2023 BMW PGA Championship: What you need to know

The action gets underway at Wentworth Golf Club later this week.

The highly anticipated BMW PGA Championship is almost upon us, with the action getting underway later this week. This Championship is one of the most prestigious and historic on the calendar, with some of the best players in the world heading to the Wentworth Golf Club in Surrey to battle it out for glory.

Some of the high-profile players set to participate includes two former World Number Ones, Rory McIlroy (World Number 2) and John Rahm (World Number 3). The likes of Matt Fitzpatrick (World Number 8), Tom Kim (World Number 18), Tommy Fleetwood (World Number 14) and former BMW Championship winner Billy Horschel (World Number 50) will also be taking part.

Whilst the Championship itself gets underway later this week, Tuesday does see players out on the course to practice before the tournament gets underway.

Then, on Wednesday 13th September, the Celebrity Pro-Am tournament will get underway from 8am with some of the best professional players taking part, as will some celebrities from the worlds of Football, Cricket, Film, Horse Racing and Music.

Some celebrities taking part include footballers Gareth Bale and John Terry, actor Tom Holland, Cricketers Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad, ex-jockey AP McCoy and DJ Locksmith from Rudimental. Gareth Bale in particular has caught the eye and has shown that he stands out from most amateurs. The former Tottenham and Real Madrid forward had a handicap of two at the end of 2022, which saw him stand out amongst other amateur golf players.

The most recent BMW PGA Championship took place in September 2022, and it saw Shane Lowry emerge victorious following scores of 66, 68 and 65, resulting in a total of 199. Lowry finished 17 under par with just one stroke separating the Irishman from Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm in the end.

Incredibly, Lowry did not drop a single shot. This was also his sixth victory on the DP World Tour, his second at a Rolex Series event, but this was his first victory at the BMW PGA Championship 13th attempt.

It was most certainly not a victory that came without some tension. With a birdie at the 18th hole, Lowry knew that he would secure victory if Rory McIlroy did not produce something similar. McIlroy’s shot saw the ball land close to the hole, but he could not get the birdie, handing Lowry the win by just a single shot.

Day One of the 2023 BMW PGA Championship gets underway on Thursday 14th September. This is the first of four enthralling days, with the action coming to an end when this year’s winner is crowned on Sunday, 17th September.

It is Nick Faldo who has won the PGA Championship the most times. The Englishman has won the championship on four occasions, in 1978, 1980, 1981 and 1989. Peter Alliss (1957, 1962, 1965), Bernhard Langer (1987, 1993, 1995) and Colin Montgomerie (1998, 1999, 2000) are all just behind Faldo with three wins each.

Other players to have won the PGA Championship on more than one occasion are as follows: Tony Jacklin (1972, 1982), Seve Ballesteros (1983, 1991), Ian Woosnam (1988, 1997), Anders Hansen (2002, 2007) and Luke Donald (2011, 2012).

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