BMW, PGA TOUR & Western Golf Association Announce Five-Year Extension For BMW As Title Sponsor Of The BMW Championship Through 2027
- Details
- Category: Inside Golf
- Published: 2021-11-24
WOODCLIFF LAKE, New Jersey; PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida; and GLENVIEW, Illinois — BMW, the PGA TOUR and the Western Golf Association announced today a five-year extension for BMW to remain the title sponsor of the TOUR’s second FedExCup Playoffs event through 2027. Also announced today was the return of the BMW Championship to the Chicago area in 2023 at Olympia Fields Country Club, which also hosted the event in 2020 with Jon Rahm outdueling Dustin Johnson in a sudden-death playoff.
“We would like to express our sincere thanks to BMW for their continued support of the PGA TOUR and the Western Golf Association through 2027,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “The BMW Championship played an incredibly impactful role in launching the FedExCup in 2007 and BMW’s commitment to presenting a best-in-class event each year continues to elevate the FedExCup Playoffs. We are also very appreciative of BMW’s dedication to fulfilling the mission of the Evans Scholars Foundation, having impacted thousands of lives over the last 15 years.”
BMW joined the PGA TOUR family in 2007 as title sponsor of the BMW Championship at the inception of the FedExCup. Since that time, the BMW Championship has won the PGA TOUR’s Tournament of the Year award four times (2008, 2012, 2013, 2014). The 2022 event will take place August 15-21, at Wilmington Country Club in Wilmington, Delaware.
“For the past 15 years, we have worked with our partners at the PGA TOUR and the Western Golf Association to host the top 70 players in the world at what has become one of the best, and most exciting events on the golf calendar,” said Sebastian Mackensen, president and CEO, BMW of North America. “The BMW Championship is not only a great way to showcase our brand and engage customers, but also a wonderful opportunity to raise money for the Evans Scholars Foundation and help so many young students to follow their dreams.”
Each year, proceeds from the BMW Championship benefit the Evans Scholars Foundation, which provides full tuition and housing scholarships for hard-working young caddies. Over the past 15 years, the BMW Championship has raised more than $40 million on behalf of the Evans Scholars Foundation and has helped send more than 3,000 students to college. This academic year, a record 1,070 caddies are attending 21 major colleges and universities on Evans Scholarships.
“Since 2007, BMW has been our valued partner and a steadfast supporter of both our championships and the Evans Scholars Foundation,” said John Kaczkowski, WGA president and CEO. “As title sponsor, BMW has fully embraced our mission, helping us transform the Evans Scholars Foundation into a truly national program. We’re excited and grateful for the opportunity to continue working together to change the lives of youth caddies nationwide.”
The more than 100,000 guests who attend the BMW Championship each year have the opportunity to engage with the brand in numerous ways including vehicle displays and other interactive experiences. BMW owners also enjoy the benefits of complimentary, preferred parking, and have access to an exclusive hospitality pavilion where they are invited to relax and enjoy premium concessions, and unparalleled golf viewing.
By extending its role as the title sponsor of the BMW Championship, BMW also strengthens its worldwide commitment to the sport of golf. In addition to the BMW Championship, the automaker has had a longstanding partnership with the Ryder Cup, through the European team, dating back to 2006. BMW also remains the title sponsor for two prestigious DP World Tour events: the BMW PGA Championship in England; and the BMW International Open, contested each June in Germany, which has been a staple on the Tour for three decades. Additionally, the BMW Ladies Championship in Busan, South Korea, recently made its debut on the LPGA Tour. Since 2002, BMW has sponsored the Korn Ferry Tour’s BMW Charity Pro-Am in South Carolina.
Formerly known as the Western Open, the BMW Championship is the longest-standing non-major championship on the PGA TOUR, dating back to 1899. The event boasts one of golf’s strongest lists of past champions, including all seven players with 50 or more career wins on the PGA TOUR: Sam Snead, Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, Byron Nelson and Billy Casper. Recent winners include World No. 1 Rahm, as well as FedExCup champions Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Dustin Johnson and Patrick Cantlay.
About BMW Group in America
BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003. The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, the MINI brand, and the Rolls-Royce brand of Motor Cars; Designworks, a strategic design consultancy based in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley, and various other operations throughout the country. BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is the BMW Group global center of competence for BMW X models and manufactures the X3, X4, X5, X6 and X7 Sports Activity Vehicles. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 351 BMW passenger car and BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 143 BMW motorcycle retailers, 116 MINI passenger car dealers, and 38 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers. BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group’s sales headquarters for North America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.
About the BMW Championship
The BMW Championship, conducted by the Western Golf Association, dates back to 1899 when it debuted as the Western Open, making it the third-oldest tournament on the PGA TOUR schedule, behind only the British Open and U.S. Open. BMW has sponsored the tournament since 2007 when it became the penultimate event of the PGA TOUR’s FedExCup Playoffs. The BMW Championship features a field of the top 70 players in the FedExCup standings to determine the final 30 players for the FedExCup finale at the TOUR Championship in Atlanta. To learn more, visit www.bmwchampionship.com.
About the Western Golf Association
The Western Golf Association conducts three national golf championships and sponsors the nationally-acclaimed Evans Scholars Foundation. Headquartered in Golf, Illinois, the organization was founded in 1899 by 11 Chicago-area golf clubs to promote their interests in golf. In addition to the BMW Championship, the WGA conducts two prestigious amateur championships, the Western Amateur and the Western Junior. To learn more, visit www.wgaesf.org.
About the Evans Scholars Foundation
The Evans Scholars Foundation, the nation’s largest scholarship program for caddies, provides full housing and tuition college scholarships to young caddies who show academic promise and financial need. Overseen by the Western Golf Association, the golf charity has helped more than 11,500 caddies graduate from college since 1930. This fall, 1,070 Scholars are attending 21 universities nationwide.
About PGA TOUR
By showcasing golf’s greatest players, the PGA TOUR engages, inspires and positively impacts our fans, partners and communities worldwide.
The PGA TOUR, headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, co-sanctions tournaments on the PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions, Korn Ferry Tour, PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada and Forme Tour. Members on the PGA TOUR represent the world’s best players, hailing from 28 countries and territories outside the United States (90 international members). The PGA TOUR has domestic distribution partnerships for broadcast coverage on CBS, NBC and Golf Channel. Internationally, PGA TOUR coverage is available across 216 countries and territories in 28 languages via 48 local broadcast partners, in addition to the digital streaming service platform GOLFTV powered by PGA TOUR. Virtually all tournaments are organized as non-profit organizations to maximize charitable giving, and to date, tournaments across all Tours have generated more than $3.2 billion.
Fans can follow the PGA TOUR on PGATOUR.COM, the No. 1 site in golf, on the PGA TOUR app and on social media channels, including Facebook, Instagram in English, Spanish and Korean), LinkedIn, Twitter, WeChat, Weibo, Toutiao, Douyin and LINE.