2022 BMW Championship: Top 10 Power Rankings at Wilmington CC
For the first time in tournament history, the BMW Championship heads to Wilmington Country Club in Wilmington, Delaware.
The club was established in 1901 but moved to its current site in 1959. It’s hosted USGA amateur events in the past, but this will be the first professional event.
BMW Championship participant Justin Thomas was a member of the United States 2013 Palmer Cup team that competed at Wilmington CC.
The top 70 players in the FedEx Cup standings qualified for the BMW Championship, whittled down from 125 players at last week’s FedEx St. Jude Championship. Only 68 are in the field as Cam Smith and Tommy Fleetwood are out with injuries.
The top 30 in the standings after this week move on to the final playoff event next week at the Tour Championship.
The BMW Championship doesn’t feature a 36-hole cut.
Wilmington CC’s South Course is in play this week. It measures 7,534 yards for a par 71.
This week’s venue is one of the longest on the PGA Tour.
Without course history to rely on, this week’s power rankings will rely mostly on recent form. If you had to peg a type of player to fare well this week, it appears length will be an asset as well as good iron play.
Those things are usually good ingredients week in and week out on the PGA Tour.
Weather for the week looks to be pretty benign with temperatures in the 60s-80s and winds not expected to sustain at much more than 10 miles per hour.
Let’s get down to business with this week’s top 10 for the BMW Championship
When a T-31st is one of your worst recent results, you know you’re having a good summer. Cameron Young is still in a good position for the FedEx Cup title after finishing in the top quarter of the 125-man field last week.
One of the leading PGA Tour Rookie of the Year candidates posted 67-71 to make the cut on the number and finished in 70-66 to climb up the leaderboard. Young ranked second in the field for the week in strokes gained off the tee (4.715). He was also second in SG tee to green (8.392) but was a little off on and around the greens.
That type of statistical breakdown is pretty common for one of the best ball strikers on tour. His length off the tee should be an asset this week at the lengthy Wilmington Country Club.
Prior to TPC Southwind, Young finished solo second at The Open Championship and T-2nd at the Rocket Mortgage Classic.
He’s up to a whopping six runner-ups this season.
The 25-year-old ranks second on the PGA Tour per round in SG off the tee (.982). He’s also 13th in SG tee to green (1.259) and in total SG (1.419) as well as fourth in driving distance (318.6).
If this week ends up featuring tons of low scores, that’s up Young’s alley. He’s fifth in birdie average (4.42).
Young’s former teammate at Wake Forest, Will Zalatoris, shook off the moniker as one of, if not the, best player without a PGA Tour win. Young’s too young to be maligned for not hoisting a trophy yet, but the pressure will only continue to mount.
Young’s played well all season at courses he’s seeing for the first time. He’ll be on more level footing this week at the BMW Championship.