US sports stars will open the BMW Championship at Olympia Fields Country Club in Chicago, USA. The Gardner Heidrick Pro-Am event will be held in support of the Evans Scholars Foundation. The PGA TOUR playoff tournament will feature 50 world-class golfers. A Hole-in-One Award will be given to the player and their caddie – an all-electric BMW i5.
The BMW Championship is the second-to-last playoff event in the FedExCup. Only the top 50 pros from the PGA TOUR season are eligible to participate. This year’s field of players, who will compete at Olympia Fields Country Club in Chicago, promises to be of the highest quality. Patrick Cantlay, the two-time defending champion, will aim to become the first-ever three-time winner of the event since BMW became the title partner in 2007.
With almost all of the top 20 players in the world rankings participating, Cantlay faces a tough task of defending his title. Other notable players to watch out for include Jon Rahm, the current FedExCup leader, reigning Masters champion, and winner of last year’s BMW Championship at Olympia Fields. The world’s number one player, Scottie Scheffler, as well as Rory McIlroy, Wyndham Clark, and Brian Harman, are also among the top pros competing.
The tournament week began with the traditional Gardner Heidrick Pro-Am on Wednesday. Prominent US sports figures, including CC Sabathia, Victor Cruz, and Conner De Phillippi, participated as amateurs alongside professional golfers.
The Gardner Heidrick Pro-Am serves as the largest annual fundraiser for the Evans Scholars Foundation (ESF). All proceeds from this year’s BMW Championship will benefit the ESF, which provides college scholarships to deserving caddies across the country. Since 2007, the BMW Championship has raised over $45 million in support of the ESF, helping thousands of students achieve their college dreams.
BMW will also contribute a four-year Evans Scholarship in the name of the first PGA TOUR player to achieve a hole-in-one during the tournament. This scholarship covers full college tuition and housing. BMW has already awarded six Hole-In-One Scholarships, with Viktor Hovland being the most recent recipient in the 2022 tournament.
If a professional golfer manages to get a hole-in-one on the 16th hole, both the player and their caddie will receive two all-new, fully electric BMW i5 Sedans as a reward. Since all proceeds from the BMW Championship go to the Evans Scholars Foundation, it is fitting that the caddie also gets a new car when the player wins one.
In addition to the intense competition for one of the most prestigious titles on the PGA TOUR and a total prize fund of $20 million, the BMW Championship also plays a role in the team selection for the Ryder Cup. This is the last chance for American players to earn points and secure a spot on the team captained by Zach Johnson. The top six players in the rankings have already secured their places in the defending champions’ squad. Johnson will use his Captain’s Picks to select six more players. The team will face the European selection in Rome, Italy from September 25th to October 1st, 2023. BMW will be a Worldwide Partner of this legendary team competition.