Pete and Alice Dye named honorary chairpersons for BMW Championship

The Western Golf Association has named Pete and Alice Dye, world-renowned golf course architects, honorary chairpersons of the 2016 BMW Championship. The tournament—the penultimate event in the PGA TOUR’s FedExCup Playoffs—returns to Crooked Stick Golf Club in Carmel, Ind., Sept. 5-11, 2016. The historic course was designed by the Dyes in 1964.

“I don’t think I’d be in the golf business today if it hadn’t been for Crooked Stick and the people who got behind it and put it together,” Pete said. “Fifty years ago, Crooked Stick was just a dream. Today it is one of the most recognizable and vibrant courses in the nation. I’m extremely proud that Alice and I have been named honorary chairpersons of the 2016 BMW Championship, which is returning to a course I’ve always considered to be our ‘firstborn.’”

To pay homage to the legendary designers, the upgraded hospitality pavilion located between the 15th and 16th holes on Crooked Stick, will now be named The Dye Club. Crooked Stick is best known for hosting John Daly's celebrated win at the PGA Championship in 1991 as well as the 2012 BMW Championship, won by Rory McIlroy and named the 2012 PGA TOUR Tournament of the Year.

“The Dyes are two of the most influential golf course designers our generation has seen,” said Kent Frandsen, president of Crooked Stick Golf Club. “It is an honor that they continue to call Crooked Stick their home, and we could think of no better way to recognize this incredible couple than by naming them honorary chairpersons of the 2016 BMW Championship.”

The Dyes’ first endeavor in the world of golf course design began in Indianapolis in 1959 with the development of El Dorado, once a nine-hole course just south of Indianapolis, now known as the Dye’s Walk Country Club. Two years later, they built their first 18-hole course, Heather Hills, now called Maple Creek Country Club, on the east side of Indianapolis. To date, there are more than 10 Dye designs in the Indianapolis metro area.

The duo is also responsible for the design of numerous famous courses, including Whistling Straits near Kohler, Wis.; PGA West in La Quinta, Calif.; The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Resort in Kiawah, S.C.; Harbour Town Golf Links and Long Cove Club on Hilton Head Island, S.C.; and Teeth of the Dog in La Romana, Dominican Republic.

Throughout his career, Pete has received numerous awards and honors recognizing him as a trailblazer in golf course design. His most notable accolades include receiving the PGA TOUR Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005 and being inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2008.

The 2016 BMW Championship brings the top 70 PGA TOUR players to Crooked Stick to compete for the tournament’s $8.5 million purse, including $1.53 million for the winner. Past champions include Tiger Woods, Justin Rose, McIlroy and Zach Johnson.

All proceeds from the BMW Championship benefit the Evans Scholars Foundation, which awards full tuition and housing college scholarships to deserving caddies from modest means. The BMW Championship has contributed more than $19.6 million to the Evans Scholars Foundation since the tournament’s inception in 2007.