Ahead of the BMW PGA Championship, europeantour.com gives everything you need to know about one of the European Tour’s most prestigious and historic tournaments in this quick-fire guide.
REWIND
Twelve months ago, Byeong Hun An produced a quite remarkable performance to become the first Asian player to win the BMW PGA Championship. The final day turned into a victory parade for the young Korean, as he streaked clear of the field with a flawless closing round of 65 to win by six shots.
It was a first European Tour title for the man commonly known as Ben, but will surely not be the last given the precocity and maturity of his display in front of the largest accumulative attendance in the history of the BMW PGA Championship.
An’s 21 under par aggregate winning score was also a tournament record, as was the five holes in one across the week. Andrew Johnston and Chris Wood both drove away from Wentworth in brand new BMWs after their aces at the tenth and 14th holes respectively.
BITE-SIZED HISTORY
First played in 1955, and part of the European Tour International Schedule since the Tour’s inception in 1972, the BMW PGA Championship boasts a rich and storied history. Widely regarded as one of the most prestigious events in golf, the BMW PGA Championship has been held on the iconic West Course at Wentworth Club every year since 1984, with a roll call of champions which include some of the game’s leading lights.
Sir Nick Faldo, Seve Ballesteros, Bernhard Langer, José Maria Olazábal, Colin Montgomerie and Rory McIlroy have all conquered the West Course, with Montgomerie creating history in 2000 when the Scot became the first player to win the tournament three years in succession.
THE TOP SEVEN SHOTS FROM THE 2015 BMW PGA CHAMPIONSHIP
Five hole in ones (Trevor Fisher Jnr, Johnston, Miguel Ángel Jiménez, Wood and Craig Lee)
Tommy Fleetwood’s albatross on Saturday (hole 2)
Byeong Hun An coming close to an albatross on the final day (hole 12)
THE FIELD
Headlining this week’s field is Masters Tournament winner Danny Willett, one of six Major Champions in the line-up. Darren Clarke, Martin Kaymer, Paul Lawrie, Graeme McDowell and YE Yang complete the sextet of Major winners, while 41 of the top 50 players from the Race to Dubai are also in action.
They include defending champion Byeong Hun An, in-form Spaniard Rafa Cabrera Bello and his fellow Ryder Cup hopefuls Russell Knox, Andy Sullivan, Shane Lowry, Søren Kjeldsen, Matt Fitzpatrick, Bernd Wiesberger and Lee Westwood.
THE COURSE
Harry Colt’s creation, which opened in 1926, has been renovated in recent years by one-time Wentworth Estate resident Ernie Els, who made his first alterations in 2006. All green complexes were then totally re-modelled between 2009 and 2010. Measuring 7,302 yards, and with trees lining most fairways, the course demands both accuracy and length off the tee.
