The BMW Championship was known as The Western Open when it was first played in 1899, as it was founded and run by The Western Golf Association. This event is the longest running regular PGA Tour event on the calendar outside of the four major championships.
The 2026 BMW Championship is the second event of the FedExCup Playoffs. Every golfer in the top 50 of the FedExCup standings has qualified for the event and all of the 2027 Signature Events. Golfers will try to play their way into the top 30 of the FedExCup standings to qualify for next week’s Tour Championship. If they qualify for the Tour Championship, players earn a two-year exemption and invitations to majors that traditionally recognize the top 30.
In the 2025 BMW Championship, Scottie Scheffler earned his fifth win of the season by overcoming a four-stroke deficit to defeat Robert MacIntyre.
About Bellerive Country Club
Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis, Mo., plays 7,448 yards as a par 70. The golf course hosted the 2008 BMW Championship won by Camilo Villegas and the 2018 PGA Championship won by Brooks Koepka. Bellerive has also been named the host site of the 2030 Presidents Cup.
The toughest three-hole stretch on the course is nicknamed “The Ridge” because it is played along the highest point on the course. It starts with the 417-yard 14th, which tests the players with a narrow fairway lined with tough bunkers on the right and deep rough on the left. The 15th hole is a 495-yard par 4, which was played as one of the hardest holes at the 2018 PGA Championship because it often required players to hit into the wind to a green guarded by bunkers. The last of this brutal stretch is a 237-yard par 3 that often plays into the wind, with bunkers that block the front and left side of the green.
Jim Furyk shot the course record of 62 (-8) in the 2008 BMW Championship.
Who to Watch at the 2026 BMW Championship
Scheffler headlines the field that includes the top 50 players in the FedExCup points list. Adam Scott is the only player in the field to have played in the last BMW Championship played at Bellerive, but 17 others have played this course for the 2018 PGA Championship.
We predict Xander Schauffele will earn his first win of the season. His last two starts have produced a T7 finish last week and a runner-up at the Rocket Classic.
How to Watch the 2026 BMW Championship
You can watch coverage of the 2026 BMW Championship on ESPN, the Golf Channel and CBS during the following windows. All times below are ET.
Thursday, Aug. 20: 10:00am-12:00pm ET on ESPN; 3:00pm-7:00pm ET on Golf Channel
Friday, Aug. 21: 10:00am-12:00pm ET on ESPN; 3:00pm-7:00pm ET on Golf Channel
Saturday, Aug. 22: 1:00pm-3:00pm ET on Golf Channel; 3:00pm-6:00pm ET on CBS
Sunday, Aug. 23: 12:00pm-2:00pm ET on Golf Channel; 2:00pm-6:00pm ET on CBS
