The PGA Tour’s postseason will head north from Tennessee to Delaware for the 16th annual BMW Championship at Wilmington Country Club, located in the city of the same name.
The second of three FedExCup Playoff legs, the BMW will feature the top-70 positioned players in the standings, with only 30 receiving a ticket to East Lake next week.
Patrick Cantlay will return to defend his 2021 title – although he was victorious at Caves Valley in Maryland, so he forfeits any home-field edge. Joining the current world No. 4, will be 69 additional elite tour players, with many seeking to cement a spot in the big-money finale next week in Atlanta.
The Skinny
Tournament: BMW Championship
Dates:Â Aug. 18-21, 2022
Where: Wilmington, DE
Course:Â Wilmington CC
Distance: 7,534 yards (Par 71)
Architect: Robert Trent Jones, Sr. (1959)
Renovation: Andrew Green (2021)
Field: Top 70 in FedExCup
Purse: $15,000,000
Winning Share: $2,700,00
FedExCup Points: 2,000
Defending Champion:Â Patrick Cantlay
How to Follow the BMW Championship
TELEVISION: Thu-Fri: 3-7 p.m. (GOLF Channel); Sat: 12-3 p.m. (GOLF Channel), 3-6 p.m. (NBC); Sun: 12-2 p.m. (GOLF Channel), 2-6 p.m. (NBC)
PGA TOUR LIVE: Thu-Fri: 9 a.m.-7 p.m. (ESPN+); Sat-Sun: 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m. (ESPN+)
RADIO: Thu-Fri: 1-7 p.m.; Sat-Sun: 1-6 p.m.
(PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com)
LINKS: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
BMW Championship History
Depending on how it is viewed, the BMW Championship could be considered to have a relatively short history, or a long, illustrious one.
The event we know today as the BMW Championship was an original FedExCup event, started in 2007 – the same year as the first postseason, and originally rotated between several mid-West (mainly Illinois) golf courses. For the past two editions, though, it’s been contested in the mid-Atlantic – first in Maryland and this year in Delaware.
Tiger Woods won the inaugural trophy, and then took the championship again two years later in an eight-stroke shellacking at Cog Hill.
In 2016, Dustin Johnson won his second BMW, which tied Tiger for the most wins in event history. Other top-ranked stars who own BMW trophies include Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, Jason Day, Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm and Patrick Cantlay.
However, before it was the merciless third second leg of the FedExCup Playoffs, the BMW Championship was a regular PGA Tour stop known as the Western Open. And that tournament – once considered a major before the advent of official majors – has roots that go all the way back to 1899, making it the third-longest continuously running event on the PGA Tour, with only the U.S. Open and the Open Championship going back further.
For most of its history, the Western Open was an elite event that included such notable winners as Willie Anderson, Walter Hagen, Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods, who holds the distinction of winning before and after it became a playoff event, and re-titled as the BMW Championship.
Recent Winners
- 2021: Patrick Cantlay -27 (Caves Valley, MD)
- 2020: Jon Rahm -4 (Olympia CC, IL)
- 2019: Justin Thomas -25 (Medinah CC, IL)
- 2018: Keegan Bradley -20 (Aronimink GC, PA)
- 2017: Marc Leishman -23 (Conway Farms, IL)
- 2016: Dustin Johnson -23 (Crooked Stick, IN)
- 2015: Jason Day -22 (Conway Farms, IL)
- 2014: Billy Horschel -14 (Cherry Hills, CO)
- 2013: Zach Johnson -16 (Conway Farms, IL)
- 2012: Rory McIlroy -20 (Crooked Stick, IN)
- 2011: Justin Rose -13 (Cog Hill, IL)
Tournament Records
- Score: 260 – Keegan Bradley (Aronimink GC, 2018)
- To Par: -27 – Patrick Cantlay (Caves Valley GC, 2021)
- Round: 59 – Jim Furyk (Conway Farms, Rd 2, 2013)
- Wins: 2 – Dustin Johnson (2010, 2016), Tiger Woods (2007, 2009)
Course: Wilmington CC
Designed by famed architect Robert Trent Jones, Sr., Wilmington Country Club will stretch to 7,534 yards and play to a par 71 for this week’s PGA Tour stop. The championship track opened in 1959 but was recently renovated by Andrew Green, ahead of the FedExCup Playoff event. Upgrades include pro-style tee boxes, restored bunkers and deeper rough.
This will mark Wilmington Country Club’s debut as a host of a PGA Tour event, as it tees up in Delaware for the first time.
Course Stats
- Opened: 1959
- Architect: Robert Trent Jones, Sr.
- Renovation: Andrew Green (2021)
- Par: 35-36–71
- Yardage: 7,534 yards
- Greens: Tyee Bentgrass
- Fairways: 007/Shark Bentgrass
- Rough: Tall Fescue, Bluegrass
- Water in Play: 4 Holes
- Superintendent: Jon Urbanski
Field & Odds
The field will be comprised of the Top 70 in the FedExCup standings following completion of the FedEx St. Jude Championship.
Rory McIlroy (11-1) is slightly favored over Jon Rahm (12-1), who won this event in 2020.
At 14-1 are two of this season’s major winners in Justin Thomas and Matt Fitzpatrick, alongside defending champion Patrick Cantlay.
Tony Finau (16-1), Will Zalatoris (16-1), Scottie Scheffler (18-1), Collin Morikawa (20-1) and Xander Schauffele (20-1) round out the top-10 favorites.
Top-10 Betting Favorites
1. Rory McIlroy 11-1
2. Jon Rahm 12-1
3. Justin Thomas 14-1
3. Patrick Cantlay 14-1
3. Matt Fitzpatrick 14-1
6. Tony Finau 16-1
6. Will Zalatoris 16-1
8. Scottie Scheffler 18-1
9. Collin Morikawa 20-1
9. Xander Schauffele 20-1
