The BMW PGA Championship launches the European Tour’s new Rolex Series next week with a world-class field preparing to challenge for the prestigious trophy at the newly revamped West Course from May 25-28.
Featuring ten of the world’s top 30 ranked professionals, Swede Alex Noren joins the previously announced line-up for Wentworth Club, which include Open Champion Henrik Stenson, Olympic Champion Justin Rose and defending champion Chris Wood. There is no doubt the 2016 European Tour season was dominated by an overarching theme of Swedish success, with the 34 year old winning four titles in the space of five months, alongside Henrik Stenson’s Open Championship victory, and he will be looking to continue his remarkable run next week.
South Africa’s Branden Grace is targeting his eighth European Tour victory when he returns to the famous Surrey venue. The World Number 24 will look to better his highest finish of fifth in 2012, and will hope a consistent start to the 2017 season will be ideal preparation for another win against some of the world’s best golfers.
The presence of World Number 27 Thomas Pieters confirms nine of the 12 players to represent Europe at The 2016 Ryder Cup will tee it up at Wentworth. The Belgian star impressed many during his debut at Hazeltine National, and with a tied fourth finish at the Masters Tournament last month, and tied fifth finish at the WGC-Mexico Championship, the big stage awaits the 25 year old.
Pieters’ captain Darren Clarke is also in the field, along with his predecessor Paul McGinley and his successor, 2018 captain Thomas Bjørn. The latter two played a pivotal role as an advisory team representing the views of the Tour players ahead of the West Course revamp which was led by Ernie Els Design in conjunction with European Golf Design and Wentworth’s Director of Golf Courses & Grounds, Kenny Mackay. Els, the South African four-time Major winner will also tee it up for inaugural Rolex Series event.
Fan favourite Andrew ‘Beef’ Johnston is set to delight English fans when he returns for his first European Tour tournament of the season. Adding to that, the late addition of fellow countryman Ian Poulter to the field on a tournament invitation, it will surely put a spring in the step of the home faithful as the Ryder Cup star attempts to earn his first BMW PGA Championship title following a strong performance at the recent Players Championship.
Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger proved consistency to be key when he beat England’s Tommy Fleetwood in a play-off to win the Shenzhen International - his fourth European Tour victory - on a dramatic final day at Genzon Golf Club last month. The World Number 30 has not missed a cut since the 2016 US PGA Championship in August and has four top five finishes to his name this year.
Italy’s Francesco Molinari and Scotland’s Russell Knox return to Europe for the first time this year, ranked 33rd and 34th in the Official World Golf Rankings respectively. Molinari, a former Ryder Cup player, held his nerve to claim a historic victory on home soil at the 2016 Italian Open and will return to England for the first time since last year’s tournament.
Knox, became the first Scot to win a WGC event when he captured the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai in November 2015 and will be looking to rekindle that form as he pursues his second European Tour title.
A runner up at the 2009 BMW PGA Championship, England’s Ross Fisher has enjoyed four top-ten finishes in the past two months and will endeavour to go one better this year, etching his name on the winner’s trophy in what will be his 12th consecutive appearance at the tournament.
The quality field includes four former World Number Ones with Els, Luke Donald, Martin Kaymer and Lee Westwood all returning to Wentworth. Two-time champion Donald (2011, 2012) is one of five former champions also set to take on the revamped course including Wood (2016), Byeong Hun An (2015), Matteo Manassero (2013), and David Howell (2006).
