The BMW Championship takes place this week at Bellerive Country Club as the field has been whittled down to the top 50 in the FedEx Cup standings.
Scottie Scheffler was in stunning form last week, winning his second PGA Tour title of the year at the FedEx St. Jude Championship and he can be found at 15/2 to lead the way after 18 holes.
Tommy Fleetwood and Rory McIlroy are 20/1 to finish Thursday as the first-round leader, while runner-up last week, Si Woo Kim, can be found at 25/1.
BMW Championship First-Round Leader Tips Summary
Best Bet – Xander Schauffele each-way @ 20/1
Alternative Bet – Hideki Matsuyama each-way @ 25/1
Alternative Bet – Michael Thorbjornsen each-way @ 35/1
Best Bet: Xander Schauffele each-way @ 20/1
Xander Schauffele hasn’t quite been the same player since a wonderful 2024 season, when he won the PGA Championship and Open Championship.
His 2025 was disrupted by injury and he has only notched one victory since that Open triumph at Troon – the 2025 Baycurrent Classic.
Despite that, the American has been incredibly consistent this year, missing only two cuts.
While he is getting closer to securing another tour victory, Schauffele tends to begin tournaments brightly.
He was two off the lead at the Genesis Invitational on a tricky Riviera course while also finishing just two off the leader at the Players in March.
Schauffele was in a tie for second after the opening round of the PGA and opened up with rounds of 66 and 67 at the Rocket Classic and FedEx St. Jude Championship respectively.
He finished second and tied for seventh at those tournaments. If he begins well in St Louis, Schauffele could certainly end his title drought.
Alternative Bet: Hideki Matsuyama each-way @ 25/1
Hideki Matsuyama has been in excellent form since the end of the US Open without quite getting over the line.
Indeed, the Japanese player has recorded six consecutive top-15 finishes since mid-June.
On the PGA Tour, Matsuyama ranks eighth for first round scoring average (68.90) and has began well in recent weeks.
At the Wyndham Championship, the 2021 Masters champion opened up with a round of 65 to finish Thursday in a tie for fifth. Last week, he shot 66 in the first round to sit just one stroke behind the leaders.
When the 2018 PGA Championship was held here, Matsuyama got off to a bright start with a first round 68 and he finished third at the BMW Championship in both 2019 and 2020.
At the 2020 edition, he led after round one following a solid 67 and I believe he can be there or thereabouts after the first round this week at Bellerive.
Alternative Bet: Michael Thorbjornsen each-way @ 35/1
Michael Thorbjornsen can be outstanding one tournament and then underwhelming the next.
For example, he opened with a superb round of 66 at the Scottish open to finish Thursday in a tie for second. A week later at the Open, he shot 70 on day one, ending up five shots back of the lead.
The American then won the Rocket Classic in his next start, finishing his week with a 63 on Sunday to win by two.
He carried that form into the first round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship, tying for the lead after round one thanks to a 65 in Memphis.
Thorbjornsen did drop off after that, however, eventually finishing in a tie for 47th, but he really needs another victory to seal his place at the Tour Championship.
Considering he ranks 11th on tour for first round scoring average (69), don’t be surprised to see him near the top of the leaderboard come end of play on Thursday.
Key Tournament Stats
Bellerive has hosted three major championships – the 1965 US Open and the 1992 and 2018 PGA Championships
The course will host the Presidents Cup in 2030
The BMW Championship was held here in 2008 when Camilo Villegas won the tournament
Robert MacIntyre shot an opening-round 62 to lead this tournament in 2025
Keegan Bradley won the BMW Championship in 2024 after leading on Thursday
Jason Day opened with a 61 at the 2015 BMW Championship, the lowest first-round score in the history of the tournament
Read more golf betting tips and predictions on site.
This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
