News
BMW set to renew title sponsorship of second playoff event
Andrew Redington
MEDINAH, Ill. — It appears as if BMW is staying on as title sponsor of the PGA Tour's second FedEx Cup Playoff event.
According to a report in Wednesday's Chicago Tribune, BMW is set to pull a U-turn after indicating it would end its long-running sponsorship of the tournament that formerly was the Western Open and is run by the Western Golf Association. The Tribune reported that BMW is set to sign a new three-year contract for $15 million to $18 million annually.
The about-face reportedly was initiated by the incoming chairman, Oliver Zipse, who takes over Aug. 16. BMW has been the title sponsor of this tournament since 2007. It was believed that the luxury automaker was interested in diverting its golf-sponsorship resources to the 2020 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits in Haven, Wis. A tournament source said that still might happen in addition to retaining its ties to the PGA Tour.
The site of this event in 2020 will be the North Course at Olympia Fields Country Club, site of the 2015 U.S. Amateur won by Bryson DeChambeau and the 2003 U.S. Open won by Jim Furyk.
Potential sites in successive years include Cherry Hills Country Club outside Denver, which hosted the 2014 BMW Championship, and Caves Valley Golf Club in Owens Mills, Md., the Tribune reported.