The PGA Tour’s postseason will head west from Tennessee to Colorado for the 18th edition of the BMW Championship at Castle Pines Golf Club.
The second of three FedEx Cup Playoff legs, the BMW will feature the top-50 positioned players in the standings, with only 30 receiving a ticket to East Lake next week.
Viktor Hovland will return to defend his 2023 title – although he was victorious at Olympia Fields outside of Chicago, so he forfeits any home-field edge. Joining the current world No. 8, will be 49 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. 22-25, 2024
Where: Castle Rock, CO
Course:Â Castle Pines Golf Club
Distance: 8,130 yards (Par 72)
Architect: Jack Nicklaus
Field: Top 50 in FEC Standings
Purse: $20,000,000
Winning Share: $4,000,00
FedExCup Points: 2,000
Defending Champion:Â Viktor Hovland
How to Follow the BMW Championship
TELEVISION: Thu-Fri: 3-7 p.m. (GOLF Channel); Sat: 1-3 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: 10:15 a.m.-7 p.m. (ESPN+); Sat-Sun: 9 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 | X/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 FedEx Cup 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 several editions, though, it’s bounced around a bit, including stops in Maryland, Delaware and now Colorado.
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. Patrick Cantlay has also won twice and is the only player to win back-to-back titles (2021 and 2022).
Other marquee stars who own BMW trophies include Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, Jason Day, Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm, and Viktor Hovland.
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
- 2023: Viktor Hovland -17 (Olympia Fields, IL)
- 2022: Patrick Cantlay -14 (Wilmington, DE)
- 2021: Patrick Cantlay -27 (Caves Valley, MD)
- 2020: Jon Rahm -4 (Olympia Fields, 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 – Patrick Cantlay (2021-22), Dustin Johnson (2010, 2016), Tiger Woods (2007, 2009)
Course: Castle Pines GC
Designed by 18-time major winner Jack Nicklaus, Castle Pines Golf Club will stretch to a mind blowing 8,130 yards and play to a par 72 for the second leg of the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup playoffs.
The championship track opened in 1981 and was the longtime host club of the PGA Tour’s The International event.
Since it last hosted the PGA Tour, Nicklaus and Total Turf made renovations to the championship track. Upgrades included new bunkers, rebuilt tees and greens, and renovated water features.
Course Stats
- Opened: 1981
- Architect: Jack Nicklaus
- Par: 36-36–72
- Yardage: 8,130 yards
- Stimpmeter: 13
- Greens: T1 Bentgrass / Poa annua
- Fairways: Bentgrass / Poa annua / Perennial Ryegrass
- Rough: Tall Fescue, Kentucky Bluegrass
- Water in Play: 10 Holes
- Superintendent: Scott Pavalko
Official Scorecard
Field & Odds
The field will be comprised of the Top 50 in the FedEx Cup standings following completion of the FedEx St. Jude Championship.
Scottie Scheffler (4-1) is the favorite over Xander Schaauffele (7-1).
Defending champ Viktor Hovland and Rory McIlroy were next at 14-1 while Collin Morikawa and Hideki Matsuyama, both 16-1, rounded out the top-5 betting favs.
Top-10 Betting Favorites
1. Scottie Scheffler 4-1
2. Xander Schauffele 7-1
3. Rory McIlroy 14-1
3. Viktor Hovland 14-1
5. Collin Morikawa 16-1
5. Hideki Matsuyama 16-1
7. Patrick Cantlay 20-1
8. Ludvig Aberg 25-1
8. Tommy Fleetwood 25-1
8. Wyndham Clark 25-1
Full Field, Rank & Odds
Joel Cook contributed to this preview.
