Justin Rose will begin the first round of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Club on Thursday afternoon with unfinished business in mind.
The Englishman, who will play alongside US Open Champion Angel Cabrera and two time Masters Tournament Champion José Maria Olazábal, lost out on the BMW PGA Championship title by the thinnest of margins last year after the sudden-death play-off against Denmark’s Anders Hansen.
However, the 27 year old is hoping that the golfing Gods will look favourably upon him on the famous West Course this year as he looks to fulfil his childhood dream of lifting the trophy in The European Tour’s flagship event.
“The BMW PGA Championship is my home event,” said Rose. “It's the event I came to see as a kid so there's something special about Wentworth for me. I feel like I get really good support from the crowd and it's a fun place for me to play with lots of friends, family in the crowd.
“It's always been a dream of mine to win this tournament, and I think getting so close to doing it last year and not winning makes you want it even more.”
Rose’s play-off conqueror has his own mission this week: to further enhance his reputation as one of The European Tour’s great modern day champions and join Peter Alliss, Bernhard Langer and Colin Montgomerie as a three time winner of the BMW PGA Championship.
“It’s a great feeling to be back,” said Hansen, who won his first BMW PGA Championship in 2002. “I have some great memories here and, even though I don’t think the odds will be on my side to win two years in a row because we haven’t had too many people doing that, things were on my side last year and I am in the same situation this year so you never know.”
With Rose having grown up a mere 15 minutes from Wentworth Club and Hansen having made the tournament his own on two separate occasions, the only man in the field who can claim to feel more at home on the West Course is Ernie Els.
The reason for that is simple: he lives on the Wentworth Estate and recently completed his three year modernisation of Harry Colt’s original West Course layout, the course where he has won a record seven World Match play titles.
“It’s wonderful to be here at home and play my own golf course,” said Els. “I’d love to win here in stroke play – I finished second here in 2000, but haven’t quite done it, but I feel my game is coming around.”
