How Rory McIlroy can accomplish feat not seen since 1997 at BMW Championship

Rory McIlroy is chasing a piece of golf history at Bellerive Country Club, and after three rounds of the BMW Championship, he’s putting himself in position to pull it off.

McIlroy, a three-time FedExCup champion and the 2012 BMW Championship winner, is seeking to become the first player since Tiger Woods in 1997 to capture the Masters Tournament and the BMW Championship in the same calendar year. It’s a rare double that speaks to the demands of peaking both in April at Augusta National and in the heat of the FedExCup Playoffs each August, and McIlroy has already cleared the first hurdle in dramatic fashion.

Three-time FedExCup champion and 2012 BMW Championship winner Rory McIlroy seeks to become the first player since Tiger Woods (1997) to win the Masters Tournament and the BMW Championship in the same year.

McIlroy is making his 16th start at the event, the most of any player…

— PGA TOUR Communications (@PGATOURComms) August 22, 2026

Back in April, McIlroy won his second consecutive Masters, becoming just the fourth player in tournament history to go back-to-back, joining Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Woods himself. The victory, a one-shot triumph over Scottie Scheffler, gave McIlroy his sixth career major and cemented his status among the sport’s all-time greats after he completed the career Grand Slam a year earlier.

This week marks McIlroy’s 16th career start at the BMW Championship, the most of any player since the FedExCup era began in 2007, a testament to his remarkable consistency on the PGA Tour’s biggest playoff stages. And unlike a year ago, when he limped to a tie for 12th, McIlroy has given himself a legitimate chance to add to his trophy case in St. Louis.

After opening with a 64 and following it with a 69, McIlroy sat in a tie for the lead before a back nine full of pars on Friday. He’s continued to push through the weekend and stands tied for second at 12-under through the third round at Bellerive, within range of leader Wyndham Clark and a crowded chase pack that includes Chris Gotterup, Gary Woodland and Patrick Cantlay.

Should McIlroy find another gear over the weekend and close out the BMW Championship, he’d join Woods as the only players in nearly three decades to sweep the Masters and this event in the same season, a fitting exclamation point on what’s already been a historic year for the Northern Irishman.

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