PGA Tour가 벨리브 컨트리클럽에서 2026 시즌의 준결승 경기인 BMW Championship을 개최한다. FedExCup 톱 50 선수들이 참가해 톱 30 진출을 놓고 벌이는 이 경기는 메이저 챔피언십 같은 강도의 테스트가 될 예정이다. 코스는 7,400야드가 넘는 파70으로, 드라이빙 거리와 정확성 모두를 요구한다. 성공하는 선수는 타이트한 퍼팅과 정밀한 볼 스트라이킹으로 코스를 정복할 수 있는 경험 많은 선수들이 될 것이다.
01샘 번스 — 이번이 우승의 기회
Players Championship 이후 샘 번스는 세계 최고 수준의 골퍼로 자신을 입증했다. 지난 13경기에서 번스는 라운드당 +1.73스트로크를 게인했으며, Scottie Scheffler에 이어 두 번째로 좋은 수치다. 번스의 가장 큰 무기는 퍼팅이다. 그는 현재 PGA Tour 최고의 퍼터로, 같은 기간 동안 그린에서만 라운드당 거의 1스트로크를 게인하고 있다.
번스는 또한 Tour 최고 수준의 아이언 플레이어이며, 드라이버 거리도 충분히 길다. 지난 6경기 중 4경기에서 톱5 피니시를 기록했지만, 아직까지 우승을 거두지 못했다. 벨리브가 그 기회가 될 것 같다. 2023년 이후 첫 Tour 우승을 노리는 번스는 내 우승 예상자다 (+1475).
02Scottie Scheffler — 최고의 위치 유지
세계 최고 랭킹 선수는 지난주 Memphis에서 정상의 위치를 다시 한 번 입증했다. 올시즌 두 번째 우승을 거두며 최고의 플레이어라는 지위를 확실히 했다. 올해 18경기 중 아홉 번의 팟놈(3위 이상) 피니시와 한 번을 제외하고 모두 톱25 이내의 성적을 기록했다.
Scheffler는 경기력과 함께 새로운 차원의 퍼팅까지 갖춰 최고의 해를 보내고 있다. 벨리브는 매 순간 정교함을 요구하는 코스인데, Scheffler의 게임은 모든 코스 조건에 통한다. 톱5 마켓을 추천하며 현재 배당률은 -166이다.
03Justin Rose — 난코스에서 빛나는 골퍼
지난주 Memphis에서 그다지 좋은 성적을 거두지 못한 Justin Rose지만 (T39), 마지막 라운드 64는 필드 평균을 6타 이상 이겼다. 한 달간의 휴식 후 대회에 출전한 탓일 수 있다.
Rose의 매력은 어려운 상황에서 빛난다는 점이다. 올해 6개의 톱10 피니시는 모두 Torrey Pines, Augusta National, Shinnecock Hills, Aronimink, TPC Sawgrass, Muirfield Village 같은 난코스에서 거뒀다. 인내심과 전략, 정교한 샷 실행이 필요한 벨리브는 Rose에게 무대다. 톱20 마켓 +132을 추천한다.
04Viktor Hovland — 톱10의 가능성
Viktor Hovland에 대해 낙관적인 이유는 많다. Travelers Championship에서 Scheffler를 꺾은 우승, RBC Canadian Open 3위, 그리고 지난주 Memphis T19 등이 그것이다. 다만 변동성이 크다. 지난 7경기에서 Hovland는 톱20 이내이거나 컷을 놓쳤다. 모 아니면 도의 스타일이다.
지난주 결과는 전부를 말해주지 않는다. 처음 이틀은 거의 완벽하게 플레이했지만 토요일 몇몇 헛스윙으로 여러 스트로크를 잃었다. Hovland는 우수한 드라이빙과 엘리트 롱아이언으로 벨리브를 공략할 수 있는 능력이 있으며, 최근 숏게임도 개선돼 지난 5경기 중 4경기에서 그린 주변에서 스트로크를 게인했다. 상승폭이 큰 만큼 톱10 배팅을 추천하며, 배당률은 +180이다.
05Original (English) — PGA TOUR
The PGA TOUR heads to Bellerive Country Club for the penultimate playoff event of the 2026 season. The BMW Championship will play host to the final 50 players in the FedExCup standings in what could feel like a major championship test.
Bellerive was last seen on the professional stage as the host venue for the 2018 PGA Championship — an event that was won by Brooks Koepka. That was the second time Bellerive played host to a PGA Championship, and it also hosted the BMW Championship in 2008 when Camilo Villegas won.
The Robert Trent Jones design is a brute, stretching over 7,400 yards as a par 70. This layout will demand distance off the tee, which is in sharp contrast to the skill set that was required last week at TPC Southwind. The driving task is not simply about length, however. With crowned fairways and reverse cambering, the drivers receiving the most reward will be able to work the ball in both directions so that their ball not only lands in the short grass but stays there.
The large greens are well protected by humps, hollows and bunkering that will challenge players from tee to green. This could truly feel like major championship conditions, as accomplished ball-strikers and scramblers will likely rise to the top of the board.
With only 50 players remaining and the top 30 advancing to the TOUR Championship, there are also a variety of subplots involving golfers who will know what position on the leaderboard they need to achieve to continue their season. We'll crunch all the numbers and create a betting card that leans toward battle-tested stars.
Since THE PLAYERS Championship, Sam Burns has been one of the best players in the world. During that time frame, which spans 13 starts, Burns has gained +1.73 strokes per round. The only player better than that is Scottie Scheffler.
Burns plays a unique style of golf that is led by his putter. He's the best TOUR player on the greens, and he's gaining nearly a stroke per round during that same 13-event stretch. Being the best putter on TOUR doesn't mandate success, but it's simply one of the weapons in the bag for Burns. He's also one of the better iron players on TOUR, and he's long enough off the tee to make a difference.
His summer months have been special, and he's piled up four top-five finishes in his last six starts, with opportunities to win some of the game's biggest events. He's come up empty-handed in the wins department, but that ends at Bellerive. Burns is my pick to win the BMW Championship at +1475 as he looks for his first TOUR win since 2023.
The No. 1 player in the world looked like it again last week as he added a second victory to his résumé in 2026. He defeated a field of the top players in Memphis to double his 2026 win total, going from one to two. Despite the "lack" of wins, Scheffler has nine podium finishes in 18 events this year and has finished outside the top 25 just once.
He's unlocked new skills and is currently in the midst of the best putting year of his career while continuing to dominate in the tee-to-green categories. His game translates to every course in the world, but Bellerive will demand execution every step of the way and that should be exciting for Scheffler backers. He's the poster boy for "winning is hard," which is why I'll continue to back Scheffler in the top-five market this week. The odds for that outcome are currently -166.
It wasn't a particularly great week for Justin Rose, who finished T39 last week in Memphis. However, he closed with a 64 on Sunday, which beat the field average by more than six strokes. He had taken a month off between starts, so it was reasonable to think he'd be a little rusty when he got to the FedEx St. Jude Championship.
The most impressive thing about Rose is how he rises to the occasion. His best finishes this year have come at the most difficult courses on the schedule. His six top-10 finishes have come at Torrey Pines (South), Augusta National, Shinnecock Hills, Aronimink, TPC Sawgrass and Muirfield Village. He shines on these courses because they require an immense amount of patience, strategy and execution, which is exactly what Bellerive will ask of him this week.
If Rose can play out of the fairway, he'll be able to contend this week. I'm tempering expectations and deploying Rose in the top-20 market, which is currently priced at +132 at DraftKings Sportsbook.
There are a lot of reasons to be optimistic if you are a backer of Viktor Hovland. Of course, the victory at the Travelers Championship, where he took down Scheffler, does plenty of convincing. He also earned a third-place finish at the RBC Canadian Open and a T19 result last week in Memphis.
He is volatile, however. In his last seven starts, he's either finished inside the top 20 or missed the cut in all of them. It's all or nothing for Hovland, who plays a high-variance style of golf. His finish last week doesn't tell the whole story, and I believe he played better than that result indicates. He made a few bad swings on Saturday that cost him multiple strokes after playing nearly flawless golf across the first two days of the event.
Hovland possesses the ball-striking prowess to tackle Bellerive thanks to his superb driving and elite long-iron play. His short game has turned a corner, and he's gained strokes around the green in four of his last five events. The Norwegian has one of the largest ranges of outcomes in this field, so I'm looking to take advantage of his upside. I've settled on his top-10 number, which can currently be found at +180.
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