Golf Form Guide

BMW Championship 2025: Form stats for this week's FedEx Cup Play-Off tournament

  • Andy Swales
  • Published on
  • Updated on
  • 3.0 min read
Caves Valley returns to the PGA Tour schedule following a gap of four years
The final hole at Caves Valley

Caves Valley makes its second appearance as a PGA Tour event. Words and stats supplied by Andy Swales ...

  • Rolling parkland course with narrow fairways

  • Aberg [22/1] ready to win again

  • Burns [33/1] a solid each-way candidate


Tournament and Course Notes

It's the second week of three in this year's FedEx Cup Play-Offs, with the action taking place in Maryland.

Caves Valley Golf Club, which is located approximately 16 miles north-west of Baltimore city centre, is a lush parkland course that has earned a reputation for fast greens. Designed by Tom Fazio and opened in 1991, the course made its PGA Tour debut when hosting this same event four years ago.

Caves Valley offers a rolling landscape and tree-lined fairways, while water comes into play on five holes. There is also plenty of sand and dense vegetation. Both fairways and putting surfaces are laid with Bentgrass.

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Prior to staging the BMW Championship in 2021, the course was given a facelift. Bunkers were renovated, while a new irrigation system was installed. New championship tees were built to lengthen the course, and fairway landing areas were tightened to approximately 25 yards in width. Greens are smaller than the PGA Tour average.

The course has twice hosted senior majors: The US Senior Open of 2002, and Senior Players Championship 15 years later. It also staged an international women's event in 2014.

Those who occupy a top 50 spot in the FedEx Cup standings, following last week's tournament in Tennessee, qualify to tee-up at Caves Valley.

Betfair Sportsbook latest for the 2025 BMW Championship

Four To Watch

After a week's rest, Rory McIlroy 7/18.00 returns to action at the second FedEx Cup Play-Off event in Maryland.

The world No 2 suffered undeserving criticism for being absent from last week's Play-Off opener in Tennessee. But he's back to take on a course where he finished fourth in 2021.

He's a three-time winner this season and it would be highly surprising if he failed to contend at Caves Valley.

Another golfer who posted a top-10 finish when Caves Valley last staged a PGA Tour event four years ago, is Sam Burns 33/134.00.

He's a five-time winner on Tour and is certainly a reasonable each-way choice in a field packed with talent.

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Ludvig Aberg 22/123.00 continues to experience a mixed season that has yielded one victory, three other top 10s, along with eight finishes outside the top 40.

He tied-ninth in the opening FedEx Cup Play-Off event last week when he carded three rounds of 67 at TPC Southwind. And this should augur well for his chances this coming week.

At No 9 in the European qualifying table for next month's Ryder Cup, the Swede will want to further his claim for a Wild Card spot in New York.

And finally, one other each-way option this weekend is Akshay Bhatia 50/151.00 who is a two-time winner on the PGA Tour.

The 23-year-old tied-sixth on Sunday in St Jude to move into the top 30 on this year's FedEx Cup rankings.

Another strong finish is required this week to secure his spot at the Tour Championship and the California-born pro has a habit of playing well in bursts.

The Punter's preview for the 2025 BMW Championship

Last 10 Weeks / Caves Valley (2021)

Position

  • 1–5
  • 6–15
  • 16–25
Player W32 W31 W30 W29 W28 W27 W26 W25 W24 W23
Scottie Scheffler 3 1 8 6 7
Rory McIlroy 7 2 6 19 MC
Xander Schauffele 22 7 8 61 12
Justin Thomas 28 34 22 9 MC
Russell Henley 17 10 2 10
JJ Spaun 2 23 MC 14 1
Collin Morikawa 22 MC MC 8 42 23
Harris English 48 2 22 4 59
Justin Rose 1 16 6 MC MC
Ludvig Aberg 9 23 8 36 MC 13
Keegan Bradley 44 MC 30 41 1 33
Sepp Straka 17 52 7 45 MC
Hideki Matsuyama 17 19 16 13 30 42
Tommy Fleetwood 3 16 34 2 MC
Viktor Hovland 32 63 11 Wd 3
Robert MacIntyre 38 44 7 65 17 2 36
Ben Griffin 9 11 MC MC 13 14 10
Shane Lowry 59 40 45 MC 13
Maverick McNealy 28 MC 23 22 17 37
Cameron Young 5 1 MC 46 52 4 4
Sam Burns 28 61 45 47 17 7 2
Patrick Cantlay 9 MC 32 12 MC
Corey Conners 50 10 47 Wd 27
Chris Gotterup 54 10 3 1 21 26 23 MC
Brian Harman 22 10 50 8 59
Sung Jae Im 17 27 MC 52 MC MC 61 57 MC
Nick Taylor 44 MC 22 17 23 13
Akshay Bhatia 6 Wd 25 30 26 54 MC
Andrew Novak 6 MC 63 13 30 42
Kurt Kitayama 9 31 1 14 5 51 MC
Ryan Fox 50 MC MC 65 17 19 1
Jason Day 56 MC MC 4 23
Daniel Berger 68 30 55 42 46
Taylor Pendrith 28 68 MC 13 25 38 27
Matt Fitzpatrick 32 8 4 4 8 17 38
Thomas Detry 38 MC 45 71 63 23 18
JT Poston 22 11 MC MC 45 33
Sam Stevens 54 MC 2 75 21 45 23
Denny McCarthy 32 11 MC MC 11 12 57
Lucas Glover 44 MC 23 5 9 MC
Ryan Gerard 44 MC 1 74 MC 41 54 50
Brian Campbell 64 MC MC MC 1 MC
Tom Hoge 64 MC MC MC 45 MC
Michael Kim 59 62 MC 34 MC 26 42 50
Bud Cauley 14 MC MC 55 33 25 MC
Jhonattan Vegas 14 44 56 50 36 46
Harry Hall 22 15 28 17 13 9 24
Si Woo Kim 14 MC MC MC 34 11 84 Wd 42
Jacob Bridgeman 17 38 MC 75 5 26 52 MC
Rickie Fowler 6 44 28 14 18 MC 36
Player 2021
Scottie Scheffler 22
Rory McIlroy 4
Xander Schauffele 49
Justin Thomas 22
Russell Henley 60
JJ Spaun
Collin Morikawa 63
Harris English 26
Justin Rose
Ludvig Aberg
Keegan Bradley 60
Sepp Straka
Hideki Matsuyama 46
Tommy Fleetwood
Viktor Hovland 17
Robert MacIntyre
Ben Griffin
Shane Lowry 26
Maverick McNealy 63
Cameron Young
Sam Burns 8
Patrick Cantlay 1
Corey Conners 22
Chris Gotterup
Brian Harman 29
Sung Jae Im 3
Nick Taylor
Akshay Bhatia
Andrew Novak
Kurt Kitayama
Ryan Fox
Jason Day
Daniel Berger 26
Taylor Pendrith
Matt Fitzpatrick
Thomas Detry
JT Poston
Sam Stevens
Denny McCarthy
Lucas Glover 38
Ryan Gerard
Brian Campbell
Tom Hoge 49
Michael Kim
Bud Cauley
Jhonattan Vegas 38
Harry Hall
Si Woo Kim 29
Jacob Bridgeman
Rickie Fowler

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Andy Swales avatar

Andy Swales

Andy has worked in sports journalism for the past 39 years, and three decades as a freelancer.

Prices quoted in copy are correct at time of publication but liable to change.