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The European Tour returns to Surrey’s iconic Wentworth Club for the showpiece BMW PGA Championship. Serving as a curtain-raiser for the return of the lucrative Rolex Series, this year’s tournament holds added importance for the field. But that won’t stop them having plenty of fun, with a star-studded Celebrity Pro-Am featuring legends of football, rugby, cricket, television and more as well as plenty of activities for fans in the Championship Village. Perhaps most intriguingly, a BMW i8 Roadster will sit in the grandstand waiting to be awarded to any player who manages an albatross on the West Course’s par-5, 521-yard 18th; tempting players to go for broke around the water-surrounded green.
Headline Acts
World No. 8 Rory McIlroy and World No. 10 Paul Casey headline this week’s event, with last year’s winner Alex Noren joining Race to Dubai champion Tommy Fleetwood, Branden Grace, Francesco Molinari and Ian Poulter in a mouth-watering field.
The Course
Wentworth Club has been closed for renovation since last year’s tournament, with brand spanking new greens playing a lot faster than in previous years. Twenty-nine bunkers have been removed as part of an attempt to make the course more playable, which should lead to lower scores than previous years.
Favourites
Unsurprisingly Rory McIlroy heads the bookies’ list at 15/2, with Paul Casey, Tommy Fleetwood, Alex Noren and Branden Grace just behind on 14/1.
Paul Casey’s recent missed cut at the RBC Heritage was his first in over a year. The 2009 champion has only managed one victory in that period, at the 2018 Valspar Championship, but Mr Consistent looks a nailed-on Top 10 finisher. An impressive T7 at THE PLAYERS Championship last time out will have Fleetwood brimming with confidence despite missing the cut here in 2017. Alex Noren hasn’t won since his title here last year, making him a risk at that price. Branden Grace’s T3 at the At&T Byron Nelson last week combines with his outstanding putting ability to give him a chance here.
I think this revamped course will force the best golf out of Rory McIlroy. He has the wow-factor and as other players struggle to come to grips with course changes I can see the superstar emerging to shoot a low score. The accelerated greens will be a test, but one I believe he will overcome.
It’s a tough tournament to call, but they're always the best. We’ll surely be entertained with elite golf, an awesome Pro-Am, live music and all sorts of activities at the European Tour HQ.
Written by Joe Carabini
