New-look Wentworth a huge draw

THE EUROPEAN Tour begins in earnest this week with its flagship tournament, the BMW PGA Championship, boasting a €4.5m prize fund, taking centre stage at Wentworth.

In recent months many of the game’s marquee names have been plying their trade on the cash rich events in far flung destinations or on the US Tour to the detriment of tournaments closer to their home continent.

That all changes at Wentworth however this week with the big guns back in Europe and ready to challenge for a winner’s cheque of €750,000. They will find a new-look Wentworth with 18 reconstructed greens to replace those with which so many, including Pádraig Harrington, found fault in the past. The three-times Major champion will take his place in the star studded field despite a troublesome knee which requires medical treatment next week. He played a practice round at Wentworth recently and had no qualms about ending his two year ‘boycott’ of the event.