The First Look: BMW Championship puts survival, advancement on line at Bellerive Country Club

We’ve reached the second leg of the 2026 FedExCup Playoffs with the cut from 70 to 50 made Sunday night.

The PGA TOUR’s BMW Championship returns this week to Bellerive Country Club just outside St. Louis for the first time since 2008 with the top 50 in the FedExCup standings set to tee it up – and just one (Sungjae Im) moved into the field via his finish (T5) at the FedEx St. Jude Championship.

Of course, at the end of the tournament the top 30 in the standings will make their way to East Lake for the season finale.

Scottie Scheffler is the defending champion after winning by two at Caves Valley Golf Club last year. He is also riding high, after capturing his second title of the year Sunday in Memphis.

Here’s everything else you need to know about the second FedExCup Playoffs event, with the TOUR back in St. Louis.

FIELD NOTES: Scheffler won by eight shots Sunday in Memphis and now leads the FedExCup standings by almost 1,400 points. ... He looks to become the first person to successfully defend his title at the BMW Championship since Patrick Cantlay in 2021-22. … Rory McIlroy is looking for an improved effort in the second leg of the FedExCup Playoffs after a tough opener in Memphis saw him finish 66th out of the 68 golfers who made it to Sunday (Robert MacIntyre withdrew after the first round). ... McIlroy said Sunday he would return to Florida that afternoon to put in a practice session with his caddie and coach prior to heading to St. Louis on Tuesday. This was McIlroy’s first tournament since The Open Championship. … Want to talk about longevity? Adam Scott will tee it up this week as the lone golfer who played in both the 2018 PGA Championship and the 2008 BMW Championship at Bellerive. ... Scott finished solo third at the PGA, three shots back of Brooks Koepka. … Justin Thomas also had a fine finish at the PGA Championship, as he ended up tied for sixth. Thomas heads into the week No. 12 in the FedExCup standings. … Si Woo Kim was the closest man to Scheffler Sunday in Memphis and is looking to continue his tremendous 2026 campaign in the final two legs of the playoffs. ... Kim sits first in the International Team standings for the Presidents Cup and has notched an impressive 11 top-10 finishes this year – including three runner-ups. He is No. 4 in the FedExCup standings. … All of the top 50 in the FedExCup standings are set to tee it up this week in St. Louis.

FEDEXCUP BUBBLE UPDATES: Sungjae Im was the lone golfer to move inside the top 50 of the FedExCup standings after the FedEx St. Jude Championship. Im moved from No. 53 to No. 40 after finishing T5 in Memphis. … Keith Mitchell was bounced outside the top 50 number. He finished T34 at TPC Southwind and moved from No. 49 to No. 51, while Matt McCarty was the bubble boy at No. 50. … Rickie Fowler is on the bubble at No. 30 this week, a mere two FedExCup Points ahead of Gary Woodland at No. 31. … No. 29 Bud Cauley and No. 28 Kurt Kitayama are separated by just a single point heading into the BMW Championship.

FEDEXCUP THIS WEEK: The winner of the BMW Championship receives 750 FedExCup Points.

Points earned during the FedExCup Regular Season carry over to the first two Playoffs events.

The FedExCup Playoffs feature a progressive cut, with fields of 70 for the FedEx St. Jude Championship (TPC Southwind), 50 for the BMW Championship (Bellerive Country Club) and 30 for the TOUR Championship (East Lake Golf Club), where the FedExCup Champion will be determined.

There are no cuts in FedExCup Playoffs events.

The Playoffs finale, the TOUR Championship, will be played as a 72-hole stroke-play event, with all players starting the tournament at even par.

The best performer across the course of four rounds at the TOUR Championship will win the FedExCup.

COURSE: Bellerive Country Club, par 70, 7,448 yards. ... Bellerive will host the BMW Championship for the second time, and the first since 2008. It also hosted the PGA Championship in 2018, won by Brooks Koepka. Bellerive is also set to host the Presidents Cup in 2030. ... The club was incorporated in 1897 and in 1959 it moved to the plot of land southwest of St. Louis where it remains to this day – designed by Robert Trent Jones. ... Jones’ guiding design philosophy is firmly at play at Bellerive as the course is big ballpark that is long and tough. That’s highlighted by a three-hole stretch dubbed "The Ridge" for where it is located on the course. The par-4 14th boasts an infinity green, the par-4 15th played as one of the toughest during the 2018 PGA Championship, while the par-3 16th at 237-plus yards will see the TOUR’s best reaching for furniture off the tee.

72-HOLE TOURNAMENT RECORD: 261, Patrick Cantlay, Bryson DeChambeau (2021, Caves Valley Golf Club)

18-HOLE TOURNAMENT RECORD: 59, Jim Furyk (2013, Conway Farms Golf Course)

BELLERIVE SCORING RECORDS:

• 18-hole: 8-under 62 (Jim Furyk, 2008)
• 72-hole: 16-under 264 (Brooks Koepka, 2018)

LAST TIME: Scottie Scheffler stormed back from a four-shot deficit early in his final round before chipping in for a birdie on the penultimate hole, which was ultimately the difference-maker as he won for the fifth time last season. ... Scheffler shot a 3-under 67 Sunday at Caves Valley and won by two shots. ... He became the first golfer since Tiger Woods in 2006 and 2007 to win at least five times on TOUR in consecutive seasons.

MacIntyre finished in solo second after shooting 3-over 73 in the final round, while Maverick McNealy finished solo third, four shots back.

How to follow (all times ET)

Special programming

• "Tee Sheet presented by FedEx": Dive into this fast-paced, 30-minute show featuring insightful discussion, player interviews and expert analysis as the panel debates key topics, breaks down the week’s biggest moments and helps viewers prepare for the FedEx St. Jude Championship, BMW Championship and TOUR Championship.
  • Tuesday: 6-6:30 p.m. (PGA TOUR YouTube)
• "On The Range": Enjoy this live look at TOUR players’ practice sessions with interviews and expert analysis.
  • Wednesday: noon-1:30 p.m. (Golf Channel)

Television:

• Thursday-Friday: 10 a.m.-noon (ESPN), 3-7 p.m. (Golf Channel)
• Saturday: 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-6 p.m. (CBS)
• Sunday: noon-2 p.m. (Golf Channel), 2-6 p.m. (CBS)

PGA TOUR LIVE on the ESPN App:

• Thursday-Friday: 10 a.m.-7 p.m.
• Saturday-Sunday: 9:15 a.m.-6 p.m.

PGA TOUR LIVE is available exclusively on the ESPN App and consists of four streams:

• Main feed (Stream 1): Primary tournament coverage featuring the best action from across the course
• Marquee group (Stream 2): New "marquee group" showcasing every shot from each player in the group
• Featured groups (Stream 3): Traditional PGA TOUR LIVE coverage of two concurrent featured groups
• Betcast featured hole (Stream 4): Coverage of one pivotal hole with live betting insights

PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and free at PGATOUR.com/liveaudio:

• Thursday-Friday: 1-7 p.m.
• Saturday-Sunday: 1-6 p.m.