5 pros to watch at the BMW Championship

Here’s a glance at five pros to watch this week at the BMW Championship tees off Thursday at Cog Hill in Lemont:

Webb Simpson:FedExCup standing: 1stWait, who? That#146;s right, Simpson, 27, leads the FedEx Cup standings heading into the BMW Championship courtesy of a playoff win at the Deutsche Bank Championship. #133; A few weeks earlier, Simpson won for the first time on the PGA Tour at the Wyndham to head into the playoffs ranked third. #133; Despite not having much of a belly, Simpson uses a belly putter. Fun fact: You gotta like a guy who celebrated his victory at the Wyndham by going to Wendy#146;s. Dustin Johnson:FedExCup standing: 2ndThe big hitting South Carolina native is sure to draw huge galleries this week at Cog Hill, especially with the absence of players such as Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy from the field. ... The defending BMW champion won this year#146;s opening playoff event, the rain-shortened The Barclay#146;s, by two strokes over Matt Kuchar. It was his first win of the season. ... Johnson, 26, finished tied for second at the British Open.Fun fact: Could dunk a basketball as a seventh grader. Luke Donald:FedExCup standing: 4th The former Northwestern star and current No. 1 player in the world leads all players with 11 finishes in the Top 10. He#146;s finished in the Top 25 in 13 of the 16 events he has played on Tour this year. ... He already has locked in to advance to the Tour Championship. ... Donald, 33, picked up his lone Tour victory in the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship.Fun fact: An avid painter, Donald earned a degree in art theory and practice at Northwestern.Mark Wilson:FedExCup standing: 17thThe Elmhurst resident is pretty much a lock to have a spot in the Tour Championship. ... Wilson, 36, got off to a red-hot start with early season wins at the Sony Open in Hawaii and the Phoenix Open. ... Is nearing the $3 million mark in earnings this season. ... Donated $30,000 to Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer Fund in 2006, the largest single donation by an athlete in the charity#146;s history. And he made the donation before re-earning his PGA Tour card.Fun fact: According to his wife Amy, Mark does all the ironing in the house. He will even iron his non-wrinkle golf shirts.D.A. Points:FedExCup standing: 49thAs he said on his Twitter page Monday, the #147;Points traveling circus is heading to Chicago.#148; ... The Pekin native and University of Illinois grad has been steady all season, but is going to need a special performance this week to advance to East Lake for the Tour Championship. ... Points, 34, picked up his first Tour win at Pebble Beach in February. Fun quote: #147;To win on the PGA Tour, especially at Pebble Beach, and especially with Bill Murray, oh gosh, I don#146;t think I could dream it up.#148;GLF30902502Dustin Johnson will defend his BMW Championship title at Cog Hill this week, and the big hitter should draw big galleries.Associated PressGLFGLF37322562Former Northwestern star Luke Donald is the current No. 1 player in the world as he prepares for the BMW Championship.Associated PressGLFGLF34052284Mark Wilson of Elmhurst is nearing the $3 million mark in earnings this season, and the PGA Tour pro ranks 17th in FedExCup points heading into the BMW Championship.Associated PressGLFGLF40002776D.A. Points has been steady all season on the PGA Tour and ranks 49th in FedExCup points heading into the BMW Championship. The former Illini golfer hails from Pekin.Associated PressGLFThe BMW ChampionshipWhen: Thursday-SundayWhere: Cog Hill Golf and Country Club, 12294 Archer Ave., LemontWhat: A field of 70 finalists compete in the third FedExCup Playoffs eventPurse: $8 million; $1.44 for the championDefending champion: Dustin JohnsonThis week’s schedule:Gates open at 6 a.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, and then at 7 a.m. Thursday-SundayTuesday: Practice roundsWednesday: Pro-AmThursday, Friday: Players tee off in the first two rounds from 9:45-11:45 a.m.Saturday: Players tee off from 7:30-9:30 a.m. for the third round to accommodate Notre Dame footballSunday: Final-round play begins at 7:30 a.m.Tickets: Available by visiting BMWChampionshipTickets.comTV coverage:Ÿ 2-5 p.m. Thursday and Friday on Golf ChannelŸ 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday on NBCŸ 1-5 p.m. Sunday, NBC