The PGA Tour BMW Championship is "not only the carmaker's premier sponsorship event in professional golf but also a chance for it to show off its brand," according to David Migoya of the DENVER POST. The tournament's opening day tomorrow at Cherry Hills Country Club near Denver "will be free to any BMW owner who shows the famed logoed key fob at the main entrance." BMW owners also can "park for free in an exclusive lot." In addition to the "better-known on-course perks BMW owners have come to appreciate each year -- an owner's pavilion to view the 7th, 8th and 14th holes -- and those to the PGA players -- including more than 200 free-use 700-series and X5 vehicles -- the company is ensuring that others feel the generosity." Tournament partner the Evans Scholar Foundation has received more than $16M "since BMW began its sponsorship" in '07, and the automaker "kicks in $100,000 toward a four-year Evans scholarship" should a player make a hole-in-one. Along with the automaker's "latest products on display, there will be a re-creation of the first hole's green for fans to try a hand at putting at the BMW Experience near the main entrance." Any player who makes a hole-in-one at the 12th or 15th hole also "will earn a new BMW -- an M4 coupe." BMW of North America Senior Experiential Marketing Specialist Tim Rittenhouse said that the BMW Championship "was chosen tournament of the year" on the PGA Tour three times in the last seven years, the last in '13 (DENVER POST, 9/3).
