The European Tour returns to Wentworth Club for the BMW PGA Championship this week. Here are your five things to know.
Five years of Rolex at the BMW PGA Championship
This week’s BMW PGA Championship will mark the fifth consecutive year the prestigious tournament has been a part of the Rolex Series schedule, having featured every year since the Series’ inception in 2017.
The BMW PGA Championship is the third Rolex Series event of the 2021 season and returns to the September spot it moved to in 2019 before Hatton's victory in October during last year's reshaped season.
Following his Wentworth win, Hatton added a fourth Rolex Series win in Abu Dhabi at the start of the 2021 season, which was followed by Min Woo Lee's dramatic play-off triumph in Scotland at the abrdn Scottish Open in July. The fourth and final Rolex Series event of the year will take place in the Middle East for the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, Dubai, in November.
Hatton eyeing history
Tyrrell Hatton realised a childhood dream with his fifth European Tour title and third Rolex Series victory when he triumphed by four strokes at last year’s BMW PGA Championship.
The Englishman, who subsequently tied Jon Rahm's record for Rolex Series wins in January with his fourth title at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, now returns to defend with a chance to make history.
This year, Hatton will attempt to be the first man to five Rolex Series wins, which would also see him become the first man to successfully defend the BMW PGA Championship since countryman Luke Donald achieved the feat by defending his 2011 title in 2012.
Star studded field
Joining Hatton this week are a host of Ryder Cup players, Major Champions and European Tour winners including Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose, Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, Adam Scott, Shane Lowry, Billy Horschel and Viktor Hovland.
In total, there will be an impressive 21 winners from the 2021 season teeing up at Wentworth - a list which includes recent winners Rasmus and Nicolai Højgaard, who became the first set of brothers to win in back-to-back weeks on the European Tour over the past two events.
Højgaard twins, always by each other's side.#BMWPGA | #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/fdbSiBbOwi
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) September 7, 2021
Ryder Cup Qualifying
The race for the nine automatic qualification spots in the European Ryder Cup team comes to a head at this week’s BMW PGA Championship.
Padraig Harrington welcomed the first five players to his side on Tuesday, but the battle for the four remaining automatic positions will continue until the conclusion of the tournament on Sunday.
The European side currently consists of Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Viktor Hovland, Paul Casey and Tommy Fleetwood. Both Tyrrell Hatton and Matt Fitzpatrick are all but guaranteed to be in Whistling Straits later this month, with the two other spots currently occupied by Lee Westwood and Shane Lowry – with several other players vying to get into the team through a top finish at Wentworth.
In addition to the automatic spots, Harrington has three Captain’s picks, which he will name shortly after he welcomes the rest of the team to automatically qualify following the conclusion of the BMW PGA Championship on Sunday.
🚨 CONFIRMED 🚨@padraig_h's first five players heading to Whistling Straits.#TeamEurope
— Ryder Cup Europe (@RyderCupEurope) September 7, 2021
Alzheimer’s Society returns as Official Charity
The UK's leading dementia charity was announced as the Official Charity to the prestigious tournament in 2019 and will return in 2021 as beneficiaries of the charitable funds raised through a variety of onsite activations, bolstered by the return of fans to the Surrey venue.
Fans at the BMW PGA Championship will have the opportunity to help raise funds for Alzheimer’s Society and its vital work when it has never been more needed, with people with dementia among those worst hit by coronavirus. There will be activations across site during the BMW PGA Championship, including the fan-favourite Mega-Putt Challenge and an exciting new nearest-the-pin competition, both located in the Spectator Village.
Celebrities taking part in the BMW PGA Championship Celebrity Pro-Am on Wednesday September 8 will also have the chance to donate at the ‘Hit the Green’ Competition to take place at the par three tenth hole. BMW will also play their part, and a donation of £78,370 – the equivalent value of a BMW iX xDrive40 - Sport will be made to Alzheimer’s Society by the tournament title sponsors for the first hole-in-one of the week at the 14th hole.
Meanwhile, the European Tour will raise funds for Alzheimer’s Society by providing a boost to the European Tour’s Every Birdie Counts initiative, donating an additional €10 for every birdie made through the duration of the tournament, and €100 for every eagle.
