NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. … Media and guests eagerly awaiting the 2018 BMW Championship this September filled the clubhouse at Aronimink Golf Club on July 9 for an exciting preview day hosted by the Western Golf Association.

The morning started with Vince Pellegrino, Senior Vice President of Tournaments for the Western Golf Association, welcoming guests and hosting a Skype interview with defending BMW Championship winner Marc Leishman. Leishman spoke about his strong performance to date in the 2018 season, what it takes to defend a championship, and his memories of Aronimink from the 2010 and 2011 AT&T National, when he last competed at the club.

Following the conversation with Leishman, Frank Morley, chairman of Western Golf Association, spoke about the Platt Evans Scholarship and the vital role of the BMW Championship in providing funding for caddie scholarships. Parker Bria, one of nine Platt Evans Scholars who will attend Penn State University in the fall, shared her experiences with caddying and emphasized her overwhelming gratitude for the Scholarship, her passion for golf and the ways in which the Scholarship has changed her life and positively impacted her family.

Shifting to discussion of the course itself, Joe Fabrizio, president of Aronimink Golf Club, talked about the highlights and history of the course before inviting Gil Hanse, noted course architect, to the stage to discuss the recent course restoration. During an in-depth conversation about the restoration of the course to its original 1928 Donald Ross American Parkland design, Hanse pointed out nuances of several of the holes that make it a truly remarkable test.

The morning concluded with Pellegrino previewing what to expect at the 2018 BMW Championship, including the first-rate spectator experience and the opportunity to watch the top 70 golfers in the world compete in a picturesque setting just outside Philadelphia.