A striking result
What : BMW PGA Championship Where : Wentworth Club , Virginia Water , Surrey When : 9-12 September 2021 Photo : Andrew Redington / Getty Images
The return of long-established annual golf tournament the BMW PGA Championship delighted the 25,000-strong daily crowd at the Wentworth Club , along with the millions of TV viewers who watched American Billy Horschel win by the narrowest of margins .
Horschel ’ s birdie on Wentworth ’ s storied 18th hole saw him gain a one-shot victory and finish nineteen-under . But it wasn ’ t just the golf and the lush greenery at Wentworth that provided a stunning setting at the 18th .
In total , Arena supplied more than 9,000m ² of temporary structures across the course . It worked with the European Tour to provide an impressive mix of grandstand seating and a five-metre high , two-storey , hospitality structure at the 18th that not only looked hugely impressive , but provided organisers with considerable flexibility .
Situated adjacent to the 2,500-capacity grandstand , the hospitality area provided the lucky occupants with a comfortable environment and remarkable view of the action .
“ We were looking to modernise the look and feel of the event , and one area was a new five-metre terrace added to the Championship Pavilion that really brought a new dynamic to the 18th hole , for both our guests and players alike ,” says BMW PGA Championship operations director Darrell O ’ Hora .
The structure was designed for the event during the pandemic , with social distancing very much in mind , but the lifting of restrictions meant the PGA was able to increase numbers in the structure to 900 while maintaining a roomy and safe environment .
“ With full-capacity events given the go ahead we were able to accommodate more stakeholders in the structure , while providing an extremely comfortable environment that was much more open and relaxed than in previous years ,” says O ’ Hora .
Despite the well-documented damage to the events supply chain during the pandemic , O ’ Hora says the BMW PGA Championship was relatively unaffected : “ We were fully aware of the challenges the industry was experiencing building up to the event , but we have a really strong supply chain and in the end all of our suppliers came through for us .
“ I am incredibly proud of what we achieved considering the challenges the industry has been facing .”
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