We don´t have much course form to go on for this week’s BMW Championship at the classy looking Bellerive Country Club in St Louis.
The course hasn’t been used as a US Tour venue since the 1992 USPGA and there´s nobody who competed then who can be taken seriously this week but it is worth noting that peerless iron player and supreme ball striker Nick Price won that event.
The course has undergone changes since then, with greens reduced in size and significant yardage from the tee added. It plays as a par 70 this week and at over 7300 yards it´s clearly an advantage to have length off the tee.
There is a theory that players who recently received Captain´s Picks will be eager to prove their form ahead of the Ryder Cup so keep an eye on the likes of Chad Campbell, Steve Stricker, Hunter Mahan and JB Holmes as they should all perform well.
But we prefer two US players who have missed out on Ryder selection who may just have a point to prove to skipper Paul Azinger.
Bubba Watson hits it a country mile off the tee but with an all-round ranking of 12th for greens hit it is clear that the man born in Bagdad (Florida) has more to his game. He can certainly ruffle a few feathers on a course many will be playing for the first time. Have a nibble each-way at totesport´s golf odds of 100/1.
DJ Trahan is another player who has a point to prove to Azinger. The Bobe Hope champ was in with a realistic shout of a Ryder wild card selection right up to last week only for an abysmal final round 80 at the Deutsche Bank probably putting paid to his chances.
We believe that Ryder jitters probably got the better of him but with the stress of that out of the way he can get back to playing his best golf. He finished 4th at the immensely tough US Open at Torrey Pines and a similar effort can see him make a huge impact at online betting odds of 150/1.
