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Horse Racing BMW Championship Best Bet: 46.00 Pick For This Weekend’s Action
BMW Championship Best Bet: Thursday, August 17th
Olympia Fields Country Club returns as the host course for the BMW Championship. We have analysed the betting markets to bring you our BMW Championship best bet.
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BMW Championship Preview
Thursday, 17th August, 12:00 (UK)
The BMW Championship returns to the North Course at Olympia Fields Country Club for the second time, having last hosted the event in 2020.
Patrick Cantlay is the defending champion, having won this event in each of the last two years. However, Jon Rahm was the man who triumphed in 2020 when Olympia Fields last hosted. Rahm won with a score of four under par that week and we can once again expect Olympia Fields to offer a stern examination. Several of the players likened the course setup in 2020 to that of a US Open, a factor I’ve taken into consideration this week.
At 7,366 yards, Olympia Fields will play as a par 70, just as it did in 2020. Originally designed by Scotsman Willie Park Jr, significant renovations were made by Mark Mungearn in 2013. Although the course has hosted four Major Championships, the most recent was the 2003 U.S. Open. We have little course form to draw upon but some players in this week’s field did play in the 2015 U.S. Amateur.
Rain showers and 15mph winds could cause problems on Thursday but the forecast for the other three days is favourable. The weather shouldn’t determine the winner.
This week’s event, like last week, will have no cut after 36 holes. All 50 players will play the weekend in the hope of securing a top 30 finish in the FedEx Cup Standings. Only the top 30 in the rankings will progress to next week’s Tour Championship at East Lake, with all the benefits that brings for next year.
BMW Championship Best Bet
Before coming to my favourite bet in the outright market, there are two bets worth highlighting with bet365.
Lee Hodges makes plenty of appeal to beat Seamus Power in their round 1 two ball match. Hodges matched or bettered Power’s score in three of the four rounds last week and has generally been in better form of late. Winner of the 3M Open only two starts ago, he comes into this week with some momentum as he aims to sneak inside the top 30 in the FedEx rankings.
Power withdrew from the Scottish Open before missing the cut at The Open and finishing 66th last week at the FedEx St Jude Championship. Only two players had worse Tee to Green stats than the Irishman in Memphis and he looks worth taking on.
Power cited a hip injury when withdrawing in Scotland and it’s entirely plausible that he wouldn’t be playing were it not for the fact these events are some of the most important all year. You can back Hodges at 2.0 with bet365 to get the better of Power.
The other special bet I like with bet365 is the lowest score this week to be over 64 shots. In 2020, Jon Rahm shot the lowest score of the week with a round of 64. However, there were 69 players teeing it up that week, compared to only 50 this time. Keep an eye on pre-tournament interviews to see how the course is playing compared to 2020. Bet365 are offering odds of 2.10 on the lowest score being over 64 shots and that could well be a favourable price if conditions are tough once again.
Returning to the outright market, Brian Harman is the player who stands out as a fantastic each way bet. Winner of The Open Championship three weeks ago, it was entirely understandable that he was a little rusty returning to competitive action last week. The ‘Butcher of Hoylake’ was four over par through his opening nine holes but steadied the ship on the back nine before posting three subsequent rounds under par.
Harman posted a 12th place finish at Olympia Fields in 2020 but returns as a much more accomplished player. He’s currently ninth in the FedEx Cup rankings, with the Claret Jug on his mantelpiece.
What particularly attracts me to Harman is his solid U.S. Open record. If Olympia Fields does set up once again as a U.S. Open type test, Harman has shown in the past that he can excel in that kind of environment. Take the joint industry best of 46.00 with bet365 on the diminutive American winning again this week.
- Selection: Brian Harman EW (1/4 1-5)
- Best Odds: 46.00 (bet365)
- Stakes: 1/10
Odds via bet365 as at 11.55 August 15th 2023. Odds may now differ.
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