OWINGS MILLS, Maryland — On Sunday, thousands of golf fans flocked to Caves Valley Golf Club, braving the heat and hilly course to watch the pros tee up for the final round of the penultimate FedEx Club playoff on the PGA tour.
WATCH: BMW Championship brings big economic boost for Maryland
“You get to see all the pros do all the things that we try to do and don't successfully do too good,” fan Joe Spain said.
The last time this event was held at the course was 2021, which had an economic impact statewide of $53 million, supporting 450 jobs.
On Sunday night, Scottie Scheffler won the championship, making a notable comeback after being in a four-point deficit.
It’s also been a successful return for Maryland, with an expected 7-8% boost in economic impact this go-around, according to executive director of the Maryland Sports Commission Terry Hassletine.
“Their wallets are a little freer because we're away from what was 2021, which was just coming out of COVID,” he said.
That could be felt all across the course, like at the Hole 9 snowball stand run by the students of First Tee Greater Baltimore.
“We’ve doubled the amount of snowballs this year,” executive director Matt Bassler said.
Their program combines teaching kids golf and life skills.
“So our first tee students are making snowballs; they've been making them all week, and the proceeds from the stand this week go to improve our program, more clubs, more access, more opportunities for the 600 kids in our program,” he said.
The BMW Championship has been hosted at a variety of challenging courses across the country, and though next year has been spoken for at the Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis, MO, Hassletine says the discussions to get the championship back in Maryland begin ASAP.
“It takes a resume, and Maryland’s been building a resume now for many, many years about having the ability to host world-class events and a world-class destination,” Hassletine said.
“I can’t say if there's a guarantee, but I can tell you there will be a full-court press.”