BMW Championship Preview: Spaun, Cantlay, and the Sleeper Who Could Shock the FedEx Cup
Once a 70-man postseason competition, the FedEx Cup field was cut down to 50 following last week’s dramatic St. Jude Championship. From there, the final 30 will punch their tickets to the Tour Championship in Atlanta. Check out the latest PGA odds at Sports Interaction.
Because the BMW Championship is a playoff event, almost all of the PGA Tour’s top stars are taking their talents to Baltimore. That includes the current leader in the FedEx Cup standings, Scottie Scheffler, in addition to No. 2 Rory McIlroy, No. 3 J.J. Spaun and No. 4 Justin Rose. Spaun and Rose were the runner-up and champion, respectively, at the St. Jude Championship.
BMW Championship Golf Odds
Unsurprisingly, Scheffler is a massive favourite to lift the trophy in Baltimore. The top-ranked player in the world won two more major titles this season, most recently triumphing at the British Open.
McIlroy is back after skipping last week’s proceedings in Memphis, coming in as the second favourite. The Northern Irishman is followed by Tommy Fleetwood, Ludvig Aberg, Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele, Cameron Young, Justin Thomas, Russell Henley and Spaun. Plenty of betting value can be found further down the list, where you can find challengers such as Rose, Matt Fitzpatrick, Rickie Fowler and U.S. Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley.
Here is the short list of favourites to win the BMW Championship:
- Scottie Scheffler +240
- Rory McIlroy +750
- Tommy Fleetwood +1800
- Ludvig Aberg +1800
- Patrick Cantlay +2000
- Xander Schauffele +2000
- Cameron Young +2500
- Justin Thomas +2800
- Russell Henley +2800
- J.J. Spaun +3000
- Ben Griffin +3300
- Collin Morikawa +3300
- Hideki Matsuyama +3300
- Sam Burns +3300
BMW Championship Best Bet: Patrick Cantlay to win at +2000 odds
Cantlay is quietly going about his business, which is just what Cantlay does – except at the 2023 Ryder Cup, where he made plenty of noise for better or worse. The 33-year-old American tied for ninth at the St. Jude Championship and comes into the next playoff event in the top 20 of the FedEx Cup standings.
This BMW Championship probably has to be considered Cantlay’s favourite tournament. Not once in his entire career has he finished worse than T15. The last time it was held at Caves Valley (2021), Cantlay won at 27-under par and beat Bryson DeChambeau in a memorable finale. The current world No. 22 lifted the trophy again in 2022 and he was the BMW runner-up in 2019.
BMW Championship Prediction: J.J. Spaun to win at +3000 odds
Spaun is simply playing too well to be passed up at +3000 odds. The world No. 6 has been outstanding this season, highlighted by a U.S. Open triumph and a runner-up performance at The Players Championship (lost to McIlroy in a playoff).
Speaking of playoffs, Spaun battled his way into another one at the St. Jude Championship before coming up short against Rose. The 34-year-old American missed a seven-footer to tie on the third extra hole, but he otherwise played great. Spaun fired rounds of 66, 65 and 65 on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. He is in phenomenal form right now.
BMW Championship Longshot Pick: Brian Harman to win at +8000 odds
Harman’s results have been all over the place, but when the good Harman shows up…he’s really good. The left-hander dominated the 2023 British Open by six shots and he owns one victory in 2025, prevailing at the Valero Texas Open by three strokes.
Harman was also T3 at Harbour Town this spring and he has delivered two top-10 showings in his last four starts. The 38-year-old American goes into the BMW Championship in the top 20 of the FedEx Cup standings – and with plenty of confidence.
