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PGA Tour BMW Championship

By Brent Kelley, About.com

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About the PGA Tour BMW Championship:


The PGA Tour BMW Championship is the tournament traditionally known as the Western Open. It assumed the BMW Championship monicker beginning in 2007, when the event also became one of the four FedEx Cup "playoff" tournaments. This tournament is the oldest "regular" event on the PGA Tour, dating to 1899; only the majors U.S. Open and British Open are older.

2009 Tournament
• When: Sept. 10-13
• Where: Cog Hill Golf Club, Lemont, Illinois
• TV: Golf Channel/NBC

2008 Tournament
After several close calls over the first couple years of his career, Camilo Villegas earned PGA Tour victory No. 1 by two strokes over Dudley Hart. Villegas closed with a 68 for a 15-under, 265 total.

Official Web site
PGA Tour tournament site

PGA Tour BMW Championship Records:

  • Overall: 262 - Tiger Woods, 2007
  • 18-hole record: 63 - Jeff Sluman, 1992; John Adams, 1993; Dudley Hart, 1998; Nick Price, Brian Henninger, Stephen Ames, 2000; Tiger Woods, 2007

PGA Tour BMW Championship Golf Courses:

At various times in its history, the BMW Championship (nee Western Open) has rotated among courses in the Midwest and West, and at other times it has been based in the Chicago area. The two courses to host this event most often are:
  • Butler National Golf Club, Oak Brook, Ill.
  • Cog Hill Golf & Country Club, Dubsdread Course, Lemont, Ill.
However, dozens of other courses have hosted this event in its long history. The current model is for the PGA Tour BMW Championship to be played in Chicago every other year, and travel to another site in the Midwest in the intervening years.

PGA Tour BMW Championship Trivia and Notes:

  • The Western Open was first played in 1899, making it the second-oldest professional golf tournament in America after the U.S. Open.

  • In its first two years, this was a two-round tournament. It expanded to four rounds in 1902 (there was no tournament in 1900). Willie Smith was the first winner in 1899, and Willie Anderson the first winner of the event at 72 holes.

  • When Anderson won in 1902 with a score of 299, he was the first golfer break 300 for a 72-hole tournament in the U.S.

  • Walter Hagen holds the tournament record with five wins (1916, 1921, 1926-27, 1932).
  • Willie Anderson (1902, 1904, 1908-09), Billy Casper (1965-66, 1969, 1973) and Tiger Woods (1997, 1999, 2003, 2007) won the Western Open four times each.

  • Four golfers have won the BMW Championship three times: Macdonald Smith (1912, 1925, 1933), Jim Barnes (1914, 1917, 1919), Ralph Guldahl (1936, 1937, 1938) and Tom Watson (1974, 1977, 1984).

  • A Women's Western Open was also played from 1930-67 and was considered a major championship.

  • Two amateurs have won this tournament, Chick Evans in 1910 and Scott Verplank in 1985.

    PGA Tour BMW Championship - Past Winners:


    (p-playoff; a-amateur; w-weather shortened)

    BMW Championship
    2008 - Camilo Villegas, 265
    2007 - Tiger Woods, 262

    Cialis Western Open
    2006 - Trevor Immelman, 271
    2005 - Jim Furyk, 270
    2004 - Stephen Ames, 274

    100th Western Open
    2003 - Tiger Woods, 267

    Advil Western Open
    2002 - Jerry Kelly, 269
    2001 - Scott Hoch, 267
    2000 - Robert Allenby-p, 274

    Motorola Western Open
    1999 - Tiger Woods, 273
    1998 - Joe Durant, 271
    1997 - Tiger Woods, 275
    1996 - Steve Stricker, 270
    1995 - Billy Mayfair, 279
    1994 - Nick Price, 277Sprint Western Open
    1993 - Nick Price, 269

    Centel Western Open
    1992 - Ben Crenshaw, 276
    1991 - Russ Cochran, 275
    1990 - Wayne Levi, 275

    Beatrice Western Open
    1989 - Mark McCumber-p, 275
    1988 - Jim Benepe, 278
    1987 - D.A. Weibring-w, 207
    1986 - Tom Kite-p, 286Western Open
    1985 - Scott Verplank-p-a, 279
    1984 - Tom Watson-p, 280
    1983 - Mark McCumber, 284
    1982 - Tom Weiskopf, 276
    1981 - Ed Fiori, 277
    1980 - Scott Simpson, 281
    1979 - Larry Nelson-p, 286
    1978 - Andy Bean-p, 282
    1977 - Tom Watson, 283
    1976 - Al Geiberger, 288
    1975 - Hale Irwin, 283
    1974 - Tom Watson, 287
    1973 - Billy Casper, 272
    1972 - Jim Jamieson, 271
    1971 - Bruce Crampton, 279
    1970 - Hugh Royer, 273
    1969 - Billy Casper, 276
    1968 - Jack Nicklaus, 273
    1967 - Jack Nicklaus, 274
    1966 - Billy Casper, 283
    1965 - Billy Casper, 270
    1964 - Chi Chi Rodriguez, 268
    1963 - Arnold Palmer-p, 280
    1962 - Jacky Cupit, 281
    1961 - Arnold Palmer, 271
    1960 - Stan Leonard-p, 278
    1959 - Mike Souchak, 272
    1958 - Doug Sanders, 275
    1957 - Doug Ford-p, 279
    1956 - Mike Fetchick-p, 284
    1955 - Cary Middlecoff, 272
    1954 - Lloyd Mangrum-p, 277
    1953 - Dutch Harrison, 278
    1952 - Lloyd Mangrum, 274
    1951 - Marty Furgol, 270
    1950 - Sam Snead, 282
    1949 - Sam Snead, 268
    1948 - Ben Hogan-p, 281
    1947 - Johnny Palmer, 270
    1946 - Ben Hogan, 271
    1943-45 - No Tournament
    1942 - Herman Barron, 276
    1940 - Jimmy Demaret-p, 293
    1939 - Byron Nelson, 281
    1938 - Ralph Guldahl, 279
    1937 - Ralph Guldahl-p, 288
    1936 - Ralph Guldahl, 274
    1935 - John Revolta, 290
    1934 - Harry Cooper-p, 274
    1933 - Macdonald Smith, 282
    1932 - Walter Hagen, 287
    1931 - Ed Dudley, 280
    1930 - Gene Sarazen, 278
    1929 - Tommy Armour, 273
    1928 - Abe Espinosa, 291
    1927 - Walter Hagen, 281
    1926 - Walter Hagen, 279
    1925 - Macdonald Smith, 281
    1924 - Bill Mehlhorn, 293
    1923 - Jock Hutchison, 281
    1922 - Mike Brady, 291
    1921 - Walter Hagen, 287
    1920 - Jock Hutchison, 296
    1919 - Jim Barnes, 283
    1918 - No Tournament
    1917 - Jim Barnes, 283
    1916 - Walter Hagen, 286
    1915 - Tom McNamara, 304
    1914 - Jim Barnes, 293
    1913 - John McDermott, 295
    1912 - Macdonald Smith, 299
    1911 - Robert Simpson def. Tom MacNamara, 2 and 1
    1910 - Charles Evans Jr.-a def. George Simpson, 6 and 5
    1909 - Willie Anderson, 288
    1908 - Willie Anderson, 299
    1907 - Robert Simpson, 307
    1906 - Alex Smith, 306
    1905 - Arthur Smith, 278
    1904 - Willie Anderson, 304
    1903 - Alex Smith, 318
    1902 - Willie Anderson, 299
    1901 - Laurie Auchterlonie, 160
    1900 - No Tournament
    1899 - Willie Smith-p, 156

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