BMW Championship — Week Preview

The BMW Championship stands as the oldest non-major on the PGA Tour schedule, dating back to 1899. This week’s tournament returns to Bellerive Country Club for the second time, marking the first return since 2008. Camilo Villegas won that 2008 edition by two strokes over Dudley Hart with a score of 15-under 265 when the course measured 7,324 yards. One player competing this week—Adam Scott—competed in that 2008 BMW Championship, finishing T50.

The venue hosted the 2018 PGA Championship, drawing seventeen players from this week’s field who competed there. Adam Scott finished 3rd at that championship, while Justin Thomas and Gary Woodland each finished T6 and Rickie Fowler finished T12, all within the top-15. Notable players who missed the cut at Bellerive during the 2018 PGA Championship included Alex Noren, Matt Fitzpatrick, and Si Woo Kim.

Akshay Bhatia made history at last year’s BMW Championship at Caves Valley by carding an ace. His first PGA Tour hole-in-one came in the third round on the 17th hole with a 227-yard 5-iron. BMW of North America presented an Evans Scholarship in Bhatia’s name to deserving young caddie Juliya Tabaka. He was also awarded a BMW iX for his achievement.

Three lefthanders compete in this week’s field: Akshay Bhatia, Robert MacIntyre, and Matt McCarty. Each seeks to become the second lefthander to win a FedExCup Playoffs event, with Phil Mickelson as the first.

Patrick Cantlay won the BMW Championship in both 2021 and 2022, making him one of seven players in the last 100 years to win consecutively. Nick Price won in 1993 and 1994. Jack Nicklaus won in 1967 and 1968. Billy Casper won in 1965 and 1966. Sam Snead won in 1949 and 1950. Ralph Guldahl won in 1936, 1937, and 1938. Walter Hagen won in 1926 and 1927.

Since BMW assumed the title in 2007, the championship has produced three playoffs: in 2018, 2020, and 2021. Three wire-to-wire winners have emerged in this span: Camilo Villegas in 2008, Jason Day in 2015, and Marc Leishman in 2017.

The field includes seven FedExCup Champions. Tommy Fleetwood won in 2025. Scottie Scheffler won in 2024. Viktor Hovland won in 2023. Rory McIlroy won in 2016, 2019, and 2022. Patrick Cantlay won in 2021. Justin Rose won in 2018. Justin Thomas won in 2017.

Six past BMW Championship winners compete this week. Scottie Scheffler won in 2025. Viktor Hovland won in 2023. Patrick Cantlay won in 2022 and 2021. Justin Thomas won in 2019. Rory McIlroy won in 2012. Justin Rose won in 2011.

Ten players make their BMW Championship debut this week: Michael Brennan, Nico Echavarria, Alex Fitzpatrick, Ryo Hisatsune, Nicolai Højgaard, Jake Knapp, Min Woo Lee, Matt McCarty, Kristoffer Reitan, and Michael Thorbjornsen.

Seventeen players seek to advance to their first TOUR Championship appearance. Ryan Gerard, Min Woo Lee, Kristoffer Reitan, Alex Fitzpatrick, Alex Smalley, Ryan Fox, Kurt Kitayama, Bud Cauley, Nicolai Højgaard, Alex Noren, Jake Knapp, Michael Thorbjornsen, Nico Echavarria, Ryo Hisatsune, Michael Brennan, Eric Cole, and Matt McCarty comprise this group.

Every player in this week’s field has qualified for all Signature Events on the 2027 PGA Tour schedule and the 2027 PLAYERS Championship.

Of the eight first-time winners in 2026, five qualified for the BMW Championship. Jacob Bridgeman won The Genesis Invitational. Alex Fitzpatrick won the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Kristoffer Reitan won the Truist Championship. Bud Cauley won the RBC Canadian Open. Michael Thorbjornsen won the Rocket Classic.

Two PGA Tour rookies qualified for the BMW Championship: Kristoffer Reitan at No. 19 and Alex Fitzpatrick at No. 20.

Of the 12 international winners among 36 FedExCup Regular Season events, 10 qualified for the BMW Championship. Justin Rose, Nico Echavarria, Matt Fitzpatrick, Rory McIlroy, Alex Fitzpatrick, Kristoffer Reitan, Aaron Rai, Viktor Hovland, Tom Kim, and Ryan Fox all advanced.

Six PGA Tour University alumni advanced to the BMW Championship: Chris Gotterup, Ludvig Aberg, Jacob Bridgeman, Alex Fitzpatrick, Michael Thorbjornsen, and Michael Brennan.

The 2026 PGA Tour season marks the 20th edition of the FedExCup, which was established in 2007. The FedExCup functions as a season-long points competition culminating in the FedExCup Playoffs, a series of three events determining the FedExCup Champion.

The top 70 players in the FedExCup standings qualify for the FedExCup Playoffs. The three events feature a progressive cut with fields of 70 at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, 50 at the BMW Championship, and 30 at the TOUR Championship.

With 4,873 FedExCup points, Scottie Scheffler enters the playoffs with a 1,447-point lead over Matt Fitzpatrick in the FedExCup standings.

Sungjae Im was the only player to move inside the top 50 and into the BMW Championship following last week’s FedEx St. Jude Championship. Im moved from 53rd to 40th. Keith Mitchell moved outside the top 50, dropping from 49th to 51st.

The top 30 players in the FedExCup standings advance to the TOUR Championship following the BMW Championship. The bubble sits precariously with Ryan Fox at No. 25, Tom Kim at No. 26, Adam Scott at No. 27, Kurt Kitayama at No. 28, Bud Cauley at No. 29, and Rickie Fowler at No. 30. Outside the cut line sit Gary Woodland at No. 31, J.T. Poston at No. 32, Nicolai Højgaard at No. 33, Alex Noren at No. 34, and Jake Knapp at No. 35.