Andy DevaneyThe BMW PGA Championship has added another substantial name to an already crowded marquee, with Jon Rahm confirmed for Wentworth Club from 17–20 September 2026.
The Spaniard has twice finished runner-up on the West Course, which gives his return rather more edge than the usual player announcement.
This is not a ceremonial appearance or a famous name filling a poster. Rahm has been close enough here to know precisely what he has missed.
Rahm returns with unfinished business at Wentworth
Wentworth has not exactly been unkind to Rahm; merely stubborn.
In four previous appearances he has finished second in 2019 and 2022, fourth in 2023 and tied 13th last season. For a player with two Major titles, 10 DP World Tour victories and five Rolex Series wins, that missing BMW PGA Championship trophy is conspicuous without being embarrassing.
Rahm, 31, makes no attempt to disguise the appeal of settling the matter. “I’ve come close a couple of times at the BMW PGA Championship, so It’s definitely a tournament and a venue that I enjoy coming back to.
“Everything about it, from the fans to the history of the event, makes it a special week and I would love to go one better and lift the trophy this year.”
There is the neat tension behind his entry. Rahm already knows he can contend at Wentworth. The question is whether 2026 finally supplies the finish his earlier visits did not.
A BMW PGA Championship field with serious weight
Rahm joins a field carrying rather more pedigree than most tournament posters can comfortably accommodate.
Rory McIlroy, Matt Fitzpatrick, Shane Lowry and Justin Rose are among the Major champions confirmed, while Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton, Viktor Hovland and Robert MacIntyre add further Rolex Series weight.
Ludvig Åberg and Sepp Straka will also tee it up, giving proceedings a pronounced Ryder Cup flavour before anyone has found the first tee.
Luke Donald, captain of Europe’s back-to-back Ryder Cup-winning sides, is among the former BMW PGA Championship winners returning to the West Course.
The depth matters. Rahm’s confirmation is significant, but not because this championship needed rescuing. Quite the opposite. His name makes an already serious field harder to ignore.
Familiar winners return to Wentworth
Defending champion Alex Noren is back alongside two-time winner Billy Horschel and recent Open champion Ryan Fox.
There is home interest, too. Aaron Rai, fresh from his maiden Major title, joins three-time DP World Tour winner Marco Penge in the field.
It gives Wentworth an appealing mixture: former champions, Major winners, Ryder Cup figures and players carrying recent success into Surrey.
There should not be many pairings requiring an introduction.
BMW PGA Championship tickets are disappearing
The contest for a decent vantage point has apparently begun early.
General Admission for Saturday is already sold out, with limited availability remaining on Friday and Sunday. Friday has been reduced to General Admission only after Treetops presented by Buffalo Trace and every Premium Experience option sold out.
The Green on 18 Premium Experience has disappeared across the entire week. Treetops is sold out from Thursday to Sunday, with only limited availability remaining for Wednesday.
After record attendance last season, more than 115,000 spectators are expected this time.
Anyone imagining a leisurely last-minute decision may find Wentworth has made other arrangements.
Golf remains the centre of a much bigger week
The event is pitching itself as considerably more than 72 holes and a scoreboard.
Wednesday brings the Celebrity Pro-Am, while The Kooks and Ella Eyre will headline weekend entertainment on the Amazon Leo Live Stage. The Spectator Village adds another layer to the week, while BMW Group owners receive preferred parking and all spectators can use a free shuttle from Virginia Water railway station.
It is a sizeable operation built around a sizeable tournament.
Rahm gives its competitive story another excellent thread. Twice he has stood one place short at Wentworth.
In September, he gets another chance to remove the number that still irritates.
