BMW Championship: Crunch time in the “Mile High City”.

Munich/Denver. There are no more excuses from this point on: at the BMW Championship (4th to 7th September, Cherry Hills Country Club, Denver) the top golfers on the PGA TOUR will need to call on all of their exceptional talent if they want to secure one of only 30 tickets for next week’s FedExCup final. Less than half of the 70 world-class players who have progressed to the penultimate round of the Playoffs will make it to the TOUR Championship in Atlanta. This starting point promises to provide top-level golf in every respect - and pure excitement - as the BMW Championship makes its debut in the “Mile High City”.

“As the semi-final of the PGA TOUR Playoffs, the BMW Championship has a special status in BMW Golfsport's global commitment,” said Thorsten Mattig, BMW Group Head of Sports Marketing and Cooperations. “We are very proud to be able to present this extremely high-quality sport to golf fans and are looking forward to the tournament in the sporting city of Denver. World number one Rory McIlroy, all the reigning major winners, and numerous US and international stars will be in action. However, it is not just the field that makes the BMW Championship such an impressive event. It's not without reason that the PGA TOUR crowned the tournament its 'Tournament of the Year' for the last two years running. For BMW and our partner Western Golf Association, this recognition acts as motivation to be just that little bit better in 2014, to ensure that everyone involved has an extraordinary tournament week once again.”

This year's BMW Championship will be held at the Cherry Hills Country Club, just outside Denver. The capital of the US state of Colorado lies at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, exactly one mile (about 1600 metres) above sea level. The majestic mountain view provides the backdrop for the top 70 players in the FedExCup, who can get much more distance on their shots than usual due to the altitude of the Cherry Hills Country Club.

Chris Kirk tees off at the BMW Championship as FedExCup leader. The American won the Deutsche Bank Championship on Monday and now leads the standings with 4,154 points, ahead of McIlroy (Northern Ireland, 3,335) and Hunter Mahan (USA, 3,311). Jimmy Walker, Matt Kuchar, Bubba Watson (all USA), Jason Day (Australia), Jim Furyk, Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler (all USA) complete the top ten.

The winner of each Playoff event receives 2,500 points, meaning anything is still possible with a good result for stars like defending BMW Champion Zach Johnson (USA, 11th), Martin Kaymer (Germany, 15th), Sergio García (Spain, 23rd), Justin Rose (England, 27th), Graeme McDowell (Northern Ireland, 53rd), defending FedExCup champion Henrik Stenson (Sweden, 55) and Phil Mickelson (USA, 56th), who find themselves further down the rankings.

It doesn't stop at the coveted qualification for the season finale and the prize fund of eight million US dollars. This year there will be a spectacular Hole-in-One award up for grabs at the BMW Championship: the plug-in hybrid sports car, the BMW i8.

With its drive concept, fascinating design, gull-wing doors and innovations such as intelligent lightweight design and laser lights, the first sports car with the fuel consumption and emission levels of a compact car is one of the most spectacular and pioneering vehicles that BMW has ever manufactured. Last year, Hunter Mahan (USA) won the fully-electric BMW i3 with an ace at the BMW Championship. In Cherry Hills, a second Hole-in-One Car is up for grabs: the first player to ace the 12th hole will receive a BMW M4.

All net proceeds from the BMW Championship conducted by the WGA benefit the Evans Scholars Foundation, which grants full college scholarships to deserving young caddies. Since BMW became title sponsor in 2007, the tournament has contributed more than $16 million to the Evans Scholars Foundation.