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BMW Championship Yields $60 Million Economic Payoff and Player Criticism

Renovated Caves Valley drew packed galleries, raising questions about whether its firmer greens paired with tighter fairways push players past their limits.

Akshay Bhatia tees off to start his second round play in the 2025 BMW Championship golf tournament at Caves Valley Golf Club. (Kenneth K. Lam/staff)
Spectators watch Xander Schauffele play to the 18th hole in which he double bogeyed during the first round of the BMW Championship at Caves Valley Golf Club. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff)

Overview

  • Scottie Scheffler secured the BMW Championship title at Caves Valley with a pivotal chip-in birdie on the 17th, finishing two strokes ahead of runner-up Robert MacIntyre.
  • Akshay Bhatia’s 17th-hole hole-in-one won him a BMW iX M70 and inspired a four-year Evans Scholarship while the event funded 38 full-ride caddie scholarships to the University of Maryland.
  • Baltimore County officials estimate the tournament generated roughly $60 million in local economic impact, with sold-out hotels and packed restaurants underscoring Maryland’s hosting appeal.
  • Course renovations stretched Caves Valley to 7,601 yards as a par-70 and introduced firmer, faster greens via a Precision-Aire system alongside narrower fairways and thicker rough.
  • Several competitors voiced frustration with the punitive setup, notably Andrew Novak’s public “Pls no” reaction to his +20 score and comments from top players on its extreme difficulty.