Eyes shift across the pond this week in the golf world as the DP World Tour's flagship event, the 2026 BMW PGA Championship, takes center stage at the Wentworth Club in England. Posing as the meeting grounds for the best the European circuit has to offer, the BMW PGA Championship will once again serve as one of the marquee tournaments of the fall.
Last season, it was Alex Noren who claimed his second BMW PGA Championship title right before serving as an assistant captain for a victorious European Ryder Cup team. At that meeting versus the United States, it was Shane Lowry who dealt the red, white and blue the deciding dagger as he claimed the crucial half point on the 18th green to make sure the trophy would not be changing hands.
The Irishman comes in following a historic win at his home country's open last week where he won by a whopping 11 strokes. A winner at this event a handful of years ago, Lowry looks to keep the momentum rolling alongside most of his European Ryder Cup teammates.
Rory McIlroy was victorious in 2014 and has come agonzingly close to winning the BMW PGA Championship again in the decade or so since. After finishing his PGA Tour season in a flurry, McIlroy sputtered at the Irish Open where his putter posed as the main culprit.
Other former champions in the field include Francesco Molinari, Danny Willett, Tyrrell Hatton and the Champion Golfer of the Year in Ryan Fox. While international and European players dominate the tee sheet, a couple of Americans will hope to make some noise including Ryan Gerard and the Race to Dubai leader himself, Patrick Reed.
2026 BMW PGA Championship schedule
Dates: Sept. 17-20 Location: Wentworth Club — Virginia Water, Surrey, England Par: 72 | Yardage: 7,267
2026 BMW PGA Championship field, odds
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook
- Rory McIlroy (17/2): After finishing his PGA Tour season playing three straight weeks, McIlroy got back on the wagon for the end of his European summer with the start of the Irish Open. While it only produced a T41 finish, McIlroy's play showed glimpses of being close. He stands at No. 2 in the Race to Dubai behind a familiar face and has six straight top-20 finishes at Wentworth with three of those coming in the form of runner-up results.
- Jon Rahm (10-1): Similar to McIlroy, Rahm was unable to find his feel on the putting surfaces at the Irish Open resulting in a middling T23 showing. The Spaniard looks to put his best foot forward with an intent on playing in the DP World Tour playoffs with Wentworth serving as the perfect place to do so. The three-time LIV Golf individual season winner has three top-five finishes in this tournament since 2019.
- Tommy Fleetwood (12-1): Having one of the more underwhelming seasons, especially in relation to last year where Fleetwood could do no wrong around this time on the calendar. The Englishman makes his first start since the Tour Championship, which put an end to a winless campaign on the PGA Tour. There were flashes of quality throughout the season, but the putter and iron play lagged behind ever so slightly compared to the year prior. Fleetwood is without a top-five finish at Wentworth in his career.
- Ludvig Åberg (12-1)
- Matt Fitzpatrick (15-1)
- Joaquin Niemann (16-1): Made his debut last season and finished T20, and now comes in following a good result at the Irish Open where he finished in a distant tie for second place. Niemann no longer can pick off wins in bunches on LIV Golf (this year, at least), but nevertheless the talent remains undeniable. He has all the shots, and a tournament like the BMW PGA Championship is a great event to remind the broader golf world of that.
- Shane Lowry (17-1)
- Viktor Hovland (19-1)
- Patrick Reed (24-1): Alongside Niemann, 11 strokes behind Lowry at the Irish Open, was Reed with all signs pointing to him having another strong showing this week. After a sluggish summer, Reed has gone T11 and T2 in his last two starts on the DP World Tour in order to maintain his place atop the season-long race. The finishes read in similar fashion for him at the BMW PGA Championship where in four straights he has finished T3, T5, T3, T4. Not too shabby.
- Robert MacIntyre (24-1)
2026 BMW PGA Championship picks
Viktor Hovland Winner (19-1): He found something at the Tour Championship where he was upended by Scottie Scheffler, so if that feeling sticks, so should the quality play. Hovland remains one of the better closers in the game despite the hiccup at East Lake and arrives in England with three straight top-five finishes to his name in this event. Should his iron play continue to take a step forward, he has a great chance to walk into the winner's circle.
Tom McKibbin Contender (33-1): Very quietly has three top-six finishes in his last four tournament with the most recent two coming on the DP World Tour. The young Northern Irishman had a largely forgettable year on LIV Golf, but McKibbin looks refreshed, renewed and motivated given the ball-striking acumen he has put on display the last month. He is still only 23 years of age and has a solid history at Wentworth with finishes of T10 and T11 the last two years.
Ewen Ferguson Sleeper (86-1): Has finished inside the top 20 in nearly half his starts on the DP World Tour this season and has been lights out ever since the start of August. Ferguson comes in off a T9 finish at last week's Irish Open where he hit the ball as well as he has all season long. That should make for a good trip to England, where after a rocky start at Wentworth, he has solved the riddle as shown by his T5 finish last year. Add CBS Sports on Google Join the Conversation comments 
