RUMOUR: Is BMW PGA at Wentworth about to become co-sanctioned with PGA Tour?!

Rumours fly the famous BMW PGA at Wentworth is about to soon receive PGA Tour status!

29 Apr 2023

RUMOUR: Is BMW PGA at Wentworth about to become co-sanctioned with PGA Tour?! — RUMOUR: Is BMW PGA at Wentworth about to become co-sanctioned with PGA…

Rumours have surfaced on social media this weekend that the DP World Tour's famous BMW PGA Championship in England could soon become a co-sanctioned tournament on the PGA Tour.

Should it happen, the BMW PGA on the iconic West Course at Wentworth in Virginia Water would join the Scottish Open as being a co-sanctioned event on the DP World Tour and PGA Tour.

The rumour was first announced on social media by the popular 'Flushing It' account, which has just shy of 30k followers.

If you look at the changes to the schedule, the Irish is now in perfect position to be ‘elevated’ in some way too, so is the Spanish. With Rahm and Rory both being vocal about the importance of national opens, I can see something happening there too.
They might not be worded as…
— Flushing It (@flushingitgolf) April 29, 2023

In a series of tweets by Flushing It, the account understands PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan has been "visiting Wentworth frequently" and that building work has already taken place to the left of the par-4 6th for "greater media presence".

An update on the DP World Tour schedule is going to be revealed at the Scottish Open from July 13-16, a week before The Open.

Flushing It tweeted:

"Is the BMW PGA Championship about to become a co-sanctioned event with the PGA Tour? I’ve been reliably told, that it is. I was at Wentworth this week with someone who I greatly respect, who told me that Jay Monahan has visited the club frequently. They also said, work has commenced to the left of 6 on the West, to build infrastructure to support a greater media presence. (The groundworks are clearly visible.) Keith Pelley and Paul McGinley, have been cryptic about potential changes to the schedule, that will be announced earlier than usual at the Scottish Open. I believe the international events series, that was reported early last year, is going to happen. With possibly 3 co-sanctioned DP World Tour events in the Autumn, leading into the Race to Dubai finale. If it were to happen, what are your thoughts?"

The account added:

"If you look at the changes to the schedule, the Irish is now in perfect position to be ‘elevated’ in some way too, so is the Spanish. With Rahm and Rory both being vocal about the importance of national opens, I can see something happening there too. They might not be worded as “co-sanctioned”, but something is definitely going on."

GolfMagic Verdict

Should the BMW PGA Championship receive some sort of elevated status with the PGA Tour in the near future then it would more than likely see even more PGA Tour stars such as Scottie Scheffler and Justin Thomas make the trip across the pond.

The BMW PGA is still regarded by many as the flagship event of the DP World Tour season, although some would now argue that status is best served for the end-of-season DP World Tour Championship or even the Scottish Open as a result of its recent co-sanctioned status at The Renaissance Club.

While the BMW PGA does still attract the likes of Rory McIlroy, Billy Horschel and defending champion Shane Lowry to the West Course, and Jon Rahm has been a frequent visitor previously, the field has somewhat been depleted in terms of real star quality in recent years as result of its position in the schedule and quite simply put, the inflated purses on the PGA Tour.

Related: McIlroy to play 2023 BMW PGA

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Here at GolfMagic, we believe the BMW PGA deserves to have the strongest field possible on the DP World Tour.

We've been attending this tournament for the best part of 30 years now and we just feel its somewhat been losing its spark of late.

The BMW PGA Championship should be seen on par with The Players Championship as the unofficial fifth major of the season, especially with the DP World Tour's HQ being based on the grounds at Wentworth.

The tournament has the history, it has the perfectly manicured golf course, and it has the fans to make it the best in the business.

Sir Nick Faldo is the record four-time winner of the PGA Championship, with Peter Alliss, Bernhard Langer and Colin Montgomerie earning hat-tricks. Seve Ballesteros also won it twice in 1983 and 1991.

The DP World Tour is seemingly in need of a freshen up and giving the BMW PGA 'PGA Tour' status would be exactly that if you could get some of the biggest and best stars to all finally make the trip over to Wentworth. It's been a long time coming it must be said.

The BMW PGA Championship is currently on the DP World Tour schedule from September 14 to 17. That clashes with the Fortinet Championship, the first tournament of the 2023-24 PGA Tour season, but that typically never attracts the strongest of fields so Wentworth could take full advantage here.

What's Rory McIlroy said about it?

McIlroy, who will be competing in this year's BMW PGA, recently hinted about a change in the tournament's status alongside his own national open at the Irish Open.

He also threw the Spanish Open into the mix, especially with World No.1 Jon Rahm being a fellow vocal presence in all things DP World Tour and PGA Tour.

McIlroy said last month:

"Irish Open. Spanish Open. Scottish Open is obviously a co-sanctioned event now which is a big step forward. Wentworth. There’s a few obvious ones that stick out that you could try to incorporate into more of a world tour schedule, more so than it just being purely DP World, purely PGA Tour and trying to sort of combine the two a little bit."

What do you make of this rumour? Would you like to see the BMW PGA upgraded in status with the PGA Tour? Do some of the national Opens deserve an upgrade, too? Share your thoughts and comments over on the GolfMagic social media channels.