Scottie Scheffler’s dominance ensured the start of the 2026 FedEx Cup playoffs lacked any drama, but the BMW Championship this week could set up better.

The second event of the PGA Tour’s postseason got underway on Thursday, Aug. 20 as professional golf returns to Bellerive Country Club outside St. Louis for the first time since hosting the PGA Championship in 2018. There was a five-way tie atop the leaderboard after Round 1, as Wyndham Clark, Chris Gotterup, Rory McIlroy, J.J. Spaun and Gary Woodland each shot a 6-under par 64. Scheffler, meanwhile, struggled during the opening round, sitting tied for 44th at 2 over par.

Scheffler wasn’t in the field when Brooks Koepka held off Tiger Woods for his third major title in 2018, and he was the overwhelming favorite as golfers took the course for Round 1. But Scheffler is off to a tough start thus far.

Only the top 50 golfers in the FedEx Cup points standings after last week’s FedEx St. Jude Championship qualified for the BMW Championship field. The top 30 golfers in the FedEx Cup standings after Sunday’s final round will move on to the Tour Championship in Atlanta next week. So the excitement lies both in who wins and who on the bubble doesn’t make the cut to the final event of the PGA Tour season.

USA TODAY Sports tracked all the latest updates from the BMW Championship, including the Round 1 leaderboard, tee times, highlights and how to watch:

BMW Championship Round 1 leaderboard

• T1. Wyndham Clark: -6 (F)
• T1. Chris Gotterup: -6 (F)
• T1. Rory McIlroy: -6 (F)
• T1. J.J. Spaun: -6 (F)
• T1. Gary Woodland: -6 (F)
• T6. Matt Fitzpatrick: -5 (F)
• T6. Ryo Hisatsune: -5 (F)
• T8. Ludvig Åberg: -4 (F)
• T8. Jacob Bridgeman: -4 (F)
• T8. Alex Fitzpatrick: -4 (F)
• T8. Michael Thorbjornsen: -4 (F)

➤ Complete BMW Championship leaderboard

FedEx Cup bubble watch: Live projections for who’s in, who’s out

Only the top 30 golfers in the FedEx Cup standings after the conclusion of the BMW Championship advance to the Tour Championship. Here’s a live projection of the top-30 bubble based on how golfers are currently performing at Bellerive:

As of 5:25 p.m. ET on Friday, Aug. 20

• 25. Justin Rose (down 1 spot)
• 26. Ryan Fox (down 1 spot)
• 27. Adam Scott
• 28. Tom Kim (down 2 spots)
• 29. Jake Knapp (up 6 spots)
• 30. Kurt Kitayama (down 2 spots)
• 31. Rickie Fowler (down 1 spot)
• 32. Bud Cauley (down 3 spots)
• 33. J.T. Poston (down 1 spot)
• 34. Michael Thornbjornsen (up 7 spots)
• 35. Robert MacIntyre (up 1 spot)

Rory McIlroy grabs share of lead to close Round 1

So much for Rory McIlroy’s issues after a long layoff last week. He just tore through the back nine at Bellerive, finishing with four birdies over his final six holes to finish at 6-under and grab a share of the lead along with Wyndham Clark, Gary Woodland and J.J. Spaun.

Rory McIlroy surges as Scottie Scheffler struggles

McIlroy has moved into the logjam among the top-five of the BMW Championship leaderboard after another birdie moved him to 4-under through 15 holes during Round 1. He looks to have rediscovered his game after a sloppy start to the FedEx Cup playoffs last week. Scheffler, meanwhile, is scuttling after an impressive win at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, sitting at 3-over as he struggled with his driver throughout the front nine.

Wyndham Clark, J.J. Spaun charge up leaderboard

The past two U.S. Open champions have found a groove out on the Bellerive course. Defending U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark is now tied for second place at 5-under with 2025 U.S. Open champion J.J. Spaun. Clark is lighting up the back nine with four birdies over a five-hole stretch as he begins No. 18. Spaun, meanwhile, has been red-hot on the front nine with five birdies already. He closed the front nine with three-straight birdies, including two putts of more than 20 feet.

Rory McIlroy making an early move

McIlroy just improved to 2-under through eight holes in this first round after a birdie at the par 5 No. 8. McIlroy scored despite a wayward tee shot off the cart path. But he laid up into the fairway and recovered nicely, putting himself in position for a low round following last week’s terrible start at the FedEx St. Jude Championship.

Ludvig Aberg closes with a flurry of birdies

Three birdies on the final four holes have vaulted Ludvig Aberg into the logjam of players chasing Gary Woodland during Round 1 of the BMW Championship. Aberg started the day inauspiciously with a bogey at No. 1, but he ended with a bang. A 25-foot birdie putt at No. 15 got him going, then he nearly holed an eagle at No. 17 before closing with a 55-foot birdie putt at No. 18.

Patrick Cantlay storms up leaderboard

Patrick Cantlay just closed the front nine with three-straight birdies to move to 4-under for the first round. Cantlay hasn’t putted particularly well this season, but two of those birdies involved the sort of medium-range putts he’ll need to succeed this week.

What channel is BMW Championship on today?

Here’s a look at the TV and streaming schedule for Thursday’s Round 1 action at the BMW Championship at Bellerive Country Club outside St. Louis:

• PGA Tour Live on ESPN+, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. ET
• ESPN, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. ET
• Golf Channel, 3-7 p.m. ET

Rory McIlroy tees off at BMW Championship

Coming off a disappointing 66th-place showing to start the 2026 FedEx Cup playoffs, Rory McIlroy has teed off his first round at the BMW Championship. McIlroy has already secured a spot in the Tour Championship next week, but he was admittedly rusty after a long layoff following the Open Championship. He began his Thursday with a par.

Justin Thomas on a roll, moves up leaderboard

Justin Thomas has strung together three birdies over his past four holes on the back nine to move into sole possession of second place at 3-under, three shots behind current leader Gary Woodland. He’s used multiple quality iron shots to give him some close-range birdie opportunities and he’s among the top players in the field thus far in shots gained around the green.

Gary Woodland’s fast start features spectacular hole out

Gary Woodland has quickly become the biggest story of Thursday’s first round at the BMW Championship before tournament favorite Scottie Scheffler has even teed off. Woodland just extended his lead at No. 11 with a wonderful 97-yard shot from the fairway that sailed over water onto the green and spun back into the hole for an eagle.

Gary Woodland surging early atop leaderboard

Gary Woodland is one of the few golfers in the field who had success at Bellerive when it hosted the PGA Championship in 2018, and he’s off to a fast start at the BMW Championship. Woodland (-4) sits atop the leaderboard with an early two-shot lead over the rest of the field after back-to-back birdies at No. 7 and No. 8.

Is there a cut at the BMW Championship?

No. There are no cuts at FedEx Cup playoff events since they are limited fields. Only the top 50 in the FedEx Cup standings qualified for the BMW Championship field.

BMW Championship tee times

Listed below is the full tee sheet for the first round of the BMW Championship. All times ET.

• 10:03 a.m. – Justin Thomas, Sahith Theegala
• 10:14 a.m. – Sepp Straka, Sungjae Im
• 10:25 a.m. – Aaron Rai, Ben Griffin
• 10:36 a.m. – Gary Woodland, Adam Scott
• 10:47 a.m. – Collin Morikawa, Ludvig Aberg
• 11:05 a.m. – Ryan Fox, Tom Kim
• 11:16 a.m. – Justin Rose, Alex Smalley
• 11:27 a.m. – Kristoffer Reitan, Alex Fitzpatrick
• 11:38 a.m. – Akshay Bhatia, Hideki Matsuyama
• 11:49 a.m. – Wyndham Clark, Sam Burns
• 12:07 p.m. – Cameron Young, Si Woo Kim
• 12:18 p.m. – Michael Brennan, Eric Cole
• 12:29 p.m. – Patrick Cantlay, Ryo Hisatsune
• 12:40 p.m. – Michael Thorbjornsen, Nico Echavarria
• 12:51 p.m. – Jake Knapp, Alex Noren
• 1:09 p.m. – Robert MacIntyre, Rickie Fowler
• 1:20 p.m. – Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele
• 1:31 p.m. – Bud Cauley, Nicolai Hojgaard
• 1:42 p.m. – Viktor Hovland, J.J. Spaun
• 1:53 p.m. – J.T. Poston, Kurt Kitayama
• 2:11 p.m. – Ryan Gerard, Min Woo Lee
• 2:22 p.m. – Chris Gotterup, Tommy Fleetwood
• 2:33 p.m. – Scottie Scheffler, Matt Fitzpatrick
• 2:44 p.m. – Russell Henley, Jacob Bridgeman
• 2:55 p.m. – Maverick McNealy, Matt McCarty

Watch the BMW Championship with Fubo

How to watch the BMW Championship: TV, live streaming

Here’s a look at the TV and streaming schedule for Thursday’s Round 1 action at the BMW Championship at Bellerive Country Club outside St. Louis:

• PGA Tour Live on ESPN+, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. ET
• ESPN, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. ET
• Golf Channel, 3-7 p.m. ET

Get PGA Tour Live on ESPN+