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BMW Championship First Click: Altitude takes centre stage in leg 2 of FedEx Cup playoffs
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The second leg of the FedEx Cup playoffs tees off this week as the BMW Championship is set to take place at Castle Pines Golf Club.
After the top 75 players from the regular season qualified for the playoffs, this week's field includes only the top 50 in the current FedEx Cup standings following last week’s first postseason event.
Last week, three players (Viktor Hovland, Eric Cole and Nick Dunlap) earned enough points to jump into the top 50, while Tom Kim, Jake Knapp and Canada’s Mackenzie Hughes were the three players to fall out and have their seasons come to an end.
While the FedEx Cup playoff system remains flawed, it works because it provides moments like Dunlap's needing to make par on his 72nd hole to stay inside the top 50.
While it’s not something Dunlap would’ve ever dreamed of, the par he made could very well be career-altering, but that is what the playoffs are meant for.
I walked away from last week kicking myself for not investing more in the Dunlap storyline and not being on Hideki—more on that later.
Let’s get to this week's action.
The word of the week is: Altitude
Some weeks in golf betting, you can get stuck on one word or phrase. In Mexico, it was paspalum. This week, you’re going to hear all about the altitude.
Castle Pines GC sits at 6,400 feet of elevation. For reference, Coors Field in Colorado gets all of its hype for the elevation, and that sits at *only* 5,200 feet.
So you can expect the ball to fly this week.
The 8,100 yardage would make this course the longest to host a PGA Tour event.
However, the 6,400 feet of elevation is not a record; it belongs to Club de Golf Chapultepec, where the Mexico Open used to be played.
Personally, I’m pumped to see this course in action at elevation. Most spots on tour can have a big “cookie-cutter” feel to them, so I love the step outside the box this week to really test the players.
Instead of trying to make sense of a few random events at altitude, let me provide a chart of the leaders in strokes gained since March 2020 on courses 7,500 yards or longer.
SG: Long Course
| GOLFER | RDs | OTT | APP | BS | ARG | PUTT | SG | T2G | TOT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rory McIlroy | 139 | 0.94 | 0.4 | 1.34 | 0.44 | 0.34 | 0.78 | 1.79 | 2.04 | |
| Xander Schauffele | 172 | 0.48 | 0.69 | 1.17 | 0.28 | 0.44 | 0.71 | 1.44 | 1.79 | |
| Scottie Scheffler | 181 | 0.62 | 0.76 | 1.39 | 0.45 | -0.03 | 0.42 | 1.84 | 1.77 | |
| Tony Finau | 191 | 0.37 | 0.78 | 1.15 | 0.31 | 0.03 | 0.34 | 1.47 | 1.45 | |
| Patrick Cantlay | 128 | 0.45 | 0.32 | 0.77 | 0.2 | 0.18 | 0.38 | 0.99 | 1.27 | |
| Sungjae Im | 188 | 0.5 | 0.16 | 0.65 | 0.21 | 0.43 | 0.64 | 0.87 | 1.25 | |
| Viktor Hovland | 163 | 0.68 | 0.37 | 1.05 | -0.16 | 0.25 | 0.09 | 0.89 | 1.21 | |
| Collin Morikawa | 156 | 0.48 | 0.82 | 1.3 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.02 | 1.32 | 1.2 | |
| Justin Thomas | 139 | 0.09 | 0.6 | 0.69 | 0.47 | -0.01 | 0.46 | 1.16 | 1.15 | |
| Will Zalatoris | 116 | 0.55 | 0.63 | 1.18 | -0.02 | -0.13 | -0.15 | 1.16 | 1.11 | |
First Click
In a world of dreamers and believers, I wake up this Monday morning wishing I was Jordan Henry.
Since I joined a group chat with Mr. Henry over 15 months ago, I’ve learned two things about him.
- He might be a top 10 putter inside ten feet
- He is sharper than a tact
The first is simple: play a round of golf with the guy, and you’ll see him hoop it from all over the property.
And there’s no better proof than the last two weeks for No. 2.
Two Mondays ago, at 9:51 a.m., he sent this message to our chat: “I'm Going to step up and be a leader in this group.” What followed next was a photo of Aaron Rai. Winner.
The following week, I tried to be a leader. I woke before the crack of dawn to lab up a winner. So I sent a text. “Trying to take a page out of Jordan’s book and be a leader for this chat on a Monday.”
I had landed on Johnathan Vegas.
An hour later, just touching down from Las Vegas, Jordan sends this text, “Hideki is probably my first click when I land.”
Vegas went on to tie for 40th while Hideki won the tournament.
Back-to-back Monday click winners at 30-1. It’s the stuff we dream of, and he’s just living it.
So I put on my work boots, grabbed my lunch pal, and went to my mom’s basement to run some models this morning in the hopes of experiencing another first click glory.
And I have turned to Tony Finau in search of that winner.
The American is trending with seven top 20s in his last eight starts.
Over his last 36 rounds, Finau ranks eighth in SG: Total and 11th in birdie or better percentage. On top of that he has been the best lag putter on the PGA Tour this year and also ranks fourth in the field on “long” courses.
If all that wasn’t enough, Finau resides in Utah and has played his fair share of golf at altitude, including in 2022 when he posted a score of 60 at the Jack Nicklaus-designed Painted Valley Golf Course in Park City, Utah.