Horses for Courses: BMW Championship

Last year it was Tom Bendelow’s “Monster”, course No. 3 at Medinah in the northwest suburbs where Justin Thomas eviscerated the rain-soaked track to the tune of 25 under. This season the 70 best head to the south suburbs for Willie Park’s 1925 classic North Course. Stretching to 7,366 the Par-70 (35-35) will provide only 20 (!!) acres of fairway protected by 85 bunkers and four-plus inches of Kentucky Bluegrass rough. Butterfield Creek circumnavigates the property and is available on half of the holes. The putting surfaces are 6,000 square feet on average and the Bent/poa greens should be able to push 13 feet on the Stimpmeter due to the dry month of August.

Olympia Fields was last on the professional radar for the 2003 U.S. Open but it did host the 2015 U.S. Amateur Championship that Bryson DeChambeau won. The club has also hosted the 1928 U.S. Open along with PGA Championships (1925, 1961), KPMG Women’s Championship (2017), U.S. Senior Open (1997) plus five editions of the Western Open.

Recent Winners at Olympia Fields

2015: U.S. Amateur Championship – Bryson DeChambeau

Notables: Jon Rahm – eliminated in the quarterfinals. … Maverick McNealy and Robby Shelton lost in the Round of 16. … Scottie Scheffler and Collin Morikawa both missed the cut.

2017: KPMG Women’s PGA Championship – Danielle Kang

Maverick McNealy’s girlfriend brought home the major title and should have plenty of angles on what it takes to get it done around here. Combined that with McNealy’s run at the 2015 U.S. Amateur and there’s an interesting angle. He’ll need all the help he can get at No. 67 as he’ll need a podium finish to book his ticket to Atlanta!

2003: U.S. Open – Jim Furyk (-8)

Wet and cool early in the week, the notoriously accurate player was joined by Vijay Singh in setting the 36-hole scoring record on seven-under. … Furyk went on to become the first player to reach 10 under in any U.S. Open before winning comfortably by three for his first and only major championship. … Led the field in GIR.

Notables: Only four players finished under par. … Singh signed for 63, T-lowest in major history at the time and posted 29 on the back in Round 2. … Singh’s 63 is still the course record. … Winds picked up on the weekend as Tiger closed 75-72 while Singh fired 72-78 as they shared T20. … Charles Howell III posted T53 while Adam Scott and Paul Casey MC. … 46-year old Nick Price and 53-year old Tom Watson both posted 65s during the week.

Key stat leaders

Top golfers in each statistic on the 2019-2020 PGA TOUR are listed only if they are scheduled to compete this week.

* – Previous FedExCup event winner

Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green

1 *Justin Thomas
2 Hideki Matsuyama
3 Collin Morikawa
4 *Rory McIlroy
5 *Xander Schauffele
7 Jon Rahm
8 *Bryson DeChambeau
9 Tony Finau
10 Patrick Cantlay
11 Daniel Berger
13 *Webb Simpson
14 Russell Henley
15 Tyrrell Hatton
16 Harris English
17 Scottie Scheffler
18 *Dustin Johnson
19 Corey Conners
20 *Jason Day
21 Viktor Hovland
22 Paul Casey
23 Joaquin Niemann
24 *Patrick Reed

Strokes Gained: Putting

4 *Matt Kuchar
5 Kevin Na
7 *Bryson DeChambeau
10 Maverick McNealy
12 Daniel Berger
12 *Webb Simpson
14 *Patrick Reed
15 Kevin Kisner
16 Harris English
17 JT Poston
18 *Billy Horschel
19 Mackenzie Hughes
22 Richy Werenski
23 Jon Rahm

Bogey Avoidance

1 *Webb Simpson
2 Harris English
3 *Xander Schauffele
4 Russell Henley
5 Jon Rahm
6 *Bryson DeChambeau
7 *Justin Thomas
8 Daniel Berger
9 Abraham Ancer
12 Tyrrell Hatton
14 Brendon Todd
15 Brian Harman
18 *Adam Scott
19 Paul Casey
23 Gary Woodland
24 Hideki Matsuyama
25 Kevin Kisner

FedExCup Playoff Wins 

Dustin Johnson (5)
Rory McIlroy (5)
Tiger Woods (4)
Justin Thomas (2)
Patrick Reed (2)
Bryson DeChambeau (2)
Jason Day (2)