Written by: Aidan Mastandrea
The PGA Tour heads to Caves Valley Golf Club in Maryland for the BMW Championship – the second leg of the FedEx Cup playoffs. It is the first time since 2021 that the top players in the world will compete in Owings Mills for a chance to advance to the Tour Championship.
Ryder Cup Implications
As the season quickly winds down, players are running out of opportunities to throw their hat in the ring for the Ryder Cup. For the American side, captain Keegan Bradley – the reigning BMW Championship winner – will be playing and closely watching. While many of the top names may be secure, players like Cameron Young, Chris Gotterup, Patrick Cantlay and Andrew Novak all seem to still be jockeying for the last few spots.
The European squad doesn’t have as many question marks, but after a tremendous start to the season, there haven’t been many winners from across the pond. Justin Rose took home the FedEx St. Jude Championship a week ago and the other Europeans will look to find their form this week.
Course Renovation
Caves Valley will look much different for the players that took the trip to Maryland four years ago. After the announcement was made that the tournament would return in 2025, the course underwent a full renovation. It will be most players’ first time seeing the “new” Caves Valley, and the fans watching on television should be excited to see the changes that have been made.
Stars aim for high finish
Fifteen of the top 16 players in the Official World Golf Rankings will be teeing it up on Thursday. With a purse of $20 million and a spot at East Lake on the line, the likes of Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy will look for a win while also prepping their game for next week.