Wyndham Clark's BMW surge puts him on track for Presidents Cup

By Staff Writer

August 24, 2026

2 min read

Key takeaways

Wyndham Clark is projected to move from No. 7 to No. 3 in U.S. Presidents Cup points after his 54-hole lead at the BMW Championship.
Six automatic qualifiers make Captain Brandt Snedeker's 12-man U.S. team; the rest are captain's picks.
Collin Morikawa is projected to hold the sixth and final automatic spot by 22.941 points over Chris Gotterup.
Ben Griffin, last year's Ryder Cup pick, is currently projected to fall just outside the automatic top six.
J.J. Spaun sits T-8 at the BMW and needs a low final round to climb into the top six.

Wyndham Clark's runaway third round at the BMW Championship on Saturday didn't just extend his tournament lead — it's projected to vault him from No. 7 to No. 3 in the U.S. Presidents Cup points race with one round left to decide the automatic qualifiers.

How would the Presidents Cup team look right now?

Clark started the week at No. 7, on the outside of the top six that earn automatic spots on Captain Brandt Snedeker's 12-man squad. His projected leap to third would bump Ben Griffin, last year's U.S. Ryder Cup pick, out of the automatic qualifying positions and into a fight for one of the team's captain's picks.

Collin Morikawa, projected to slip to eighth after Friday's round, shot 67 on Saturday and is now projected to hold the sixth and final automatic spot, 22.941 points ahead of Chris Gotterup, who is tied for fourth at the BMW and could still leapfrog him. J.J. Spaun, tied for eighth after a 2-over 72, likely needs a round similar to the 64 he shot Thursday to break into the top six.

What has Clark said about qualifying?

Clark has been direct about wanting to lock up his spot outright rather than depend on a pick. "I'm playing my hardest to try to get one of those last six spots," he said earlier in the week. "I would prefer to be an automatic qualifier because I don't want to leave it up to chance."

What does this mean for the BMW Championship?

Sunday's final round at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis will decide both the BMW Championship winner and the automatic half of the U.S. Presidents Cup roster before any captain's picks are made.