Playing in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty, of course Patrick Reed came out on top at the Northern Trust. I didn't have him on my card, but he was a popular pick in betting circles and now Reed is among the contenders for the 2019 FedEx Cup.
We now shift focus to the next FedEx Cup event, the BMW Championship at Medinah Country Club in Illinois, which hasn't hosted an event since the 2012 Ryder Cup. Medinah has also played host to the 1999 and 2006 PGA Championship, both of which were won by Tiger Woods.
The Course
Medinah is a really long course, measuring over 7,600 yards for a par 72.
Outside of the length, tree-lined fairways and a few strategically placed water hazards give golfers something to think about. Despite being long, it's not a course where the players can just bomb and gouge. Some precision is required off the tee.
The Favorites
Everyone in the top 70 of the FedEx Cup standings, sans Kevin Na, will be here this week. The top 30 in the standings following the event will advance to East Lake for the Tour Championship.
Brooks Koepka and Rory McIlroy top the odds again at 8-1. Jon Rahm is right behind them at 10-1. Dustin Johnson (14-1), Justin Thomas (16-1), Justin Rose (16-1) and Patrick Cantlay (18-1) are the only other golfers under 20-1.
Rose and Adam Scott (25-1) are the two guys I like most at the top but I wanted better numbers on both of them to get involved. If either start a little slow, I'll look to add them live.
The Mid-Tier
There really isn't much about this board that I'm in love with and if I do dive in, it'll be after the first couple of rounds. That being said, I will be investing in Ian Poulter (66-1).
Poulter will be a popular pick this week because of his course history. The Englishman dominated the U.S. in the 2012 Ryder Cup and finished inside the top 10 at the 2006 PGA Championship. Those results are pretty far in the rear-view mirror, but blending those strong performances with some solid recent form and I think he has a chance for another good week.
2019 Czech Masters Betting Preview
It's a light card in the U.S. this week, so I'll toss in a couple of plays from the Czech Masters as well.
The European Tour has been off since the Open Championship, but will return this week for the Czech Masters. The Albatross Golf Resort, which measures a little over 7,400 yards, will host the event and favors longer hitters who can hit a lot of greens.
The first add to my card here is Julian Suri at 33-1. The American is one of the longest hitters in Europe, has above average accuracy and is gaining strokes with his approach.
I'll also back Gavin Green at the same price as Suri. Green is not the longest hitter, but distance doesn't hurt him as he's fifth in Europe in Greens in Regulation (GIR). He was third here last year, so we know he likes the course.
I'm also going to take a shot on Adri Arnaus at 66-1. The Catalan is third in distance and 13th in GIR on the European circuit. He also ranks 20th in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green. Arnaus' putter has not been his friend this season, but if it cooperates he'll contend here.
My final play at the Czech Masters will be on Hugo Leon at 175-1. He's inside the top 20 in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green but has been just terrible with the putter and we know that can turn for guys at any time.
The Cards
2019 BMW Championship
- Ian Poulter +6600 (.5 units)
2019 Czech Masters
- Julian Suri +3300 (1 unit)
- Gavin Green +3300 (1 unit)
- Adri Arnaus +6600 (.5 units)
- Hugo Leon +17500 (.19 units)
Total Stake: 3.19 units
