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Who is playing in the 2024 BMW PGA Championship? McIlroy, Lowry, Harrington, MacIntyre...
Originally named the British PGA Championship and first held in 1955, this competition has been the flagship event of the DP World Tour since 1972.
The tournament used to be held in May, but when the US PGA Championship moved to May in 2019, the DP World Tour made the sensible decision to move the BMW PGA to an autumnal slot, and the field quality improved immediately.
After the Dubai Desert Classic in January and the Scottish Open in July, the BMW PGA Championship is the third of five Rolex Series events this year. The last two events—the ABU Dhabi Championship and the DP World Tour Championship—will take place in two months.
Last year, all 12 Luke Donald’s Ryder Cup team members descended upon Wentworth for the prestigious 2023 BMW PGA Championship. Team Europe’s goal was to fine-tune their skills and strategies in preparation for the competition in Rome against the American team.
Despite New Zealander Ryan Fox’s victory, who clinched the trophy with a thrilling one-stroke win over Aaron Rai and Tyrrell Hatton, the impressive performance of nine European players, who finished in the top 20, kind of ignited the team’s spirit and got them emotionally prepared for the follow-up. This success was a precursor to their triumphant 16.5 – 11.5 win in the Eternal City.
Even though the Ryder Cup is a year away, many players are keen to perform in front of returning captain Donald at this year’s BMW PGA Championship edition. The two-time tournament winner will diligently observe the players at the Wentworth Club course, located in the picturesque Virginia Water, Surrey, England.
Who’s playing at this year’s 2024 BMW PGA Championship?
The 2024 BMW PGA Championship will have a regular 144-player field, with some of the top names of the DP World Tour fighting for €9,000,000 prize purse. These top players could win at Virginia Water based on their performance this season.
Nine of the victorious band of brothers from Rome will be playing at the famous Virginia Water course, with only Ludvig Aberg unable to participate due to injury. LIV Golf defectors Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton will be missing the reunion. The lineup includes Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry, Tommy Fleetwood, Viktor Hovland, Sepp Straka, Robert MacIntyre, Matt Fitzpatrick, Justin Rose, and Nicolai Hojgaard. Captain Donald, a two-time champion himself, will also be participating.
New Zealand’s Ryan Fox returns as the defending champion, and former World No.1 Adam Scott, who had a strong finish to the season with a T4 finish at the Tour Championship, will also be playing. Matt Wallace, fresh from his first DP World Tour win at the Omega European Masters, will aim to continue his momentum at his home club.
Contenders from this year’s Open at Troon – Thriston Lawrence, Billy Horschel, and Daniel Brown – will be in the field, with England’s Aaron Rai also taking part after a breakthrough season on the PGA Tour that saw him win a maiden title and finish T23 in the FedEx Cup rankings.
Horschel, the champion from 2021, will be joined by fellow Americans Will Zalatoris, Peter Malnati, and Mark Hubbard.