The 22nd edition of the BMW PGA Championship runs at Wentworth Club from 15 to 20 September 2026, with organisers expecting 120,000 spectators across the week. The DP World Tour’s flagship event brings together defending champion Alex Noren and a deep international field. BMW has also reworked its hole-in-one prize, letting each professional pick their preferred car from ten models before play begins.
Wentworth Club in Surrey hosts the BMW PGA Championship for the 22nd year with BMW as title partner, and the German manufacturer is using the week as much as a brand showcase as a golf tournament. Play runs from 15 to 20 September 2026, with 120,000 fans expected through the gates for what the organisers bill as a Festival of Golf.
A field stacked with home hopes and Major winners
England’s contingent is unusually strong. Reigning PGA Championship winner Aaron Rai lines up alongside Major winners Matt Fitzpatrick and Justin Rose, former BMW PGA champions Danny Willett (2019), Tyrrell Hatton (2020) and Luke Donald (2011, 2012), plus crowd favourite Tommy Fleetwood.
The international entry is no thinner. Past winners Rory McIlroy (NIR, 2014), Shane Lowry (IRL, 2022) and Ryan Fox (NZL, 2023) return, as does defending champion Alex Noren of Sweden, who added a second title last year to his 2017 win. Former world number one Jon Rahm is in the field, joined by European Ryder Cup names Viktor Hovland, Robert MacIntyre and Ludvig Åberg, and American Major winners J.J. Spaun, Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed.
Ten cars on the table at the 14th
The par-three 14th is once again the site of BMW’s hole-in-one prize, and the format has changed. Rather than a single car sitting beside the tee, every professional nominates their preferred model from a selection of ten BMWs before the tournament starts. The first player to ace the hole takes home either that chosen car or the new BMW iX5.
It is a neat piece of product placement: a prize list of ten models gives BMW ten talking points instead of one, and lets the brand put its newest electric metal in front of a global television audience during Ryder Cup season.
Neue Klasse hardware in the Championship Village
Spectators will find a BMW Group display in the Championship Village, headlined by the new all-electric BMW i3 — the second model built on the Neue Klasse architecture — along with the all-electric BMW i7 and the new all-electric BMW iX5. BMW has not published technical details for these cars in connection with the event.
There is an interactive element too. A Trackman simulator recreates the 18th hole of the West Course, while a challenge called BRING YOUR M GAME asks visitors to complete three tasks themed on BMW M values: Power (the tee shot), Precision (the approach) and Performance (the putt). Everyone who takes part receives a personalised BMW M bag tag, and the best score of each day wins a BMW Driving Experience.
Celebrities, concerts and the wider week
Wednesday’s Celebrity Pro-Am opens proceedings, with football names including Gareth Bale, Robbie Fowler, John Terry and Eden Hazard expected to play. Evening entertainment in the Championship Village runs across the weekend: DJ Tony Perry on Friday, The Kooks on Saturday and Ella Eyre closing the tournament on Sunday.
What it means
Title sponsorship of a DP World Tour flagship is one of the longest-running partnerships in the sport, and BMW’s approach here mirrors what rivals do in tennis and football — use the venue as a showroom rather than simply badge the trophy. With the i3 and iX5 both new to the range, Wentworth gives BMW a well-heeled, car-buying audience at exactly the moment it needs to build familiarity with the Neue Klasse line-up.
The 22nd BMW PGA Championship concludes on Sunday 20 September 2026.
Source: www.press.bmwgroup.com