Tournament Preview
Career Grand Slam winner Rory McIlroy returns to this week’s BMW PGA Championship aiming to add to his past success and make a special week in Surrey even sweeter.
The World Number Two triumphed at Wentworth Club in 2014 when he overturned a seven-shot overnight deficit, posting a closing 66 to clinch victory over close friend and now seven-time DP World Tour winner Shane Lowry.
It marked his first professional win on British soil and kickstarted a remarkable run of form that saw him go on to win The Open and US PGA Championship.
More than a decade on, the Northern Irishman is hoping to replicate his winning ways on the West Course, in a week that sits among his favourites of the year.
McIlroy, who finished strongly at last week’s Amgen Irish Open, will need to outplay a world-class field on the outskirts of London, including defending champion Alex Norén.
The Swede secured his second BMW PGA Championship title last year after making a birdie on the first play-off hole to pip Frenchman Adrien Saddier to victory following an enthralling final round.
He will now look to join an exclusive group of three-time winners – Sir Nick Faldo holds the record with four victories, one ahead of Bernhard Langer and Colin Montgomerie who have both won three times in the DP World Tour era since 1972.
Spaniard Jon Rahm will be among those also challenging for the title, in search of his sixth Rolex Series victory.
The two-time Major Champion and former World Number One boasts an impressive record over his four previous appearances at Wentworth Club, finishing runner-up in 2019 and 2022, fourth in 2023 and tied 13th last season.
Reigning US PGA Championship winner Aaron Rai, who will tee it up with McIlroy and Open Champion Ryan Fox across the first two rounds, will be hoping to build on an already impressive year, as will fellow English Major winner Justin Rose, in what will mark his 21st appearance at the historic event.
Player Quotes
Rory McIlroy: It’s always nice to be back, I guess even more meaningful now that we have a home here. It really does feel like a home event. I haven’t always had the best of times around the West Course, but certainly over the last few years I’ve played well here, given myself some chances to win.
I feel it’s a great event. A great field is always assembled, and we always play in front of an amazing atmosphere. Honestly, it’s one of my favourite weeks of the year. Looking forward to getting going again.
Obviously I’m in a very fortunate position, I guess, to be going for an eighth Race to Dubai. I can’t believe I’m sitting here with seven. So, yeah, I’d love to give myself a chance again.
Last week wasn’t a great week for me in terms of the overall points. Patrick (Reed) had a good week, and I didn’t have such a great week. I’m going to try – I’m going to have to try to make up for that this week.
I’m certainly motivated to play well for the rest of the year. Still working on some things in my swing, so just trying to have a balance between still keeping an eye on that but trying to play my best golf and give myself some chances to win.
It doesn’t matter who’s up there. I think being second right now and being a little ways off first, that’s motivation enough to try to finish the year off well.
Alex Norén: Obviously I love coming to England and the UK, playing golf here. I love all the courses here. I just think the crowds are great. The tournament is great. It’s just a lovely place to play golf. Maybe that attribute contributes to some good play for me at this event.
I had a pretty good season over in America. I’d like to play some more here now in the off-season. Had three weeks off, so I tried to see the kids a lot and maybe haven’t got as many rounds in as I usually do. For every day now when you’re back, you feel better and better.
When I was there yesterday (Adare Manor), it hits you how like amazing Ryder Cup is, and I thought the venue was spectacular. I’ve never seen a place like it.
To have a year to see if I can improve in all areas of the game and be part of that team would be amazing, and it was very — firstly, I thought it was smart of Luke to gather all the players there. Second, it made it kind of even more sort of like a goal for everybody, I think.
Some players obviously know they will be there, but for everybody else, it was a really tempting goal just to see the place and then imagine it in one year.
Jon Rahm: It’s been a good week for me for the most part, good chances to win. I’ve had some thrilling finishes and some good moments in general. I don’t know what to say as to why certain weeks work better than some others.
If I had to say anything, it’s a demanding golf course to a degree. You have a lot of variety of tee shots, for the most part narrow. You need to do a good job ball striking, and that’s always going to set you up very nicely.
But in general, you need to hit it very, very well. There’s wind. There’s trees. There’s swirling. You need to have high quality ball striking to have a chance to win. I think you can see that throughout the quality of past champions and what they’ve been able to do.
Obviously when you win, you need to do everything well, but the people that play consistently well here are the people that have control over the golf ball.
I would love to (win this event). It’s changed over the years from being match play to now being a big field with stroke play. As an event, it’s changed. I think the magnitude, at least for the ones here, hasn’t really changed. Us, the Europeans, the DP World Tour players, it’s definitely something we all want to win.
I’m hoping if I get a chance again on Sunday, I can finish it out this time.
Aaron Rai: Personally speaking, it doesn’t feel massively different (coming here as a Major winner). This is a huge event in its own right and an event that has meant a lot to me for a long time.
Really nice reception from the crowd even though it’s only a Tuesday, so that part has felt a little bit different. Yeah, it’s great to be here really.
Not too bad. I haven’t competed, I think, for three weeks. The second playoff event over on the PGA TOUR was the last event. Again, when there’s a break of three weeks, you never quite know how it’s going to stack up in terms of tournaments. Yeah, practice has felt pretty good, so we’ll see how it goes.
Justin Rose: Obviously great to be playing so close to home. The BMW PGA Championship obviously a flagship on the DP World Tour. It feels that way. It feels like a great tournament. I always feel like this tournament is so well supported. It does have a good buzz about it, and then obviously there’s the local feel of friends and family coming out to play.
Yeah, a very special week. I always feel like when I start getting my head around the tournament, there’s a month to go, I’ve got to play the course, oh, the course is closed. I feel like I don’t do a good enough job early enough in the year to get the home course advantage set.
Obviously we all know this course so well. We’ve been coming here for many, many years. Yeah, it’s a wonderful week.
2026 BMW PGA Championship
Venue: Wentworth Club, Virginia Water, Surrey, England
2025 Champion: Alex Norén (SWE)
Prize Fund: US$9,000,000
Points: 8,000
Race to Dubai: Tournament 35 of 42
Back 9: Tournament 4 of 9