RADIO
The 2023 FedEx Cup Playoffs are now well underway with Lucas Glover taking down the first event of the postseason in Memphis. This week's BMW Championship will mark the second leg of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, as the Top-50 players in the standings following last week's FedEx St. Jude Classic head to Chicago, Illinois in hopes of advancing to the Tour Championship.
In this article, you will find my 2023 BMW Championship Power Rankings, which gives golf fans a first look into the top 10 golfers who are primed to make a significant impact in this year's edition of the event. These players should be considered serious contenders at Olympia Fields this week and are legitimate threats to take home the BMW title when the tournament gets underway on Thursday, August 17, 2023.
Hopefully, these rankings provide some insight into the current landscape of the PGA Tour, the FedEx Cup Playoffs, and the upcoming tournament. Players have been evaluated on recent performances, statistical analysis, and course history. With a unique and elite field of just 50 competitors and an Olympia Fields layout that's major-championship quality, the 2023 BMW Championship promises to be a fun tournament for golf fans and an intense one for golfers trying to advance in the FedEx Cup Playoffs.
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#10. Max Homa
It's been a roller coaster year for Max Homa, a player that opened 2023 with a win and two top-three finishes across his first four starts of the year before losing that momentum in the summer, and ultimately, missing the cut at the U.S. Open in his hometown of Los Angeles.
Since the disappointment at LACC, Homa's arrow has begun to point upward once again. He's now reeled off three consecutive top-12 finishes, including a T12 at the Open that was his career-best finish in a major, as well as a T6 in the opening event of the FedEx Cup Playoffs last week.
The Californian logged a T59 in his lone appearance at Olympia Fields in the 2020 BMW Championship, though it's fair to call him a vastly different player now. His trending form and track record of winning on difficult courses such as Riviera, Torrey Pines, and Quail Hollow make him a golfer worth keeping an eye on this week.
#9. Collin Morikawa
While a winless 2023 season has probably been a disappointment for a player of Collin Morikawa's caliber, and resulted in his borderline Ryder Cup status, there have been some reasons to be optimistic that the two-time major champion is trending in the right direction. Morikawa looked to be in vintage form in a playoff loss last month at the Rocket Mortgage and again appeared in sync on the way to a T13 last week in Memphis.
Although his game hasn't been firing on all cylinders and has often been held back by abysmal putting stretches, Morikawa remains an elite iron player that ranks fifth among this week's entrants in Strokes Gained: Approach. He's also continually accurate off the tee and grades out second in the BMW Championship field in Good Drives Gained. This coveted skill set will always put Morikawa in the conversation when events are held at tough golf courses such as Olympia Fields.
Ready to take on the Playoffs #FedExCup pic.twitter.com/P8h3JfSOWm
— Collin Morikawa (@collin_morikawa) August 9, 2023
#8. Lucas Glover
When you're hot, you're hot. We're gonna give Lucas Glover some well-earned respect by adding him to this week's Power Rankings. Though he might not have the star power of some of our other Top-10 entrants, Glover has displayed his ability in spades over the last two months, and while conventional wisdom tells us this guy isn't going to win three tournaments in a row...golf is a crazy game.
A switch to a broomstick-style long putter has literally been life-changing for the 43-year-old veteran. Sporting newfound confidence on the greens, Glover has won back-to-back starts at the Wyndham and FedEx St. Jude Championships. While the putter change has been the catalyst, we shouldn't overlook his elite ball striking, as he's gained a blistering average of 7.9 strokes T2G over his last five tournaments.
A former U.S. Open champion that's looking to make his first career Ryder Cup, Glover has all the tools and motivation needed to navigate an Olympia Fields layout that's expected to be one of the toughest tests of the year.
🏆 @Lucas_Glover_ has won the @FedExChamp!
Back-to-back wins for the 43-year-old when it matters most 💪 pic.twitter.com/FSartMO4Qe
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 14, 2023
#7. Xander Schauffele
Quite the U.S. Open specialist, Xander Schauffele feels uniquely equipped to handle this week's Olympia Fields layout that's expected to offer a major-championship caliber degree of difficulty.
Schauffele's ability to thrive on tough layouts lies in his excellence in all facets of the game. The Californian grades out seventh on the PGA Tour in SG: Total this season and has gained Strokes Total in every one of his 2023 starts.
The X-Man is coming into this week's BMW Championship flying a bit under the radar due to his lack of recent high-end finishes, but we should keep in mind that Schauffele has managed top-25 finishes in nine of his last 10 starts. He also logged a T25 in the 2020 edition of the BMW held at Olympia Fields.
#6. Tommy Fleetwood
The hard-luck Englishman continues to put himself in the mix to win golf tournaments, but simply can't seem to put everything together in order to snag a win on the PGA Tour. Tommy Fleetwood will continue to chase that elusive first PGA Tour win this week at the BMW Championship and deserves strong consideration thanks to his white-hot recent form.
He's now logged top-10 finishes in five of his last six starts. That streak includes an impressive T3 last week in Memphis that featured three rounds of 66. Fleetwood catches a lot of flak for his seeming inability to "close", but don't be distracted by the noise, a win will come in short order if he continues playing at this level.
Tommy Fleetwood: 22nd top-5 finish on the PGA Tour, most of any player on the PGA Tour without a win the last 40 years
Fleetwood is the first player in PGA Tour history to surpass $20M in official career earnings without a win.
Tommy has 6 wins on the DP World Tour.
— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGolf) August 13, 2023
#5. Viktor Hovland
The lovable Norwegian continues to produce at a high level. After a sluggish opening-round 72 put him behind the eight ball in Memphis, Viktor Hovland proceeded to fire rounds of 64-65-69 over the last three rounds of the FedEx St. Jude Championship. It was just the latest in a long line of rock-solid outings for the 25-year-old rising star that's had a true breakout campaign in 2023.
Hovland has, ridiculously, gained strokes T2G in every single start he's made this year. That consistently elite ball striking should reap large dividends on this week's difficult Olympia Fields layout.
Working until sunset 💪
Viktor Hovland was the last player on the range for the final 45 minutes on Thursday.#FedExCup pic.twitter.com/fhxFFb1uLN
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 11, 2023
#4. Jon Rahm
It feels weird placing Jon Rahm outside of the top three spots in these Power Rankings, especially when he's returning to an Olympia Fields layout on which he won this event in dramatic fashion over Dustin Johnson in a 2020 sudden-death playoff. Despite that strong and magical course history in Chicago, Rahm simply hasn't been able to regain the dominant consistency that led to four wins earlier this year.
I was under the impression that a somewhat surprising runner-up finish at the Open Championship might spark something in the Spaniard and lead to a playoff run. However, he got off to a less-than-inspiring start last week in Memphis, losing two strokes Off The Tee and 1.1 strokes T2G at TPC Southwind, which marked the second time in his last three starts that he's lost strokes T2G.
While Rahm's game doesn't appear to be firing on all cylinders at the moment, he possesses the type of talent that can come together and result in victory on any given week. That's especially the case in a major-championship-like test such as what we expect at Olympia Fields.
Jon Rahm won the BMW Championship after holing an epic putt at Olympia Fields on Sunday: https://t.co/YVrjvrmbjC pic.twitter.com/pZWuCnDMup
— Golf World (@GolfWorld) August 31, 2020
#3. Patrick Cantlay
Perhaps it's silly to leave Jon Rahm out of this week's "Big Three", but Patrick Cantlay's FedEx Cup Playoff record can't be ignored. The 2021 FedEx Cup Champion has won three playoff events since '21 and very nearly added a fourth last week in Memphis, ultimately dropping a sudden-death playoff to Lucas Glover. He enters the week as the two-time defending champion of the BMW.
Cantlay's postseason prowess should remain on full display this week in Chicago. Olympia Fields suits his controlled skill set perfectly, as evidenced by his strong T12 result in the 2020 edition of the BMW Championship. The Californian's length off the tee is an often-overlooked aspect of his game, but he quietly averages just over 307 yards in driving distance. Couple that sneaky length with his patented accuracy and it's no surprise that Cantlay grades out second on the PGA Tour in Total Driving this season.
Gave it a run today @FedExChamp but fell a little short. Happy with where my game is at heading into @BMWchamps pic.twitter.com/OPvFWA7kPE
— Patrick Cantlay (@patrick_cantlay) August 14, 2023
#2. Scottie Scheffler
For the first time in a long time, Scottie Scheffler is not at the top of our Power Rankings. For all his tee-to-green brilliance this season, including last week in Memphis where he gained 3.5 strokes T2G, Scheffler's putting woes simply can't be ignored.
For the first time in his pro career, the Texan deployed a non-blade putter at the FedEx St. Jude. Unfortunately, the results weren't much different, as Scheffler still lost three strokes on the greens at TPC Southwind.
While his immaculate ball-striking - which has reached historic levels throughout 2023 - will give him a large advantage on the BMW Championship's tough Olympia Fields layout, Scheffler must eventually make some putts if he's to win golf tournaments.
#1. Rory McIlroy
Rory McIlroy heads to Chicago with loads of positive momentum on the heels of a T3 at the FedEx St. Jude. McIlroy was phenomenal from T2G in Memphis and gained 8.5 strokes Total last week.
He's now inched ahead of Scheffler in the SG: Total category over their last 24 rounds and has put together the better results of the two across the last month, thanks in large part to a putter that's producing consistently.
McIlroy has gained an average of 1.9 strokes putting over his last five tournaments and is well-equipped to handle an Olympia Fields layout on which he scored a T12 in the 2020 edition of the BMW Championship.
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