BMW Championship Preview: Jordan Rules

We are in the midst of an era that refuses to be labeled, in that no one player is able to climb the mountain and stay there. In that way, this era might be looked upon as that of a lot of great golfers, but no transcendent ones. That notion, however, only accounts for the results. Results are a huge factor, of course, but anyone who followed golf during the "Tiger era," knows that Tiger's effect went far beyond his results.

In that sense, this era may not be as convoluted as we thought. It might just be the Jordan Spieth era. If we judge this era on results only, then it's between Rory and Spieth, as they hold the most majors of the golfers with future potential. Guys like DJ, JT, Day, Fowler and the rest, have the potential to win multiple majors as well, but as of now, they are not in the formers' class.

What separates Spieth, even from Rory, is that he is unquestionably the top draw in golf. Spieth is why the FedEx Playoffs are considered a huge success this season as he's been in the mix during the first two events. More evidence pointing to Spieth is the crowd support, no matter the opponent. To my surprise, when he battled DJ at the Northern Trust, he was clearly the rooting favorite of the crowd. I didn't expect DJ to own the crowd, but I expected more of a balanced split. Spieth and JT at the Dell? Well, I think we all know how that went.

Spieth may not end up winning more majors than his peers the next decade or so, but as long as he's the fan favorite and merely keeps pace with the pack, this era will be known for his exploits and not that of the pack.

This week: BMW Championship - Conway Farms Golf Club - Lake Forest, Ill.

Last Year: Dustin Johnson shot a final-round 67 on his way to a three-stroke victory over Paul Casey.

PLAYERS TO CONSIDER

Jordan Spieth

Spieth just seems more determined than anyone and that has shown with his two runner-ups in his last two starts. That, or he's just so good that he, unlike his fellow competitors, can navigate any course in his path. Whatever the case, it's not wise to doubt Spieth when he's playing like this. Spieth finished T13 and T16 in his two starts at this event, on this course.

Jason Day

If anyone has an edge because of course history, it's Day, who has a win and a T4 in his two starts on this track. Day has rarely shown his top form this season, but he finished T27 or better in his five most recent starts, including top-10s in two of his last three starts.

Paul Casey

It seems like Casey is in the mix every week, but he just can't seem to close. While it's nice having a guy who can win, it's also nice having a guy who you know will contend, and that's what Casey provides. Casey finished in the top 5 in the first two playoff events.

Jon Rahm

Rahm will be one of a number of first-timers here, but that hasn't slowed him much this season, and I don't expect him to have trouble with this new venue either. Rahm was in position to win at the Dell, but for some reason, it looked like the situation became too big for him. I say, "looked like" because I don't think the situation was too big, but something definitely took him off his game on the weekend. I don't expect another weekend collapse this time around, and Rahm should be in the mix late Sunday.

Rickie Fowler

Fowler has been on the brink of contending during the first two events of the FedEx playoffs, but he hasn't been able to maintain focus ... or at least that's what it looked like. Fowler has had some solid stretches the last couple events, but those stretches have been followed by blunders, sometimes inexplicable. If he can avoid those mistakes for the better part of all four rounds he should be in the mix come Sunday afternoon.

PLAYERS TO AVOID

Rory McIlroy

As someone who has plenty of McIlroy shares, it pains me to put him on this list, but he's obviously not healthy enough to compete. That, or he's completely mental, but whatever the case, I think his season ends with a thud this week. I'll be elated if I am wrong, but I just don't see him excelling this week.

Scott Brown

Scott Brown gained entry to this event largely due to his two runner-up finishes earlier in the season, but he hasn't shown that form often the last couple months. Brown does have a pair of top-25s in his last four starts, but he's also finished 65th or worse three times in his last five starts.

Cameron Smith

As the case with McIlroy, I want Smith to play well this week for personal reasons, but I just don't see it happening. Smith essentially back-doored his way into this event via a win in April but hasn't done much since then. Smith has missed the cut in eight of his last 10 events.

Ian Poulter

I speculated two weeks ago that Poulter might be running out of gas after the tear he went on over the span of a couple months, and although he managed a top-25 at the Dell, he was never in contention. His prospects don't look very good this week either as he played to a T53 and a T44 in his two starts on this course.

Luke List

List was on fire early in this season, which is why he's in the field this week, but he struggled in a big way during the second half of the season. List has only one top-25 in his last 15 starts on the PGA Tour and this event likely will be the end of the road for List.

ONE AND DONE GOLFER

Last week: Louis Oosthuizen (T30) - $54,347; Season - $7,113,486

This week: Paul Casey - I should have at least a few guys to pick from next week, so I'm going with my best available, and that's Casey. As mentioned, the odds of Casey winning aren't good, but the odds of him playing well and making a big check are pretty high.

YAHOO PICKS

Points: 4,559
Rank: 22,637

This Week:

Group A: Jason Day, Rickie Fowler

Group B: Hideki Matsuyama, Justin Thomas, Paul Casey, Justin Rose

Group C: Jon Rahm, Zach Johnson

SURVIVOR PICK

Last week: Paul Casey - (T5); Streak - 10

This week: N/A - N/A