2021 BMW Championship: How to Watch the Final Round, History, Winners

Here's the essential guide to the BMW Championship, which used to be known as the Western Open and features a who's who of winners from Ben Hogan to Tiger Woods.

The final round of the penultimate event of The 2021 PGA Tour playoffs will be played today in the BMW Championship at Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills, Maryland.

Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Cantley are tied for the lead ahead of Sunday's final. round.

How to watch the 2021 BMW Championship

Here's the television schedule for the BMW:

Television: Sunday, noon-2 p.m. (Golf Channel), 2-6 p.m. (NBC).

The tournament will stream on PGA Tour Live, including featured groups and featured holes.

This is the second event in the 2021 FedEx Cup playoffs. Tony Finau won the Northern Trust Open in a playoff over Cameron Smith in last week's opening tournament. 

This week, the field is trimmed from the top 120 to the top 70 players in the FedEx Cup rankings. The top 30 after this week advance to next week's Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta. 

Jon Rahm is the defending champion at the BMW. He defeaed Dustin Johnson in a playoff last year at Olympia Fields. 

Here's more on the 2021 BMW Championship, including past winners.

The 2021 BMW Championship: Schedule

This is the first PGA Tour event at the course. Per the Associated Press, this is the first Tour event in the Baltimore area since Doug Ford won $5,300 for his first-place finish in the 1962 Eastern Open Invitational at Mt. Pleasant Municipal.

Established in 1991, the 962-acre Caves Valley has hosted the inaugural LPGA International Crown, the U.S. Senior Open and the NCAA Division I men's and women's golf championships.

The history of the BMW Championship

The forerunner of the BMW Championship is the Western Open, first played in 1899. It was played mostly in the Midwest until the early 1960s when it became known as the Chicago golf tournament. It was played at Medinah Country Club, Beverly Country Club, Olympia Fields Country Club and Tam O’Shanter Country Club before moving to Butler National in 1974. It became part of the FedEx Cup playoffs in 2007.

Proceeds from this year’s tournament will go toward the Evans Scholars Foundation, which helps provide "full tuition and housing college scholarships to hardworking caddies with limited financial means," according to the foundation.

BMW Championship and Western Open: Past winners

2020: Jon Rahm at Olympia Fields CC (North)

2019: Justin Thomas at Medinah CC (No. 3)

2018: Keegan Bradley at Aronimink GC.

2017: Marc Leishman at Conway Farms GC

2016: Dustin Johnson at Crooked Stick GC

2015: Jason Day at Conway Farms GC

2014: Billy Horschel at Cherry Hills CC

2013: Zach Johnson at Conway Farms GC

2012: Rory McIlroy at Crooked Stick GC

2011: Justin Rose at Cog Hill G&CC

2010: Dustin Johnson at Cog Hill G&CC

2009: Tiger Woods at Cog Hill G&CC

2008: Camilo Villegas at Bellerive

2007: Tiger Woods at Cog Hill G&CC

The tournament was known as the Western Open before 2007:

2006: Trevor Immelman at Cog Hill G&CC

2005: Jim Furyk at Cog Hill G&CC

2004: Steven Ames at Cog Hill G&CC

2003: Tiger Woods at Cog Hill G&CC

2002: Jerry Kelly at Cog Hill G&CC

2001: Scott Hoch at Cog Hill G&CC

2000: Robert Allenby at Cog Hill G&CC

1999: Tiger Woods at Cog Hill G&CC

1998: Joe Durant at Cog Hill G&CC

1997: Tiger Woods at Cog Hill G&CC

1996: Steve Stricker at Cog Hill G&CC

1995: Billy Mayfair at Cog Hill G&CC

1994: Nick Price at Cog Hill G&CC

1993: Nick Price at Cog Hill G&CC

1992: Ben Crenshaw at Cog Hill G&CC

1991: Russ Cochran at Cog Hill G&CC

1990: Wayne Levi at Butler National

1989: Mark McCumber at Butler National

1988: Jim Benepe at Butler National

1987: D.A. Weibring at Butler National

1986: Tom Kite at Butler National

1985: Scott Verplank (A) at Butler National

1984: Tom Watson at Butler National

1983: Mark McCumber at Butler National

1982: Tom Weiskopf at Butler National

1981: Ed Fiori at Butler National

1980: Scott Simpson at Butler National

1979: Larry Nelson, Butler National Golf Club

1978: Andy Bean, Butler National Golf Club

1977: Tom Watson, Butler National Golf Club,

1976: Al Geiberger, Butler National Golf Club

1975: Hale Irwin, Butler National Golf Club

1974: Tom Watson, Butler National Golf Club

1973: Billy Casper, Midlothian Country Club

1972: Jim Jamieson, Sunset Ridge Country Club

1971: Bruce Crampton, Olympia Fields Country Club

1970: Hugh Royer, Jr., Beverly Country Club

1969: Billy Casper, Midlothian Country Club

1968: Jack Nicklaus, Olympia Fields Country Club

1967: Jack Nicklaus, Beverly Country Club

1966: Billy Casper, Medinah Country Club

1965: Billy Casper, Tam O’Shanter Country Club

1964: Chi Chi Rodriguez, Tam O’Shanter Country Club

1963: Arnold Palmer, Beverly Country Club

1962: Jacky Cupit, Medinah Country Club

1961: Arnold Palmer, Blythefield Country Club

1960: Stan Leonard, Western Golf & Country Club

1959: Mike Souchak, Pittsburgh Field Club

1958: Doug Sanders, Red Run Golf Club

1957: Doug Ford, Plum Hollow Country Club

1956: Mike Fetchick, Presidio Golf Club

1955: Cary Middlecoff, Portland Golf Club

1954: Lloyd Mangrum, Kenwood Country Club

1953: E.J. “Dutch” Harrison, Bellerive Country Club

1952: Lloyd Mangrum, Westwood Country Club

1951: Marty Furgol, Davenport Country Club

1950: Sam Snead, Brentwood Country Club

1949: Sam Snead, Keller Golf Course

1948: Ben Hogan, Brookfield Country Club

1947: Johnny Palmer, Salt Lake City Country Club

1946: Ben Hogan, Sunset Country Club,

1945: Cancelled during World War II

1944: Cancelled during World War II

1943: Cancelled during World War II

1942: Herman Barron, Phoenix Golf Club

1941: Ed Oliver, Phoenix Golf Club

1940: Jimmy Demaret, River Oaks Country Club

1939: Byron Nelson, Medinah Country Club

1938: Ralph Guldahl, Westwood Country Club

1937: Ralph Guldahl, Canterbury Golf Club

1936: Ralph Guldahl, Davenport Country Club

1935: Johnny Revolta, South Bend Country Club

1934: Harry Cooper, Country Club of Peoria

1933: Macdonald Smith, Olympia Fields Country Club

1932: Walter Hagen, Canterbury Golf Club

1931: Ed Dudley, Miami Valley Golf Club

1930: Gene Sarazen, Indianwood Golf & Country Club

1929: Tommy Armour, Ozaukee Country Club

1928: Abe Espinosa, North Shore Country Club

1927: Walter Hagen, Olympia Fields Country Club

1926: Walter Hagen, Highland Golf & Country Club

1925: Macdonald Smith, Youngstown Country Club

1924: Bill Mehlhorn, Calumet Country Club

1923: Jock Hutchison, Colonial Country Club

1922: Mike Brady, Oakland Hills Country Club

1921: Walter Hagen, Oakwood Club

1920: Jock Hutchison, Olympia Fields Country Club

1919: Jim Barnes, Mayfield Country Club

1918: Cancelled during World War I

1917: Jim Barnes, Westmoreland Country Club

1916: Walter Hagen, Blue Mound Golf & Country Club

1915: Tom McNamara, Glen Oak Golf Club

1914: Jim Barnes, Interlachen Country Club

1913: John McDermott, Memphis Country Club

1912: Macdonald Smith, Idlewild Country Club

1911: Robert Simpson, Kent Country Club

1910: Chick Evans (Am), Beverly Country Club

1909: Willie Anderson, Skokie Country Club

1908: Willie Anderson, Normandie Golf Club

1907: Robert Simpson, Hinsdale Golf Club

1906: Alex Smith, Homewood Country Club

1905: Arthur Smith, Cincinnati Golf Club

1904: Willie Anderson, Kent Country Club, Grand Rapids

1903: Alex Smith, Milwaukee Country Club, River Hills

1902: Willie Anderson, Euclid Club, Cleveland Heights

1901: Laurie Auchterlonie, Midlothian Country Club, Midlothian

1900: No tournament

1899: Willie Smith, Glen View Club