BMW Charity Pro-Am

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The BMW Charity Pro-Am is a unique tournament for the Web.com Tour as it is played over three separate courses over the first three days with the final round played on the host course, Thornblade Club. The other two courses used are the Preserve at Verdae (used last year) and the Furman University Golf Club (which has replaced the Reserve at Lake Keowee in the rotation). The tournament features a different format for the Web.com Tour,  pairing professionals with  celebrities and amateurs in a best-ball format  similar to the  AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am on the PGA Tour.

In past tournaments it seems as though accuracy has been the premium tool for winners here as there are numerous hazards to negotiate and tree-lined fairways to hit. Thornblade isnt a particuarly long course but with a number of bunkers located in the middle of the fairways of some of the longer Par 4 and 5 holes, driving distance may help. For this reason I feel that Total Driving is the most important stat to follow this week. Thornblade is also a Tom Fazio design so look for players who have faired well on his other courses as he consistently provides challenging putting surfaces.

I think it is also worth mentioning that Clemson University is less than an hour away from all these courses and many of the current and former students are members of Thornblade. Many of the younger South Carolinian players on the minor tours such as the eGolf Tour are granted access for free practice rounds. It is no surprise that local players do well in this tournament if they have the access to these tricky courses.

My picks are as follows:

Rafael Campos - 1pt e/w @ 18/1 - Very nearly a winner in the Dominican Republic on a Fazio design, Campos has been a revelation this year, finishing 7th on the PGA Tour in the Houston Open and 10th at the Puerto Rico Open. A classy player who missed the cut here last year, hopefully now he knows the format he can plot his way around the course.  

Jimmy Gunn - 1pt e/w @ 40/1 - Gunn was 6th last time out at the Fazio designed Corales Puntacana and has some course form here too, finishing 18th back in 2014. He missed the cut here last year but arrives in much better form this time around.

Adam Svensson - 0.5pts e/w @ 125/1 - Another player who finished highly in the Dominican Republic, Svensson has form here too, with a 32nd last year and two rounds in the 60s. He is very accurate, 4th in Ball Striking and sits 1st in Scoring Average. This could be his week.

Total Staked - 5pts