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 | 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 | US$7,000,000 |
| Month played | September (October in 2020) |
| Tournament record score | |
| Aggregate | 266 Brian Bamford (1961) |
| To par | −21 An Byeong-hun (2015) |
| Current champion | |
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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
- European Tour event (1972–)
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- Pre-European Tour (1955–1969)
| Year | Winner | Country | Venue | Score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schweppes PGA Championship | ||||||
| 1970–71: No tournament | ||||||
| 1969 | Bernard Gallacher |  | Ashburnham Golf Club | 293 (+5) | 1 stroke | |
| 1968 (o) | David Talbot | | Dunbar Golf Club | 276 (−8) | 5 strokes | |
| 1967 (o) | Malcolm Gregson | | Hunstanton Golf Club | 275 (−13) | 3 strokes |  |
| Piccadilly PGA Close Championship | ||||||
| 1968 (c) | Peter Townsend | | Royal Mid-Surrey Golf Club | 275 (−5) | 1 stroke | |
| PGA Close Championship | ||||||
| 1967 (c) | Brian Huggett | .svg.png){kind=small} | Thorndon Park Golf Club | 271 (−13) | 8 strokes | |
| Schweppes PGA Close Championship | ||||||
| 1966 | Guy Wolstenholme | | Saunton Golf Club | 278 (−2) | 4 strokes | |
| 1965 | Peter Alliss (3) | | Prince's Golf Club | 286 (−6) | Playoff (1st hole) | |
| 1964 | Tony Grubb | | Western Gailes Golf Club | 287 (−1) | 2 strokes | |
| 1963 | Peter Butler | | Royal Birkdale Golf Club | 306 | 2 strokes | |
| 1962 | Peter Alliss (2) | | Little Aston Golf Club (and Sutton Coldfield Golf Club) | 287 | 1 stroke | |
| 1961 | Brian Bamford | | Royal Mid-Surrey Golf Club (and Richmond Golf Club) | 266 (−11) | 3 strokes | |
| PGA Close Championship | ||||||
| 1960* | Arnold Stickley | | Coventry Golf Club | 247 | 2 strokes | |
| 1959 | Dai Rees | | Ashburnham Golf Club | 283 | 6 strokes | |
| 1958 | Harry Bradshaw | | Maesdu Golf Club | 287 | 1 stroke | .svg.png){kind=small} |
| 1957 | Peter Alliss | | Maesdu Golf Club | 286 | 3 strokes | |
| 1956 | Charlie Ward | | Maesdu Golf Club | 282 | Playoff (36 holes) | |
| 1955 | Ken Bousfield | | Pannal Golf Club (and Starbeck Golf Club) | 277 | 2 strokes | |
* – 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 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.