BMW Championship Power Rankings: Yes, There Are Contenders Beyond Scheffler and Schauffele

Fifty players remain for Round.2 of the FedEx Playoffs, and while the top two players look formidable, our model has identified their top challengers.

Hideki Matsuyama enters the BMW fresh off a win at the FedEx St. Jude Championship. / Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal / USA TODAY NETWORK

Welcome to Power Rankings, a weekly feature on SI Golf from our partners at KeyCompete. This week the 50 top players in the regular-season points list head to Colorado for the BMW Championship, which serves as Round 2 of the FedEx Cup Playoffs. Here’s how our model sees it shaping up.

BMW Championship Preview

The BMW Championship will be staged at Castle Pines Country Club, which was designed by Jack Nicklaus and opened in 1981. It’s a demanding par-72 layout with stunning Colorado vistas. The course stretches approximately 8,130 yards, and at over 6,000 feet of elevation players will see a bump in their stock yardages. Precision off the tee, accurate approach shots and adept management of the greens will be essential for success. Here are 10 players our model likes this week.

KeyCompete’s BMW Championship Power Rankings

(Odds via DraftKings)

10. (+3500) - Billy Horschel: Gritty play and strong performances in previous playoffs, including a title, make him notable. Solid ball striking and clutch putting could give him an edge.

9. (+5000) - Akshay Bhatia: Aggressive style and improving all-around game are well-suited here. Winner earlier this year at the Valero. This could be his breakout.

8. (+2000) - Ludvig Åberg: Length off the tee and precise approach play should make him a factor.

7. (+1200) - Rory McIlroy: Formidable thanks to his power game and strategic acumen. But putter struggles and poor finish last week bump him out of our top 5.

6. (+1400) - Collin Morikawa: Remarkable iron play and consistency are significant assets. Contended in two majors this year and should have a shot to cash in this week. 

5. (+1800) - Viktor Hovland: When he’s clicking, his impressive ball-striking can carry him. Huge bounce-back last week to finish T2 after a disappointing year.

4. (+3000) - Tony Finau: Length, accuracy, and strong putting makes him a top contender, and dark horse for this field.

3. (+1800) - Hideki Matsuyama: Showed incredible resolve to rally for the win at St. Jude. Also fresh off a bronze medal in Paris, so he is essentially the next-hottest golfer right now behind the Big 2.

2. (+550) - Xander Schauffele: Balanced game, impressive playoff track record and looking to build on a dream season.

1. (+330) - Scottie Scheffler: Undisputed man of the moment. Still riding exceptional form and confidence. 

2024 FedEx St. Jude Recap

Hideki Matsuyama coughed up a four-shot final-round lead, then showed his trademark skill and composure to birdie 17 and 18 to reclaim the lead and steal the win from the jaws of a meltdown. KeyCompete had a solid week on matchup bets and brought our record to 151-81 on the season.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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