Live leaderboard: Big names in front at AT&T

• Five-year extension starts in 2023 with a return to the Chicago area at Olympia Fields Country Club • BMW has served as the title sponsor of the BMW Championship since 2007 and has raised more than $40 million on behalf of the Evans Scholars Foundation • 2022 BMW Championship to be played at Wilmington Country Club in Wilmington, Delaware WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J.; PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla.; and GLENVIEW, Ill. – BMW, the PGA TOUR and the Western Golf Association announced today a five-year extension for BMW to remain the title sponsor of the TOUR’s second FedExCup Playoffs event through 2027. Also announced today was the return of the BMW Championship to the Chicago area in 2023 at Olympia Fields Country Club, which also hosted the event in 2020 with Jon Rahm outdueling Dustin Johnson in a sudden-death playoff. “We would like to express our sincere thanks to BMW for their continued support of the PGA TOUR and the Western Golf Association through 2027,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “The BMW Championship played an incredibly impactful role in launching the FedExCup in 2007 and BMW’s commitment to presenting a best-in-class event each year continues to elevate the FedExCup Playoffs. We are also very appreciative of BMW’s dedication to fulfilling the mission of the Evans Scholars Foundation, having impacted thousands of lives over the last 15 years.” BMW joined the PGA TOUR family in 2007 as title sponsor of the BMW Championship at the inception of the FedExCup. Since that time, the BMW Championship has won the PGA TOUR’s Tournament of the Year award four times (2008, 2012, 2013, 2014). The 2022 event will take place August 15-21, at Wilmington Country Club in Wilmington, Delaware. “For the past 15 years, we have worked with our partners at the PGA TOUR and the Western Golf Association to host the top 70 players in the world at what has become one of the best, and most exciting events on the golf calendar,” said Sebastian Mackensen, president and CEO, BMW of North America. “The BMW Championship is not only a great way to showcase our brand and engage customers, but also a wonderful opportunity to raise money for the Evans Scholars Foundation and help so many young students to follow their dreams.” Each year, proceeds from the BMW Championship benefit the Evans Scholars Foundation, which provides full tuition and housing scholarships for hard-working young caddies. Over the past 15 years, the BMW Championship has raised more than $40 million on behalf of the Evans Scholars Foundation and has helped send more than 3,000 students to college. This academic year, a record 1,070 caddies are attending 21 major colleges and universities on Evans Scholarships. “Since 2007, BMW has been our valued partner and a steadfast supporter of both our championships and the Evans Scholars Foundation,” said John Kaczkowski, WGA president and CEO. “As title sponsor, BMW has fully embraced our mission, helping us transform the Evans Scholars Foundation into a truly national program. We’re excited and grateful for the opportunity to continue working together to change the lives of youth caddies nationwide.” The more than 100,000 guests who attend the BMW Championship each year have the opportunity to engage with the brand in numerous ways including vehicle displays and other interactive experiences. BMW owners also enjoy the benefits of complimentary, preferred parking, and have access to an exclusive hospitality pavilion where they are invited to relax and enjoy premium concessions, and unparalleled golf viewing. By extending its role as the title sponsor of the BMW Championship, BMW also strengthens its worldwide commitment to the sport of golf. In addition to the BMW Championship, the automaker has had a longstanding partnership with the Ryder Cup, through the European team, dating back to 2006. BMW also remains the title sponsor for two prestigious DP World Tour events: the BMW PGA Championship in England; and the BMW International Open, contested each June in Germany, which has been a staple on the Tour for three decades. Additionally, the BMW Ladies Championship in Busan, South Korea, recently made its debut on the LPGA Tour. Since 2002, BMW has sponsored the Korn Ferry Tour’s BMW Charity Pro-Am in South Carolina. Formerly known as the Western Open, the BMW Championship is the longest-standing non-major championship on the PGA TOUR, dating back to 1899. The event boasts one of golf’s strongest lists of past champions, including all seven players with 50 or more career wins on the PGA TOUR: Sam Snead, Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, Byron Nelson and Billy Casper. Recent winners include World No. 1 Rahm, as well as FedExCup champions Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Dustin Johnson and Patrick Cantlay.

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Tiger at Torrey Pines – yes, that’s enough to make any golf fan salivate. But the Farmers Insurance Open includes plenty of other one-name notables in its stellar field this week. Rory. Rickie. Jason. Jordan. And while we’re at it, throw in last year’s FedExCup winner (Justin Rose) and this year’s leader (Xander Schauffele). Should be a big week in SoCal. THE FLYOVER Two years ago, the 570-yard par-5 18th at Torrey Pines South yielded 11 eagles. A year ago, no birdies were recorded on the hole. Yet the stroke average remained relatively the same (4.766 in 2017, 4.768 last year). Finding the fairway isn’t all that easy at the 18th, and bunkers on either side of the fairway often gobble up the loose shots. Here’s a closer look at the 18th. LANDING ZONE For the last four seasons, the 504-yard par-4 12th at Torrey Pines South has ranked inside the 10 most difficult of all holes played on the PGA TOUR. Last year’s stroke average of 4.435 ranked it as the seventh toughest. Uphill … into the wind … long-iron approach … awkward angles – it’s no wonder that four pars at 12 this week will leave players smiling. Here’s a look at where all tee shots landed last year. WEATHER CHECK From PGA TOUR meteorologist Wade Stettner: “A high pressure ridge will influence the weather through this weekend resulting in dry conditions and above normal temperatures. High temperatures are forecast near 70 degrees through Sunday with winds out of the north/northwest each day. An off-shore gradient will keep the marine layer away from the coast over the next few days, although the marine layer may get close to the coast on Sunday as the gradient turns neutral.â€� For the latest weather news from San Diego, California, check out PGATOUR.COM’s Weather Hub. SOUND CHECK This is the first PGA TOUR event that I ever attended with my dad when this was the old Andy Williams tournament. To have won on this property and had the success I’ve had, it’s been a lot of fun and looking forward to getting out there this week. BY THE NUMBERS 48.82 – Percentage of fairways hit at Torrey Pines South last year. It was the only course played on the PGA TOUR with less than 50 percent success rate. 51.01 – Percentage of fairways hit at Torrey Pines North in the first two rounds last year. That made it the fourth most difficult course in which to hit the fairway. 14 – Wins in California by Tiger Woods. That’s the most of any player since 1997. Another native Californian, Phil Mickelson, ranks second during the time period with 11 wins. -166 – Score under par since 1998 by Tiger Woods at the Farmers Insurance Open. Mickelson ranks second on that list at 99 under. SCATTERSHOTS Eight again? If Tiger Woods wins this week, it will be his eighth Farmers Insurance Open victory. He already has eight wins at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard and eight at the World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational, tying the TOUR record for most wins at a single tournament set by Sam Snead at the Wyndham Championship. Woods, of course, already has eight wins at Torrey Pines, having captured the 2008 U.S. Open there. But that first hole: Tiger’s nemesis at Torrey Pines South lately is the opening hole. In his last 19 rounds played at that course, he has four double bogeys, including three at the 2008 U.S. Open). He’s played the hole at a stroke average of 4.38. Prior to 2008, he didn’t have much of a problem, playing the 450-yard par 4 No. 1 at a stroke average of 3.79 with zero double bogeys. Big points: Defending champion Jason Day has accumulated 1,268 FedExCup points at the Farmers Insurance Open since 2009 (two wins and two other top-10 finishes will do the trick). That’s the second-most points of any player at Farmers in that span; Brandt Snedeker has been even more productive with 1,681 points. Tourney debut: Rory McIlroy is making his first career start at the Farmers Insurance Open. McIlroy’s lone win in a tournament debut came at the 2010 Wells Fargo Championship. He has four other top-10 finishes in tourney debuts, including a T-4 at the Sentry Tournament of Champions earlier this month. Pro debut: Braden Thornberry, the 2017 NCAA champion, is making his first start since opting to skip the spring portion of his senior season at the University of Mississippi. This isn’t his first PGA TOUR start, though – he made four of them as an amateur, including a T-4 at the 2017 FedEx St. Jude Classic. Long layout: At 7,698 yards, Torrey Pines South was the longest course played on the PGA TOUR last season.

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