2023 BMW Championship: Power Rankings, Defending Champion, Prize Money, and Major Details

The second stop for the FedEx Cup playoff is the $20-million BMW Championship this week. The event will be held at the Olympia Fields North Course, Chicago, Illinois. The BMW Championship is one of the longest-running PGA Tour events. After the St. Jude Championship, the top 50 players on points will be proceeding to Chicago this week.

The players who make it to the top 30 in FedEx Cup points after the event will then advance to the final playoff event the “Tour Championship” next week. The championship will also be supporting a noble cause as proceeds from the event will benefit the Evans Scholars Foundation which gives full tuition and housing college scholarships to caddies. Let’s find out some important details in relation to the event, like about top contenders and the venue.

 2023 BMW Championship: Power Rankings

The top positions of the power ranking for this tournament are claimed by well-known names with incredible achievements already under their belt. Here are the top five contenders at the event.

On number 5 is Jon Rahm. The Spaniard, third in the world’s ranking, has already won two PGA Tour events this year, the Genesis Invitational in February and then the Masters Tournament in April. His performance at the Open Championship was also excellent. He won the BMW Championship in 2020 and will look to repeat that triumph.

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Hoping for a big win this week is currently world number one player Scottie Scheffler. He takes the fourth spot in the power rankings. In 2023, he also claimed two victories on the PGA tour at the WM Phoenix Open and The Players Championship. His best finish at the BMW came back in 2020 when he finished T20. After his last week’s T31 finish at St Jude, Scheffler will look to up the ante this week.

In the third spot is the 2021 and 2022 BMW Championship winner Patrick Cantlay. Last week, the fourth-ranked player was defeated by Lucas Glover in the St. Jude Championship extra-hole playoff. This season he has made seven top-four finishes and will try to maintain the winning streak of the past two years.

Sitting in the second spot is second-ranked Rory McIlroy. Last month McIlroy made a big win at the Genesis Scottish Open. And since the PGA Championship, he has made eight consecutive top 10s finishes this season. McIlroy won the event more than a decade ago in 2012. He will be looking forward to doing it again.

And the top contender for this week is the man of the hour himself, Lucas Glover. In August he won back-to-back tournaments and unlocked a unique achievement with these victories. Last year, the World No.30 made a T3 finish at the tournament. This week he will spare no effort in taking it to the first position and attaining three weeks of victory on the tour.

Other big names vying for the prestigious title this week are Viktor Hovland, Max Homa, Xander Schauffele, and Jordan Spieth. Although none of them has ever won the BMW Championship before, all of them are strong players in their own right and could turn the tables at any moment. The prize purse for the Olympia Fields event is $20 million. The winner will get 18% of the purse which is $3.6 million as well as 2,000 FedExCup points. 

Olympia Fields North Course: A course with a legacy

Olympia Fields North Course is a legendary club and its grounds are spread over 1,000 acres. When its North Course opened in 1923, Olympia was the largest country club in the world. All of its 18-hole layouts have their starting and ending around the clubhouse with its iconic clock tower.

Olympia’s North Course is classic parkland Americana and has sustained tree management and offers scenic views. And while the course is magnificent, its clubhouse is no less impressive. The locker room offered to the players is built over 10,000 square feet. The course has previously hosted a number of PGA Tournaments, many of which were major championships as well.

 The last time a major event was played here was in 2003 when Jim Furyk won the US Open. In the 1928 US Open, Johnny Farrell defeated Bobby Jones in a 36-hole playoff by one stroke here. Jack Nicklaus won the 1968 Western Open here too.

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