2023 BMW Championship First Look Odds, Picks: Bet Viktor Hovland, Hideki Matsuyama at Olympia Fields
Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images. Pictured: Hideki Matsuyama.
Lucas Glover has put himself firmly in the United States Ryder Cup conversation following back-to-back victories.
His win at the FedEx St. Jude Championship was even more impressive than the last as he beat 69 of the best players on the PGA Tour. Glover, who enters the second playoff event in an improbable fourth place in the FedEx Cup standings, has a great chance to position himself well for a big finish in the upcoming Tour Championship.
The field is now cut down to 50 after players jockeyed to get themselves into this event and lock a spot into all 12 of the signature events next season. The battle within the tournament was fun to watch down the back stretch as there was nearly as much pressure on the players around the the 50th position as there was on the players at the top.
It'll be a similar vibe this week from Olympia Fields. Only the top-30 players will make it to next week at the Tour Championship from East Lake.
This isn't the week to try to figure out the emotions of who can handle the pressure, but rather looking for players in form and with course fit at a big-boy track like Olympia Fields.
There may be some crossover between the two, and that'll just give a little extra boost for my BMW Championship pre-tournament card.
First Look
Viktor Hovland +1600 (BetRivers / FanDuel)
Hovland was a popular pick heading into the St. Jude and he might've won if he hadn't stumbled to a 2-over round on Thursday. His play over the weekend in Memphis was some of the best in the field, and it led to a T13 result from nearly the bottom after the first round.
I like Hovland's combination of distance and accuracy in his ball striking as a fit for Olympia Fields. This number is a bit more palatable for me in a short field.
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Hideki Matsuyama +3500 (PointsBet /FanDuel)
Matsuyama is one of the crossover plays I talked about in the intro — he made the biggest charge on Sunday to sneak his way inside the top 50 and cement his spot for the 10th consecutive year in this event. His back-nine performance vaulted him into this tournament and I think he can carry that momentum into a course that fits his game.
He's a player I bought into last week, and while he didn't charge on Saturday like we had hoped, he showed signs of coming into form.
The volatility here doesn't concern me. Matsuyama looks like a player who's starting to put it all together — at +3500, he more than worth a shot in a short field.
Taylor Moore +10000 (FanDuel)
It certainly wasn't the Sunday that Taylor Moore hoped for when he teed it up from the final group at TPC Southwind. I take it as more of a learning experience for the young player and a sign that he has the game to compete in the best fields.
Moore is playing good golf and he has to be riding some confidence after the week he put together at the St. Jude — all of which adds up to me taking a shot on a player who can be elite with his ball striking when on his game.
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