BMW Championship 2026 preview picks analysis

Robert MacIntyre arrives at historic Bellerive Country Club feeling that he has a point to prove at the BMW Championship, the second of the FedEx Cup playoffs, with a field of 50 and the opportunity to make it to the Tour Championship as one of the best 30 players on the PGA Tour in 2026.

And he will have some work to do if he is to make it to East Lake after withdrawing from the St Jude Championship with an injury niggle.

The fiery Scot threw away a four-shot lead in this event 12 months ago and, in truth, has had a pretty disappointing campaign. It is not just his form that has let him down. His temperament has attracted much unwanted attention. He made a fool of himself at The Masters and was at it again at The Open.

He was reprimanded at The Masters when officials heard him swearing on microphones around the course, while he also slammed a club into the ground and aimed a middle finger at the 15th green during an opening round of 80.

He said at the time: "I know that every single week I pick it up, I'm probably going to get caught on a mic saying the odd bad word. It's part of who I am. I probably should limit it or I should try and maybe wait a couple of seconds longer before I do have my outburst."

He was also warned about his behaviour at Royal Birkdale after slamming his driver into the ground at the 16th hole on the final day. This time he said: "I won't change. I step over the line sometimes with my frustration, but it's part of me.

"If we take that out of every player in the game of golf, you've got guys that don't budge when they do something, who are very disciplined. Then there's other people, probably mainly Europeans, who wear their heart on their sleeve and are a bit volatile. We're going to cross the line every now and again and get told off or get a two-shot penalty every now and again. But it's just the way we are. If we didn't have that, people wouldn't stick in and watch golf."

He will dispute this but I am convinced that his behaviour has an adverse effect on his game. And there is plenty of evidence of that this season. He began the year ranked fifth in the world but has now slipped to 19th. In 18 starts ahead of the St Jude, he had missed just three cuts. He was fourth at the Sony Open and again at The Players Championship. He finished joint runner-up at the Texas Open but should have won - he opened with rounds of 66 and 64 and looked to have the title at his mercy before rounds of 72 and 70 at the weekend. He then missed the cut at The Masters and US PGA.

Tommy Fleetwood had a pretty eventful time of it 12 months ago. Having thrown away a lead at the previous week’s St Jude Championship, he had chances to win again at (last year's BMW Championship venue) Caves Valley before finishing fourth. As you would expect, the Englishman has had another remarkably consistent season but has failed to add to his Tour Championship victory. However, I fancy him to be in the mix again this week.

Sam Burns has been finding a way to lose big tournaments and he must be frustrated by all those near-misses. He has a wonderful swing, is a terrific putter and possesses a fabulous temperament.

He was runner-up at the U.S. Open and third at Royal Birkdale, where he carried a two-shot lead into the final round after firing a 62 during the week and a 65 on the Saturday. Ahead of the St Jude, he had four top-12 finishes in five starts. But the last time Burns lifted a trophy was March 2023 when he thrashed Cameron Young in the final of the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play.

An interesting subplot is Rory McIlroy’s attempt to win the FedEx Cup for a record fourth time. Apart from his victory at The Masters, it has been a pretty disappointing year for the Northern Irishman. He simply hasn’t played enough competitive golf in my view.

This will be just his 13th start of the season. Compare that with Scottie Scheffler, who is teeing it up for the 19th time. McIlroy finished second at the Genesis but will be bitterly disappointed with his form in the majors. He was tied seventh at the US PGA, giving himself too much to do after an opening 74, tied 32nd at the US Open and tied 40th at The Open. And unless he gets his act together soon he is in danger of losing his spot as second in the world rankings. He also has work to do if he is to win the Race to Dubai.

Scottie Scheffler

(Image Credit: Chris Turvey)

Twelve months ago, Scheffler claimed his fifth victory of the PGA Tour season after MacIntyre squandered a four-shot lead during the final round. MacIntyre's commanding overnight advantage disappeared inside the first five holes of an eventful final day at Caves Valley Golf Club, where Scheffler capitalised on his slow start to jump into top spot.

Scheffler gave MacIntyre hope with two bogeys early in his back nine but followed a birdie at the 15th with a sensational chip-in from off the 17th green, before closing out a final-round 67 to end the week on 15 under. "When he's pitched that in on 17 and then he's hit the perfect tee shot on 18, it's pretty much game over just then. You're playing for second place at that point," said MacIntyre. He's the better player on the day. Right now I want go and smash up my golf clubs, to be honest with you."

The world number one's dominant victory at the St Jude Championship once again illustrated just how devastatingly good he is.

Tournament Winners:

It was won in 2015 by Jason Day, in 2016 by Dustin Johnson, in 2017 by Marc Leishman, in 2018 and 2024 by Keegan Bradley, in 2019 by Justin Thomas, in 2020 by Jon Rahm, in 2021 and 2022 by Patrick Cantlay, in 2023 by Viktor Hovland and last year by Scottie Scheffler.

The Course:

Bellerive Country Club is located in Missouri and its current course was established in 1960. Designed by Robert Trent Jones, it measures 7,547 yards and has previously staged the PGA Championship in 1992 and 2018 (won by Nick Price and Brooks Koepka respectively) and hosted the US Open, won by Gary Player to complete the Career Grand Slam, in 1965.

Form Guide:

Sam Burns has been in fantastic form and is surely ready to end his drought.

Prize Money:

There is a total prize fund of $20m, with the winner collecting $3.6m.

How to Watch:

Thursday, August 20, Sky Sports+, 3.15pm; Friday, August 21, Sky Sports+, 3.15pm; Saturday, August 22, Sky Sports Golf, 4pm; Sunday, August 23, Sky Sports Golf, 5pm.