World Number Three Ernie Els will attempt to add another significant title to an already impressive golfing CV when he lines up in the £2 million Volvo PGA Championship at Wentworth Club from May 25-28.
The 31 year old South African, who currently lies second in the Volvo Order of Merit, has always featured strongly in the flagship event of The European Tour, and indeed on his last four visits to the West Course he has never finished outside the top four.
The first of those came in 1994 when Els finished second by a shot to José Maria Olazábal before finishing tied for second in both 1997 and 1998 to Ian Woosnam and Colin Montgomerie respectively.
Els’s last visit to the Volvo PGA Championship was in 1999, days after he became a father for the first time when wife Liezl gave birth to daughter Samantha. That year the South African shared fourth place on 277 as Montgomerie claimed the second of his three consecutive titles.
Els’s prominence at Wentworth Club has not been reserved solely for the Volvo PGA Championship however, the two-time US Open champion also having won an unprecedented three successive World Match Play Championships on the West Course from 1994 to 1996, an achievement which led to him being accorded Honorary Life Membership of The European Tour.
“I am really looking forward to coming to Wentworth and playing in the Volvo PGA Championship,” said Els. “It is a tournament I really enjoy over a course I find challenging yet one where I seem to do well on. Hopefully I can play well enough again this year to finally add the Volvo PGA Championship title to my collection.”
Els also recently confirmed that he will return to the Bonnie Banks this summer to defend his title at The Scottish Open at Loch Lomond from the July 12-15.
Els won last year’s tournament at Loch Lomond with a final round of 68 for an 11 under par total of 273. It was a dramatic finish in which he fought off strong challenges from previous Loch Lomond champions Tom Lehman and Colin Montgomerie.
