FedEx Cup Standings 2015: Updated Points, Predictions for BMW Championship
After an idle week, the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup playoffs return starting Thursday with the BMW Championship at Conway Hills Golf Club in Lake Forest, Illinois.
The only other time the tournament was hosted at this venue, Zach Johnson hoisted the trophy. Johnson's last piece of hardware was the Claret Jug at St. Andrews, and he's sported fine form throughout most of the summer. That makes him among the favorites in the field of 70.
There isn't a cut at the BMW Championship, but only 30 players will proceed to next week's Tour Championship, where a $10 million bonus is on the line for the FedEx Cup title. Points will reset at the conclusion of this upcoming tournament, meaning those ranked in the top five entering the playoff finale are most likely to take home the top prize at East Lake.
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Check out the updated top 30 ahead of Thursday's first round in Lake Forest followed by general predictions and an overall outlook for the BMW Championship.
| 1 | Jason Day | 4,680 |
| 2 | Jordan Spieth | 4,169 |
| 3 | Rickie Fowler | 3,498 |
| 4 | Henrik Stenson | 3,352 |
| 5 | Bubba Watson | 3,329 |
| 6 | Charley Hoffman | 2,302 |
| 7 | Zach Johnson | 2,241 |
| 8 | Dustin Johnson | 2,114 |
| 9 | Jim Furyk | 2,087 |
| 10 | Patrick Reed | 2,039 |
| 11 | Jimmy Walker | 2,020 |
| 12 | Robert Streb | 1,958 |
| 13 | Justin Rose | 1,956 |
| 14 | Danny Lee | 1,851 |
| 15 | Kevin Kisner | 1,836 |
| 16 | Hideki Matsuyama | 1,783 |
| 17 | Rory McIlroy | 1,729 |
| 18 | Brandt Snedeker | 1,623 |
| 19 | J.B. Holmes | 1,616 |
| 20 | Matt Kuchar | 1,582 |
| 21 | Brooks Koepka | 1,544 |
| 22 | Steven Bowditch | 1,518 |
| 23 | Sangmoon Bae | 1,511 |
| 24 | Paul Casey | 1,507 |
| 25 | Ben Martin | 1,407 |
| 26 | Daniel Summerhays | 1,387 |
| 27 | Bill Haas | 1,381 |
| 28 | Jason Bohn | 1,347 |
| 29 | Russell Knox | 1,333 |
| 30 | Louis Oosthuizen | 1,309 |
BMW Championship Outlook
A lot of focus will be on who sits on the Tour Championship bubble. Hunter Mahan is the only player who has qualified for the elite 30-man event every year since the FedEx Cup was introduced in 2007, but he's in danger at No. 52 in the current standings.
Golf thrives most when its biggest stars are playing well, though. Jason Day has enjoyed a late-season surge that resulted in his first major title and a perch atop the current FedEx Cup standings.
Day spoke about what's made the difference for him in his recent run of phenomenal play, per the Associated Press' Doug Ferguson:
"I always thought I had the skills to play and win at the highest level and be competitive. But mentally, I think the last piece of the puzzle was to really believe. I mean, it's easy to say, "Just go ahead and believe in yourself." But how do you believe in yourself when you don't know what to believe in? That was the hardest part for me.
"
For all the attention Day has deservedly garnered for his impeccable form, Jordan Spieth has been struggling in the spotlight since seizing the No. 1 world ranking after a runner-up finish at the PGA Championship.
Although Spieth has missed the first two FedEx Cup event cuts, he sits second in points for the moment. A week off may see Spieth refreshed and ready to contend once more.
Rickie Fowler is another 20-something who has generated buzz of late thanks to his triumph at the Deutsche Bank Championship on Labor Day. Fowler is learning to win on the big stage and figures to only improve going forward. Whether he can maintain consistency to be in the hunt come Sunday in Lake Forest remains to be seen.
The elite young gun who enters the BMW Championship rather under the radar is Rory McIlroy. He happens to be the world No. 1 but has taken a back seat to Spieth and Day all season despite putting together a decent 2014-15 campaign that has featured two wins.
Rex Hoggard of Golf Channel highlights how high the stakes are ahead of the action at Conway Farms:
McIlroy struggled on the greens at the Deutsche Bank Championship after resting during The Barclays. The putter has often been McIlroy's weakness—relatively speaking for a player of his caliber.
A final-round 66 at TPC Boston suggests McIlroy may have found something before he had the benefit of a bye week to rest his ankle. McIlroy has insisted he's healed from the injury, but it couldn't have hurt to get two tournaments under his belt since his return and not be penalized for taking an additional week off.
Presuming that ankle holds up, McIlroy may be fresher than anyone. If he can correct his putting problems, there's reason to believe McIlroy can light it up this week, claim the trophy and enter the Tour Championship with a ton of momentum.
Look for Day's strong form to continue at the BMW Championship with a top 10 as he holds off Spieth to retain his FedEx Cup lead. Spieth will finish somewhere in the top 15—a marked improvement from his past two outings—but won't quite be in the hunt.
All signs point to McIlroy bouncing back with a big week because he tends to do that when most are ready to write him off.
As far as a pick to win, how about Jim Furyk, a past FedEx Cup champion? Furyk has quietly had a stellar season, continues to hang around against all odds and age, and finished solo third at the 2013 BMW Championship at Conway Farms on the strength of a second-round 59.
Note: Stats courtesy of PGATour.com unless otherwise indicated.
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