Key Takeaways
- Round 1 of the 2026 BMW Championship began at 10:03 a.m. ET on Thursday 20 August 2026, which is 9:03 a.m. CDT at Bellerive Country Club.
- All 25 groups at the 2026 BMW Championship are twosomes off the first tee, running to 2:55 p.m. ET (1:55 p.m. CDT).
- Scottie Scheffler plays with Matt Fitzpatrick at 2:33 p.m. ET (1:33 p.m. CDT); Rory McIlroy plays with Xander Schauffele at 1:20 p.m. ET (12:20 p.m. CDT).
- The 2026 BMW Championship has no 36-hole cut, but 20 of the 50 players will miss the Tour Championship at East Lake.
The BMW Championship 2026 Round 1 tee times ran from 10:03 a.m. ET to 2:55 p.m. ET on Thursday 20 August 2026. For anyone attending or watching locally around Bellerive Country Club, that corresponds to 9:03 a.m. to 1:55 p.m. CDT. Bellerive sits in Town and Country, Missouri, in the Central time zone.
"With only 50 players and no 36-hole cut, all 25 pairings launch in a single four-hour wave off the first tee."
What Time Do the Round 1 Tee Times Actually Start?
The first group of the 2026 BMW Championship, Justin Thomas and Sahith Theegala, went off the first tee at Bellerive Country Club at 10:03 a.m. ET (9:03 a.m. CDT) on Thursday 20 August 2026. The final pairing, Maverick McNealy and Matt McCarty, went at 2:55 p.m. ET (1:55 p.m. CDT).
Who Tees Off When at Bellerive? (Full Field Grid)
All 25 groups in the 50-player field compete as twosomes off the first tee at Bellerive Country Club. There is no split-tee start and no second wave:
| Eastern (ET) | Local (CDT) | Pairing |
|---|---|---|
| 10:03 a.m. | 9:03 a.m. | Justin Thomas, Sahith Theegala |
| 10:14 a.m. | 9:14 a.m. | Sepp Straka, Sungjae Im |
| 10:25 a.m. | 9:25 a.m. | Aaron Rai, Ben Griffin |
| 10:36 a.m. | 9:36 a.m. | Gary Woodland, Adam Scott |
| 10:47 a.m. | 9:47 a.m. | Collin Morikawa, Ludvig Aberg |
| 11:05 a.m. | 10:05 a.m. | Ryan Fox, Tom Kim |
| 11:16 a.m. | 10:16 a.m. | Justin Rose, Alex Smalley |
| 11:27 a.m. | 10:27 a.m. | Kristoffer Reitan, Alex Fitzpatrick |
| 11:38 a.m. | 10:38 a.m. | Akshay Bhatia, Hideki Matsuyama |
| 11:49 a.m. | 10:49 a.m. | Wyndham Clark, Sam Burns |
| 12:07 p.m. | 11:07 a.m. | Cameron Young, Si Woo Kim |
| 12:18 p.m. | 11:18 a.m. | Michael Brennan, Eric Cole |
| 12:29 p.m. | 11:29 a.m. | Patrick Cantlay, Ryo Hisatsune |
| 12:40 p.m. | 11:40 a.m. | Michael Thorbjornsen, Nico Echavarria |
| 12:51 p.m. | 11:51 a.m. | Jake Knapp, Alex Noren |
| 1:09 p.m. | 12:09 p.m. | Robert MacIntyre, Rickie Fowler |
| 1:20 p.m. | 12:20 p.m. | Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele |
| 1:31 p.m. | 12:31 p.m. | Bud Cauley, Nicolai Hojgaard |
| 1:42 p.m. | 12:42 p.m. | Viktor Hovland, J.J. Spaun |
| 1:53 p.m. | 12:53 p.m. | J.T. Poston, Kurt Kitayama |
| 2:11 p.m. | 1:11 p.m. | Ryan Gerard, Min Woo Lee |
| 2:22 p.m. | 1:22 p.m. | Chris Gotterup, Tommy Fleetwood |
| 2:33 p.m. | 1:33 p.m. | Scottie Scheffler, Matt Fitzpatrick |
| 2:44 p.m. | 1:44 p.m. | Russell Henley, Jacob Bridgeman |
| 2:55 p.m. | 1:55 p.m. | Maverick McNealy, Matt McCarty |
How the Round 1 Tee Sheet Is Built (Interval Maths)
The tee sheet operates on an 11-minute interval within blocks of five groups, separated by an 18-minute break between blocks. Across 25 pairings, this totals 24 gaps (twenty 11-minute gaps totaling 220 minutes, and four 18-minute block breaks totaling 72 minutes). The total elapsed tee window is exactly 292 minutes (4 hours, 52 minutes).
Does the BMW Championship Have a Cut?
The 2026 BMW Championship has no 36-hole cut. All 50 players complete 72 holes and receive a payout from the $20 million purse ($3.6 million to the winner, and a minimum of $66,000 to last place). However, only the top 30 in the FedExCup standings advance to the Tour Championship at East Lake—meaning 20 players will see their seasons end on Sunday.
Logistics: If You Are Attending, When Should You Leave?
Spectators must calculate travel based on Central Daylight Time (CDT) rather than published Eastern broadcast schedules:
- No On-Site Parking: All general spectator parking is located off-site at The Family Arena with shuttle transit to Bellerive.
- Road Closures: Portions of Ladue Road and Mason Road (between Conway and Hibler) face active traffic restrictions throughout tournament days.
- Navigation: Set GPS directions to Town and Country, Missouri, rather than generic St. Louis coordinates.
Frequently Asked Questions
What time is the first tee at the 2026 BMW Championship?
The opening pairing (Justin Thomas and Sahith Theegala) teed off at 10:03 a.m. ET (9:03 a.m. CDT local time) on Thursday 20 August 2026.
Why are players in twosomes instead of threesomes?
With a limited 50-player field and no 36-hole cut, the PGA Tour schedules 25 twosomes off the 1st tee exclusively, eliminating split tees or wave delays.
Is Bellerive Country Club located in St. Louis?
Bellerive is situated in Town and Country, Missouri, a distinct suburb in St. Louis County roughly 16 miles west of downtown St. Louis.
Does every player in the BMW Championship field get paid?
Yes. With no 36-hole cut, all 50 competitors receive official prize money from the $20 million purse, with last place earning at least $66,000.
The Raw Take
Tee sheets published solely in Eastern Time cause real confusion on the ground. At Bellerive, the entire 50-player field gets onto the course in under five hours, creating a dense, uninterrupted afternoon of playoff golf where every shot directly impacts the top-30 cutoff for East Lake.