The BMW Championship, which is operated by the Western Golf Association, was named Tournament of the Year for 2012 by the PGA Tour on Friday.

            The 2012 BMW, which was held at Crooked Stick, near Indianapolis, was attended by more 143,000 spectators, who saw Rory McIlroy, the top-ranked player in the world, capture the next-to-last tournament on the PGA Tour this season.

            The WGA, headquartered in north suburban Golf, was able to raise $3.1 million for its Evans Scholars Foundation, which has been helping caddies go to college since 1930, through the BMW Championship.

            ``[The PGA Tour is] pleased to acknowledge and congratulate the BMW Championship and the Western Golf Association on an outstanding event,'' said Andy Pazder, the tour's chief of operations. ``The Western Golf Association and title sponsor BMW should be extremely proud of being recognized as the best among their peers on the TOUR.''

            The BMW Championship will return to the Chicago area in 2013. It will be played at at Conway Farms in Lake Forest September 9-15.

            The BMW Championship also was the tour's Tournament of the Year in 2008, when it was held at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis.

            Noting that there are more than 40 events on the PGA Tour, Western Golf Association vice president of tournaments Vince Pellegrino said, ``To be singled out from among this esteemed group is truly humbling. Much of the credit for this honor should go to BMW. Its unparalleled commitment to excellence sets high standards for the event at every level.''