Cadence Bank Houston Open | Tony Finau |
| The RSM Classic | Adam Svensson (first TOUR win) |
| Sentry Tournament of Champions | Jon Rahm |
| Sony Open in Hawaii | Si Woo Kim |
| The AMERICAN EXPRESS | Jon Rahm (2) |
| Farmers Insurance Open | Max Homa (2) |
| AT&T Pebble Beach | Justin Rose |
| WM Phoenix Open | Scottie Scheffler |
| The Genesis Invitational | Jon Rahm (3) |
| The Honda Classic | Chris Kirk |
| Arnold Palmer Invitational | Kurt Kitayama (first TOUR win) |
| THE PLAYERS Championship | Scottie Scheffler (2) |
| Valspar Championship | Taylor Moore (first TOUR win) |
| Corales Puntacana | Matt Wallace (first TOUR win) |
| WGC – Dell Technologies MP | Sam Burns |
| Valero Texas Open | Corey Conners |
| Masters | Jon Rahm (4) |
| RBC Heritage | Matt Fitzpatrick |
| Zurich Classic of New Orleans | Davis Riley & Nick Hardy (first TOUR win for each) |
| Mexico Open at Vidanta | Tony Finau (2) |
| Wells Fargo Championship | Wyndham Clark (first TOUR win) |
| AT&T Byron Nelson | Jason Day |
| PGA Championship | Brooks Koepka |
| Charles Schwab Challenge | Emiliano Grillo |
| Memorial | Viktor Hovland |
| RBC Canadian Open | Nick Taylor |
| U.S. Open | Wyndham Clark (2) |
| Travelers Championship | Keegan Bradley (2) |
| Rocket Mortgage Classic | Rickie Fowler |
| John Deere Classic | Sepp Straka |
| Genesis Scottish Open | Rory McIlroy (2) |
| The Open Championship | Brian Harman |
| 3M Open | Lee Hodges (first TOUR win) |
| Wyndham Championship | Lucas Glover |
| FedEx St. Jude Championship | Lucas Glover (2) |
Recent Winners – Olympia Fields
Italics – not entered this week.
| Year | Winner | Notes |
| 2020 | Jon Rahm (-4) | Opened 75-71 before closing 66-64 to win a playoff. |
OAD – 2023 Spotter’s Game
| Already Burned |
| Sungjae Im – Maui |
| Tom Kim – Sony |
| Tom Hoge – AMEX |
| Viktor Hovland – Pebble |
| Xander Schauffele – WMPO |
| Max Homa – Riviera |
| Shane Lowry – Honda |
| Tyrrell Hatton – API |
| Akshay Bhatia – PRO |
| Jason Day – THE PLAYERS |
| Justin Rose – Valspar |
| Cam Percy – Corales |
| Scottie Scheffler – WGC MP |
| Rickie Fowler – Valero |
| Jordan Spieth – Masters |
| Collin Morikawa – RBC Heritage |
| Billy Horschel – Zurich |
| Nicolai Hojgaard – Mexico |
| Rory McIlroy – WFC |
| Adam Scott – ATTBN |
| Brooks Koepka – PGA Championship |
| Chris Kirk – Colonial |
| Patrick Cantlay – Memorial |
| Matt Fitzpatrick – RBC CO |
| Jon Rahm – US Open |
| Harris English – Travelers |
| Davis Riley – RMC |
| Adam Schenk – JDC |
| Tommy Fleetwood – Scottish Open |
| Cameron Smith – The Open |
| Cameron Young – 3M Open |
| Denny McCarthy – Wyndham |
This Week – BMW Championship
Corey Conners
Glass Houses 