2022 BMW Championship Second of three FedExCup Playoffs events

August 19, 2022

The second round of the 2022 BMW Championship begins Friday morning at Wilmington Country Club in Delaware.

First-Round Leaderboard 

Keegan Bradley 64 (-7) Adam Scott 65 (-6) Harold Varner III 66 (-5) 

Shane Lowry 66 (-5) Justin Thomas 66 (-5) 

• 2018 BMW Championship winner Keegan Bradley ties a career-low nine-hole score (29) and holds a one-stroke lead 
• After playing his way into the BMW Championship via a T5 at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, Adam Scott is projected to move from No. 45 to No. 13; has not qualified for the TOUR Championship since 2019 
• Harold Varner III and Shane Lowry, both T3, seek first TOUR Championship start 
• Defending FedExCup Champion and 2021 BMW Championship winner Patrick Cantlay opens with 68 (T13); no player has successfully defended his BMW Championship title since the tournament became a FedExCup Playoffs event in 2007 

First-round leaders/co-leaders to win the BMW Championship since 2000 (most recent: Justin Thomas/2019) 

First-round leaders/co-leaders to win individual stroke-play events on TOUR in 2021-22 (most recent: Tony Finau, Rocket Mortgage Classic) 

 First-Round Leader

 Keegan Bradley (1st/-7) 

• Won 2018 BMW Championship at Aronimink Golf Club, most recent of four PGA TOUR victories; won via playoff over Justin Rose after beginning final round three shots back 
• Ties career-low nine-hole score with front-nine 29 (other: 29/2013 AT&T Byron Nelson/R1/front nine) 
• Lowest opening round on TOUR since 2021 Valspar Championship (64); went on to finish runner-up 
• Ties low score in 35 rounds at BMW Championship; en route to victory in 2018, posted 64s in second and final rounds 
• Leads the field with eight birdies; ties his most in a round on TOUR this season (other: THE PLAYERS Championship/R4) 
• Ninth 18-hole lead/co-lead on PGA TOUR; 0-for-8 in converting to victory with runner-ups at 2013 AT&T Byron Nelson and 2021 Valspar Championship best results; most recent lead after any round on TOUR: 2022 Wells Fargo Championship at TPC Potomac Avenel Farm (finished season-best T2) 
• Since joining the PGA TOUR in 2011, is the only player that has held eight or more 18-hole leads/co-leads and not converted at least one to victory 
• Six top-10s on the season mark the most since 2013-14 
• Has qualified for the FedExCup Playoffs in each of his 12 seasons on TOUR; finished career-best No. 8 in the 2018 FedExCup; has reached the TOUR Championship four times (2011, 2012, 2013, 2018) with a T11 in 2011 his best finish.

Miscellaneous:

• Harold Varner III (T3/-5), enters week No. 65 in the FedExCup in his third BMW Championship start (2019, 2021); Varner has never qualified for the TOUR Championship in six previous attempts (best: 38/2018-19); In 2017, Varner III was the only player to move inside the cutline in two consecutive weeks of the FedExCup Playoffs, moving from No. 138 to No. 123 at the Wyndham Championship, and No. 123 to No. 91 at the FedEx St. Jude Championship 
• In seven previous seasons on TOUR, Shane Lowry (T3/-5) has never qualified for the TOUR Championship (best: 33/2018-19); Enters week No. 37 in the FedExCup on strength of four top-10s including a runner-up at The Honda Classic and a pair of T3s (Masters Tournament, RBC Heritage) 
• At No. 8 in the Official World Golf Ranking, Collin Morikawa (T6/-4) is the highest-ranked player in the OWGR without a PGA TOUR win this season; at No. 20, is one of seven players inside the top 30 in the FedExCup without a victory in 2021-22 
• Cameron Young (T6/-4) holds the best position on the leaderboard by a PGA TOUR rookie; entering the week, four rookies are in the top 30 of the FedExCup (Young/13, Joohyung “Tom” Kim/25, Davis Riley/26, Sahith Theegala/27); there has not been a season in the FedExCup-era (since 2007) which more than two rookies have advanced to the TOUR Championship 
• There were four eagles in the first round, with three coming on the par-5 14th (Harold Varner III, Shane Lowry, Justin Thomas) and on the par-4th first hole when first-year member Kurt Kitayama (T42/E) holed out for an eagle from 102 yards 

FedExCup Playoffs notes 

The top 30 players at the conclusion of the BMW Championship will make the TOUR Championship