2024 BMW Championship predictions, expert picks, odds, field rankings, golf best bets for FedEx Cup Playoffs

For the first time in nearly two decades, the PGA Tour heads to Castle Pines Golf Club in Castle Rock, Colorado, for the 2024 BMW Championship. Welcoming the 50 players that advanced through last week's St. Jude Championship, the par 72 will boast the longest scorecard yardage in PGA Tour history stretching over 8,000 yards.

Playing at roughly 6,000 feet of elevation, players should experience a true yardage similar to the standard week-to-week on the PGA Tour, but that doesn't make it any less jarring. With Castle Pines having previously crowned champions like Greg Norman, Phil Mickelson, Retief Goosen and Davis Love III, another big name will be hoping this week is his time to enter the winner's circle.

Scottie Scheffler has made raising trophies a habit in 2024 with six PGA Tour victories to go along with his Olympic gold medal. Despite enjoying a historical season, the world No. 1 could be caught this week in the FedEx Cup standings if he is not careful. Xander Schauffele lurks roughly 1,500 points behind Scheffler, and given the increased points that come with postseason tournaments, the two-time major champion could be the top man heading into East Lake should he win and Scheffler finish outside the top five.

Scheffler has arrived in Atlanta as the frontrunner the past two years without converting, while Schauffele has been a stallion at East Lake. Before we get there, we must solidify a field that may or may not include a number of big names. Denny McCarthy starts the BMW Championship as the bubble boy ranked No. 30 in the FedEx Cup standings.

Unable to convert his 36-hole lead into his first PGA Tour win at TPC Southwind, the long-time PGA Tour member will hope this is the week that he finally crosses the finish line in first. Similar to McCarthy, Will Zalatoris hopes to punch his first ticket into the Tour Championship, while others like Tommy Fleetwood, Matt Fitzpatrick, Cameron Young and Max Homa have work to do.

Two-time winner Nick Dunlap hopes to continue his climb in the standings and is in need of another big effort. Meanwhile, towards the top of the standings, Rory McIlroy, Collin Morikawa and Colorado native Wyndham Clark jockey for positioning right behind the top three in the FedEx Cup.

Notable golfers on the fringe

2024 BMW Championship schedule

Dates: Aug 22-25
Location: Castle Pines Golf Club -- Castle Rock, Colorado
Par: 72 | Yardage: 8,130
Purse: $20 million

2024 BMW Championship field, odds

• Scottie Scheffler (3-1): Well, the dream of winning 10 times this season is officially no more, but Scheffler still has a chance to match the totals of Vijay Singh and Tiger Woods from the early 2000s. Finishing inside the top five yet again, Scheffler sneakily had a chance to grab the St. Jude Championship late on Sunday if not for an uncooperative putter. It was a frustrating week for the right hander on the greens, but the transition off grainy Bermuda grass should alleviate some of that stress. He leads this field in each tee-to-green metric over the last six months.
• Xander Schauffele (11/2)
• Rory McIlroy (12-1): Ending his St. Jude Championship with rounds of 73-74-74, McIlroy will want to forget his time in Memphis sooner rather than later. The world No. 3 put up some of the worst off-the-tee numbers of his career and could do no right on the greens ranking second-to-last in putting en route to his T68 finish. McIlroy has lost strokes on approach in three of his last four starts and on the greens in four straight.
• Viktor Hovland (14-1): Is he back? The defending champion sizzled in Memphis with a runner-up finish which made for just his second top-10 finish of the season. His iron play was sharp, his driver was still very good and he finally made some putts with some consistency. The short game is still a problem area, but if he hits the ball like he did at TPC Southwind, then he won't need to rely on it all too often.
• Collin Morikawa (16-1)
• Hideki Matsuyama (18-1)
• Patrick Cantlay (18-1): Despite the changes in venues, Cantlay has been a killer in the BMW Championship. Going back-to-back in 2021-22, the former FedEx Cup champion was unable to pull off the rare three-peat at Olympia Fields and instead settled for a T15 finish. After a slow start to the season, Cantlay has found his groove with four straight top 25s including a T12 last weekend where he finished with rounds of 67-66-66.
• Wyndham Clark (20-1): The Olympian is the most experienced player around Castle Pines having played roughly 20 rounds at the Jack Nicklaus design in his life. Despite the narrative around Clark, he has played some stellar golf over the last month or so. He comes into the BMW Championship with four top 15s in his last five starts including a quiet T7 at the St. Jude Championship. His ball striking has returned to early season form and his putter remains as lethal as ever.
• Ludvig Åberg (22-1)
• Tommy Fleetwood (25-1)

2024 BMW Championship expert picks

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