The PGA Tour returns to the Baltimore area and tickets for the highly anticipated 2025 BMW Championship are available starting Thursday. The 2021 BMW Championship was held at Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills, and it will return to the same venue next summer after a few years away.
“It’s great for the greater Baltimore metropolitan area to host an event like this,” Caves Valley Chairman and President Steve Fader told the Baltimore Sun. “The direct economic impact is significant and, more importantly, the proceeds from this tournament will benefit the Evans Scholars Foundation. »
The foundation awards university scholarships to young caddies. In 2021, the championship raised $5.6 million and sent Evans Scholars to the University of Maryland, and there will be an Evans Scholars House on the Maryland campus in the fall. Fader hopes that in addition to charitable contributions, the economic impact in the region will exceed $50 million.
Tickets became available Thursday for all four rounds of the 2025 tournament, which begin Aug. 14, as well as practice rounds from the previous two days. Different ticketing packages can be purchased at bmwchampionship.comwith daily passes to access the courts currently worth just over $100 for a tournament round. Fans 15 and under receive free admission to the field when accompanied by a ticketed adult. Hospitality venues require one ticket for each fan, regardless of age.
The tournament is the penultimate event of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, and only the top 50 golfers in the FedEx Cup standings will participate. This is a no-cut event, which guarantees fans will see all 50 players play in each of the four rounds, barring injury.
The 2024 BMW Championship included many of the biggest names in golf, including Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele. Keegan Bradley, who will captain the 2025 U.S. Ryder Cup team in the fall, won the 2024 event. Patrick Cantlay, who won the 2021 BMW Championship at Caves Valley in the six-hole playoff against Bryson DeChambeau, was also on the field in 2024.
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“Four years ago, Caves Valley Golf Club and golf’s brightest stars delivered an instant classic,” Vince Pellegrino, Western Golf Association senior vice president of tournaments, said in a press release. “We are thrilled to bring this historic championship back to a region with so many dedicated fans.”
Fans should expect some notable differences in the 2025 iteration of the tournament. Cantlay and DeChambeau were tied at 27 under par through 72 holes in 2021, but scores aren’t expected to be as low in 2025. Since the 2021 tournament, Caves Valley has added PrecisionAire underground systems beneath the course’s 18 greens that help control humidity levels. . This allowed changes to the greens and should ensure the tournament is tougher than in 2021, even if rain in the area softens the greens.
“I’m looking for a firmer, faster course this year,” Fader said.
Additionally, the PGA Tour will see the course play to a par 70 in 2025, rather than the par 72 setup that yielded many birdies in 2021. Although scores are expected to be higher in 2025, Fader hopes the next championship will be. feature similar drama to Cantlay’s thrilling victory.
“I can’t promise a six-hole playoff,” Fader said, “but I would certainly like to see it happen again.”
David Smith, co-owner of Baltimore Sun, serves on the board of directors of MileOne Autogroup Inc., of which Fader is CEO, and has a majority stake, according to SEC filings.
Do you have a current tip? Contact sports editor Bennett Conlin at [email protected]410-332-6200 and x.com/BennettConlin.
