BMW Championship (PGA Tour)

Infobox_Golf_Tournament
tournament_name = BMW Championship
nickname =


location = Rotates – St. Louis, Missouri in 2008
establishment = 2007
course = Rotates – Bellerive Country Club in 2008
par = 70 in 2008
yardage = 7,386 in 2008
tour = PGA Tour
format = Stroke play
purse = $7,000,000
month_played = September
aggregate = 262 Tiger Woods (2007)
to-par = -22 Tiger Woods (2007)
Current Champion = Camilo Villegas:"There is also a BMW PGA Championship on the European Tour"

The BMW Championship is a professional golf tournament which is the third of four FedEx Cup playoff events on the PGA Tour schedule. The BMW Championship replaces the Western Open, a PGA Tour event which was played from 1899 to 2006. The Western Golf Association, which founded and ran the Western Open, will be involved with the running of the BMW Championship.

Tournament format

: "See also a detailed explanation of the FedEx Cup Playoffs"

The BMW Championship, which was played September 6-9 2007, was open to the 70 FedEx Cup points leaders following the Deutsche Bank Championship, which was played August 31-September 3 2007. The Top 30 FedEx Cup points leaders following the BMW Championship advance to The Tour Championship, to be played September 13-16 2007, where the FedEx Cup Champion will be determined.

The BMW Championship itself will go on a rotation of courses in the Upper Midwest, including Cog Hill Golf & Country Club in Lemont, Illinois, Crooked Stick Golf Club in Carmel, Indiana, and Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis, Missouri. Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota was offered the opportunity to be the third site alternating with Cog Hill, but the club's membership declined.

Western Open

: "For a detailed history of this event, including a list of its champions, see Western Open."

The Western Open was first played in 1899. At the time of its last playing in 2006, the Western Open was the 3rd-oldest active tournament on the PGA Tour schedule (and the oldest PGA Tour event) after the British Open (began 1860) and U.S. Open (began 1895). For many years, the Western was played in and out of the state of Illinois, before eventually settling down in the greater Chicago area itself. From 1991 to its final year, the event was played at the Cog Hill Golf & Country Club, Dubsdread course in the Chicago suburb of Lemont, Illinois.

The Western Golf Association (aka WGA) ran the Western Open throughout its entire history (1899-2006), and will have a hand in the running of the BMW Championship. This is probably the only real link between the Western Open and BMW Championship. These are, however, two entirely different events in terms of playing format and invitational criteria. The Western Open was like any other regular PGA Tour stop -- although it was once considered to be one of golf's majors. Its invitational criteria mirrored the [http://www.pgatour.com/players/pgatour-exempt/ PGA Tour Exemption Categories] with one exception - the winner of the Western Amateur, another WGA sponsored event, was invited to play in the Western Open. The BMW Championship will be part of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, and only the Top 70 FedEx Cup points leaders at the start of the BMW event will be eligible to play.

Winners

:"See also "

References

External links

* [http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/r028/ Coverage on the PGA Tour's official site]
* [http://www.pgatour.com/2007/tournaments/r028/01/12/bmw_championship/index.html BMW signs six-year deal] - includes details of course rotation
* [http://66.128.148.121/cgi.pan$winners&BMW_Championship&&pga?golfstats BMW Championship results, 2007-after - Winners, Finishers, Scores and Earnings] - includes 1970-2006 Western Open results.