BMW Media Site 2020 BMW CHAMPIONSHIP TO BE HELD WITHOUT SPECTATORS  Contact: Phil  Diianni phil.diianni@bmwna.com     2020 BMW CHAMPIONSHIP TO BE HELD WITHOUT SPECTATORS  The PGA TOUR and tournament officials announced today that the 2020 BMW Championship will be played without spectators, with all four rounds of the event to be broadcast live, as scheduled, on NBC and the Golf Channel on August 27-30. “As we have said from the start, our No. 1 priority remains the health and safety of everyone in the communities where we are invited guests each week,” said PGA TOUR Chief Tournaments and Competitions Officer Andy Pazder. “We appreciate the understanding of the Western Golf Association, BMW and – of course – the fans of Greater Chicago for recognizing why this decision needed to be made. We continue to be very excited about the opportunity to present the BMW Championship to a global audience as part of the three-week stretch of FedExCup Playoffs events.”Tournament officials remain committed to delivering a world-class PGA TOUR event that will again benefit the event’s sole charity, the Evans Scholars Foundation, helping them send deserving caddies to college.  The top 70 PGA TOUR players will compete on Olympia Fields Country Club’s historic North Course vying to earn one of 30 spots in the TOUR Championship and the chance to be crowned FedExCup champion.“We greatly appreciate the support of BMW, Olympia Fields Country Club and the PGA TOUR in conducting the 2020 BMW Championship,” said Vince Pellegrino, WGA senior vice president of tournaments. “We will continue to work with them and follow the recommendations and regulations of county, state and federal officials to ensure the safety of the players, volunteers and staff essential to conducting the BMW Championship.” “Our BMW Championship team has been working tirelessly over the past several months to develop a comprehensive plan for a limited number of spectators, following guidance from the PGA TOUR and county and state officials,” Pellegrino added. “However, we understand the challenges and concerns that COVID-19 has created and recognize the decision to proceed without spectators is in the best interest of everyone involved. “While our fans won’t be able to attend this year’s BMW Championship,” Pellegrino added, “we encourage them to stay engaged with this year’s tournament by following the competition on the  BMW Championship and PGA TOUR social media channels and tuning into our broadcast partners.” Fans who already have purchased BMW Championship tickets through Ticketmaster will automatically receive a full refund within the next 30 days. Those still interested in contributing to the Evans Scholars Foundation's mission of sending deserving caddies to college may make a gift through the Foundation’s secure website or by calling 224-260-3746. “With so many families impacted in so many ways this year by COVID-19, we’re seeing an even greater need to help young men and women afford the high costs of earning a college education,” Pellegrino added. To learn more about the 2020 BMW Championship, please visit www.bmwchampionship.com. About the BMW ChampionshipThe BMW Championship dates back to 1899 when it debuted as the Western Open, making it the third-oldest tournament on the PGA TOUR schedule, behind only the British Open and U.S. Open. BMW has sponsored the tournament since 2007 when it became the penultimate event of the PGA TOUR’s FedExCup Playoffs. The event features a field of the top 70 players in the FedExCup standings to determine the final 30 players for the FedExCup finale at the TOUR Championship in Atlanta. Since 2007, The BMW Championship has contributed more than $35 million to the Evans Scholars Foundation, the event’s charitable beneficiary. To learn more, visit www.bmwchampionship.com. About Olympia Fields Country ClubOlympia Fields Country Club, founded in 1915 in Olympia Fields, Illinois, is home to two nationally acclaimed courses, the North Course and the South Course. The nationally-ranked North Course was designed in 1923 by Scottish native Willie Park Jr., who won the Open Championship in 1887 and 1889, and is considered the grandfather of inland golf design. Park’s work as a golf course architect includes more than 100 courses worldwide, with the North Course at Olympia Fields often regarded as Park’s greatest achievement. The North Course has been ranked continually by Golf Digest as one of America’s “Top 100 Greatest Courses,” currently at No. 79 among all golf courses in the United State. The North Course also is ranked No. 47 on Golfweek’s latest list of “Best Classic Courses.” Rickie Fowler and Vijay Singh share the course record of 63. About Western Golf AssociationThe Western Golf Association conducts six national golf championships and sponsors the nationally acclaimed Evans Scholars Foundation. Headquartered in Glenview, Illinois, the organization was founded in 1899 by 11 Chicago-area golf clubs to promote their interests in golf. In addition to the BMW Championship on the PGA TOUR and the Evans Scholars Invitational on the Korn Ferry Tour, the WGA conducts four prestigious amateur championships, the Western Amateur, the Western Junior, and the Women’s Western Golf Association’s Amateur and Junior championships. About the Evans Scholars FoundationEstablished by famed amateur golfer Charles Chick Evans Jr. and the Western Golf Association, the Evans Scholars Foundation provides full housing and tuition scholarships to high-achieving caddies across the country. Currently, a record 1,010 caddies are enrolled in 18 universities across the nation as Evans Scholars. The Program, which is supported by the Western Golf Association, is funded by contributions from more than 33,000 Evans Scholars Par Club members, including Evans Scholars Alumni, as well as proceeds from the BMW Championship. Since the Program’s inception in 1930, more than 11,050 caddies nationwide have graduated as Evans Scholars. To learn more, visit www.wgaesf.org. Contacts:Gary HolawayDirector, Tournament CommunicationsWestern Golf Associationholaway@wgaesf.org847-924-8276 John BornemanDirector, CommunicationsWestern Golf AssociationEvans Scholars Foundationborneman@wgaesf.org630-294-0101  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 Rolls-Royce Motor Cars; Designworks, a strategic design consultancy based in California;  a technology office in Silicon Valley, and various other operations throughout the country.  BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is the BMW Group global center of competence for BMW X models and assembles the X3, X4, X5, X6 and X7 Sports Activity Vehicles as well as the BMW XM. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 349 BMW passenger car and BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 145 BMW motorcycle retailers, 104 MINI passenger car dealers, and 38 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.www.bmwgroup.comFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/BMWGroupTwitter: http://twitter.com/BMWGroupYouTube: http://www.youtube.com/BMWGroupviewGoogle+: http://googleplus.bmwgroup.comJournalist note: Information about BMW Group and its products in the USA is available to journalists on-line at www.bmwusanews.com, www.miniusanews.com and www.press.bmwna.com.