BMW PGA Championship
The BMW PGA Championship, as it is currently known for sponsorship reasons, is an annual men's professional golf tournament on the European Tour. It was founded in 1955 by the Professional Golfers' Association, and as such was originally called the British PGA Championship. Since then it has had several sponsored names, but the phrase "PGA Championship" has usually been included in the name.
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| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Virginia Water, Surrey, England |
| Established | 1955 |
| Course(s) | Wentworth Club |
| Par | 72 |
| Length | 7,267 yards (6,645 m) |
| Tour(s) | European Tour |
| Format | Stroke play |
| Prize fund | US$8,000,000 |
| Month played | September |
| Tournament record score | |
| Aggregate | 266 Brian Bamford (1961) |
| To par | −21 An Byeong-hun (2015) |
| Current champion | |
 Billy Horschel | |
 2021 BMW PGA Championship | |
| Location Map | |
History
The BMW PGA Championship has usually been played each May, on the weekend of the UK's Spring Bank Holiday, over the West Course at the Wentworth Club in Surrey, England. The PGA European Tour has its headquarters at the club and as the tour's home tournament, the BMW PGA Championship is often regarded as the flagship event on the European Tour. The tournament switched to September in 2019 as part of a revamp of the golfing calendar in which the US PGA Championship moved to May.[1]
It has usually had the highest prize money of any event which the tour organises, but this changed in 2009 with the introduction of the Race to Dubai, and the $10 million Dubai World Championship at the end of the season. There are other more lucrative events than the BMW PGA Championship which are part of the European Tour schedule, such as the majors and the World Golf Championship events, but these are organised by other bodies. It is also the European Tour's designated "Premier event" for the purposes of the Official World Golf Rankings, with a minimum of 64 ranking points available to the winner.[2]
The winner of the tournament is given an exemption into that season's U.S. Open and the next three Open Championships.
In 2000, Colin Montgomerie became the only player to win three years in a row.[3]
Winners
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- Shortened to 54 holes due to weather.
- In 1967 and 1968, both open and closed championships were held.
- Alliss won on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff.
- Shortened to 63 holes due to weather.
- Ward defeated Brown in a 36 hole playoff; Ward 139, Brown 141.
Multiple winners
Only nine men have won the event more than once up to and including 2019.
- 4 wins:
- Nick Faldo – 1978, 1980, 1981, 1989
- 3 wins:
- Peter Alliss – 1957, 1962, 1965
- Bernhard Langer – 1987, 1993, 1995
- Colin Montgomerie – 1998, 1999, 2000
- 2 wins:
- Tony Jacklin – 1972, 1982
- Seve Ballesteros – 1983, 1991
- Ian Woosnam – 1988, 1997
- Anders Hansen – 2002, 2007
- Luke Donald – 2011, 2012
Media coverage
Currently in the United Kingdom, all four rounds of the BMW PGA Championship are shown live by Sky Sports with highlights being shown by the BBC.
References
- "US PGA Championship: Golf's fourth major moved from August to May". BBC Sport. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
- "How the system works". Official World Golf Ranking. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
- "Montgomerie Wins 3rd Straight Volvo". The New York Times. 30 May 2000. Retrieved 23 May 2009.