BMW PGA Championship
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Surrey, England |
| Established | 1955 |
| Course(s) | Wentworth Club |
| Par | 72 |
| Length | 7,302 yards (6,677 m) |
| Tour(s) | European Tour |
| Format | Stroke play |
| Prize fund | €5,000,000 |
| Month played | May |
| Tournament record score | |
| Aggregate | 266 Brian Bamford (1961) |
| Current champion | |
 An Byeong-hun | |
 2016 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.
The BMW PGA Championship is played each May 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. 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.[1]
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.[2]
Winners
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- Pre-European Tour
| Year | Venue | Winner | Country | Score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schweppes Open | ||||||
| 1970–71 | No tournament | |||||
| 1969 | Ashburnham Golf Club | Bernard Gallacher |  Scotland | 293 (+5) | 1 stroke |  John Garner Guy Wolstenholme |
| 1968 (o) | Dunbar Golf Club | David Talbot | England | 276 (−8) | 5 strokes | Bernard Hunt |
| 1967 (o) | Hunstanton Golf Club | Malcolm Gregson | England | 275 (−13) | 3 strokes |  Hugh Boyle |
| Piccadilly PGA Close Championship | ||||||
| 1968 (c) | Royal Mid-Surrey Golf Club | Peter Townsend | England | 275 (−5) | 1 stroke | Neil Coles |
| PGA Close Championship | ||||||
| 1967 (c) | Thorndon Park Golf Club | Brian Huggett |  Wales | 271 (−13) | 8 strokes | Jimmy Hitchcock Bernard Hunt |
| Schweppes PGA Close Championship | ||||||
| 1966 | Saunton Golf Club | Guy Wolstenholme | England | 278 (−2) | 4 strokes | George Will |
| 1965 | Prince's Golf Club | Peter Alliss (3) | England | 286 (−6) | Playoff (1st hole) | Peter Butler |
| 1964 | Western Gailes Golf Club | Tony Grubb | England | 287 (−1) | 2 strokes | Lionel Platts |
| 1963 | Royal Birkdale Golf Club | Peter Butler | England | 306 | 2 strokes | Bobby Walker |
| 1962 | Little Aston Golf Club (and Sutton Coldfield Golf Club) | Peter Alliss (2) | England | 287 | 1 stroke | Ralph Moffitt Christy O'Connor Snr |
| 1961 | Royal Mid-Surrey Golf Club (and Richmond Golf Club) | Brian Bamford | England | 266 (−11) | 3 strokes | Peter Alliss Christy O'Connor Snr |
| PGA Close Championship | ||||||
| 1960* | Coventry Golf Club | Arnold Stickley | England | 247 | 2 strokes | Dai Rees |
| 1959 | Ashburnham Golf Club | Dai Rees | Wales | 283 | 6 strokes | Bernard Hunt David Snell |
| 1958 | Maesdu Golf Club | Harry Bradshaw | Ireland | 287 | 1 stroke | Dai Rees |
| 1957 | Maesdu Golf Club | Peter Alliss | England | 286 | 3 strokes | Charlie Ward |
| 1956 | Maesdu Golf Club | Charlie Ward | England | 282 | Playoff (36 holes) | Eric Brown |
| 1955 | Pannal Golf Club (and Starbeck Golf Club) | Ken Bousfield | England | 277 | 2 strokes | Max Faulkner |
* – Because of bad weather, in 1960 the tournament was reduced to 63 holes, and in 1984 it was shortened to 54 holes.
(c) & (o) – In 1967 and 1968, both open and closed championships were held.
In 1956 Ward beat Brown 139 to 141 in the playoff.
Multiple winners
Only nine men have won the event more than once up to and including 2014.
- 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
- ↑ "How the system works". Official World Golf Ranking. 1 January 2013. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
- ↑ "Montgomerie Wins 3rd Straight Volvo". The New York Times. 30 May 2000. Retrieved 23 May 2009.
External links
- Coverage on the European Tour's official site
- BMW Golfsport – official BMW golf site