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The BMW Championship is the core of a six-year partnership agreement of BMW with the PGA TOUR and the Western Golf Association. The event - the third of four PGA TOUR Playoff tournaments that culminate in the new FedExCup competition, debuts in 2007.

The inaugural BMW Championship USA will be played the week of September 3-9, 2007, at Cog Hill Golf Club in Lemont, Illinois, southwest of Chicago. Starting in 2008, the BMW Championship will travel to some of the premier golf courses in the Midwest every other year. The championship will be played in St. Louis at Bellerive Country Club in 2008, return to Chicago in 2009 and every second year thereafter, in Indianapolis at Crooked Stick Golf Club in 2010 and at a yet to be determined location in the Midwest in 2012.

Following a shorter regular season of 33 weeks, a four-week-long post season will begin in the middle of August. During the course of the season, the pros will be able to collect special ranking points, which decide their qualification for the season final. Prior to the start of the four-week-long championship series, points will be reset. Based on the players position in the ranking, the top 144 players will receive a certain amount of points as a "starting bonus" heading into the playoffs.

An increasing number of player will be eliminated each week of the playoffs, with the top 120 continuing after the first week (Barclays Classic in New York), 70 continuing after the second event (Deutsche Bank Championship in Boston) and 30 qualifying at the BMW Championship to move on to THE TOUR Championship in Atlanta the following week.

"Globally, BMW has aligned itself with the premier performance-driven sports. Just as the America's Cup and Formula 1 represent the pinnacle in their respective arenas, the U.S. golf market is the largest in the world," said Jan-Christiaan Koenders, Director, BMW Brand Communications. "For more than 20 years, BMW has been involved in international golf. Golf represents excellence, precision, aesthetic appeal and a cultivated lifestyle. This new partnership agreement exemplifies BMW's ongoing commitment to the advancement and legacy of the sport."