The BMW PGA Championship is set to deliver an enhanced spectator experience in 2013 as Europe’s Ryder Cup Team, triumphant from the ‘Miracle at Medinah’, regroup for the first time competitively on British soil at Wentworth Club in England.
The BMW PGA Championship 2013 will provide a superb package of fun, celebrity-spotting and world class golf over a six-day period, starting with the Official Practice Day on Tuesday, May 21 through to the climax to The European Tour’s flagship event on Sunday, May 26.
With defending champion Luke Donald of England seeking a third successive title, in the face of competition from many of his Ryder Cup team-mates who staged that magnificent fight back to beat the United States 14 ½ - 13 ½ in Chicago, the 2013 Championship promises a feast of entertainment.
Advance tickets for 2013 are on sale now and represent outstanding value, especially if purchased as part of the Championship’s pre-Christmas offers onwww.europeantour.com/tickets
The increase in attendances in recent years has prompted The European Tour to throw open the doors to the public on Tuesday, May 21, designated for the first time as an Official Practice Day. Advance tickets as part of the pre-Christmas offer are £5, which is half the price payable on the gate.
Wednesday will now be known as Celebrity Pro-Am Day (£10 pre-Christmas; £15 on the gate), where the public will be able to mingle with the good and the great of the worlds of entertainment, sport and music along with the leading golf professionals. Details of participants in this enjoyable precursor to the main event will be published nearer the day onwww.europeantour.com
For the Championship (May 23-26), an Adult Season ticket can be purchased now for £60 (concession £40) – in both cases £20 less than the gate admission price during the week. Any One Day Adult tickets can be purchased before Christmas for £30 (concession £15) with prices rising to £40 and £25 respectively on the gate.
Adult Weekend tickets (Saturday and Sunday) are available now for £45 (concession £28), rising to £60 (concession £45) during the week. Reserved 18th green grandstand seats can be booked now for £15 (Saturday) and £20 (Sunday). No discounts apply for advance bookings or concessions.
Families planning to attend the Championship should note that all children aged 16 and under will be admitted free of charge if accompanied by an adult ticket holder.
Among the important new developments is the introduction of a Park and Ride system, which comes into operation for the first time in 2013, to help facilitate the flow of traffic in the vicinity and allow spectators ready access to the beautiful Wentworth Estate.
The Park and Ride is designed to enhance the experience for everyone attending one of the ‘must see’ events of the sporting summer and will operate from two locations – one near Sunningdale, which will carry traffic from the West (M3 and M4) and one at the Review Ground, Windsor Great Park, which is East of the tournament venue close to the M25. Both parks will operate free shuttle bus service to Wentworth Club every five minutes with the journey time taking around 10 minutes.
BMW Owners and Official Badge Holders will be able to park on site as in previous years, while there is an opportunity for the public to pre-pay for a limited number of parking spaces on site at a cost of £10 per day from Wednesday onwards. On site car parking is only available by booking in advance in conjunction with the purchase of advance tickets.
Spectators using the Park and Ride shuttle buses will be dropped off at the new Welcome Tent adjacent to the 18th fairway of the East Course, giving access to the superb BMW PGA Championship Tented Village and incorporating a dedicated ticket collection point and a raft of other valuable spectator information on arrival. Park and Ride will operate from Wednesday to Sunday with free on site parking for all spectators on Tuesday.
An excellent alternative for spectators wishing to leave the car at home is to let the train take the strain. Virginia Water Station is only a five minute bus trip from the entrance to the Welcome Tent and a complimentary shuttle service will run on a continuous loop to and from the event throughout each day from Wednesday.
Virginia Water Station can be accessed easily from London Waterloo, Clapham Junction, Reading, Woking, Weybridge and many other stations. For more details on services and timings please visitwww.thetrainline.com
Jamie Birkmyre, Championship Director, said: “The BMW PGA Championship has grown considerably in stature, and in terms of visitor numbers, in recent years. Consequently, we felt it was imperative to simplify the means of getting spectators to and from the course and all the facilities in order to appreciate everything the Championship can offer.
“Spectators can still enjoy the same high level of service as in previous years and we believe that everyone attending in 2013 will love the enhanced overall experience. Due to the increased level of interest in the Championship, the vast majority of facilities – such as public catering and refreshment outlets – will be fully operational from Tuesday for the first time. This will allow the public, who might not be able to attend on the four days of the tournament, to see their heroes in a more relaxed mode earlier in the week.”
