+++ Hollywood actor Tom Holland, football legend Gareth Bale and
other stars tee off +++ DJ Locksmith wows the crowd on the West Course
and in the Championship Village +++ Entire European Ryder Cup team
competing in the flagship event of the DP World Tour +++
Munich/Wentworth. The BMW PGA Championship, the most
prestigious golf tournament in Europe after The Open, got underway
with the Celebrity Pro-Am at the Wentworth Club just outside London on
Wednesday. Numerous stars from other sports and showbusiness played
alongside some of the biggest names in golf and made for an
atmospheric opener to an exceptional week of sport.
Big crowds attended the first highlight of the “Festival of Golf” – a
moniker that the fourth tournament in the Rolex Series has earned with
its sporting class, live concerts after the rounds and the Celebrity
Pro-Am. Those putting on a show for their fans included Hollywood
stars Tom Holland (leading actor in the “Spider-Man” and
“Avengers” film series), Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy in the
“Harry Potter” film series) and five-time football Champions
League winner Gareth Bale. Other former world-class footballers such
as Jermaine Jenas, Theo Walcott and John Terry, as well as the cricket
stars James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Kevin Pietersen took on the
legendary West Course at the Wentworth Club. Pop music also enjoyed a
VIP presence, with former Westlife singer Brian McFadden and DJ
Locksmith, member of top DnB act Rudimental, in attendance.
In addition to his golfing prowess, Leon “Locksmith” Rolle rounded
off the day by wowing fans with his actual talent, with an
electrifying live performance on the Show Stage in the BMW PGA
Championship Village. Live music on Saturday and Sunday evening has
been a key element of the BMW PGA Championship for many years, and now
the programme has been extended to include Wednesday. Jax Jones and
The Wombats will perform at the weekend.
As of Thursday, one of the biggest stages that European golf has to
offer will finally belong to the pros. The outstanding field of
players at the tournament with a prize fund of nine million US dollars
includes the entire European Ryder Cup team: Rory McIlroy (NIR), Jon
Rahm (ESP), Robert MacIntyre (SCO), Viktor Hovland (NOR), Matt
Fitzpatrick (ENG), Tyrrell Hatton (ENG), Ludvig Åberg (SWE), Tommy
Fleetwood (ENG), Nicolai Højgaard (DEN), Shane Lowry (IRL), Justin
Rose (ENG) and Sepp Straka (AUT).
Captain Luke Donald (ENG), his vice-captains Thomas Bjørn (DEN),
Francesco Molinari (ITA), Edoardo Molinari (ITA) and Nicolas Colsaerts
(BEL), as well as previous winners Billy Horschel (USA, 2021) and
Danny Willett (ENG, 2019) will also tee off at the BMW PGA Championship.
With so many superb golfers, it is not only the fans who are looking
forward to an abundance of birdies and eagles: BMW will be donating
£10 for each birdie, and £100 for each eagle, to a good cause. The
official charity for the BMW PGA Championship 2023, which will receive
the money, is the same as last year’s charity, the Campaign Against
Living Miserably (CALM). The objective of CALM is to direct attention
to the topic of suicide prevention and collect donations for the
life-saving work performed by the organisation. Visitors to the BMW
PGA Championship will have the opportunity to donate to the
organisation at various locations around the grounds – including at
the popular Mega Putt Challenge.
