BMW Championship Matchup Bets: Rory McIlroy vs. Xander Schauffele Prediction

The second round of the FedEx Cup Playoffs is set to take place this week when the top 50 golfers in the PGA Tour standings head to Bellerive for the BMW Championship.
You can find my best bets to win this week's event in my full betting preview here. In this article, I'm going to focus on head-to-head matchup bets. They don't pay as much as a tournament outright bet, but they're a lot more likely to cash, and they are a great way to bet on a golfer you like in an event while also fading a golfer you don't think will perform well.
BMW Championship Head-to-Head Bets
- Xander Schauffele -105 vs. Rory McIlroy
- Hideki Matsuyama -125 vs. Wyndham Clark
- Tommy Fleetwood -105 vs. Ludvig Aberg
Xander Schauffele -105 vs. Rory McIlroy
For the second straight year, Rory McIlroy has proven that he only cares about competing at the majors, specifically at the Masters. Both last year and so far this year, he hasn't brought his best stuff to non-major events and looks largely uninterested while playing. He finished 66th out of 70 golfers at last week's FedEx St. Jude Championship.
I'll jump at the chance to bet on Xander Schauffele as a slight underdog in this head-to-head matchup. He's coming off a T7 finish last week, and he finished as the solo runner-up a couple of weeks before that at the Rocket Classic.
Hideki Matsuyama -125 vs. Wyndham Clark
Hideki Matsuyama is one of my best bets to win this week, but I'm going to double-dip on him by betting on him to beat Wyndham Clark in a head-to-head matchup. He posted a fourth-straight top-10 finish while gaining +1.30 strokes per round off the tee and +1.75 strokes with his approach play.
Wyndham Clark is coming off a T5 finish last week, but he missed the cut at these two events before that. His lack of accuracy off the tee is going to set him behind the 8-ball at Bellerive this week.
Tommy Fleetwood -105 vs. Ludvig Aberg
I don't think I'll ever bet on Tommy Fleetwood to win a PGA Tour event ever again, but betting on him in matchup bets is the sweet spot. His floor is the highest on the PGA Tour, behind only Scottie Scheffler. He has finished T14 or better in seven straight starts heading into this week.
Ludvig Aberg is coming off a T7 finish, but Bellerive isn't a course that you can just overpower with distance off the tee. I think he'll struggle this week at a course where a bit of finesse is required.
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Originally from Nova Scotia, Iain MacMillan is a senior editor covering betting, with a focus on NFL, NHL, and golf. He hosts the Bacon Bets Podcast and has been featured on VSIN, BetQL and Monumental Sports Network. He is a member of the Metropolitan Golf Writers Association and his beloved Falcons and Maple Leafs break his heart on a yearly basis.
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