BMW Masters 2012: Tee Times, Date and TV Schedule

The BMW Masters tournament is set to get underway Thursday from Shanghai, China, where some of the world's top golfers will aim to win a piece of one of the European Tour's highest prize purses. 

Defending tournament champion Rory McIlroy leads a field of notable players into Lake Malaren Golf Club this October, one that includes familiar faces such as Lee Westwood, Graeme McDowell and Ian Poulter.

Here we get you set with everything you need to know for this year's BMW Masters from Shanghai.

Where: Lake Malaren Golf Club, Shanghai, China

When: Thursday, October 25 through Sunday, October 28, 2012

Watch: Golf Channel

Top Contenders

Rory McIlroy

Of course you'll have to be on the lookout for defending tournament champion Rory McIlroy in Shanghai this weekend. A budding star in the sport, McIlroy shot 18-under for the Lake Malaren Shanghai Masters last fall, but needed a playoff to defeat Anthony Kim. 

After a strong outing at the Ryder Cup last month and a PGA Championship victory this past summer at Kiawah, McIlroy is on top of the golf world and should be everyone's favorite to win this weekend in China. 

McIlroy will tee off last on Thursday with other favorites Lee Westwood and Justin Rose.

Darren Clarke

McIlroy's fellow Northern Ireland native Darren Clarke is no stranger to the European Tour, and even won the BMW Asian Open in 2008. 

Clarke has 14 wins on the European Tour for his career and ranks among the top performers across the pond. American golf fans likely remember Clarke best as the unknown who won the British Open at Royal St George's in 2011.

However the 44-year-old has not won a tournament since that epic performance in England more than 15 months ago. He's due for a strong performance in Shanghai.

Lee Westwood

Lee Westwood has been one of the most dominant players in the history of the European Tour. He has 22 tour tournament wins across the pond dating back to 1996.

Westwood most recently won the Nardea Masters back in June, shooting 19-under to win his first and only European Tour tournament of 2012 so far. Only eight players in history have more European Tour victories under their belt than Westwood though, so don't be shocked if Westy squashes the field this weekend.

He'll be teeing off late in round one alongside Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose. 

BMW Masters 2012 TV Schedule

Date	Coverage (ET)	Network
Thurs, Oct. 25	9 a.m. - 1 p.m.	Golf Channel
Fri, Oct. 26	9 a.m. - 1 p.m.	Golf Channel
Sat, Oct. 27	9 a.m. - 1 p.m.	Golf Channel
Sun, Oct. 28	9 a.m. - 1 p.m.	Golf Channel

*Information courtesy of GolfChannel.com.

Notable Round 1 Tee Times

Player	Tee Time (ET)
Henrik Stenson	8:10 p.m.
Paul Casey	9:00 p.m.
John Daly	9:00 p.m.
Darren Clarke	9:50 p.m.
Y.E. Yang	10:20 p.m.
Peter Hanson	10:40 p.m.
Nicolas Colsaerts	10:50 p.m.
Paul Lawrie	10:50 p.m.
Graeme McDowell	11:00 p.m.
Ian Poulter	11:00 p.m.
Luke Donald	11:10 p.m.
Louis Oosthuizen	11:10 p.m.
Rory McIlroy	11:20 p.m.
Lee Westwood	11:20 p.m.

*Visit BMW-GolfSport.com for full tee time listings.

Follow Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Patrick Clarke on Twitter.