No sooner had Justin Rose’s winning putt at the FedEx St Jude Championship dropped into the bottom of the hole, the PGA Tour began moving on to the second round of the 2025 FedEx Cup Playoffs.
This week, it’s the turn of the BMW Championship to host the PGA Tour’s best, with the top-50 players from the entire season all trying to make it through to East Lake and the Tour Championship.
World No.1, Scottie Scheffler is already assured of a place in the closing tournament, and the four-time Major winner starts the BMW Championship as the overwhelming title favorite.
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That is despite Rory McIlroy appearing for the first time in the 2025 FedEx Cup Playoffs, with the Northern Irishman and World No.2 a comfortable second, according to BetMGM. The rest of the field trail behind, therefore anyone outside of those two who triumphs could arguably be labelled a sleeper.
Below, we’ve shared the odds for the leading hopefuls at the BMW Championship as well our favorite picks to win the second FedEx Cup Playoffs event.
Keegan Bradley holds up the BMW Championship trophy after his win in 2024
(Image credit: Getty Images)
BMW Championship Course Guide: Caves Valley Golf Club
Caves Valley is a member-owned not-for-profit golf club in Owings Mills, Maryland that opened in 1991 and has hosted several prestigious tournaments and championships since.
As well as the 2021 BMW Championship, it staged the 2002 US Senior Open, the 2009 Women’s Golf Championships, the 2014 International Crown and the 1995 US Mid-Amateur.
The par-71 course – designed by Tom Fazio – is known for its fast greens, rolling fairways and plenty of water hazards. Despite the significant amount of potential trouble around, Patrick Cantlay’s winning score in 2021 was an incredible 27-under-par.
For this week’s BMW Championship, the layout has been stretched to just over 7,600 yards and will play as a par-70 with four par-3 holes (two of which are 245 yards long) and just two par 5s – measuring 590 and 599 yards.
The 18th green at Caves Valley Golf Club during the final round of the 2021 BMW Championship
(Image credit: Getty Images)
BMW Championship Previous WinnersSwipe to scroll horizontally
Year
Champion
Score
Course
2024
Keegan Bradley
-12 (one stroke)
Castle Pines
2023
Viktor Hovland
-17 (two strokes)
Olympia Fields
2022
Patrick Cantlay
-14 (one stroke)
Wilmington
2021
Patrick Cantlay
-27 (playoff – Bryson DeChambeau)
Castle Pines
2020
Jon Rahm
-4 (playoff – Dustin Johnson)
Olympia Fields
2019
Justin Thomas
-25 (three strokes)
Medinah
2018
Keegan Bradley
-20 (playoff – Justin Rose)
Aronimink
2017
Marc Leishman
-23 (five strokes)
Conway Farms
2016
Dustin Johnson
-23 (three strokes)
Crooked Stick
2015
Jason Day
-22 (six strokes)
Conway Farms
BMW Championship Tournament Betting Odds
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Outright winner odds from BetMGM (odds correct at time of publishing)
Scottie Scheffler (+225)Rory McIlroy (+700)Tommy Fleetwood (+1600)Ludvig Aberg (+1800)Patrick Cantlay (+1800)Xander Schauffele (+1800)Cameron Young (+2500)Justin Thomas (+2500)Russell Henley (+2800)JJ Spaun (+3000)Ben Griffin (+3300)Collin Morikawa (+3300)Hideki Matsuyama (+3300)Sam Burns (+3300)Sepp Straka (+3500)Viktor Hovland (+3500)Akshay Bhatia (+4000)Justin Rose (+4000)Matt Fitzpatrick (+4000)Kurt Kitayama (+4500)All other players priced at +5000 or higherBMW Championship Betting Picks
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Pick One: Ludvig Aberg +1800 @ BetMGM
The Swede has not quite kicked on like we thought he would after his brilliant Genesis Invitational victory in February, but there are signs that he is ready to win again. The talented Swede has two top-10s in his last three starts along with a T23rd at The Open.
He gained strokes in all key metrics last week in his T9th at the FedEx St Jude Championship, too, so I believe he will go well this week if the putter can get hot.
Pick Two: Sam Burns +3300 @ BetMGM
Burns was the US Open’s 54-hole leader less than two months ago before a difficult Sunday, and he has had a solid if unspectacular run since while making cuts. He is one of the best putters in the game and knows how to go low, which is why I like him this week at Caves Valley – where the winning score was 27-under last time.
Burns finished 8th that week so I expect him to enjoy his return and hopefully play some golf akin to his first three days at Oakmont in June. He is also in need of a good next couple of weeks to show Keegan Bradley he is deserving of a wildcard pick, so I’m sure he is very focused on playing well.
Jonny Leighfield
News Writer
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Pick One: Rory McIlroy +700 @ BetMGM
Fresh from a week or two away while the rest of his peers were grinding away at the FedEx St Jude Championship, I feel McIlroy will want to come back in and immediately show everyone who’s boss with a statement performance.
The Northern Irishman likes it at Caves Valley anyway, having finished a credible fourth in a ridiculously low-scoring event back in 2021. Plus, his combination of length and accuracy should set him up nicely for a crack at his fourth win of the season.
Pick Two: Russell Henley +2800 @ BetMGM
The one potential downside to Henley is his lack of length off the tee, but for almost every other reason I can think of, the American has so much upside. His accuracy is off the charts every week and his putting stats – bar a little mid-season wobble – rank him as one of the best on tour.
And from a strokes gained point of view, Henley has also only been in the red once from 16 appearances all season. Basically, his all around game is extremely good. Four top-10s in a row made way for a T17th finish last week, but Henley’s form is so good at the moment that he could easily bounce back with a win in Maryland.
How To Watch The BMW Championship
US/ET
Thursday, August 14 – Round One: 2:00pm – 6:00pm (Golf Channel/NBC Sports App)Friday, August 15 – Round Two: 2:00pm – 6:00pm (Golf Channel/NBC Sports App)Saturday, August 16 – Round Three: 1:00pm – 3:00pm (Golf Channel/NBC Sports App), 3:00pm – 6:00pm (NBC/Peacock)Sunday, August 17 – Round Four: 12:00pm – 2:00pm (Golf Channel/NBC Sports App), 2:00pm – 6:00pm (NBC/Peacock)
UK/BST
Thursday, August 14 – Round One: 5:00pm – 11:00pm (Sky Sports Golf)Friday, August 15 – Round Two: 5:00pm – 11:00pm (Sky Sports Golf)Saturday, August 16 – Round Three: 4:00pm – 11:00pm (Sky Sports Golf)Sunday, August 17 – Round Four: 4:00pm – 11:00pm (Sky Sports Golf)Golf Monthly Betting Picks: Wins In 2025Swipe to scroll horizontally
Player
Event
Price
GM Staff Member
Richard Mansell
Porsche Singapore Classic
+6000
Matt Cradock
Eugenio Chacarra
Hero Indian Open
+3500
Elliott Heath
Sergio Garcia
LIV Golf Hong Kong
+2200
Jonny Leighfield
Ludvig Aberg
Genesis Invitational
+2200
Matt Cradock
Laurie Canter
Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship
+2200
Jonny Leighfield/Matt Cradock
Joaquin Niemann
LIV Golf UK
+900
Matt Cradock
Tyrrell Hatton
Hero Dubai Desert Classic
+900
Jonny Leighfield
Joaquin Niemann
LIV Golf Virginia
+750
Jonny Leighfield
Rory McIlroy
The Masters
+650
Barry Plummer
Scottie Scheffler
PGA Championship
+400
Matt Cradock/Elliott Heath
