Golf, Ill. – Sept. 25, 2012 … Less than 24 hours after the Ryder Cup bids farewell to Chicago, the Western Golf Association will launch ticket sales for the area’s next star-studded golf tournament: the 2013 BMW Championship at Conway Farms Golf Club in Lake Forest.
Tickets for the BMW Championship will go on sale Monday, Oct. 1, both online at www.BMWChampionshipUSA.com or by phone at 847-724-4600. Daily tournament round tickets start at $35 with weekly badges priced at $95.
“The Western Golf Association is pleased and proud to bring golf’s greatest stars back to the Chicago area next year as part of the PGA TOUR’s FedExCup Playoffs,” said Vince Pellegrino, WGA vice president of tournaments.
“We know many golf fans in the Chicago area and southern Wisconsin will be unable to attend the Ryder Cup, and we want to give golf fans the opportunity to secure their tickets now to see the top 70 players in the world compete next year at Conway Farms,” Pellegrino said.
Next year will mark the first time a PGA TOUR golf championship will be contested on the North Shore since the 1972 Western Open came to Sunset Ridge CC in Northfield.
“As we make plans to host one of the premier championships on the 2013 PGA TOUR schedule, we’re particularly excited to be returning to the North Shore community for the first time in 41 years,” Pellegrino said. “We’re looking forward to great crowds and some compelling competition for the 2013 BMW Championship title.
Benefiting the Evans Scholars Foundation, next year’s BMW Championship will be played Sept. 12-15. Rory McIlroy, the world’s No. 1 player, won this year’s BMW Championship at Crooked Stick GC outside Indianapolis.
The BMW Championship is the third of four FedExCup Playoff events, and features a field of 70 players who survive elimination in the first two Playoff tournaments. The top 30 finishers at the BMW Championship will move on to the TOUR Championship, where the FedExCup winner earns $10 million in prize money. On Sept. 23, Brandt Snedeker won both the TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta and the FedExCup.
“It is a great honor for our club and membership to be hosting the 2013 BMW Championship at Conway Farms,” said Todd Marsh, Conway Farms general manager. “The North Shore has a storied history of hosting premier golf events, and we’re expecting a great turnout next year in Lake Forest. The course will provide a memorable and entertaining atmosphere for one of the most exciting events on the PGA TOUR schedule.”
Conway Farms, an 18-hole Tom Fazio design, has hosted a number of top amateur tournaments since opening in 1991, including the 2009 Western Amateur Championship, which is also conducted by the WGA, and the 1998 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship. The club recently hosted the 2012 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship earlier this month and will begin preparations for the 2013 BMW Championship soon.
“The BMW Championship offers a variety of ticket options and hospitality packages for individuals and businesses,” said Pellegrino. “With an elite field and new venue like Conway Farms, we anticipate high demand.”
In addition to daily tickets and weekly tickets, an upgraded ticket option to the Wadley Club also will be available starting Oct. 1. All children 16 years and younger will receive free admission with a ticketed adult.
Ticket Options:
• Practice round tickets are available for $10. These daily practice round tickets will provide grounds access for any one day of the BMW Championship, Monday – Wednesday, Sept. 9-11.
• Daily grounds tickets are available for $35. Daily tickets will provide grounds access for any one day of the BMW Championship, Monday – Sunday, Sept. 9-15.
• Weekly grounds tickets are available for $95. Weekly tickets will provide grounds access for each day of the BMW Championship, Monday – Sunday, Sept. 9-15.
• Wadley Club tickets will be available as a daily ticket for $70 or a weekly ticket for $190. Wadley Club tickets will provide access to the indoor hospitality tent which will be located behind the 15th green at Conway Farms.
All net proceeds from the BMW Championship will benefit the Evans Scholars Foundation, which funds college scholarships for deserving caddies. Since 2007, the BMW Championship has raised more than $13 million for the Evans Scholars, helping hundreds of caddies from modest means earn their college degrees. Conway Farms Golf Club is the home course for 15 Evans Scholars Alumni and three current Evans Scholars.
About Western Golf Association/Evans Scholars Foundation
The Western Golf Association conducts four national golf championships and sponsors the nationally acclaimed Chick Evans Caddie Scholarship Program. Headquartered in Golf, Illinois, the organization was founded in 1899 by 11 Chicago-area golf clubs to promote their interests in golf. Today, more than 400 member clubs in states throughout the nation support the WGA.
The WGA conducts two prestigious amateur championships, the Western Amateur and the Western Junior, as well as the BMW Championship, the third of four PGA TOUR Playoff events in the TOUR’s FedExCup competition. In 2013, the WGA is adding a fourth tournament, the Hotel Fitness Championship, one of four newly-created Web.com Tour Finals events.
The WGA also champions education through golf in sponsoring the Evans Scholars Program. Established by famed amateur golfer Charles “Chick” Evans, Jr., the program provides full housing and tuition scholarships to deserving caddies across the country. Currently, 835 caddies are attending college on scholarship; there are more than 9,600 Evans Alumni across the country. Most Scholars attend one of the 14 universities where the Foundation owns and operates a Scholarship House.
Contact:
Western Golf Association
Gary Holaway or Barry Cronin
Vice President, Communications Cronin Communications, Inc.
(847) 724-4600, x3724 (847) 698-1801
holaway@wgaesf.com bcronin@cronincommunications.com
KemperLesnik for the 2013 BMW Championship
Megan Godfrey
(708) 214-4287
megan.godfrey@kemperlesnik.com
