The BMW Championship heads to Bellerive Country Club for the penultimate event of the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup Playoffs.
The top 70 in the FedEx Cup teed it up in Memphis; now 50 will compete for the right to earn one of thirty spots in next week's season finale, the Tour Championship. Bellerive Country Club (Par 70, 7,448 yards), host of the 2018 PGA Championship, will host the BMW Championship for the first time since 2008. It is also set to host the Presidents Cup in 2030.
After Scottie Scheffler dominated the field for us at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in the first event of this year's playoffs, the world No.1 is set to tee it up once again at the BMW Championship as the defending champion after winning this event at Caves Valley Golf Club in 2025. The four-time major champion will look to become just the second player since 2007 to win back-to-back BMW Championships, a feat Patrick Cantlay accomplished in 2021-22.
The FedEx Cup No.1 headlines a strong field that has made the trek to St. Louis, Missouri, for the second playoff event of the year. Each of the top 10 OWGR-ranked players is set to compete this week, and there are several notables who come into the second leg of the playoffs currently outside of the top 30 in the FedEx Cup, including 2026 Texas Children's Houston Open winner Gary Woodland, 2026 PGA Champion Aaron Rai, and two-time major champion Justin Thomas.
With a spot at East Lake and the Tour Championship on the line, who will rise to the occasion at the BMW Championship? Let's get into the picks and predictions for the season's penultimate event.
2026 BMW Championship picks and predictions
Top 20 pick for the BMW Championship: Adam Scott (+108)
Adam Scott returns to Bellerive as the only player in the fifty-man field to have competed here at both the 2008 BMW Championship and the 2018 PGA Championship.
Ranked 27th in the FedEx Cup Standings, the Australian will look to secure his 10th trip to the Tour Championship since 2010. Scott finished T9 at the Open Championship and tied for 12th at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, his sixth T12 finish or better in 2026. He finished third at the PGA Championship here in 2018 and has recorded top-five finishes in each of his last two BMW Championship appearances.
Pick to win the BMW Championship w/o Scheffler: Viktor Hovland (+2200)
Taking a couple of shots in the "without Scottie Scheffler" market seems like the play with the world No.1 in top form. Viktor Hovland was in contention at TPC Southwind in his last start before struggling on the weekend. Still, it was another top-20 finish for the 2023 FedEx Cup Champion, his fourth in his last six starts.
A winner at the Travelers Championship in June, Hovland has a win and a T7 finish in two of his last three BMW Championship starts. He ranks third in the field in strokes gained: approach over the last three months, per Data Golf, and has now gained strokes on approach in every start dating back to the RBC Heritage in April.
Pick to win the BMW Championship w/o Scheffler: Sam Burns (+1400)
Sam Burns was in contention at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, and he was in contention in the without-Scheffler market too. A costly bogey on the last hole saw Burns notch another third-place finish, his second in consecutive starts. He has finished T4 or better in four of his last six starts and is arguably playing as well as anybody not named Scottie Scheffler over the last couple of months.
The five-time PGA Tour winner leads the field in approach over the last three months and ranks second in strokes gained: putting. If he can improve his accuracy off the tee a touch, he could be on the verge of earning win number six. Burns has finished tied for fourth and T2 in his last two BMW Championship starts.
All betting odds courtesy of DraftKings. Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. The content in this article should not be considered betting advice. Gambling involves risk, and one should only gamble with funds that one can comfortably afford to lose. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
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