BMW PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

September 7, 2022

Keith Pelley

Wentworth Golf Club

Quick Quotes

Q. The BMW PGA is finally upon us, you must be excited.

KEITH PELLEY: I'm really excited about it. Not only do we have sold out crowds on Friday, Saturday and Sunday but we have a stellar field led by just in the backdrop, I see over your shoulder a picture of Rory McIlroy; Rory, every time he comes in, he changes a golf tournament. Jon Rahm just the great presence he has; Matthew Fitzpatrick, the U.S. Open champion. So, big crowds. All we really need is good weather. Can you believe it? Honestly the weather is phenomenal all summer and then you have a potential chance of rain.

But one thing I've learned over the last seven years living here in the U.K., weather changes quickly. So I'm still optimistic.

Q. Let's talk about the crowds a little bit more, completely sellout crowds and just goes to show how much appetite there is for the field and the tournament this week?

KEITH PELLEY: I think there's a number of things. First of all, the field. First of all, golf got a real boost during COVID, as well as people just want to come out now. So there's a combination of a number of factors but as I said once you announce Rory, there's been a jump in tickets and coming off the back of the FedEx win which was a spectacular win, he's a monumental superstar but as is Jon Rahm. They both have the two biggest followers and now Matthew Fitzpatrick as the U.S. Open champion,.

And there's all kinds of big stars here like the defending champion Billy Horschel, world class, world class. So you've got five of the Top-50, Victor Hovland. I could go on and on. It's a terrific field and one we are incredibly proud of.

I think the golf course is in immaculate shape and the village will be popping this weekend. I've had to learn a few Jack Jones songs but I'm learning those now.

What makes this very special is this is the 100th anniversary of Wentworth and Dr. Chanchai is here. He's invested in the golf course.

I remember coming here, six, seven years ago and a lot of people were criticising the golf course and I came to my office and said, how can I make the golf course better he came up with a plan and he said I'll pay what it costs and they did that. Redid the greens and made so many changes to the golf course. Now the players love it. It's world class. The residents are now supportive. It's really quite exciting.

Q. Ryder Cup qualification starts this week. How exciting is it for you guys, Ryder Cup Europe and of course Luke Donald?

KEITH PELLEY: Yeah, Luke has been absolutely terrific, meticulous and detailed in his analysis over the Ryder Cup qualification criteria. It starts this week. Rome is going to be brilliant in 2023. Rory and Matthew Fitzpatrick are headed to Italy next week to play in Italy, Marco Simone, to get a glimpse of the golf course. That's pretty exciting. It starts this week and we have so many young players, so many young players that have an opportunity to qualify this year, and that begins tomorrow.