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.
 | |
| 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$20,000,000 |
| Month played | August |
| Tournament record score | |
| Aggregate | 260 Keegan Bradley (2018) 260 Justin Rose (2018) |
| To par | −27 Patrick Cantlay (2021) −27 Bryson DeChambeau (2021) |
| Current champion | |
 Viktor Hovland | |
| Location map | |
  Olympia Fields CC Location in the United States  Olympia Fields CC Location in Illinois | |
Western Open
editThe Western Open was first played 125 years ago in 1899. For many years, the Western was played in and out of the state of Illinois, before eventually settling down in the Chicago area. The Western Golf Association (WGA) ran the Western Open throughout its entire history (1899–2006), and continues to run the tournament under its new title. These are, however, two entirely different events in terms of playing format and invitational criteria. The Western Open was like any other regular PGA Tour stop – although it was once considered to be one of golf's majors. The BMW Championship is part of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, and only the leading FedEx Cup points earners at the start of the BMW event are eligible to play.
Tournament format
editThe BMW Championship is open to the leading FedEx Cup points earners on the PGA Tour following the FedEx St. Jude Championship. Through 2022, the top 70 players were qualified, after which it was reduced to the top 50. With a limited field, there is no 36-hole cut. The top 30 in the FedEx Cup points list following the BMW Championship advance to The Tour Championship, where the FedEx Cup champion is decided.[2]
Winners
edit| Year | Winner | Score | To par | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up | Purse ($) |
Winner's share ($) |
Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 263 | −17 | 2 strokes | 20,000,000 | 3,600,000 | Olympia Fields | ||
| 2022 | 270 | −14 | 1 stroke | 15,000,000 | 2,700,000 | Wilmington | ||
| 2021 | 261 | −27 | Playoff | 9,500,000 | 1,710,000 | Caves Valley | ||
| 2020 | 276 | −4 | Playoff | 9,500,000 | 1,710,000 | Olympia Fields | ||
| 2019 | 263 | −25 | 3 strokes | 9,250,000 | 1,665,000 | Medinah | ||
| 2018 | 260 | −20 | Playoff | 9,000,000 | 1,620,000 | Aronimink | ||
| 2017 | 261 | −23 | 5 strokes | 8,750,000 | 1,575,000 | Conway Farms | ||
| 2016 | 265 | −23 | 3 strokes | 8,500,000 | 1,530,000 | Crooked Stick | ||
| 2015 | 262 | −22 | 6 strokes | 8,250,000 | 1,485,000 | Conway Farms | ||
| 2014 | 266 | −14 | 2 strokes | 8,000,000 | 1,440,000 | Cherry Hills | ||
| 2013 | 268 | −16 | 2 strokes | 8,000,000 | 1,440,000 | Conway Farms | ||
| 2012 | 268 | −20 | 2 strokes | 8,000,000 | 1,440,000 | Crooked Stick | ||
| 2011 | 271 | −13 | 2 strokes | 8,000,000 | 1,440,000 | Cog Hill | ||
| 2010 | 275 | −9 | 1 stroke | 7,500,000 | 1,350,000 | Cog Hill | ||
| 2009 | 265 | −19 | 8 strokes | 7,500,000 | 1,350,000 | Cog Hill | ||
| 2008 | 265 | −15 | 2 strokes | 7,000,000 | 1,260,000 | Bellerive | ||
| 2007 | 262 | −22 | 2 strokes | 7,000,000 | 1,260,000 | Cog Hill |
Host venues
editUnlike the two other FedEx Cup Playoff events (the FedEx St. Jude, like the regular-field event of the same name that preceded it, is always at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee, while the Tour Championship has settled at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta initially due to a sponsorship agreement with Coca-Cola), the BMW Championship has had no fixed home throughout its history. While the tournament has been played four times at Cog Hill (the "spiritual home" of the old Western Open) and seven times total in Chicagoland, the tournament has made stops elsewhere in the Midwest, namely the Indianapolis, Denver, and St. Louis areas. Due to the full-time move of the first FedEx Cup event, formerly known as The Northern Trust and played on the Eastern Seaboard, to Memphis, the BMW has also begun to visit courses back East which were formerly part of the Northern Trust rotation as well.
| 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 | 2008 | 1 |
| Cherry Hills Country Club | Cherry Hills Village, Colorado | 2014 | 2014 | 1 |
| Aronimink Golf Club | Newtown Square, Pennsylvania | 2018 | 2018 | 1 |
| Medinah Country Club (Course 3) | Medinah, Illinois | 2019 | 2019 | 1 |
| Caves Valley Golf Club | Owings Mills, Maryland | 2021 | 2021 | 1 |
| Wilmington Country Club | Wilmington, Delaware | 2022 | 2022 | 1 |
Future sites
edit| Year | Course | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Castle Pines Golf Club | Castle Rock, Colorado |
| 2025 | Caves Valley Golf Club | Owings Mills, Maryland |
| 2026 | Bellerive Country Club | Town and Country, Missouri |
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.