Penultimate Event of PGA TOUR FedExCup Playoffs Returns to Chicagoland
MEDINAH, Ill. (Oct. 24, 2018) — Chicago area golf fans have an opportunity to gain exclusive access to tickets for the 2019 BMW Championship before they go on sale to the general public by signing up for the event’s Priority Ticket Program.
Patrons who sign up for the Priority Ticket Program by Nov. 7 will be eligible to purchase tickets through an exclusive pre-sale event before they go on sale to the general public. Individuals who buy during the priority ticket period are guaranteed the lowest ticket price. This will also be the only opportunity to purchase Any Day tournament round tickets.
Those interested in joining the Priority Ticket Program must first register online at www.bmwchampionship.com. No advance purchase is required to sign-up. Registrants will be notified by email with a direct link to the Priority Ticket.
Conducted by the Western Golf Association, the 2019 BMW Championship will be played Aug. 13-18, 2019, at historic Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Illinois. The event will mark the return of one of the oldest and most storied events on the PGA TOUR to Medinah, where it was last played in 1966.
“The Western Golf Association is thrilled to be bringing the BMW Championship to Medinah to showcase the top 70 golfers on the PGA TOUR for fans across Chicagoland,” said Vince Pellegrino, WGA senior vice president of tournaments. “Medinah holds an important place in the history of the Western Golf Association and golf in America, and we’re looking forward to continuing the tradition in 2019.”
The event will be played on Medinah’s famed Course No. 3, a Tom Bendelow design consistently rated one of the finest and most challenging in the United States.
“Medinah is honored to host the BMW Championship for the first time in more than 50 years, and we look forward to adding another memorable chapter to our club’s rich history,” said Bruce D’Angelo, 2019 BMW Championship tournament director. “When players and golf fans arrive next August, they will experience one of the Chicago area’s best-known venues for championship golf featuring a course that has staged some of the game’s most memorable moments.”
Medinah Country Club boasts three golf courses. Course No. 3 has hosted the Ryder Cup (2012), three U.S. Opens (1949, 1975 and 1990), two PGA Championships (1999 and 2006), three Western Opens (1946, 1962 and 1966), the U.S. Senior Open (1988) and other events in the pre-PGA TOUR era. Players who have won at Medinah include luminaries like “Lighthorse” Harry Cooper, Gene Sarazen, Bryon Nelson, Billy Casper, Gary Player, Hale Irwin and Tiger Woods.
Proceeds from the 2019 BMW Championship will be used to fund Evans Scholarships for caddies. Since 2007, the BMW Championship has raised more than $28 million for college scholarships for caddies of modest means.
The BMW Championship is the penultimate event in the PGA TOUR’s FedExCup Playoffs, with the top 70 PGA TOUR players vying to earn one of 30 spots in the season-ending TOUR Championship and the chance to be crowned FedExCup champion. Past BMW Championship winners include Keegan Bradley, Dustin Johnson, Jason Day, Rory McIlroy, Zach Johnson, Justin Rose and Tiger Woods.
A limited number of volunteer opportunities remain for the 2019 BMW Championship. To learn more, visit bmwchampionship.com. For more information on corporate hospitality, contact Matt Minella at minella@wgaesf.org or 2234-260-3791.
About the BMW Championship
The BMW Championship 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. Since 2007, the BMW Championship has contributed more than $28 million to the Evans Scholars Foundation, the event’s charitable beneficiary. To learn more, visit www.bmwchampionship.com.
About Medinah Country Club
Founded in the 1920s by a group of Shriners, Medinah Country Club boasts three golf courses, all originally designed by famed golf course architect Tom Bendelow. The massive 120,000-square foot clubhouse designed by Richard Schmid is a unique architectural blend with Byzantine, Oriental and Louis XIV influences. Medinah Country Club is one of the Chicago area’s best-known venues for championship golf. Course No. 3 has hosted the Ryder Cup (2012), three U.S. Opens (1949, 1975, and 1990), two PGA Championships (1999, 2006), three Western Opens (1946, 1962 and 1966), the U.S. Senior Open (1988) and other events in the pre-PGA TOUR era.
About the Western Golf Association
The Western Golf Association conducts six 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 four prestigious amateur championships, the Western Amateur, the Western Junior, and the Women’s Western Golf Association’s Amateur and Junior championships. Starting in 2019, the WGA also is conducting the Evans Scholars Invitational on the Web.com Tour. To learn more, visit www.wgaesf.org.
About the Evans Scholars Foundation
Established by famed amateur golfer Charles Chick Evans Jr., the Evans Scholars Foundation provides full housing and tuition college scholarships to high-achieving caddies from across the country. The Program, supported by the Western Golf Association, is funded by contributions from more than 31,800 donors nationwide, including Evans Scholars Alumni, as well as proceeds from WGA championships. Since the Program’s inception in 1930, more than 10,800 caddies nationwide have graduated as Evans Scholars. To learn more, visit www.wgaesf.org.
