PGA Tour, Western Golf Association, and Wilmington Country Club officials announced the 2022 BMW Championship is coming to the South Course at Wilmington Country Club, Greenville.
While official dates have not been announced, the event is scheduled to be held in late August of 2022. The tourney will bring the world’s top golfers to Delaware and add an estimated $30 million boost to the economy.
Word of the tournament coming to Delaware had been making the rounds in golf circles since summer, but no formal announcement had been made.
“We’re thrilled to be taking the BMW Championship to Wilmington Country Club, one of the finest clubs anywhere in the United States,” said Vince Pellegrino, WGA senior vice President of Tournaments. “The South Course has everything you look for in a traditional championship layout. It will present a strategic test for the world’s best players and a perfect venue for fans and PGA Tour partners.”
The 2022 event will mark the first time the PGA TOUR has played an event in Delaware, and it will be the third time since 2018 that the BMW Championship has been held on the East Coast. The 2021 BMW Championship will be held at Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills, MD, a suburb of Baltimore, from Aug. 23-29.
The Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, PA, hosted the 2018 BMW Championship. Since that time, the Delaware Valley has been without a major stop on tour.
Northern Delaware has also been through a long drought after the demise of the long-running McDonald’s LPGA Championship, which was held at the DuPont Country Club.
“It is a great honor for Wilmington Country Club to be the first club in the state of Delaware to play host to the PGA Tour, and to the prestigious BMW Championship,” Club President Gary Ferguson said. “The passion that fans in this area have for golf is unmatched, and they will enjoy the opportunity to watch the best players in the world compete on this spectacular and challenging golf course.”
Wilmington Country Club was established in 1901, with its original 18 holes covering 135 acres. The club relocated in the 1950s, bringing in golf course architect Robert Trent Jones Sr. to design the South Course, which opened in 1959. Playing over 7,500 yards from the championship tees, the South Course has been recognized as one of the United States’ best golf courses by Golf Digest.
While this will be Wilmington Country Club’s first professional event, the club has long been a proving ground for the world’s best amateur players. After hosting the 1913 U.S. Women’s Amateur on what is now known as the “Old Course,” Wilmington has hosted five other USGA events, including the 1965 and 1978 U.S. Junior Amateur, the 1971 U.S. Amateur, the 1978 U.S. Girls’ Junior, and the 2003 U.S. Mid-Amateur. The club also hosted the 2013 Palmer Cup competition between Europe and a United States team that featured 2019 BMW Championship winner Justin Thomas, Daniel Berger, and Patrick Rodgers.
“Delaware is excited to host the 2022 BMW Championship,” said Gov. John Carney. “The First State has a long and proud golf history and is ideally positioned to support one of golf’s great championships. Not only will the BMW Championship enhance the local economy, but it will also showcase a wonderful course and dynamic community to a global audience.”
In addition to having an estimated $30 million economic impact on the Wilmington area, the 2022 BMW Championship is expected to play a vital philanthropic role by introducing more golfers and fans on the East Coast to the Evans Scholars Foundation and its mission of awarding full tuition and housing college scholarships to deserving youth caddies.
“We are proud of our collaboration with the Western Golf Association and of the support that we’ve been able to provide to the Evans Scholars Foundation,” said Bernhard Kuhnt, President and CEO, BMW of North America. “As the title sponsor of this tournament for the past 14 years, together, we have helped to send over 3,000 young students to college to pursue their dreams.”
All proceeds from the BMW Championship benefit the Evans Scholars Foundation. Since 2007, the event has raised more than $35 million for Evans Scholarships. Two caddies have earned Evans Scholarships from Wilmington Country Club.
The BMW Championship features the top 70 PGA Tour players vying to earn one of 30 spots in the season-ending Tour Championship and the chance to be crowned FedExCup champion.
Past BMW Championship winners include Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas, Keegan Bradley, Dustin Johnson, Jason Day, Rory McIlroy, Zach Johnson, Justin Rose, and Tiger Woods.
