2022 BMW Championship Preview: McIlroy Is the Top Favorite Ahead of Rahm and Thomas

The second round of the 2022 FedEx Cup playoff, the 2022 BMW Championship is held this weekend, 18-21 August at the Wilmington Country Club in Delaware. Patrick Cantlay is the defending champion and he will be among the contenders again. Just like other event winners from Rory McIlroy to Justin Thomas. They are all mentioned among the favorites in the 2022 BMW Championship preview. 

The penultimate event of the 2021/22 PGA season, the BMW Championship (formerly known as the Western Open) is also the second leg of this year’s FedEx Cup playoff. 70 players will compete for the win and the extra FedEx points. After only the best 30 players will get to the last event, the Tour Championship. Delaware will host the PGA Tour for the first time but the course won’t be unknown to some of the players.

As the Wilmington Country Club organized the 2013 Palmer Cup where the US team defeated Europe. Justin Thomas was a member of that team and he is also a former winner of this tournament. Along with Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, and last year’s winner, Patrick Cantlay. Tiger Woods has been the most successful player with five wins. But he won’t compete this time while world No2 Cameron Smith will also miss the event. 

Still McIlroy Is the Top Favorite In the 2022 BMW Championship Preview 

Rory McIlroy missed the cut in the previous tournament, at the St. Jude Championship last week. He is still the top favorite of online sportsbooks in the US with the odds of +900.00 to win this time. The world No3 won the Canadian Open in June and finished third in The Open Championship. While the British player also performed well in the other majors. But last week he played unusually poor which can be a worrying sign ahead of this weekend. This course might fit him more though. Plus McIlroy also won this tournament once before, ten years ago, in 2012. 

Two other former winners, Jon Rahm and Justin Thomas follow McIlroy among the favorites according to the 2022 BMW Championship preview. Rahm won the event in 2020 ahead of former world No1 Dustin Johnson. Now the Spanish player hasn’t got such great results. He did win the 2022 Mexico Open in May though. While he also played well in the first playoff event after finishing T5. His odds to win now are +1100.00.

Justin Thomas got his second major title at this year’s PGA Championship after defeating Will Zalatoris in the playoff. The world No7 has also won this event before, in 2019. And can perform well again like he usually does in the playoffs.  He has the odds of +1600.00. to win in Delaware.  

Chances of other top players

The world-ranking leader Scottie Scheffler is mentioned next with the same odds, +1600 to win his fifth PGA Tour event. The 26-year-old American got his breakthrough this year after winning all his four titles in 2022. Including his first major title at the 2022 Masters Tournament. Scheffler also finished T2 in the US Open and can easily continue his great run at the BMW Championship.

In spite of not making the cut at the St Jude Championship last week. Will Zalatoris had performed much better last week after he won the first playoff event. It was also his first PGA Tour win which can give him an extra boost for the next event.

Online gambling sites in the US offer the odds of +1700.00 for his second win. Another player with great results from this season is the 2022 US Open winner, Matt Fitzpatrick. The English golfer has been in good form ever since. He got a T6 and T5 finish out of his last three appearances. His odds for another win are +1800.00. While the same odds are offered for the victory of Tony Finau.

The 32-year-old American is also in great recent form after winning two PGA Tour events last month. Finau also finished T5 at St Jude and can get an even better result now. Just like the defending champion of this tournament, Patrick Cantlay who got eight top5 finishes this season. The world No4 finished only T57 last weekend but has the odds of +2000.00 on BetOnline to win now.