7 hours at the BMW Championship

Austin Clamage, News Editor

An overlook of the 9th hole, par-5, at Conway Farms Golf Club.

 

The BMW Championship took place at Conway Farms Golf Club from September 17-20 with Jason Day winning it with a total score of 22-under par. The tournament was a big success, even though there were a few flaws.

My day started out on Saturday morning debating on the best place to park. For most people, it was either parking a mile away from the course and having to pay $40 dollars or leaving their car at Six Flags Great America for free and then taking a 15 minute shuttle to the entrance. Luckily, I was able to park at LFA and then only have a 5-10 minute walk.

Once arriving to the tournament, I was able to finally enjoy The Championship with its spectacular views of the golf course and being able to get close to the players. One of the highlights was while walking down the 10th hole, a golf ball came within 10 yards of me. Quickly walking to the ball, I waited next to it waiting for Patrick Reed to hit his second shot. Some people would have been mad that they almost got hit with a golf ball, but for me, there was no better experience then being able to hear a professional golfer talk to his caddy and then watching him, from 5 feet away, hit his ball onto the green.

I was disappointed however that the fans were unable to take photos of the players since it could a pose a “distraction” for the golfers. The tournament kept this rule strictly by having workers keeping a keen eye on the fans with their phones out. The fans were able to take photos of the golfers when they were warming up though.

image-4
Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth talk to each other on the practice green.

While watching the players, I decided to make a stop at the concession stands. The line was relatively fast to order and then I instantly got my food which included a hot dog and lemonade which, was comparable to a hot dog at any other sporting event (in taste and price).

After having my food, I went to the bathrooms which I was very disappointed with since they were porta potties that were trashed with people’s beer cans and wrappers.

This low point was overlooked with the great condition of the course especially considering the thunderstorms that took place Thursday night. It was obvious that the maintenance crew did a lot of work on the course itself and in the areas for the fans in order to get rid of all the puddles.

When I took a break from watching golf, I went to check out all the fan interactions that were set up. Some activities included being able to look at the newest cars from BMW, a hole-in- one challenge for the fans, and golf-based workout demos for the fans. My favorite activity was a mini putt hole where you given one putt to win a free hat. These activities gave the experience the fans another memory, and allowed BMW to showcase their new 7 series.

Overall, the BMW Championship was a huge success with great activities to do for the fans on top of some great golf to watch.