The real Rory McIlroy showed up for the closing two rounds of the Deutsche Bank Championship, and the four-time major winner is listed at +500 to double-dip this weekend on the odds to win the 2016 BMW Championship at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
With the 7,516-yard par-72 layout at Crooked Stick Golf Club in Carmel, Ind., the next-to-last event of the FedEx Cup playoffs is a haven for longer drivers. McIlroy went 66-65 on Sunday and Monday to capture the BMW Championship and get his first tournament win of 2016 on U.S. Soil.
In 2012, McIlroy won in back-to-back weeks at the Deutsche Bank and BMW championships. At the latter, he went under par on 25 of the 72 holes.
World No. 1 Jason Day, who is playing Crooked Stick for the first time, is listed at +700. Day is in the PGA Tour’s top 20 in driving distance, and has been in the top 15 in four consecutive events. Dustin Johnson, at +800, leads the Tour in driving distance, but his iffy putting of late should give bettors pause.
Jordan Spieth (+1400 on the golf betting lines) has contended in only one of his last seven events. However, Adam Scott (+1600) is among the driving distance leaders and is coming in hot with successive fourth-place finishes. Being sixth in FedEx Cup points creates some urgency for Scott, since anyone who is in the top five after this weekend can win the playoffs and a $10-million bonus by winning The Tour Championship.
Patrick Reed (+2200), who is first in the FedEx Cup standings, has been consistent all season. Rain is forecast for later this weekend in Carmel, and moist fairways might limit the advantage heavy hitters have over someone such as Reed, who averages fewer than 300 yards off the tee.
Olympic gold medalist Justin Rose, who falls in the former category (15th in driving distance), is looking for a bounce-back after a brutal back nine in the final round of the Deutsche Bank. Rose is also at +2200 on the BMW Championship betting lines.
Gary Woodland (+5000) is another long hitter who could get into contention if his short game remains stable throughout the weekend. Russell Knox (+6000), who is seventh in FedEx Cup points, should be out to make a statement after being left off Europe’s Ryder Cup team.
The event is open to the top 70 in FedEx Cup points, but Henrik Stenson has withdrawn due to an ailing knee. The top 30 after this weekend advance to The Tour Championship.