Donald sets sights on top spot

It was a year ago at Wentworth that Luke Donald ascended to the top of the golfing pile, outlasting Lee Westwood in a play-off to win the BMW PGA Championship and oust his fellow Englishman as world number one.

Starting today, Donald the grinder will have the natural, Rory McIlroy, in his sights with the same objective come Sunday evening.

There may be no top-drawer Americans in the field this week for the European Tour’s flagship, €4.5m event but having the world’s top three – McIlroy, Donald and Westwood – in the field more than compensates. And with more world-ranking points on offer on this side of the Atlantic than in the PGA Tour’s corresponding event, Wentworth’s West Course is definitely the place to be.