A new chapter is being added in August to Medinah Country Club's storied championship history, as the PGA TOUR's top stars compete for the BMW Championship's George R. Thorne trophy and a spot in the season-ending TOUR Championship.
Conducted by the Western Golf Association, the BMW Championship is the penultimate event in the PGA TOUR FedExCup Playoffs, featuring the top 70 players in the FedExCup standings. Only 30 will qualify to move on to next week's TOUR Championship, the final leg of the Playoffs.
The 2019 BMW Championship marks the fourth time the WGA's professional golf event has been contested at Medinah - the first since 1966, when Billy Casper claimed his second of four Western Open titles.
"Medinah holds an important place in the history of the Western Golf Association and in the history of golf in America," said Vince Pellegrino, WGA Senior Vice President of Tournaments. "The Ryder Cup, PGA Championship and the U.S. Open all have been played here, and we look forward to adding another memorable chapter to this club's great history."
The event is being played on Medinah's famed Course No. 3, a Tom Bendelow design that has hosted six major championships and the 2012 Ryder Cup; the course is consistently rated one of the finest and most challenging in the United States.
Founded in the 1920s by a group of Shriners, Medinah Country Club boasts three golf courses, all originally designed by 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), four Western Opens (1939, 1962,1966 and 2019), and other events in the pre-PGA TOUR era.
Players who have won at Medinah include such luminaries as "Lighthorse" Harry Cooper, Gene Sarazen, Byron Nelson, Gary Player, Hale Irwin and Tiger Woods.
In addition to hosting the BMW Championship, Medinah has been a steadfast supporter of the Evans Scholars Foundation, the sole charity of the BMW Championship.
Supported by the Western Golf Association, the Evans Scholars Foundation has awarded full tuition and housing scholarships to more than 11,000 caddies since 1930.
More than 115 of those caddies have come from Medinah.
BMW Championship At A Glance Conducted by the Western Golf Association to benefit the Evans Scholars Foundation, the BMW Championship is the second of three events in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup and determines the final field of 30 for the TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.
Event Title: BMW Championship Date: August 13-18, 2019 Location: Medinah Country Club, Medinah, IL Purse: $9.25 million in prize money Field: 70 finalists in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup FedExCup Playoffs: Penultimate event, Top 70 players Defending Champion: Keegan Bradley Title Sponsor: BMW of North America, LLC Conducted By: Western Golf Association Volunteers: Estimated 2,000-plus volunteers Beneficiary: Evans Scholars Foundation
More Information: https://bmwchampionshipusa.com/
