+++ Hollywood actor Tom Holland, football legend Gareth Bale, and other stars tee off +++ DJ Locksmith impresses the crowd on the West Course and in the Championship Village +++ Entire European Ryder Cup team competes in the flagship event of the DP World Tour +++
Munich/Wentworth. The BMW PGA Championship, regarded as the most prestigious golf tournament in Europe after The Open, kicked off with the Celebrity Pro-Am at the Wentworth Club just outside London on Wednesday. The event featured numerous stars from sports and showbusiness playing alongside some of the biggest names in golf, creating an exciting start to an exceptional week of sport.
A large crowd gathered for the first highlight of the “Festival of Golf” – a name that reflects the tournament’s sporting class, live concerts, and the Celebrity Pro-Am. Among the stars entertaining their fans were Hollywood actors Tom Holland (known for his roles in the “Spider-Man” and “Avengers” film series) and Tom Felton (famous as Draco Malfoy in the “Harry Potter” film series), as well as five-time football Champions League winner Gareth Bale. Former world-class footballers like Jermaine Jenas, Theo Walcott, and John Terry, as well as cricket stars James Anderson, Stuart Broad, and Kevin Pietersen, joined them on the legendary West Course at the Wentworth Club. The VIP presence also included former Westlife singer Brian McFadden and DJ Locksmith, a member of top DnB act Rudimental.
In addition to displaying his golfing skills, Leon “Locksmith” Rolle impressed fans with his musical talent, delivering an electrifying live performance on the Show Stage in the BMW PGA Championship Village. Live music has been a prominent feature of the BMW PGA Championship for many years, and now the program has been expanded to include Wednesday. Jax Jones and The Wombats will perform over the weekend.
Starting from Thursday, the spotlight will shift to the pros on one of European golf’s biggest stages. The tournament boasts an exceptional field of players, competing for a prize fund of nine million US dollars, which includes the entire European Ryder Cup team. Notable players include Rory McIlroy (NIR), Jon Rahm (ESP), Robert MacIntyre (SCO), Viktor Hovland (NOR), Matt Fitzpatrick (ENG), Tyrrell Hatton (ENG), Ludvig Åberg (SWE), Tommy Fleetwood (ENG), Nicolai Højgaard (DEN), Shane Lowry (IRL), Justin Rose (ENG), and Sepp Straka (AUT).
Captain Luke Donald (ENG), his vice-captains Thomas Bjørn (DEN), Francesco Molinari (ITA), Edoardo Molinari (ITA), and Nicolas Colsaerts (BEL), as well as previous winners Billy Horschel (USA, 2021) and Danny Willett (ENG, 2019), will also participate in the BMW PGA Championship.
With so many talented golfers, both the fans and BMW are excited for a thrilling competition filled with birdies and eagles. BMW will contribute £10 for each birdie and £100 for each eagle to the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), the official charity for the BMW PGA Championship 2023. CALM focuses on suicide prevention and utilizes the donations to support life-saving work. Visitors to the BMW PGA Championship can also donate to CALM at various locations around the grounds, including the popular Mega Putt Challenge.