Drive to Glory: Opening of the 44th Ryder Cup with Worldwide Partner BMW.

+++ Emotional opening ceremony in Rome +++ All-electric BMW vehicle fleet for teams and organisers +++ BMW brand experience for customers and fans +++ “Best seats in the house” at the first tee +++ Exclusive live broadcasts in the new BMW 7 Series and other models** +++

Rome/Munich. On Friday morning, the moment the golf world has been eagerly awaiting for the past two years will arrive. The first tee off at the 44th Ryder Cup takes place in front of the impressive backdrop of the grandstand at the first tee of the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club. In attendance will be tens of thousands of fans and Worldwide Partner BMW. Over the course of three days, the twelve best golfers of host Europe and those of defending champions USA will go head-to-head in match play. The epic team duel is not about prize money, it is about glory and honour for the respective continent.

The unique emotions associated with the Ryder Cup were tangible at the opening ceremony today, the excitement for the 28 matches (four Foursomes and four Fourballs on both Friday and Saturday, twelve singles matches on Sunday) knows no limits. Worldwide Partner BMW is using its vehicles to transport the fascination of the world-renowned sporting event to customers, fans and visitors – both in Rome and around the world.

BMW is supporting the smooth running of the Ryder Cup with a fleet comprising 120 all-electric vehicles which is transporting the members of the golf and organisational teams with zero emissions. Sustainable electromobility is also the focus of the Ryder Cup Village and other locations on the event site; the vehicles on show include the new BMW i5, the BMW i7 and the BMW iX. Fans can relax and get involved in entertaining activities in the BMW Fan Zone.

Spectators can also sit in the BMW i7’s luxurious seats right at the first tee. Six of the seats have been installed in the stand and these will be allocated to fans on site. With a little bit of luck, even those without a ticket could be allocated one as well as one of the six “best seats in the house”, allowing them to experience the biggest golf event along with the unmatched comfort of the BMW i7.

BMW customers unable to attend the Ryder Cup in person won’t have to miss out on the sporting drama and the electrifying atmosphere that the unique golf event is famous for the world over. For the first time in the history of the Ryder Cup, there will be live broadcasts in cars – wherever you are*. BMW is enabling customers to experience every shot live in a large number of models** and to stream extensive on-demand content.

Customers of the new BMW 7 Series in particular will feel like they are right there on the fairways and greens. The Ryder Cup in-car app will allow passengers in the second row to enjoy the sporting highlight on the BMW Theatre Screen. The 31-inch panorama display extends down from the roof lining in 32:9 format with 8K resolution, transforming the rear of the new BMW 7 Series into an exclusive private cinema on wheels. Thanks to the on-board 5G-enabled antenna system, BMW customers benefit from the best-possible streaming speeds. All content can also be viewed on the front-row BMW Curved Display when stationary. For safety reasons, it is not possible to play premium sport content in the front row while driving.

* Abu Dhabi, Albania, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dubai, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Kuwait, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Montenegro, Morocco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, USA.

** BMW 7 Series (G70), BMW iX (produced after 03/23), BMW X5, BMW X6, BMW X7 (after 04/23), BMW XM (after 08/23).