June 05--Medinah Country Club members will vote June 13 on whether to host the 2019 BMW Championship, the Tribune has learned.
A 'yes' vote would be a boon to the golf fans who want to keep Chicago in the FedEx Cup playoff rotation.
Conway Farms, in Lake Forest, will host the BMW Championship this fall and in 2017, completing its three-tournament run. The event moves to Crooked Stick, near Indianapolis, in 2016 and to Aronimink, outside Philadelphia, in 2018.
Conway Farms could eventually get back in the BMW Championship rotation, but Western Golf Association organizers targeted historic Medinah for the 2019 event.
Medinah has hosted five majors and was the site of the 2012 Ryder Cup.
Last year it completed a $6.5 million renovation of Course No. 1, and some thought was given to testing it out for a PGA Tour event.
But the club and WGA officials decided that Course No. 3, which ranked 39th on Golf Digest's latest rankings of America's Greatest Courses, would be the right venue for the world's top players.
Approval at Medinah's annual meeting requires a simple majority, and sources said they expect it to pass.
What helps sell a BMW Championship to Medinah's members is that it's not as invasive as hosting a major championship, which can shut down a course for weeks and cause parking snafus.
The event, slated for the second week of September in 2019, will be contested by the top 70 players on the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup points list.
tgreenstein@tribpub.com
