Great field, great event at BMW PGA
IN: News | European PGA | BMW PGA Championship (2007) | Preview | by Bruce Young | 23 May 2007
The European Tour hits the big time this week when the time honoured BMW PGA Championship is played at the West Course at Wentworth in Virginia Water, Surrey, just outside of London.
While the tournament has always been, in most people’s eyes, the British PGA Championship, it lost its PGA tag in the last couple of years but that has now returned and the tournament will be all the better for it.
The original Harry Colt layout has been revamped in recent years by one of Wentworth’s favourite sons, Ernie Els, who lives alongside the golf course and who has had a stunning level of success around the ‘Burma Road’ layout as it is fondly known.
Last year David Howell prevailed by an impressive five shots and in doing so moved inside the top ten in world golf for the first time. Things have not been quite so good for Howell since, slipping to 32nd in the world ranking and being forced to withdraw from his last two tournaments in the US through a back injury which will unfortunately prevent him from defending his title.
Simon Khan birdied two holes late in the final round to move into second place last year. This year, the tournament has attracted, as it so often does given its prestige and significant purse, yet another quality line-up. Six of the top 11 players in the current world rankings are in the field but there are plenty of chances beyond this list.
Interestingly, given the quality of the field that has traditionally played this event, the list of recent winners has hardly been a who’s who of world golf but the revamp and strengthening of the layout might help in that regard. Certainly last year’s winner Howell helped lift the class of player to win the event in the last few years.
Ernie Els does not have a great record in this event in terms of victories but he has been a prolific winner of World Match Play titles around this course. He is the highest ranked player in the tournament and although his form of late has been a little inconsistent, he might do well.
Vijay Singh adds further class to an already strong field and other than an ordinary week at the Players Championship he has been in form good enough to see him challenge this week.
Henrik Stenson just keeps getting better and his 9th place in Atlanta last week suggests he is not far off the form that has taken him to number 7 in the world at present.
Padraig Harrington comes off an emotional win in last week’s Irish Open and therefore the question is whether he can back up from such a significant week in his golfing career. He has played Wentworth well on occasions including when 6th last year. He has a significant incentive to win this week as not only will he collect the €725,000 that is on offer as first prize this week but he will earn a €1 million bonus that has been made available to a player winning both the Irish Open and BMW PGA events.
Retief Goosen and Luke Donald are class players with Donald in particular on the verge of something special. He has been having trouble finishing events off but puts himself in position so often that it has to happen soon.
There are thirty players who could win this week and no-one would be surprised such is the depth of the field. One who might well do so at longer odds is the unlucky loser last week, Bradley Dredge. He was 10th in this event two years ago and is in very good form at present.
This is one of European golf’s truly great events and the huge purse provides several Australasians a start although just as many who play the European Tour will be on the outside looking in this week as they battle to gain starts in such popular events.
Richard Green returned to tournament golf last week with a very good effort at the Irish Open when 4th. That was his first event for several weeks and should be improved by the outing.
Michael Campbell, Peter O’Malley, Brett Rumford, Marcus Fraser, Matthew Millar and Terry Price are all looking for a piece of the serious monetary action.
