An All-Star cast will make their way to the Wentworth Club in Surrey, England for the BMW PGA Championship this week. There will be more than $5 million in prize money on the line at the European Tour’s flagship tournament. Rory McIlroy will not compete at this event for the second year in a row. However, this time around it will be nagging injuries that keep McIlroy sidelined rather than the course issues that led to him skipping the 2016 edition. The European Tour officials took the complaints lodged against the venue seriously and made sure that the necessary adjustments were completed in order to restore the prestige of the 2017 edition of this event.
Event Details
Event: BMW PGA Championship
Category: European
Date: May 25-28
Location: Wentworth Club (West Course), Surrey, England
The complaints about the course conditions kept McIlroy, Henrik Stenson and Ian Poulter from competing here a year ago. McIlroy remains absent but Stenson and Poulter both return. The greens had come patchy and routinely changed in character throughout the day so the issue was addressed by the tournament officials. Meanwhile, the putting greens should remain fast but there is no guarantee they won’t slow down as they were throughout the day. With the course conditions the best they have been in years the focus should remain on the caliber of golf being played this week.
Past Five Winners
2016: Chris Wood -9
2015: Byeong-Hun An -21
2014: Rory McIlroy -14
2013: Matteo Manassero -10 (Playoff)
2012: Luke Donald -15
What To Know About The Course
With a tremendous focus on addressing the course conditions, there should be fewer concerns at Wentworth this week. In terms of what it takes to win, Driving Distance should remain an important factor to consider. Chris Wood ranked 48th in that category last year but Byeong Hun An ranked first in DD when he won this event in 2015 and McIlroy ranked third in that stat when he won here in 2014. Driving Accuracy will also be important after Wood ranked seventh in that category here last year. Wood finished fourth in Greens In Regulation at this tournament a year ago, which made him the seventh winner to rank inside the top-four in that category over the last 11 years. Distance and Accuracy off the tee remain very important but make sure you don’t overlook GIR stats as well when evaluating the talent in this week’s field.
The Field
Wood is the defending champion at this event but he isn’t expected to repeat here at +3300 odds to win outright. Meanwhile, Stenson is certainly expected to contend as a co-favorite to win this tournament along with Justin Rose at +1200 odds. Francesco Molinari, Alex Noren and 2015 winner Byeong Hun An are among the sports betting favorites ranking from +1600 odds to +2200 odds this week. If you are looking for another value pick then you might want to consider Poulter, who is listed at +4500 odds in his return to the BMW PGA Championship.
A Good Matchup To Bet: Byeong Hun An over Henrik Stenson
Stenson is coming off a top-20 finish at The PLAYERS Championship but he had missed the cut in four straight events before that and his overall course figures at Wentworth don’t inspire confidence. The better bet is An, who finished tied for fifth last week at Texas and proved he can win this event outright back 2015. An might not win here again in 2017, but he should perform at a high enough level to edge out Stenson in the head-to-head sports betting matchup at the BMW PGA Championship.
Top-Five Pick: Chris Wood
Wood is an excellent pick to finish in the top-five this week for a number of reasons. First, the defending BMW PGA Championship winner is more than just a one-off here as he finished fourth in 2015 and sixth in his debut here back in 2016. Second, Wood is available at excellent odds as a +3300 pick to win the event outright. It isn’t easy to repeat as a European Tour event but Wood should at the very least finish in the top-five at the BMW PGA Championship this week.
Odds To Win The BMW Championship
Justin Rose +1015
Henrik Stenson +1015
Francesco Molinari +1650
Alex Noren +1850
Bernd Wiesberger +1850
Byeong Hun An +2050
Martin Kaymer +2250
Thomas Pieters +2250
Tyrrell Hatton +2250
Branden Grace +3250
Lee Westwood +3250
Tommy Fleetwood +2550
Matthew Fitzpatrick +3250
Ian Poulter +3550
Chris Wood +3250
Alexander Levy +4550
Ross Fisher +4050
Luke Donald +4550
Soren Kjeldsen +4550
Pablo Larrazabal +5050
Andy Sullivan +5050
Shane Lowry +4550
Russell Knox +5500
Joost Luiten +5050
Haotong Li +5500
Dylan Frittelli +7050
George Coetzee +7050
Thongchai Jaidee +6550
Fabrizio Zanotti +6550
Peter Uihlein +6550
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