Student art ideas sought for BMW Championship mural in Olympia Fields
Up to three budding artists may have their creative ideas seen by tens of thousands of people in August.
To help celebrate the BMW Championship returning to Olympia Fields Country Club for the first time in three years, the Western Golf Association is seeking ideas from young artists.
Students from kindergarten through the 12th grade are eligible. Ideas from up to three of those youths will be incorporated for a mural displayed at the event.
John Borneman, senior director of communications for the Western Golf Association, said organization officials are “excited about a cool way to engage the community around Olympia Fields.”
“We’re inviting kids of all ages to submit their drawings or art creations,” he said. “What we’re going to do is pick up to three of those and use them to inspire a mural that will be at the BMW Championship.”
Students are encouraged to submit artwork that aligns with the theme “Golf in Chicago” and encouraged to explore iconic moments in tournament history.
A panel of judges — “people who are artistically inclined, much more so than me” — will judge the artwork and pick up to three winners, he said.
An artist will be hired to paint the mural inside the pedestrian tunnel that connects the Olympia Fields Metra station to Olympia Fields Country Club.
“The painting will be based on the submissions we receive,” Borneman said.
That mural will be viewed by the tens of thousands of golf fans who attend the tournament from Aug. 15-20.
“The interesting thing about the tournament this year is people don’t park on-site at Olympia Fields,” Borneman said. “They park remotely and take a short shuttle (bus) ride to Olympia Fields. All of those shuttles drop off (fans) in the Metra parking lot, and all of the fans will walk through that tunnel.
“We want to create something that gives you an immediate sense of place and the history of the championship and welcomes you to the club.”
One sense of history is Jim Furyk winning the U.S. Open at Olympia Fields in 2003. Another is John Rahm’s 66-foot birdie putt that won the BMW three years ago.
The sad thing about that “incredible finish,” Borneman said, was that fans were not permitted to attend because of the pandemic.
An art contest planned that year was scrapped, also because of the virus, Borneman said.
“So we’re really excited to be back at Olympia Fields and get everybody from the Chicago area to come out and watch the championship this year,” he said.
Each winning youth will receive a BMW Championship prize pack that includes tickets, official championship merchandise and a pin flag signed by Patrick Cantlay.
Cantlay is the reigning BMW Championship winner and the first player to win the tournament in consecutive years since the FedExCup began in 2007.
The BMW is the second event in the FedExCup playoffs this year. It will offer the best in pro golf with the top 50 players on the PGA Tour teeing off.
Artwork can be submitted electronically through a link on the Western Golf Association site at wgaesf.org/the-latest-news, and submissions are being accepted until 11:59 p.m. on Monday.
Submissions are not limited to greens and fairways.
They can also be inspired by the themes of youth and education, officials said, as all proceeds from the tournament help fund the Evans Scholars Foundation. The foundation provides full tuition and housing college scholarships to youth caddies across the country.
A record 1,100 caddies are enrolled in 22 universities across the nation as Evans Scholars.
Since 2007 the BMW Championship has raised more than $44.5 million for the program, enabling more than 3,300 young men and women to attend college.
Borneman knows all about that Evans program: As a youth, he was a caddie at Aurora Country Club and attended Marquette University as an Evans Scholar.