Michael Kim Faces Pressure at BMW Championships Final Round

Owings Mills, Maryland—Cal alumnus Michael Kim faces a critical final round at the BMW Championships on Sunday at Caves Valley Golf Club. The 32-year-old golfer is seeking one of 30 spots for the upcoming Tour Championship, the last leg of the FedEx Cup playoffs.

After posting an even-par 70 in Saturday’s third round, Kim dropped from a tie for fifth to eighth place in the BMW. More concerning for him is that he slipped from 26th to 29th in the FedEx Cup projected standings. The top 30 players after Sunday will advance to the season-ending event in Atlanta, where a total purse of $40 million is at stake, including a $10 million first prize.

Fellow Cal alum Collin Morikawa improved his chances of qualifying with a solid 3-under 67, moving him to a tie for 24th place with a total score of plus-1. Morikawa’s projected FedEx Cup ranking stands at No. 20.

Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre topped the leaderboard after shooting a 2-under 68, holding a four-stroke lead at 16 under par. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler remains close behind after carding a third-round 67. Ludvig Aberg is in third at 10 under, while Sam Burns and Harry Hall share fourth at minus-8.

Kim, who has one PGA Tour title, began his round with a bogey on No. 4 but responded with birdies on Nos. 5, 7, and 9. He fell back with a bogey on No. 13 and a double-bogey at 15, before making a birdie on No. 16, finishing tied with Viktor Hovland and Rickie Fowler for the eighth position.

Morikawa, starting the day in 37th place at 4 over par, made a strong move early, with birdies on Nos. 3, 4, 10, 12, and 13. Although he dropped shots on 14 and 18, he finished the day 3 under, leaving him at plus-1 for three rounds, and moving him closer to qualifying for the Tour Championship.

Additionally, Akshay Bhatia made headlines with a hole-in-one on the 227-yard par-3 17th hole, earning him a BMW iX M70. BMW also announced a $125,000 donation to the Evans Scholars Foundation, a scholarship program for caddies.