This week, the BMW Championship is being played on the PGA Tour, the second playoff of the FedEx Cup and the tournament that inherits the legacy of the Western Open, one of the most historic events in American golf. It began in 1899 and was once considered one of the majors. Among its champions are five of the six golfers who have achieved the Grand Slam: Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, and Rory McIlroy. Only Gary Player missed out on the trophy. It is a major event, beyond the challenge for everyone to get into the top 30 to play the Tour Championship, the grand final of the FedEx Cup, with a prize of 10 million dollars awaiting the winner.
The BMW Championship, as a prestigious stop, changes its venue almost every year, generally around Illinois, near Chicago, although not always. This time, it is being played at the Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mill, Maryland. It is the second time. This course debuted in 2021. If you remember anything from what happened that week, you can forget it because the conditions are expected to be very different. Significant renovations have been made, and it has become much more demanding.
No one should expect the spectacle that occurred four years ago. The record for the lowest winning score was set. Patrick Cantlay won with -27 after defeating Bryson DeChambeau in a playoff. That is, two players finished at -27. Additionally, DeChambeau carded a round of 60 (-12). That’s not all. To reach the top 10, a score of -18 was needed, which means -4.5 per day. None of the 69 participating players finished over par, and 45 were in double digits under par.
That result was not well-received by the course owners or the PGA Tour, especially considering it was a FedEx Cup semifinal. For this reason, a thorough renovation was undertaken as soon as the tournament ended. The main change is that it has been extended by almost 60 yards and has changed from par 72 to par 70. Holes 2 and 12 have changed from par 5s to par 4s of over 500 yards. To illustrate how the course has changed, hole 1, for instance, has gone from 365 yards to 481 when played from the back tees. Quite different. Another example: hole 17, a par 3, measures 245 yards, more than fifty above 2021.
Six greens have been repositioned, and all have been replanted with bentgrass. Subterranean air suction systems have also been installed on the greens, allowing them to be made especially firm and fast. This very week, this technique will be used, as rain is expected until Thursday. The PGA Tour’s plan is to have the greens at 12.5 on the stimpmeter. From Friday onwards, drier weather with moderate wind is expected. It is not expected to exceed 25 kilometres per hour at any time.
Regarding participation, the big news is that there will be 49 players. Austrian Sepp Straka has withdrawn at the last minute. The official explanation given is a family issue. Remember that McIlroy, Fleetwood, and Rose are already automatically qualified for the Ryder Cup. Straka thus loses a good opportunity to also secure his presence among the top six. He is currently sixth, ahead of Shane Lowry, who is playing the BMW Championship this week, and Rasmus Hojgaard, who is playing in Denmark on the DP World Tour. The deadline closes in two weeks.
