Players competing at this week’s BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth will enjoy the luxury of having the private use of their very own BMW car for the duration of the tournament, as the European Tour seeks to follow Covid-19 guidelines and reduce contact points between players and officials.
After the cancellation of The Open Championship, the Rolex Series event, which boasts a prize fund of $7m, is the biggest tournament of the year in Europe. As with all the tournaments on the European Tour since the re-start in June, the COVID-19 pandemic means that no spectators are permitted at Wentworth Club.
And to help players maintain social distancing, BMW is providing each of the 120 players with either a BMW X3 or X5 car for the duration of the tournament week.
Last year saw Danny Willett produce a final round 67 to win the coveted title, and the Yorkshireman will be back to defend the championship this week, when he will face stiff competition from the likes of fellow major winners Justin Rose, Martin Kaymer, Shane Lowry and Patrick Reed, as well as top players Tommy Fleetwood, Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, Matt Fitzpatrick, Tyrrell Hatton and Bernd Wiesberger.
The motto for the 2020 BMW PGA Championship is ‘Giving Back’, and the tournament is supporting various social projects. This also goes for the traditional BMW Hole-in-One Award, for which the pros will not receive a car this year. Instead, BMW will donate £63,000 to the Alzheimer’s Society for the first ace on the 14th hole. This year’s Hole-in-One car would have been the all-new BMW 530e Touring.
