A temporary driving range was another addition, because, says Humphrey, “the one we had just wasn’t long enough.” The course was closed from March 2020 until May 1, 2021, and it will be closed again, of course, during BMW Championship week, but club members have responded positively to all of this privation. They were given first shot at volunteering to work the event, and 450 of the club’s approximately 750 members stepped up, according to Humphrey. Adding to the appeal of the tournament is the fact that all proceeds benefit the Evans Scholars Foundation. The foundation’s mission is to award full college tuition and housing scholarships to deserving youth caddies. Since 2007, the event has raised more than $35 million for the scholarships.
Scholarly Quadruplet
Frank Yocum, of Garnet Valley, Pa., a caddie at WCC and a Penn State sophomore, is an Evans Scholar. The scholarship is especially providential for Yocum and his family; he is a quadruplet, and his three siblings are all at four-year universities (his two sisters at Penn State, his brother at Temple), thus representing a potential national-debt-sized dent in their parents’ bank account. “The Evans Scholarship has allowed me to pursue a world-class education and is giving me so many opportunities that I could not even have dreamed of,” Yocum said at the tournament media day. “I plan to receive a five-year integrated master’s in accounting while obtaining enough credits to sit for my CPA exam." Yocum will be among 30 Evans scholars who will caddy at the pro-am event on Aug. 17. Pairings will be announced at a party in the Longwood Gardens Conservatory the night before. (The party is closed to the public.)
Choosing Favorites
Humphrey and the committee are hoping for good weather and a course that is “firm and fast” for the pros. As for the potential winner of the four-day main event, Humphrey mentions Daniel Berger, Patrick Rodgers, and Thomas, the 2019 BMW champ who played the course during the Palmer Cup nine years ago. With the club and area businesses poised to make a great impression on all who participate in or attend the event, Humphrey was asked if the tournament might return to the WCC sometime in the future. “We won’t know until it’s over,” he says. “First off, we want to find out if the members enjoyed it and had fun. Was it worth giving up the course for a week? Then Western Golf will have to decide whether it was good for them. And certainly BMW, too. “My sense is everybody’s going to feel really good about it. So at some point in the future they might want to come back.” The 2022 BMW Championship joins a growing list of recent developments that have amped up the region’s nationwide profile. The comings and goings of President Joe Biden have provided a significant bump, of course, but the list also includes the burgeoning downtown dining scene, the once-again-resurgent Riverfront, and events such as the Firefly Music Festival, which returns next month to The Woodlands at Dover International Speedway. So, while the return of the BMW Championship in the next few years would be gratifying, for right now, Wilmington and environs are basking in the national spotlight and bending every effort to take full advantage of it.
Schedule of Events Tickets for the Aug. 16-21 activities at Wilmington Country Club were going fast at press time, but some general admission may be available at BMWchampionship.com. Those interested in volunteering for the event can also use the website to add their names to the wait list. Below are the events open to ticketholders and the TV schedule: Tuesday, Aug. 16: 6:30 a.m.- 6 p.m. — Professional practice rounds 8 a.m. — Gates and ticket office open Wednesday, Aug. 17: 6:30 a.m. — Gates and ticket office open 7 a.m. — Gardner Heidrick Pro-Am Thursday, Aug. 18: 9 a.m. — Gates and ticket office open 10 a.m. — Round 1 competition Friday, Aug. 19: 9 a.m. — Gates and ticket office open 10 a.m. – Round 2 competition Saturday, Aug. 20: 7 a.m. — Gates and ticket office open 8 a.m. -- Round 3 competition Sunday, Aug. 21: 7 a.m. — Gates and ticket office open 8 a.m. — Final round competition
TV Schedule: Thursday, Aug. 18: 3-7 p.m. — Golf Channel Friday, Aug. 19: 3-7 p.m. — Golf Channel Saturday, Aug. 20: 12-3 p.m. — Golf Channel 3-6 p.m. — NBC Sunday, Aug. 21: 12-3 p.m. — Golf Channel 2-6 p.m. — NBC
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