Lake Forest Takes Pride, If Not Profit, In BMW Championship

LAKE FOREST, IL — The 2017 BMW Championship wrapped up Sunday with a five-shot victory and a record score for Marc Leischman as the final such event to be held at Conway Farms Golf Club in Lake Forest in September. Next year's event is set for Aronimink, in the Philadelphia area, and in 2019 it is slated to be held in Medinah, Illinois in August. Organizers say the move to August when the sports and school calendars are less congested will grow the tournament, which has offered the city of Lake Forest a bit of bragging rights if not a big boost to business, the Lake Forester reports.

The executive director of the local chamber of commerce told the paper that visitors coming for the golf tournament tend to go straight to the event without spending a lot of time or money at local businesses. (Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest news for Lake Forest & Lake Bluff — or your community. And iPhone users: Check out Patch's new app.)

The owner of a Lake Forest coffee shop pointed out that the tournament paints the whole community in a positive light and might attract golf fans to return later and visit shops or even buy real estate, even if it only provided a slight increase in business during the event, according to the Lake Forester.

And even though Lake Forest public safety staff needs to put in extra shifts to handle the crowds, tournament organizers reimburse local police and firefighters for their overtime, according to the paper.

» Read more from the Lake Forester

_{Top photo via City of Lake Forest}