BMW Championship
Bellerive Country Club
St. Louis, Missouri
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NOW PLAYING:
| Host Course | Bellerive Country Club (1960) |
| Yards (per official scorecard): | 7,448 yards. |
| Par: | 70 (35-35). |
| Greens: | T-1 Bentgrass; 8,000 square feet on average. |
| Stimpmeter: | 12.5 feet. |
| Rough: | Fescue and Bluegrass at four inches. |
| Bunkers/Water Hazards/In-Play | 11 holes with water |
| Architect(s): | Robert Trent Jones (1960); Rees Jones (2005; 2019). |
| Defending Champion (event): | Scottie Scheffler (Caves Valley). |
| Multiple Champion (event) Entered: | Patrick Cantlay (2021-22). |
| Course Record: | 63; Brooks Koepka (Round 2, 2018 PGA Championship). |
| Fact of the Week: | The last two events played at Bellerive were the 2018 PGA Championship and the 2008 BMW Championship (Camilo Villegas). |
Notes:
- Field of 50 players. The top 30 players in the FedExCup points standings will advance to the TOUR Championship next week at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.
- 19 of the top 20 OWGR are entered.
- $20 million – $3.6 million to the winner plus 750 FedEx Cup points.
Recent Winners – BMW Championship
Italics – not entered this week.
| Year | Winner | Notes |
| 2025 | Scottie Scheffler | Won the second event at Caves Valley by two shots over Robert MacIntyre. |
| 2024 | Keegan Bradley | Finished one stroke better than Sam Burns, Ludvig Aberg, and Adam Scott at Castle Pines outside Denver. |
| 2023 | Viktor Hovland | Knocked off Scheffler and Matt Fitzpatrick on his way to winning the FedExCup the following week. |
| 2022 | Patrick Cantlay | Became the first and only player to successfully defend the championship in the FedExCup era. |
| 2021 | Patrick Cantlay | Set the tournament scoring record of 27-under-par at Caves Valley. Won in a playoff over DeChambeau. |
Recent Winners
2026 Season Winners
| Event | Winner |
| The Sentry | No Event |
| Sony Open in Hawaii | Chris Gotterup |
| The American Express | Scottie Scheffler |
| Farmers Insurance Open | Justin Rose |
| WM Phoenix Open | Chris Gotterup (2) |
| AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am | Collin Morikawa |
| Cognizant Classic | Nico Echavarria |
| Arnold Palmer Invitational | Akshay Bhatia |
| THE PLAYERS Championship | Cameron Young |
| Valspar Championship | Matt Fitzpatrick |
| Houston Open | Gary Woodland |
| Valero Texas Open | J.J. Spaun |
| Masters Tournament | Rory McIlroy |
| RBC Heritage | Matt Fitzpatrick (2) |
| Zurich Classic | Matt Fitzpatrick (3); Alex Fitzpatrick |
| Cadillac Championship | Cameron Young (2) |
| Truist Championship | Kristoffer Reitan (first-time winner) |
| 108th PGA Championship | Aaron Rai |
| THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson | Wyndham Clark |
| Charles Schwab Challenge | Russell Henley |
| Memorial Tournament | JT Poston |
| RBC Canadian Open | Bud Cauley (first-time winner) |
| United States Open | Wyndham Clark |
| Travelers Championship | Viktor Hovland |
| John Deere Classic | Chris Gotterup (3) |
| Genesis Scottish Open | Tom Kim |
| The 154th Open Championship | Ryan Fox |
| 3M Open | Jackson Koivun (first-time winner) |
| Rocket Classic | Michael Thorbjornsen (first-time winner) |
| Wyndham Championship | Michael Brennan |
| FedEx St. Jude Championship | Scottie Scheffler (2) |
2025 Season Winners
| Event | Winner |
| The Sentry | Hideki Matsuyama |
| Sony Open in Hawaii | Nick Taylor |
| The American Express | Sepp Straka |
| Farmers Insurance Open | Harris English |
| AT&T Pebble Beach | Rory McIlroy |
| WM Phoenix Open | Thomas Detry (LIV) |
| The Genesis Invitational | Ludvig Aberg |
| Mexico Open at Vidanta | Brian Campbell (first time) |
| Cognizant Classic | Joe Highsmith (first time) |
| Arnold Palmer Invitational | Russell Henley |
| Puerto Rico Open | Karl Vilips (first time) |
| THE PLAYERS Championship | Rory McIlroy |
| Valspar Championship | Viktor Hovland |
| Texas Children’s Houston Open | Min Woo Lee (first time) |
| Valero Texas Open | Brian Harman |
| 88th Masters Tournament | Rory McIlroy (career grand slam) |
| RBC Heritage | Justin Thomas |
| Zurich Classic | Ben Griffin & Andrew Novak (first-time winners) |
| THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson | Scottie Scheffler |
| Truist Championship | Sepp Straka (2) |
| Mrytle Beach One Flight | Ryan Fox |
| 106th PGA Championship | Scottie Scheffler (2) |
| Charles Schwab Challenge | Ben Griffin (2) |
| The 50th Memorial Tournament | Scottie Scheffler (3) |
| RBC Canadian Open | Ryan Fox (2) |
| 124th United States Open | J.J. Spaun |
| Travelers Championship | Keegan Bradley |
| Rocket Mortgage Classic | Aldrich Potgieter (first time) |
| John Deere Classic | Brian Campbell (2) |
| Genesis Scottish Open | Chris Gotterup |
| ISCO Championship | William Mouw (first time) |
| 152nd Open Championship | Scottie Scheffler (4) |
| Barracuda Championship | Ryan Gerard (first time) |
| 3M Open | Kurt Kitayama |
| Wyndham Championship | Cameron Young (first time) |
| FedEx St. Jude Championship | Justin Rose |
| BMW Championship | Scottie Scheffler (5) |
| The TOUR Championship | Tommy Fleetwood (first time) |
| FedEx Cup Fall | |
| Procore Championship | Scottie Scheffler (6) |
| Sanderson Farms Championship | Steven Fisk (first time) |
| Black Desert Championship | Michael Brennan (first time) |
| Baycurrent Championship | Xander Schauffele |
| World Wide Technology Champ | Ben Griffin (3) |
| Butterfield Bermuda Champ | Adam Schenk (first time) |
| The RSM Classic | Sami Valimaki (first time) |
One and Done – Spotter’s Game
Whatever.
| Event | Selection | Place | Earnings |
| Sony Open in Hawaii | Robert MacIntyre | T4 | 409,500 |
| The American Express | Ben Griffin | T24 | 81,420 |
| Farmers Insurance | Jason Day | T38 | 41,760 |
| WM Phoenix Open | Sahith Theegala | T18 | 122,720 |
| AT&T Pebble Beach | Patrick Cantlay | T14 | 342,500 |
| The Genesis Invitational | Tommy Fleetwood | T7 | 603,200 |
| Cognizant Classic | Daniel Berger | T32 | 54,816 |
| Arnold Palmer Invitational | Scottie Scheffler | T24 | 157,000 |
| THE PLAYERS | Shane Lowry | mc | 0 |
| Valspar Championship | Jacob Bridgeman | T14 | 161,525 |
| Houston Open | Chris Gotterup | T6 | 322,987 |
| Valero Texas Open | Sudarshan Yellamaraju | T14 | 159,250 |
| Masters | Jon Rahm | T38 | 101,250 |
| RBC Heritage | Russell Henley | T30 | 142,750 |
| Zurich Classic | Alex Fitzpatrick | WIN | 1,375,000 |
| Cadillac Championship | Gary Woodland | T38 | 72,182 |
| Truist Championship | Rory McIlroy | T19 | 242,100 |
| 108th PGA Championship | Bryson DeChambeau | MC | 0 |
| THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson | Si Woo Kim | 2nd | 1,122,700 |
| Charles Schwab | J.J. Spaun | T3 | 322,987 |
| Memorial Tournament | Jordan Spieth | MC | 0 |
| RBC Canadian Open | Zach Bauchou | MC | 0 |
| United States Open | Xander Schauffele | T11 | 405,862 |
| Travelers Championship | Brian Harman | T24 | 154,500 |
| John Deere Classic | JT Poston | T51 | 21,358 |
| Genesis Scottish Open | Matt Fitzpatrick | T3 | 431,887 |
| The Open Championship | Tyrrell Hatton | T69 | 40,800 |
| 3M Open | Pierceson Coody | MC | 0 |
| Rocket Classic | Hideki Matsuyama | T5 | 370,000 |
| Wyndham Championship | Ryan Gerard | MC | 0 |
| FedEx St. Jude Champ | Justin Thomas |
Last WEEK – FedEx St. Jude Championship
I should have taken my own advice in this column
From last week (copied, pasted):
The Choice: Justin Thomas
The SMART play is probably Burns (T3) on his preferred surface, or Clark (T5) for his boom/bust upside.
I am way past the “smart” point of the proceedings…
After all his close calls this season, Burns is a tough laydown, and Aberg (T7) is not too far behind. As usual, I default to my upbringing, Horses for Courses, and will ride with the 2020 winner on this track of the WGC-BI. Burns or Aberg will be the choice next week, unless Hovland (T19) pops back into one of his ridiculous heaters.
Thomas (T47), who has not won since 2025 Harbour Town, currently resides at No. 38 and needs a big finish this week or next to force his way into the Top 30. The 16-time winner shouldn’t have any scar tissue to worry about if he is in the fight on Sunday afternoon in Memphis.
For those of you with Matsuyama (T7) in the stable, time to get the saddle on!
This Week – BMW Championship
Last week, I listed five players for Memphis.
Four of them hit T7 or better.
One of them was T47.
The hottest player (non-winners division): Burns, Matsuyama, Aberg, or Schauffele.
The hottest player (Scottie Scheffler division): Scottie Scheffler
The Pick: Wyndham Clark
DraftKings Markets & Parlays
The BMW Championship is the second of three legs in the FedExCup Playoffs. The defending champion, Scottie Scheffler, sent a loud and clear message last week announcing his intention to add another FedExCup championship to his mantle. Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis provides four more rounds to book a final place inside the top 30 for those on the outside looking in to qualify for the TOUR Championship in Atlanta next week. DraftKings Sportsbook has plenty of markets to get involved.
Winner Without Scottie Scheffler – Ludvig Aberg (+1375) or Kurt Kitayama (+3700)
Let’s try this again! Scheffler, who ran away from the field on Sunday to win by eight shots last week in Memphis, left solo second place to Si Woo Kim. If you believe, as I do, that Scheffler has found top gear and will not be looking back, there are a couple of plays I like in this market.
Of the top choices, many will turn to Sam Burns, but I am backing Aberg. Posting three rounds in the 60s last week, only a third-round 74 knocked him out of contention. The extra yardage on the scorecard fits his precise long-iron game perfectly, and not many make more birdies (6th Birdie Average).
Kitayama, a two-time TOUR winner like Aberg, can also give it a ride. He ranks 31st in Strokes-Gained: Off the Tee and 10th in SG: Approach the Green, two excellent metrics to sort out on an unfamiliar Bellerive Country Club layout. Racking up Greens in Regulation is his calling card. Paying them off with a marginal putter is why this number is where it is. The good news is that he ranks 31st in Bogey Avoidance. Live to fight another day!
Top 5 (including ties) – Sam Burns (+280)
He will be one of the few players disappointed in the weather forecast this week. The normally insufferable summer heat in St. Louis shifts to temperatures in the 80s. The winds from the north will blow out the stagnant, thick, river air. Since the birth of his daughter BEFORE The Open Championship, the new dad has been playing with house money. His arrival at Royal Birkdale was last-minute and he ended up leading after 54 holes, nearly winning the event (T3). Returning to the States, he shot 62 in Round 3 in Memphis to earn a spot in the final group with his buddy, Scheffler. Finishing T3, he cashed a check in the top 3 in three of his last four starts on TOUR. The aggressive play would be to play him in the “Without Scheffler” market. I can live in this space.
Outside Looking in Long Shot – Top 10 (including ties) – Rickie Fowler (+295)
I had a nice hit in this space last week with Sungjae Im (+495) in Memphis, and I am running it back this week with No. 30. The six-time winner, who last won in 2023 in Detroit, is being chased by 20 guys looking to take his 30th and final ticket for Atlanta. Fowler, like the rest of the field this week, has already qualified for the Signature Events in 2027. Booking his place in the top 30 would qualify him and the 29 others for every major event next season. His sixth top-10 payday of the season would result in a winning ticket and would be his fifth from a Signature or FedExCup Playoff event. He enters the week with a round of 66 or better in five consecutive events.
The Ladder – Top 20 (including ties), Top 30 (including ties), and Top 40 (including ties): Same Game Parlay – Xander Schauffele, Si Woo Kim, and Nico Echavarria (+131)
Let’s try this one again!
To have this exercise pay PLUS money, I needed one of the longer shots in the Top 40 category. Nico Echavarria, ranked 42nd of 50 players this week, is the man for the job. The winner at the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches earlier this season, he arrives at the Par-70, 7,448-yard layout fresh off a T12 payday last week in Memphis, preceded by another T12 paycheck at the Wyndham Championship the week before. There is plenty of heat in this threesome, and the guy pulling up the rear is not dead weight!
Schauffele is on a run of T18-2nd-T7 in his last three on TOUR, and Kim, the winner of the B Flight last week in Memphis, is having the best season of his career, 11 top-10 paydays, even without a victory. He racked up three of those 11 paydays in his last four starts. I only need T30 or better this week.
Winning Score O/U 261.5 – Over (-154)
According to the great Rob Bolton, 17 players who teed it up at the 2018 PGA Championship are returning to Bellerive Country Club. All 18 greens have been regressed and rebuilt since the best players in the world have visited, so any course knowledge on the putting surfaces is out the window. Over the years, the BMW Championship has produced winning totals of 27-under (Patrick Cantlay – Caves Valley 2022) to 4-under (Jon Rahm – Olympia Fields 2020). The last four years, including return visits to Caves Valley (Scottie Scheffler -15) and Olympia Fields (Viktor Hovland -17), have not produced a winning total better than 18-under. With blustery conditions in the forecast, plus the modifications made after a major championship, I will play OVER the posted total.
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