The BMW Championship is the third Fed-Ex Cup playoff venue and this is where things begin to get interesting. With seventy players in the field, only a meagre thirty get to qualify for the Tour Championship. Now is the time when those who are not currently in the top thirty Fed Ex Cup standings will show if they have the bottle to qualify for the final event. The course, Cog Hill is a 7,386 yard long par 71, which boasts large greens, 110 bunkers and water hazards on six holes. Experience in my view will stand players in good stead here.

Adam Scott each way @ 20/1
Unfortunately the odds are slight for the Australian but that won’t stop me from tipping him. Scott returned to winning ways this year by winning the Valero Texas Open, and disappointingly, for a man of his calibre, has only had three other top tens. The good news though, is that two of these have come in the last two weeks. In the Barclays he finished tied ninth while in the Deutsche Bank Championship he finished in a tie for fifth. In terms of past experience, Scott has reached this stage of the competition twice and his best finish here has been fourth place. So the last thing to talk about is the stats. Scott is long and accurate off the tee which should be beneficial. He also hits a lot of greens in regulation. Unfortunately there is one major drawback to his game, and that’s putting. It’s strange for me to say that about an Australian, but in Scott’s case it’s true. However, I feel confident that the Aussie could strike it hot with the putter this week. Miserly odds but all in all, Scott is still worth it.

Jason Day each way @ 30/1
I know that Day has no experience of this event but this week, he’s an exception to the rules. Last week he played well only for a disappointing final round and some brilliance by Charley Hoffman. In his last two events he has finished tied fifth and tied second so right now he is the man in form. He’s the second Aussie I’m picking this week, and he had to battle fellow Australian Geoff Ogilvy for my tip. Despite not having experience, he has the game to succeed. He is inaccurate but a lot of the time this is because he runs out of fairway a lot of the time because of the length he hits the ball. On top of this, he hits a lot of greens in regulation and has a good short game. He is a slightly better than average putter but as I pointed out with Scott already, putting runs in Australian blood so don’t be surprised if Day strikes hot with the putter this week. 30/1 is good odds for the in-form man at the moment.

Zach Johnson each way @ 33/1
Not in great form but he should have good memories of this course from last year when he finished in fifth place. Johnson failed to capitalise on a great opening round of 63 last week and I’m hoping that this week will be a different story. He should have a spring in his step after picking up a Ryder Cup wildcard pick from Corey Pavin. In terms of stats, he is nearly the complete opposite type of player to Scott and Day. Johnson is quite short and relies on precision and a good putting stroke to help him compete. Both of these have been in good nick this year and hopefully it will stay that way. Johnson has had only two top tens this year but one of these has been a win and the other a tied third place in the PGA Championship. I think that Johnson will be dangerous this week and at 33/1. I’m willing to take the risk on him this week.

Like Ian, my top man for this week is undoubtedly Adam Scott also. His game has really impressed me the past 6 months and for a man who possesses so much talent, his alarming slide down the world rankings was puzzling. Now, his confidence is back, his swing looks rock solid and another win could be around the corner. His putting remains a huge concern and he reminds me a little of Francesco Molinari in this regard. However, if he can roll in a few putts this week, there is no reason why Adam won’t be in contention come Sunday evening. One other person not mentioned by Ian deserves respect this week and that is Stewart Cink. His best results generally come on more challenging courses such as Cog Hill ann he also boasts some impressive finishes in the BMW over the years. Priced at 33/1, I think he is good value but for those who prefer a bit more of a cushion, 10/3 for a top 10 might tickle your fancy.

What an incredible performance overall from Fred Couple’s American team but in particular, that man Tiger Woods. 5pts from 5pts in what was near flawless golf, along of course with Steve Stricker. Phil Mickelson was also inspiring which has me a little worried ahead of next years Ryder Cup. However, on home soil, I am still confident our European lads will be more than capable.

Greg Normans controversial, and in my view plain stupid, decision to select Adam Scott backfired badly as the Australian failed to produce any form or much points. Normans decision in my view was a patriotic one that he should not have made. I was expecting Rory Sabbatini to get the nod ahead of the rest, especially Adam Scott, whose form has been appalling.

I did feel sorry for Scott though. Although I am sure he was desperate to play, he should not have been put in that situation. It will be interesting to see if Norman now remains at the helm after making such a critical error in judgment. I hope Colin Montgomerie is taking note!!

Adam Scott defends his title this week at the HP Byron Nelson Championship at the Four Seasons Resorts and Club Dallas at Las Colinas at Dallas Texas. Scott is completely off form however having missed his previous five cuts and therefore, it is difficult to fancy him in the betting.

The course is extremely difficult since the changes were made prior to the 2008 Championship. What is noticeable is that 5 of the last 6 winners has had a Greens In Regulation stat of 74% or more come the end of the week. 3 of those winners actually had the highest GIR’s of the week.

For this reason, we think solid, in form iron players could go well this week. Ian Poulter did not disappoint last week when he was placed at large odds. We expect him to go well this week again and we are convinced he will win shortly. He is very much a confidence player with buckets of ability and was actually 3rd here in 2007.

David Toms is our other tip this week. Toms is playing very solid at present and you always feel he gives you a solid each way chance, especially considering his GIR stats.