2024 BMW Championship: Top 10 power rankings at Castle Pines GC
8) Billy Horschel
Horschel continued his torrid stretch of golf with a T10 last week in Memphis.
There are no flaws in his game at the moment; he continues to rack up high finish after high finish. There is no reason to believe this week will be any different.
The American won at nearby Cherry Hills in 2014, proving that the altitude is no deterrent to his game. He has also shown an affinity for Nicklaus courses, as evidenced by his win at The Memorial in 2022.
His flatstick should also stay hot, as Horschel has excelled on bentgrass-style greens this season. According to Matt Vincenzi of Golf WRX, he is fourth in the field in Strokes Gained: Putting on bentgrass greens in the past 24 rounds.
There are legitimate questions as to whether his top-end is good enough to win in such a stacked field, but another high finish should be in store.
7) Viktor Hovland
If you were to ask me who the second-best golfer was at the end of last season, I would have said Viktor Hovland -- with authority.
At last year's BMW Championship, Hovland won in dramatic fashion, recording seven birdies en route to a back nine 28 to chase down Scottie Scheffler. It will forever be one of the greatest rounds in the history of golf.
This year is sure to be a small blip on the radar of Hovland's career. But golf is a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately game, and before last week's runner-up, the cupboard was bare.
His driver and irons have been sneakily excellent. The issue has been the dreaded short game -- the same one that plagued 14-year-old Hovland, 20-year-old Hovland, and now, 26-year-old Hovland.
He has consistently been one of the longest hitters on tour, so Castle Pines' length should be an advantage for the Norwegian. He is coming off his second-best approach play and putting week (from a SG standpoint) of the season but has struggled to string together consistent performances week to week.
Nonetheless, he seems to have that fire in his eyes again and appears eager to remind the golf world of just how talented he is. Watch out.