As a Rolex Series event, the BMW PGA Championship is one of the most renowned stops on the DP World Tour. It is currently underway at Wentworth Club between September 17 and September 20, 2026, featuring the likes of Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, Robert MacIntyre, Jon Rahm, and more. Like any other Rolex Series event, it has a higher purse than regular DP World Tour stops. As the tournament heads toward Sunday’s decisive round, the pressure is mounting, and the gap between finishing first and settling for anything below it could be worth a fortune.
Here’s the complete purse breakdown:
BMW PGA Championship 2026 purse breakdown
The 2026 BMW PGA Championship purse is $9 million. Of that, the winner takes the standard 17% share at any DP World Tour event, which comes to $1,530,000. The runner-up receives the second-highest prize, $990,000, while the third-place finish gets $563,400.
It is a regular stroke-play event with a cut after the first two rounds. So only those who make the weekend will share in the total purse. The table below shows the complete breakdown:
| Position | Amount |
| 1 | $1,530,000 |
| 2 | $990,000 |
| 3 | $563,400 |
| 4 | $450,000 |
| 5 | $381,600 |
| 6 | $315,000 |
| 7 | $270,000 |
| 8 | $225,000 |
| 9 | $201,600 |
| 10 | $180,000 |
| 11 | $165,600 |
| 12 | $154,800 |
| 13 | $144,900 |
| 14 | $137,700 |
| 15 | $132,300 |
| 16 | $126,900 |
| 17 | $121,500 |
| 18 | $116,100 |
| 19 | $111,600 |
| 20 | $108,000 |
| 21 | $104,400 |
| 22 | $101,700 |
| 23 | $99,000 |
| 24 | $96,300 |
| 25 | $93,600 |
| 26 | $90,900 |
| 27 | $88,200 |
| 28 | $85,500 |
| 29 | $82,800 |
| 30 | $80,100 |
| 31 | $77,400 |
| 32 | $74,700 |
| 33 | $72,000 |
| 34 | $69,300 |
| 35 | $66,600 |
| 36 | $63,900 |
| 37 | $62,100 |
| 38 | $60,300 |
| 39 | $58,500 |
| 40 | $56,700 |
| 41 | $54,900 |
| 42 | $53,100 |
| 43 | $51,300 |
| 44 | $49,500 |
| 45 | $47,700 |
| 46 | $45,900 |
| 47 | $44,100 |
| 48 | $42,300 |
| 49 | $40,500 |
| 50 | $38,700 |
| 51 | $36,900 |
| 52 | $35,100 |
| 53 | $33,300 |
| 54 | $31,500 |
| 55 | $30,600 |
| 56 | $29,700 |
| 57 | $28,800 |
| 58 | $27,900 |
| 59 | $27,000 |
| 60 | $26,100 |
| 61 | $25,200 |
| 62 | $24,300 |
| 63 | $23,400 |
| 64 | $22,500 |
| 65 | $21,600 |
While the financial reward may seem the most lucrative, there’s a lot more on the line at the BMW PGA Championship 2026.
Other rewards at the BMW PGA Championship 2026
A total of 8,000 Race to Dubai Ranking points are up for grabs at Wentworth. The winner gets 1,335 R2DR points, and, like the prize money, those who make the cut share the remaining points.
These points are indirectly linked to much larger financial rewards. For instance, the top 10 non-exempt professionals on the R2DR list at the end of the season-long race get PGA Tour cards. This directly reflects playing on the biggest stage of professional golf and getting opportunities to make much more money.
Besides the cards, the DP World Tour also uses R2DR for playoff eligibility. The top 70 on the Race to Dubai Rankings become eligible to play the first playoff event, the Abu Dhabi Championship, with a $9 million purse. The top 50 after the first playoff event qualify for the DP World Tour Championship, which has a $10 million purse. To top that all, there’s a shared pool of $6 million for the leading players.
The BMW PGA Championship 2026 also offers world ranking points. The OWGR has calculated the field’s strength to be 254.96624 points because of the participation of multiple elites. According to the OWGR’s projected points breakdown, the winner will receive 43.85233 points, 17.20% of the total. Second place gets 26.31140 points, and third place gets 17.54093 points. From here on, the points start to decline gradually.
However, this is a projected breakdown. Actual points could differ based on factors such as how many professionals made the cut.
There are also 2,000 Ryder Cup points on the line. After winning the Ryder Cup 2025 in the USA, Team Europe will be fighting to retain the cup next year at Adare Manor, Ireland. For anyone who wants to make the team automatically, a share of these 2,000 points carries a lot of weight.
But it won’t be that easy for golfers to make their mark and grab the biggest paycheck, as the field is very competitive.
Headliners at the BMW PGA Championship 2026
The Wentworth stop features 144 professionals. However, many among them, including Patrick Reed, have either retired or withdrawn. Of these, 72 professionals made the cut at two-under 142 after 36 holes.
Rory McIlroy is the event’s biggest headline name. Over the past couple of years, the Northern Irishman has significantly limited his schedule. In fact, he couldn’t meet the PGA Tour’s minimum events-played requirement and had to get an exemption to avoid the penalty. But despite the reduced play, McIlroy ensures playing the BMW PGA Championship.
This is an important event for him, as it could give him valuable R2DR points for a record-tying eighth Race to Dubai title. Currently, Rory McIlroy has seven and is only one short of the record holder, Colin Montgomerie.
Another headliner at Wentworth is defending champion Alex Noren. Noren had carded rounds of 67-68-66-68 to finish at 19-under 269. After the four regulation rounds, he was tied with Adrien Saddier. But in the playoff, he made a birdie on the par-5 18th to defeat Saddier.
Matt Fitzpatrick is another key player to watch. The former US Open champion is currently World No. 4. His challenge is especially relevant to the home-event narrative because the BMW PGA Championship is the DP World Tour’s flagship tournament in England.
As the leading contenders battle for these rewards, Sunday’s final round will determine who claims the title and the biggest payday at Wentworth.