Wyndham Clark nearly let it all slip away on Sunday afternoon.
But thanks to three straight birdies down the stretch, the only ones he made all day, he’s leaving Bellerive Country Club with his third win of the season.
Clark held on and fended off a late push from Rory McIlroy to claim the BMW Championship title on Sunday in St. Louis. Clark posted an even par 70 in the final round and finished at 17-under for the week, three shots clear of the field in the second FedExCup Playoffs stop.
Now, Clark will jump to No. 3 in the FedExCup standings entering next week’s Tour Championship. The win also earned him a $3.6 million check.
Clark carried a five-shot lead into the final round in St. Louis, though only after a wild Saturday that saw him lose the lead after a double bogey on the opening hole. But Clark ended up rattling off five birdies and an eagle in an eight-hole stretch around the turn to rebound and post his 5-under 65.
That gave Clark a five-shot advantage for the second time this season. Clark led by six entering the final round at the U.S. Open, and he held on to beat Sam Burns by a stroke to claim his second major championship title. It also put Clark in the final group with Rory McIlroy, who climbed up into a tie for second with his 5-under 65 on Moving Day.
But Clark’s advantage disappeared very quickly on Sunday. He bogeyed the first while Gary Woodland made three birdies in his first five hotels to jump within two shots. Woodland got within one after he sank an 8-footer at the eighth, too, while Clark bogeyed a second time.
Yet once he got within striking distance, Woodland stumbled. He topped his drive at the fourth into the creek that crossed just in front of the forward tees in a brutal miss, and ended up making a double bogey to close out his opening nine. It was a bad miss at just about the worst possible time.
Gary Woodland tops his tee shot on No. 9 😬
"That has never been in play, any tournament they've ever had here." - Jim Nantz pic.twitter.com/DGXJscsOYX
But even with Woodland’s slip, Clark couldn’t hold onto his lead. He made the turn and bogeyed the 10th, and the lead was gone completely. Suddenly, he was tied with Patrick Cantlay, though Cantlay hit his approach shot in the water ahead of him and ended up double bogeying. Still, the tournament was now wide open.
That’s when McIlroy finally made his move. McIlroy sank a birdie putt at the 11th, marking his third in a four-hole span, to tie Clark at 14-under.
Rory co-leads in St. Louis!
Despite a 5-shot deficit to start the day, he ties Wyndham Clark at the top at 14-under @BMWChamps.
📺 CBS pic.twitter.com/SPVz8lgNK2
After a battle between the two for the next several holes, Clark finally got his first birdie of the day to fall. He drained a deep 17-footer for birdie at the 16th, which set off a huge celebration for him before walking off the green as the solo leader again.
Wyndham Clark takes the solo lead once again! 💥 pic.twitter.com/9iG7756jZq
— Golf on CBS ⛳ (@GolfonCBS) August 23, 2026McIlroy’s birdie look was just left of the hole, and then he bogeyed the next one to suddenly give Clark a multi-shot lead once again.
Clark birdied the 17th and 18th for good measure, too, and was suddenly up by three once again. The win, which many thought he would simply cruise to, was finally his.
McIlroy finished in third at 13-under, one shot back from Cantlay.
Clark’s first win of the season came back at The CJ Cup Byron Nelson in May. While he finished T5 in Memphis last week to open the postseason, that came after he missed the cut in back-to-back weeks, including at the British Open last month.
Only the top 30 in the FedExCup standings will now move on to the season-ending Tour Championship next week at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta. The winner of that tournament will take home the FedExCup trophy. While Clark is now in third, he’s still well back from leader Scottie Scheffler.
But the staggered starting format at East Lake is gone, so Clark has as much of a shot as anyone in the field to claim the year-long prize next Sunday. And with what would have been a brutal collapse avoided, Clark is in a tremendous spot with just 72 holes to go on the season.
This post will be updated with more information shortly.
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