BMW Media Site PGA TOUR Pro/Indiana Native Bo Van Pelt Will “Kick-Off” the 2012 BMW Championship by Attempting to Drive a Ball Through a Target Hung Between the Uprights at Lucas Oil Stadium to Award a $100,000 Scholarship for an Evans Scholar  Contact: Stacy  Morris BMW 201-594-3360 (office) 201-370-5134 (cell) stacy.morris@bmwna.com   Phil  Diianni BMW phil.diianni@bmwna.com     Gary Holaway Western Golf Association (847) 724-4600 (office) Holaway@wgaesf.com PGA TOUR Pro/Indiana Native Bo Van Pelt Will “Kick-Off” the 2012 BMW Championship by Attempting to Drive a Ball Through a Target Hung Between the Uprights at Lucas Oil Stadium to Award a $100,000 Scholarship for an Evans Scholar  2012 BMW Championship Play Runs from September 6 – September 9 at Crooked Stick Golf Club in Carmel, IN  Woodcliff Lake, NJ – September 4, 2012… Making its debut in Indianapolis, the 2012 BMW Championship will “kick-off” at Lucas Oil Stadium on Tuesday, September 4 when PGA TOUR pro and Indiana native Bo Van Pelt attempts to drive a golf ball the length of the field and through a target hung between the far uprights. Van Pelt will be joined by former Indianapolis Colts TE Ken Dilger and American Le Mans Series (ALMS) champion and BMW Team RLL driver Joey Hand, who will each attempt the shot from a tee box constructed in the far end zone. A full scholarship valued at $100,000 in the name of the first person to make the shot will be donated to the Evans Scholars Foundation, the nation's largest privately funded tuition and housing scholarship program.“I had a few wild shots over the course of my career, but this is something new,” said Van Pelt, who was born in Richmond, Indiana. “I’m excited to be back home and representing the ‘Hoosier State’ at the BMW Championship, in what’s going to be a great week. It’s an honor to participate in this event and it would be amazing if any of us is able to make the shot and help provide a full college scholarship for an Evans Scholar.”The event will feature two rounds of shots, during which each participant will have an opportunity to “hole” the 100-yard shot. In the event that a hole-in-one is not made, BMW will donate $10,000 to the Evans Scholars Foundation in the name of the player whose ball comes closest to the target.The 2012 BMW Championship will be played from Thursday, September 6 through Sunday, September 9 at Crooked Stick Golf Club in Carmel, IN, where the top 70 players on the PGA TOUR will compete in the penultimate event of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup. All proceeds from the BMW Championship will benefit the Evans Scholars Foundation. Since 2007, the BMW Championship has raised more than $11 million for the Evans Scholars Foundation.“I have had the opportunity to meet a variety of Evans Scholars and am greatly impressed by their enthusiasm, drive and strong work ethic,” said Ludwig Willisch, President of BMW of North America. “It is an honor and great joy to continue working with the Evans Scholars Foundation, a very deserving organization that provides hardworking young men and women with the support and tools that they need to realize their dreams.”In addition to supporting the Evans Scholars Foundation through the BMW Championship, BMW of North America, LLC also provides a summer internship program for Evans Scholars to work for BMW, offering them real-world experience and invaluable insight into their future careers.In continuing what has become a BMW Championship tradition, BMW will provide a full four-year Evans Scholarship in the name of the first player to score a hole-in-one on any hole during the tournament. Additionally, for the first time, BMW will feature two hole-in-one vehicles at this year’s tournament. The first player who achieves a hole-in-one on the 13th Hole will receive a new BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe and the first to do the same on the 17th Hole will receive a new BMW M5.“We’re looking forward to a great week of Hoosier hospitality in our first-ever trip to Crooked Stick Golf Club,” said John Kaczkowski, Western Golf Association President and CEO. “Thanks to the support of our partners at BMW and the added support of thousands of golf fans who will be in attendance, the BMW Championship will be making another very significant contribution to the Evans Scholars program.”As a special bonus, BMW has distributed more than 2,500 tickets to BMW owners in the Indianapolis area to attend the tournament and take advantage of its many benefits, including exclusive access to a private Owners-only parking area at Cox Hall Gardens; as well as the BMW Owners’ Pavilion, located on the 16th Green, which provides some of the best views on the course. In addition, upon arrival at the BMW Championship, BMW Owners’ can check-in and pick up their tickets at the BMW Owners’ Concierge, where they can also receive tournament information and premium items.Daily Clubhouse tickets to the BMW Championship are $75. Weekly ticket books are available to purchase in advance for $195. Juniors 16 and under are admitted free when accompanied by a ticketed adult. General parking is complimentary and included in the ticket price.Additionally, with the presentation of a valid veteran/military ID, active or retired military personnel will receive free admission to the BMW Championship, on any day of the tournament.For more information, call 847-724-4600 or visit www.bmwchampionshipusa.com.BMW Group In AmericaBMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003. The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, the MINI brand, and the Rolls-Royce brand of Motor Cars; DesignworksUSA, a strategic design consultancy in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the country. BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is part of BMW Group’s global manufacturing network and is the exclusive manufacturing plant for all X5 and X3 Sports Activity Vehicles and X6 Sports Activity Coupes. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 338 BMW passenger car and BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 139 BMW motorcycle retailers, 115 MINI passenger car dealers, and 32 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers. BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group’s sales headquarters for North America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.Information about BMW Group products is available to consumers via the Internet at: www.bmwgroupna.com.Journalist note: Press releases, photos and videos about the 2012 BMW Championship are available on-line at www.bmwusanews.com/BMWChampionship. Further information about BMW Group and its products in the USA is available to journalists on-line at www.bmwgroupusanews.com and www.press.bmwna.com.Evans Scholars Foundation: Created in 1930, the Evans Scholars Foundation started with two Northwestern University students and has been managed since its inception by the Western Golf Association. To date, the foundation has offered more than 10,500 college scholarships to golf caddies, and during the 2012-2013 academic school year 835 caddies are attending college on Evans Scholarships, receiving tuition and housing benefits totaling more than $11 million.