Wyndham Clark Survives a McIlroy Charge to Win the BMW Championship
Article Summary
- Wyndham Clark closed with three straight birdies on 16-18 to win the BMW Championship at 17 under, his sixth PGA TOUR title.
- Patrick Cantlay leapfrogged Rory McIlroy for second place, while Scottie Scheffler kept his FedExCup points lead despite a T12 finish.
- No player aced the par-3 16th, so neither hole-in-one prize (BMW X5 or iX3) was awarded, but last year’s ace still funded a college scholarship.
Wyndham Clark closed out a tense final round Sunday to capture the 20th BMW Championship, finishing at 17 under par for his first career Playoff title and sixth PGA TOUR victory. The 32-year-old American had led the tournament from the opening round and carried a five-stroke cushion into Sunday’s final round over Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland. That lead narrowed considerably as McIlroy mounted a charge, pulling within striking distance after a birdie on the 11th hole. Clark, meanwhile, had yet to make a birdie of his own and had bled three shots off his advantage.
The turning point came at the 16th green, where Clark — already a two-time U.S. Open champion, having won in 2023 and again this year — made the first of three consecutive birdies to close out the tournament and seal the win.
“I didn’t make anything on the greens and just tried to get myself going,” Clark said afterward, adding that the late run let him “finish strong” after a season he called his best yet following a rough 2025 campaign.
McIlroy finished at 13 under and was overtaken down the stretch by Patrick Cantlay, who carded 14 under to edge into second place. Cantlay previously won the BMW Championship in 2021 and 2022. Collin Morikawa, Gary Woodland and Chris Gotterup tied for fourth at 12 under. Defending champion and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler shot 7 under to finish tied for 12th but held onto the top spot in the FedExCup standings, ahead of Matt Fitzpatrick in second. Clark now sits third in the season standings.
The tournament, held in St. Louis, drew a field limited to the top 50 players in the FedExCup rankings and featured BMW’s traditional showcase of new vehicles, including the new BMW X5, the facelifted 7 Series, and the all-electric iX3.
A Hole-in-One That Wasn’t
For the first time in tournament history, players had a choice of two hole-in-one prizes on the par-3 16th: the new X5 or the electric iX3. No player made an ace this year, so neither car was awarded. But last year’s ace still delivered a scholarship. Akshay Bhatia’s hole-in-one during the third round of the 2025 BMW Championship at Caves Valley Golf Club triggered a BMW Hole-in-One Scholarship, which was awarded this week to Juliya Tabaka of Manchester, Missouri. Tabaka, the seventh recipient of the award, will receive a full four-year Evans Scholarship covering tuition and housing at the University of Missouri.
The BMW Championship has funneled all of its proceeds toward the Evans Scholars Foundation, run by tournament organizer Western Golf Association, since its debut in 2007. The event has raised more than $63 million and funded over 4,000 full college scholarships for caddies, not counting this year’s proceeds.
BMW of North America President and CEO Sebastian Mackensen marked the tournament’s 20th anniversary as title sponsor, saying the event’s reach “extends well beyond the course” through the scholarship program.
Moving To New Jersey In 2027
The tour’s next stop for a hole-in-one shot at a BMW — and another named scholarship — will come next year when the 21st BMW Championship moves to Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, New Jersey, running August 16–22, 2027. It will mark the tournament’s first appearance in the New York metropolitan area.
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