Cherry Hills Country Club to Host 2014 BMW Championship

GOLF, IL/ Woodcliff Lake, NJ - Tuesday, April 12, 2011 …Tradition-laden Cherry Hills Country Club in Cherry Hills Village, Colo., will host the 2014 BMW Championship, tournament officials announced today.

“Cherry Hills has served as a worthy venue for many of golf’s finest championships and has been a long supporter of the Evans Scholars Foundation which is the sole beneficiary of the BMW Championship,” said Vince Pellegrino, Western Golf Association Vice President, Tournaments. “We’re looking forward to bringing the world’s top players to Colorado for the 2014 PGA TOUR Playoffs.”

Since its founding in 1922 just outside of Denver, Cherry Hills has hosted two U.S. Opens, two PGA Championships, a U.S. Women’s Open and a U.S. Senior Open. In 2012, the club will host its second U.S. Amateur.

The 2014 BMW Championship will mark the first time since the 1985 PGA Championship that the world’s top professional golfers have tested Cherry Hills’ challenging layout.

“Cherry Hills welcomes the opportunity to once again showcase our course and to put Denver at the center of the golf world in September 2014,” said John Elway, Cherry Hills President. “An important component of our club’s rich heritage has been to offer a worthy venue for the world’s finest professional and amateur golfers. Hosting the 2014 BMW Championship reaffirms our commitment to opening our course for competition at the highest level.”

Past champions at Cherry Hills have included some of golf’s finest players – Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Phil Mickelson, Hubert Green, Andy North and Ralph Guldahl – reflecting the quality of the challenge the William Flynn-designed course presents.

Cherry Hills also has been a leading partner with the WGA in developing Evans Scholars candidates among its caddie ranks. Six caddies from Cherry Hills are current Evans Scholars at the University of Colorado, and 32 Evans Scholars Alumni caddied at Cherry Hills. The WGA has sponsored the Evans Scholars program since 1930, providing full-tuition and housing scholarships for caddies at 19 colleges and universities nationwide.

The club’s tradition of supporting championships and scholarships makes it a compelling host for the 2014 BMW Championship.

“Since the inception of the BMW Championship, one of our goals has been to help raise more money for the Evans Scholars Foundation,” said Dan Creed, Vice President of Marketing, BMW of North America “We are pleased to bring the BMW Championship experience to the Denver area and in turn, increase the support of the Evans Scholars Foundation in this community.”

BMW has sponsored the championship since 2007 when the inaugural BMW Championship was hosted by Cog Hill Golf & Country Club in Lemont, Illinois. Cog Hill, the tournament’s host again this year, also hosted in 2009 and 2010.

“The BMW Championship plays an important role as the third of four Playoff events for the FedExCup,” said Andy Pazder, PGA TOUR Chief of Operations. “Cherry Hills Country Club, with its world-class golf course and historical significance, will provide a great venue for the 2014 BMW Championship. We appreciate the support the championship has received at its recent venues and believe that Denver will offer optimal benefits for spectators, our players, and, ultimately, the Evans Scholars Foundation.”

WGA officials share the expectation that Cherry Hills and the Denver area will fully support the 2014 BMW Championship.

“Based on the success of previous championships at Cherry Hills, we expect interest and support to be evident from the start,” said Pellegrino. “Our goal is to bring the best championship golf has to offer to Cherry Hills and the Denver community. With the enthusiastic support we’ve already received from club officials and BMW’s underlying commitment to delivering a world-class event, we anticipate the 2014 BMW Championship will exceed even the highest expectations.”

Cherry Hills Country Club

Cherry Hills has had a long and storied tradition of championship golf. Designed by William Flynn and opened in 1922, Cherry Hills will host its ninth USGA championship and second U.S. Amateur in 2012. Phil Mickelson captured his only U.S. Amateur title at Cherry Hills in 1990.

The club has also been the site of three U.S. Opens: 1938, won by Ralph Guldahl; 1960, won by Arnold Palmer; and 1978, won by Andy North. In addition, the 1993 U.S. Senior Open (won by Jack Nicklaus) and the 2005 U.S. Women's Open (won by Birdie Kim) were played at the club. Kim holed out a bunker shot at the 72nd hole to edge amateurs Morgan Pressel and Brittany Lang by two strokes.

Along with the 1978 USGA Senior Amateur and the 1983 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championships, Cherry Hills has hosted two PGA Championships in 1941 and 1985. Vic Ghezzi won the 1941 PGA Championship on the second extra hole over Byron Nelson.

Cherry Hills' most memorable championship is Palmer's come-from-behind victory in the 1960 U.S. Open. Seven shots back entering the final 18 holes, he drove the par-4 first hole en route to a 65 and a two-stroke victory over Nicklaus, then a 20-year-old amateur. It was Palmer's only U.S. Open title

Western Golf Association

Founded in 1899, the Western Golf Association conducts championships for professional and amateur golfers, promotes the use of caddies, and oversees the Evans Scholars Foundation, which awards college scholarships to caddies with limited financial means.

The WGA conducts two amateur championships, the Western Junior and the Western Amateur, and the BMW Championship, the third of four PGA TOUR Playoff events in the TOUR's FedExCup competition. Headquartered in Golf, Illinois, the organization also sponsors the nationally acclaimed Chick Evans Caddie Scholarship Program.

Evans Scholars Foundation

The WGA champions education through golf by sponsoring the Evans Scholars Program, the sole charitable beneficiary of the BMW Championship. Established by famed amateur golfer Charles “Chick” Evans, Jr., the program provides full housing and tuition scholarships to deserving caddies across the country. Currently, more than 850 caddies are attending college on scholarship; there are more than 9,000 Evans Alumni. The Evans Program is funded by contributions from more than 100,000 golfers across the country, as well as Evans Alumni and proceeds from the BMW Championship.

BMW Group in America

BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003. The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, the MINI brand, and the Rolls-Royce brand of Motor Cars; DesignworksUSA, a strategic design consultancy in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the country. BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is part of BMW Group’s global manufacturing network and is the exclusive manufacturing plant for all X5 and X3 Sports Activity Vehicles and X6 Sports Activity Coupes. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 338 BMW passenger car and BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 138 BMW motorcycle retailers, 105 MINI passenger car dealers, and 30 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers. BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group’s sales headquarters for North America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.

Information about BMW Group products is available to consumers via the Internet at:  www.bmwgroupna.com

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Journalist note: Information about BMW Group and its products in the USA is available to journalists on-line at www.bmwgroupusanews.com and www.press.bmwna.com. 

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