US Superstars open BMW Championship on return to Denver

+++ The top 50 golfers of the PGA TOUR compete at Castle Pines Golf Club near Denver (Colorado) for just 30 tickets to the season final +++ Gardner Heidrick Pro-Am benefits the Evans Scholars Foundation with Super Bowl and Stanley Cup champions +++ Since 2007, the BMW Championship has generated $50 million for college scholarships +++ The new BMW M5 Touring is this year’s hole-in-one prize +++

Denver. After ten years, the BMW Championship is returning to Denver. This year’s penultimate FedExCup playoff tournament will be played at the Castle Pines Golf Club at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, following Billy Horschel’s (USA) win at the Cherry Hills Golf Club in 2014. The top 50 players of this year’s PGA TOUR are vying for just 30 tickets to next week’s season finale. A golf tournament can hardly be more star-studded and competitive. Among others, world number one player and Olympic Gold Medallist, Scottie Scheffler, world number-two player and two-time major winner this season, Xander Schauffele (both USA), BMW Championship and FedExCup defending champion Viktor Hovland (NOR), as well as world number-five player, Wyndham Clark (USA), a Colorado native.

The Gardner Heidrick Pro-Am, which traditionally opens the BMW Championship on Wednesday, was no less star-studded. Three sports legends from Denver showcased their golfing skills: former footballers and NFL Hall-of-Famers Peyton Manning and John Elway (both USA), who led the Denver Broncos to Super Bowl victories as quarterbacks, and Swedish hockey pro Gabe Landeskog, captain of the Colorado Avalanche, with whom he won the club’s third Stanley Cup two years ago. One of country music’s reigning superstars Luke Bryan also participated, after giving an exclusive concert for the Pro-Am guests of the BMW Championship on Tuesday evening.

The Gardner Heidrick Pro-Am was a fitting start for the sports-enthusiastic Denver area, but the event is much more significant for the future of numerous caddies in the USA. All profits from the sale of Pro-Am spots – as well as all proceeds from the tournament – benefit the Evans Scholars Foundation (ESF), a foundation of tournament host Western Golf Association. The ESF awards college tuition and housing scholarships for inspiring young caddies from across the country. Since 2007, the BMW Championship has raised more than $50 million in support of the Evans Scholars Foundation, helping over 3,300 students to attend college and follow their dreams.

Currently, a record 1,190 caddies are enrolled in 24 leading universities as Evans Scholars. “We are very proud to be able to contribute to a successful future for so many students with the BMW Championship. This is exactly the kind of initiative that we as a company want to promote to enable young people to realise their full potential,” says Ilka Horstmeier, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, People and Places.

BMW will once again contribute an additional full four-year Evans Scholarship in the name of the first PGA TOUR player to record a hole-in-one on any hole during tournament play this week. Diana Llamas was named the sixth BMW Hole-in-One Scholar at last year’s event in Chicago as a result of Viktor Hovland’s ace during the 2022 BMW Championship in Delaware. BMW will also continue its tradition of awarding a new car to the first golfer to record a hole-in-one on a designated hole during a competition round. This year, the first player to ace the par-three 16th hole will walk away the keys to the all-new BMW M5 Touring (energy consumption, weighted, combined: 2.0 l/100 km [141.2 mpg imp] and 30.7 kWh/ 100 km; CO2 emissions, weighted, combined: 46 g/ km; fuel consumption with discharged battery: 10.9 l/100 km [25.9 mpg imp] in the WLTP cycle; CO2 classes, weighted, combined: B, with discharged battery G), which just made its World Premiere last week. The latest iteration of one of BMW’s most iconic high-performance nameplates now features a 717-horsepower BMW M Hybrid drive system.

Hosted by the Western Golf Association, the BMW Championship is the oldest non-major on the PGA TOUR schedule, dating back to 1899 when it debuted as the Western Open. Not only in terms of sporting value and tradition, the BMW Championship is on par with the majors. This was underscored by the event being named “PGA TOUR Tournament of the Year” for the fifth time after 2008, 2012, 2013, and 2014 last year. The PGA TOUR particularly recognised the premium experience for fans and players, as well as the commitment of the title partner BMW, the tournament organision, and the volunteer helpers.