2019 BMW Championship
By T.J. Auclair · August 14, 2019
The second leg of the PGA Tour’s Playoffs for the FedExCup — The BMW Championship — tees off on Thursday at Medinah, just outside Chicago.
After last week’s Northern Trust won by Patrick Reed, the 125-player playoffs field was cut down to 70. Sixty-nine of the 70 will compete this week after Kevin Na withdrew on Monday, effectively ending his 2018-19 season.
Brooks Koepka rolls into the Windy City with a narrow lead in the standings and plenty of big names right behind him, like Reed, Rory McIlroy, Matt Kuchar, Jon Rahm, Patrick Cantlay among the current top 10.
RELATED: Here’s how our caddie picks have fared through the 2019 Northern Trust
So, which players should you be keeping an eye on this week? That’s the question we asked our caddies. Unlike most weeks where three caddies make three picks apiece, we asked for just two apiece this week given the shortened field. Here are the players they like with an explanation why…
Caddie 1
- Brooks Kopeka. “I pick Koepka because I think his back is up against the wall… relatively speaking, of course! If he wants to win the dough, he has to start performing like it’s a major. Yes, he’s No. 1 in the FedExCup standings with just two events two go, but finishes like last week’s T30 at Liberty National aren’t going to get it done.”
- Abraham Ancer. “He’s the one riding high right now after a solo second last week — his best finish of the season and the best finish of his career on the PGA Tour. Maybe he’s like the 2014 Billy Horschel, who got smoking hot in the playoffs and went on to win the FedExCup. But that’s not all Abraham has to play for… he’s also trying to lock up a spot on the International Presidents Cup team.”
Caddie 2
- Adam Scott. “Medinah is a big boys course. Any weaknesses in your game, and you’ll be found out quickly. Adam has played well all season, and coming off a top 10 last week, he’s ready to win one. He and his bag man, Johnny Limanti, are really starting to gel.”
- Rory McIlroy. “He can’t keep playing the way he has and not pull off a W — 13 top 10s in 17 starts this season. Come on. No weaknesses right now. He’ll be one of the last men standing come Sunday.”
Caddie 3
- Jon Rahm. “Rahm is an exceptional iron player, which is needed around this track. It’s tough to get the ball close on these greens with tucked pins — and you know the pins will be tucked — so Rahm’s superb distance control with his irons will be a huge asset. Plus, it looks like John is starting to really roll the rock.”
- Francesco Molinari. “A couple of reasons for this pick. It might not be Molinari’s best season to date (it’d be hard to top 2018), but it’s still been pretty darn good. Along with the victory at Bay Hill in March, Molinari also played great in three of the four majors — T5 at the Masters, T16 at the PGA Championship and T11 at the Open. Put that solid play in the big events along with the fact that he was a part of the European team that stormed back to win the 2012 Ryder Cup here at Medinah (he halved Tiger Woods in the singles session) and I like his chances.”
