The BMW Championship dates back to 1899 when it debuted as the Western Open, making it the third-oldest tournament on the PGA TOUR schedule, behind only the Open Championship and U.S. Open. BMW has sponsored the tournament since 2007, when it became the penultimate event of the PGA TOUR's FedExCup Playoffs.

Past champions include nearly all of golf’s legends, including Chick Evans, Walter Hagen, Gene Sarazen, Byron Nelson, Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus. In recent years, champions adding their names to the event’s historic J.K. Wadley Trophy include Tiger Woods, Justin Rose, Rory McIlroy, Jason Day, Justin Thomas, Patrick Cantlay, Viktor Hovland and Keegan Bradley.

Past Champions

Year Champion Score Venue
2024 Keegan Bradley (2) −12 Castle Pines GC
2023 Viktor Hovland −17 Olympia Fields CC
2022 Patrick Cantlay (2) −14 Wilmington CC
2021 Patrick Cantlay −27 Caves Valley GC
2020 Jon Rahm −4 Olympia Fields CC
2019 Justin Thomas −25 Medinah CC
2018 Keegan Bradley −20 Aronimink GC
2017 Marc Leishman −23 Conway Farms GC
2016 Dustin Johnson (2) −23 Crooked Stick GC
2015 Jason Day −22 Conway Farms GC
2014 Billy Horschel −14 Cherry Hills CC
2013 Zach Johnson −16 Conway Farms GC
2012 Rory McIlroy −20 Crooked Stick GC
2011 Justin Rose −13 Cog Hill G&CC
2010 Dustin Johnson −9 Cog Hill G&CC
2009 Tiger Woods (5) −19 Cog Hill G&CC
2008 Camilo Villegas −15 Bellerive CC
2007 Tiger Woods (4) −22 Cog Hill G&CC
2006 Trevor Immelman −13 Cog Hill G&CC
2005 Jim Furyk −14 Cog Hill G&CC
2004 Stephen Ames −10 Cog Hill G&CC
2003 Tiger Woods (3) −21 Cog Hill G&CC
2002 Jerry Kelly −19 Cog Hill G&CC
2001 Scott Hoch −21 Cog Hill G&CC
2000 Robert Allenby −14 Cog Hill G&CC
1999 Tiger Woods (2) −15 Cog Hill G&CC
1998 Joe Durant −17 Cog Hill G&CC
1997 Tiger Woods −13 Cog Hill G&CC
1996 Steve Stricker −18 Cog Hill G&CC
1995 Billy Mayfair −9 Cog Hill G&CC
1994 Nick Price (2) −11 Cog Hill G&CC
1993 Nick Price −19 Cog Hill G&CC
1992 Ben Crenshaw −12 Cog Hill G&CC
1991 Russ Cochran −13 Cog Hill G&CC
1990 Wayne Levi −13 Butler National GC
1989 Mark McCumber (2) −13 Butler National GC 
1988 Jim Benepe −10 Butler National GC 
1987 D. A. Weibring −9 Butler National GC 
1986 Tom Kite −2 Butler National GC 
1985 Scott Verplank (a) −9 Butler National GC 
1984 Tom Watson (3) −8 Butler National GC 
1983 Mark McCumber −4 Butler National GC 
1982 Tom Weiskopf −12 Butler National GC 
1981 Ed Fiori −11 Butler National GC 
1980 Scott Simpson −7 Butler National GC 
1979 Larry Nelson −2 Butler National GC 
1978 Andy Bean −6 Butler National GC 
1977 Tom Watson (2) −5 Butler National GC 
1976 Al Geiberger +4 Butler National GC 
1975 Hale Irwin −1 Butler National GC 
1974 Tom Watson +3 Butler National GC 
1973 Billy Casper (4) −12 Midlothian CC
1972 Jim Jamieson −13 Sunset Ridge CC
1971 Bruce Crampton −5 Olympia Fields CC
1970 Hugh Royer Jr. −11 Beverly CC
1969 Billy Casper (3) −8 Midlothian CC
1968 Jack Nicklaus (2) −11 Olympia Fields CC
1967 Jack Nicklaus −10 Beverly CC
1966 Billy Casper (2) −1 Medinah CC
1965 Billy Casper −14 Tam O'Shanter
1964 Chi-Chi Rodríguez −16 Tam O'Shanter
1963 Arnold Palmer (2) −4 Beverly CC
1962 Jacky Cupit −3 Medinah CC
1961 Arnold Palmer −13 Blythefield CC
1960 Stan Leonard −10 Western G&CC
1959 Mike Souchak −8 Pittsburgh FC
1958 Doug Sanders −13 Red Run GC
1957 Doug Ford −5 Plum Hollow GC
1956 Mike Fetchick −4 Presidio GC
1955 Cary Middlecoff −16 Portland GC
1954 Lloyd Mangrum (2) −7 Kenwood CC
1953 Dutch Harrison −2 Bellerive CC
1952 Lloyd Mangrum −6 Westwood CC
1951 Marty Furgol −10 Davenport CC
1950 Sam Snead (2) −2 Brentwood CC
1949 Sam Snead −20 Keller GC
1948 Ben Hogan (2) −7 Brookfield CC
1947 Johnny Palmer −18 Salt Lake City CC
1946 Ben Hogan −17 Sunset CC
1943–1945: No tournament due to World War II
1942 Herman Barron −8 Phoenix GC
1941 Ed Oliver −9 Phoenix GC
1940 Jimmy Demaret +9 River Oaks CC
1939 Byron Nelson −2 Medinah CC
1938 Ralph Guldahl (3) −5 Westwood CC
1937 Ralph Guldahl (2) E Canterbury GC
1936 Ralph Guldahl −10 Davenport CC
1935 Johnny Revolta +6 South Bend CC
1934 Harry Cooper −14 CC of Peoria
1933 Macdonald Smith (3) E Olympia Fields CC
1932 Walter Hagen (5) −1 Canterbury GC
1931 Ed Dudley −4 Miami Valley GC
1930 Gene Sarazen −10 Indianwood G&CC
1929 Tommy Armour −7 Ozaukee CC
1928 Abe Espinosa +3 North Shore GC
1927 Walter Hagen (4) −1 Olympia Fields CC
1926 Walter Hagen (3) −1 Highland G&CC
1925 Macdonald Smith (2) −7 Youngstown CC
1924 Bill Mehlhorn +5 Calumet CC
1923 Jock Hutchison (2) −3 Colonial CC
1922 Mike Brady +3 Oakland Hills CC
1921 Walter Hagen (2) +3 Oakwood Club
1920 Jock Hutchison +4 Olympia Fields CC
1919 Jim Barnes (3) +3 Mayfield CC
1918: No tournament due to World War I
1917 Jim Barnes (2) −5 Westmoreland CC
1916 Walter Hagen −2 Blue Mound CC
1915 Tom McNamara +4 Glen Oak CC
1914 Jim Barnes −3 Interlachen CC
1913 John McDermott −1 Memphis CC
1912 Macdonald Smith +11 Idlewild CC
1911 Bobby Simpson (2) 2&1 Kent CC
1910 Chick Evans (a) 6&5 Beverly CC
1909 Willie Anderson (4)   Skokie CC
1908 Willie Anderson (3)   Normandie GC
1907 Bobby Simpson   Hinsdale GC
1906 Alex Smith (2)   Homewood CC
1905 Arthur Smith   Cincinnati GC
1904 Willie Anderson (2)   Kent CC
1903 Alex Smith   Milwaukee CC
1902 Willie Anderson   Euclid Club
1901 Laurie Auchterlonie   Midlothian CC
1900: No tournament
1899 Willie Smith   Glen View Club