Wyndham Clark holds off Rory McIlroy to win BMW Championship in Missouri

Wyndham Clark beat Rory McIlroy to win the BMW Championship in Missouri on 23 August 2026, fending off a late challenge from the Northern Irishman to take the title.

BMW Championship - final leaderboard -16 W Clark (US); -14 P Cantlay (US); -13 R McIlroy (NI); -12 G Woodland (US), C Gotterup (US), C Morikawa (US); -10 R MacIntyre (Sco), M McNealy (US); -9 J Bridgeman (US); -8 S J Im (Kor), M Brennan (US). Selected others: -7 S Scheffler (US), A Bhatia (US); -6 A Rai (Eng); -5 J Rose (Eng); -3 M Fitzpatrick (Eng); +2 T Fleetwood (Eng).

Clark began the final day with a five-shot advantage but saw that margin disappear as McIlroy drew level with seven holes left to play. Clark produced successive birdies late in the round, posting a fourth-round 71 and, according to the report, finishing the week 17 under par to secure the win.

McIlroy, who had lost his first-day lead after a second-round 69, mounted a comeback on Sunday that included gaining two shots while Clark dropped three. The back-to-back Masters champion then missed a put on the 14th with the scores tied, and Clark recovered from that point to regain the lead.

Reflecting on his round to CBS Sports, Clark said: "It was weird - I wasn't nervous but I was kind of out of it, making double bogies, I can't believe I didn't make anything on the greens. But I kept trying to get myself going," and added, "I really started to swing free down the end. I was proud I didn't let it get away and was mentally strong. "I'm one of the best players in the world. Everyone gives me a hard time and roots for other people, but I've come into my own. It's my best season yet coming off my worst year."

McIlroy acknowledged the challenge he faced on the final day, saying earlier that he needed a "heroic effort" to catch Clark and later telling CBS Sports: "I can't be too disappointed, I'm not playing well enough to be too disappointed to no win. "I had my chances, but Wyndham stepped up. The way he played the last three holes, he showed a lot of character."

After McIlroy's late push, he finished the round one under par and the week on 13 under, four shots behind the winner; Clark's victory left him alone atop the leaderboard and confirmed the week’s finishing positions as listed above.