BMW Championship 2023 First-Round Leader Bets
Check out BetMGM's first-round leader (FRL) predictions for the BMW Championship
The FedExCup playoffs will continue on Thursday, Aug. 17, with the BMW Championship from Olympia Fields just outside of Chicago.
The BMW Championship has a $20 million purse, with $3.6 million going to the winner.
Olympia Fields has hosted two U.S. Open’s and two PGA Championships before, so it will have a major championship-like feel. The course also hosted the 2020 edition of this event, and the winning score was -4 (Jon Rahm).
Do not expect a birdie fest this week, and par will be a solid score on virtually every hole.
So, who could post the best score in Thursday’s first round? Below are my first-round leader bets for the week.
BMW Championship 2023: First-Round Leader (FRL) Bets
Jon Rahm +1400 First-Round Leader
Why not go with the player who won the entire tournament the last time Olympia Fields hosted this event? Rahm has a slight advantage over many players in the field, having played the course before, and after a subpar week last week, he could look to make a statement in the opening round this week.
Hideki Matsuyama +2800 First-Round Leader
Matsuyama finished T-3 in 2020 at Olympia Fields, and the way the course is set up, it should suit his solid ball-striking. While he may not have the ability to compete over four days, he certainly has the ability to get hot and put one exceptional round together.
Cameron Young +3300 First-Round Leader
In the last several majors, Young has seen his name near the top of the leaderboard after the opening round a bunch of times. With this being similar to a major, don’t be surprised if Young gets hot, and it happens again. He’s logged two top-10 finishes in the last month.
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Ryan Hannable is a Content Managing Editor on the Web Content Team for BetMGM. Previously, he was a New England Patriots beat writer for WEEI in Boston. He also has published a golf book, “The Ultimate Book of Golf Trivia: 600 Questions and Answers.”