The BMW Championship is a professional golf tournament which is the penultimate FedEx Cup playoff event on the PGA Tour schedule. Introduced in 2007, the BMW Championship was previously known as the Western Open. The Western Golf Association, which founded and ran the Western Open, runs the BMW Championship. In 2012, 2013, and 2014, the PGA Tour named the BMW Championship its Tournament of the Year.[1] The BMW Championship is the longest running regular PGA Tour event on the calendar outside of the four major tournaments.
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| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Denver, Colorado |
| Established | 2007 |
| Course(s) | Castle Pines Golf Club |
| Par | 70 |
| Length | 7,366 yards (6,735 m) |
| Tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Format | Stroke play |
| Prize fund | US$20,000,000 |
| Month played | August |
| Tournament record score | |
| Aggregate | 260 Keegan Bradley (2018) 260 Justin Rose (2018) |
| To par | −27 Patrick Cantlay (2021) −27 Bryson DeChambeau (2021) |
| Current champion | |
 Keegan Bradley | |
| Location map | |
  Olympia Fields CC Location in the United States  Olympia Fields CC Location in Illinois | |
Western Open
editThe Western Open was first played 125 years ago in 1899. For many years, the Western was played in and out of the state of Illinois, before eventually settling down in the Chicago area. The Western Golf Association (WGA) ran the Western Open throughout its entire history (1899–2006), and continues to run the tournament under its new title. These are, however, two entirely different events in terms of playing format and invitational criteria. The Western Open was like any other regular PGA Tour stop – although it was once considered to be one of golf's majors. The BMW Championship is part of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, and only the leading FedEx Cup points earners at the start of the BMW event are eligible to play.
Tournament format
editThe BMW Championship is open to the leading FedEx Cup points earners on the PGA Tour following the FedEx St. Jude Championship. Through 2022, the top 70 players were qualified, after which it was reduced to the top 50. With a limited field, there is no 36-hole cut. The top 30 in the FedEx Cup points list following the BMW Championship advance to The Tour Championship, where the FedEx Cup champion is decided.[2]
Winners
edit| Year | Winner | Score | To par | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up | Purse ($) |
Winner's share ($) |
Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Keegan Bradley (2) |
276 | −12 | 1 stroke |  Ludvig Åberg Sam Burns Adam Scott |
20,000,000 | 3,600,000 | Castle Pines |
| 2023 |  Viktor Hovland |
263 | −17 | 2 strokes |  Matt Fitzpatrick Scottie Scheffler |
20,000,000 | 3,600,000 | Olympia Fields |
| 2022 | Patrick Cantlay (2) |
270 | −14 | 1 stroke | Scott Stallings |
15,000,000 | 2,700,000 | Wilmington |
| 2021 | Patrick Cantlay |
261 | −27 | Playoff | Bryson DeChambeau |
9,500,000 | 1,710,000 | Caves Valley |
| 2020 |  Jon Rahm |
276 | −4 | Playoff | Dustin Johnson |
9,500,000 | 1,710,000 | Olympia Fields |
| 2019 | Justin Thomas |
263 | −25 | 3 strokes | Patrick Cantlay |
9,250,000 | 1,665,000 | Medinah |
| 2018 | Keegan Bradley |
260 | −20 | Playoff | Justin Rose |
9,000,000 | 1,620,000 | Aronimink |
| 2017 | Marc Leishman |
261 | −23 | 5 strokes | Rickie Fowler Justin Rose |
8,750,000 | 1,575,000 | Conway Farms |
| 2016 | Dustin Johnson (2) |
265 | −23 | 3 strokes | Paul Casey |
8,500,000 | 1,530,000 | Crooked Stick |
| 2015 | Jason Day |
262 | −22 | 6 strokes | Daniel Berger |
8,250,000 | 1,485,000 | Conway Farms |
| 2014 | Billy Horschel |
266 | −14 | 2 strokes | Bubba Watson |
8,000,000 | 1,440,000 | Cherry Hills |
| 2013 | Zach Johnson |
268 | −16 | 2 strokes | Nick Watney |
8,000,000 | 1,440,000 | Conway Farms |
| 2012 |  Rory McIlroy |
268 | −20 | 2 strokes | Phil Mickelson Lee Westwood |
8,000,000 | 1,440,000 | Crooked Stick |
| 2011 | Justin Rose |
271 | −13 | 2 strokes | John Senden |
8,000,000 | 1,440,000 | Cog Hill |
| 2010 | Dustin Johnson |
275 | −9 | 1 stroke | Paul Casey |
7,500,000 | 1,350,000 | Cog Hill |
| 2009 | Tiger Woods (5) |
265 | −19 | 8 strokes | Jim Furyk Marc Leishman |
7,500,000 | 1,350,000 | Cog Hill |
| 2008 |  Camilo Villegas |
265 | −15 | 2 strokes | Dudley Hart |
7,000,000 | 1,260,000 | Bellerive |
| 2007 | Tiger Woods (4) |
262 | −22 | 2 strokes | Aaron Baddeley |
7,000,000 | 1,260,000 | Cog Hill |
Host venues
editFour of the first five editions of the BMW Championship were held at Cog Hill Golf & Country Club, which had hosted the Western Open since 1991. Since 2011, no course has hosted in consecutive years, with the tournament moving throughout the Midwest and sometimes venturing into Colorado as well as the Mid-Atlantic region. The Chicago metropolitan area remains the most frequent location, having hosted the event ten times at four different courses.
| Venue | Location | First | Last | Times |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cog Hill Golf & Country Club | Lemont, Illinois | 2007 | 2011 | 4 |
| Conway Farms Golf Club | Lake Forest, Illinois | 2013 | 2017 | 3 |
| Crooked Stick Golf Club | Carmel, Indiana | 2012 | 2016 | 2 |
| Olympia Fields Country Club (North Course) | Olympia Fields, Illinois | 2020 | 2023 | 2 |
| Bellerive Country Club | Town and Country, Missouri | 2008 | 1 | |
| Cherry Hills Country Club | Cherry Hills Village, Colorado | 2014 | 1 | |
| Aronimink Golf Club | Newtown Square, Pennsylvania | 2018 | 1 | |
| Medinah Country Club (Course 3) | Medinah, Illinois | 2019 | 1 | |
| Caves Valley Golf Club | Owings Mills, Maryland | 2021 | 1 | |
| Wilmington Country Club | Wilmington, Delaware | 2022 | 1 | |
| Castle Pines Golf Club | Castle Rock, Colorado | 2024 | 1 | |
Future sites
edit| Year | Course | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Caves Valley Golf Club | Owings Mills, Maryland |
| 2026 | Bellerive Country Club | Town and Country, Missouri |
| 2027 | Liberty National Golf Club | Jersey City, New Jersey |
References
edit- ^ "2013 BMW Championship Earns PGA Tour's Tournament of the Year Honor" (Press release). BMW Group. October 12, 2013.
- ^ "FedEx Cup 101". PGA Tour. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
- ^ "Wilmington Country Club to host 2022 BMW Championship". BMW Championship. November 17, 2020.
- ^ "BMW Championship | 2023 Priority Ticket Program". BMW Championship. Retrieved May 4, 2022.