BMW Championship Tickets

The Western Open was one of golf's longest played tourneys. It was the third oldest in PGA history. It had been around since 1899! When, in 2006, the Western Golf Association green-lit the merger with BMW, the name changed to the BMW Championship. The tournament format for this playoff is different from other PGA championships. It is only open to the 70 top point leaders following the Deutsche Bank Championship. Once played, only the top 30 from the BMW can qualify for the Tour Championship. (The Tour Championship determines the PGA Cup Champion.)

The BMW, being the third of four playoff events offered by the PGA, represents an increasingly important unique position to golfers. Plus, its rotating nature adds to the suspense. The BMW Championship has been played throughout the Midwest. In vastly different venues, under drastically different schedules, and now under an entirely new name, this old tournament is full of new blood and guts. The recent play of Camilo Villegas from Colombia proves this is becoming quite an unpredictable tourney.

The BMW Championship is expected to be around for a long while. BMW and the PGA have a contract that runs until 2013 and it's expected to be renewed. A recent press release from BMW outlined their commitment. 'Globally, BMW has again aligned with [a] premier performance-driven sport,' said Director Koenders. 'For more than 20 years, BMW has been involved in international golf. Golf is excellence, precision, aesthetic appeal.' The new partnership hopes to advance The Western Open into its third century. The name is history, but the history is not over.

The PGA Cup is sponsored by FedEx and has been the first playoff system introduced into the game of golf. It is widely referred to as the FedEx Cup. The rules are in flux and have been evolving since the competition began in 2007. Mostly, the design of the playoff is to give the maximum amount of chance to the most number of PGA pros. The more tournaments one plays, the better the chance for winning. The system actually seems to count against the skipping of PGA playoff events. Additionally, the new rules ensure that no one will win too soon in the PGA season. That way the championship cannot be won prior to the final run of playoffs.