Preview and Predictions for the 2015 BMW Championship

After a bye week of sorts for the 70 golfers still alive, the FedEx Cup playoffs are back, with the BMW Championship this week from Conway Farms just outside Chicago. 

The course opened in 1991 and has risen in prestige steadily, hosting the 1998 U.S. Junior Amateur, the 2009 Western Amateur and the 2010 U.S. Mid-Amateur. 

The BMW Championship was first contested at the track in 2013, when Jim Furyk stole the show with a second-round 59. 

Click through for the full preview and prediction. 

Where to Watch

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Defending Champion:  Billy Horschel

Where

Conway Farms Golf Club, 7,198 yards, par 71

What

Total Purse: $8,250,000

Winning Share: $1,485,000

FedEx Points to Winner: 2,000

When

Thursday and Friday: 3 p.m.-7 p.m. ET, Golf Channel

Saturday and Sunday: Noon-3:30 p.m. ET, Golf Channel; 3:30-6 p.m. ET, NBC 

Biggest Storylines

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Vacation's over!

The one-week break, which, if you're Jordan Spieth, was spent attending high-level sporting events, has passed and it's back to work. As complaints of fatigue were as prevalent as, well, complaints about the 18th green at TPC Boston, the break ought to have rejuvenated the tour's best.  

McIlroy, Spieth, Day

A fair bit of attention is sure to be paid to the tour's Big Three: Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy and Jason Day, who are ranked Nos. 1, 9 and 2, respectively, in the FedEx Cup standings. Spieth is coming off two missed cuts (for the first time in his career). After winning The Barclays, Day tied for 12th at the Deutsche Bank Championship. McIlroy skipped The Barclays and tied for 29th in Boston. 

Bubble watch

As you know, the top 30 golfers in the FedEx Cup standings after the BMW Championship make it to East Lake next week for the Tour Championship. Here are a few of the golfers on the bubble.

• 28. Louis Oosthuizen 
• 29. Chris Kirk   
• 30. Kevin Na  
• 31. Sergio Garcia   
• 32. Gary Woodland 
• 33. Jason Bohn  
• 34. Sangmoon Bae  
• 35. James Hahn  
• 36. Justin Thomas

The Favorites

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Jordan Spieth

Sure he's missed two consecutive cuts, but he's still Jordan Spieth, right? And he had an off week that included a trip to the Sunday night Dallas Cowboys game and some quality time with Tiger Woods. He's won four times on tour this season, so he's earned the benefit of the doubt that the two missed cuts were the product of fatigue. 

Jason Day

The Australian tied for 12th at the Deutsche Bank Championship while looking entirely out of gas. He tied for fourth last time the BMW Championship was contested at Conway Farms. First on tour in birdies, second in scoring average and fourth in strokes gained total, Day is rightfully a favorite this week. 

Rory McIlroy 

Rory McIlroy has been up and down since returning from ankle injury. His final-round 66 at the Deutsche Bank Championship, however, is a good sign. Assuming he's finally rust-free, Conway Farms could mark a real return to form for the Ulsterman.

The Dark Horses

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Brooks Koepka

Here's a dark horse who ought to come charging out of the gates at Conway Farms: Brooks Koepka. Koepka, passed over for the Presidents Cup team, wasn't up to snuff at either The Barclays or the Deutsche Bank Championship where he missed the cut. After a week to reboot, Koepka, who is sixth on tour in scoring average and ninth in strokes gained: total, will be looking to make a statement.  

Matt Kuchar

Kuchar tied for 24th at 2013 BMW Championship, buoyed by a brilliant third-round 61. Thus, he's had success at the track, and it clearly sets up well for his game. Further, the Georgia Tech alum tied for ninth at the Deutsche Bank Championship. At 10th on tour in strokes gained: total, Kuchar can contend anywhere. Expect him to this week. 

Prediction

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Winner: Jim Furyk

Perhaps it's not the boldest move in the world to predict that the guy who shot 59 in his most recent tournament at a course will win. 

However, we'll take a little credit for shying away from the three favorites this week. Not surprisingly, those golfers are Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy and Jason Day. 

Furyk is both a horse for the course (obviously) and on a good run with a tie for fourth at the Deutsche Bank Championship his last time out and a tie for 11th at The Barclays prior to that. 

Driving accuracy and wedge play will be important this week. Furyk is 17th on tour in driving accuracy, hitting 69.08 percent of fairways. He's 25th in approaches from 100 to 125 yards and 47th in approaches from 150 to 175.

Add it all up, and The Businessman is a solid bet. 

Stats via PGATour.com

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