The race for the FedEx Cup is hotting up with the second of three play-offs taking place this week at the BMW Championship, and the Racing Post’s Ian Wilkerson is on hand to provide his verdict.

England's Tyrrell Hatton needs to push on if he's to survive for the Tour Championship at East Lake and he's amongst the picks for Olympia Fields.

Ian Wilkerson's BMW Championship Tips:

Tyrrell Hatton to win outright @ 28/1
Corey Conners to win outright @ 45/1
Si Woo Kim to win outright @ 60/1
Russell Henley top American @ 16/1

Odds displayed were correct at the time of writing and subject to fluctuation.

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What	BMW Championship
Where	Olympia Fields, Chicago, Illinois
When	From 14:25 Thursday 17th  August
How to watch	Follow on bet365 Golf Tracker / Sky Sports Golf
Odds	Rory McIlroy 7/1, Scottie Scheffler 15/2, Jon Rahm 17/2, Patrick Cantlay 10/1, Viktor Hovland 16/1, Xander Schauffele 16/1

The battle to be FedEx Cup champion is beginning to intensify and the field of 50 at this week’s BMW Championship will be whittled down to 30 for next week’s Tour Championship when all eyes will be on the $18m first prize.

All the big guns head to Olympia Fields in Illinois for the first time in three years and it should bring back good memories for Masters champion Jon Rahm, who won at the Chicago track on that occasion, beating Dustin Johnson in a playoff.

He is 17/2 for a repeat success this week, but he needs to find his best form again after he never got going at the first play-off tournament at TPC Southwind.

Lucas Glover has no such problems after he became the first player this season to win on the PGA Tour in consecutive weeks when he beat Patrick Cantlay in a FedEx St Jude Championship playoff on Sunday.

Glover is 40/1 to pull off another win this week, while Cantlay, who is 10/1, is looking to pull off a trio of successes of his own having won the last two runnings of this tournament, albeit on different courses.

Rory McIlroy, who recently won the Scottish Open, is 7/1 favourite for glory after he was tied for third with Tommy Fleetwood in Tennessee.

Each-way terms of a quarter the odds, the first five places are available for the BMW Championship, as well as alternative options, like a fifth the first eight places placed in the Each Way Extra section.

BMW Championship course details

This is the first time the 7,366-yard, par 70 has been used in the playoffs since 2020 and the fact it was selected to host the 2003 US Open demonstrates the degree of difficulty.

The fairways are tree-lined with plenty of heavy rough and a creek runs through much of the course which makes club selection important.

The first is one of one two par-5s and finding the fairways is key to attack the small, undulating greens. It could be a difficult test as just five of the 69 players finished below par in the 2020 tournament.

Rain is expected early on Thursday but it should be dry for the rest of the tournament.

Hatton can make a charge

With just 30 players making it through to next week, Tyrrell Hatton cannot hold back from 26th in the rankings, but Olympia Fields should be a welcome test for the man from High Wycombe.

He has recorded eight top-ten finishes this season and has the tee-to-green game to flourish at the Illinois venue, where his 16th three years ago was no disgrace.

Hatton was a disappointing 43rd last week, but he managed to get a poor first round of 72 out of his system and he can make a big push at 28/1.

Conners set to build on fine weekend

Canada's Corey Conners, who is 25th in the list, is another player to keep a close eye on this week.

The Texas Open champion stormed to sixth spot in Memphis after two weekend rounds of 65 and he is capable of building on that.

He was 33rd here last time, but that was after a rotten 76 at the start. If his putter behaves itself, he could prove an excellent value selection at 45/1.

Kim looks ready to challenge

Si Woo Kim is another strong ball-striker who could make an impression this week after four solid rounds helped him to a share of 16th spot last week.

He has shown this season in being runner-up at the Byron Nelson Championship and fourth at the Memorial that he can live with strong company and this is a good chance to build on his 17th place in the standings at 60/1.

Henley quietly making his move

While there are plenty of Americans at the top of the market, one who might have just slipped under the radar is Russell Henley.

He was second at the Wyndham Championship a fortnight ago and then sixth last week when he carded three rounds of 67 and one of 68.

Henley has finished in the top-20 in ten of his last 13 tournaments and could be the surprise package in the top American market at 16/1.

Ian Wilkerson's BMW Championship Tips:

Tyrrell Hatton to win outright @ 28/1
Corey Conners to win outright @ 45/1
Si Woo Kim to win outright @ 60/1
Russell Henley top American @ 16/1

Odds displayed were correct at the time of writing and subject to fluctuation.