The 2023 BMW PGA Championship marks the sixth anniversary of the first Rolex Series event held at Wentworth Club, with another chapter set to be written in the great history of the tournament.
The DP World Tour launched the Rolex Series, the most prestigious events on the schedule, in 2017 to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the Tour’s partnership with Rolex.
A world-class field will once again compete at the famous West Course from September 14-17 as they bid to add their name to an illustrious list of past champions across the tournament’s 67-year history.
Ahead of this week’s staging of the fourth Rolex Series event of the 2023 DP World Tour season, we look back at the players who have celebrated success on the West Course over the last five years.
Alex Noren fires course record to win first Rolex Series event (2017)
Alex Noren ensured the Rolex Series got off to a dramatic start when he shot a course record ten-under-par 62 for a two-shot victory..
The Swede, who started the day seven shots back, made eight birdies and closed out his week with an eagle at the par-five 18th to register a stunning comeback on the West Course, which had undergone renovation in the 12 months prior to the event.
Noren, who had won four times in 11 events in the 2016 season, conceded his round was “probably” the best of his career. Victory lifted him to eighth in the Official World Golf Rankings and helped him qualify for the victorious 2018 European Ryder Cup team under the captaincy of Thomas Bjørn.
Magnificent Francesco Molinari begins memorable run of form (2018)
Francesco Molinari shot a flawless final-day 68 to claim a two-shot victory over Rory McIlroy in 2018 and his first Rolex Series victory.
The Italian arrived at Wentworth with five top-tens in the last six editions of the event, including a runner-up finish a year earlier, but produced a dominant performance to run out a worthy winner.
Molinari started the final round tied for the overnight lead with Ryder Cup teammate McIlroy but his steadiness from tee to green proved telling as McIlroy’s challenge to win the title for a second time failed to ignite.
The tournament was held in May for the final time before it moved to a September slot in 2019 and victory kick-started a memorable run of form throughout the remainder of 2018 for Molinari.
He went on to become his nation’s first Major champion winning The Open Championship at Carnoustie, weeks after winning his first PGA Tour title. He would also go on to become the first European to win five points from five matches in the Ryder Cup at Le Golf National and finished crowned European Number One.
Comeback kid Danny Willett wins at Wentworth (2019)
Danny Willett held his nerve down the stretch to overcome Jon Rahm in a dramatic final round duel and claim his second Rolex Series title in 2019.
The 2016 Masters Tournament champion birdied the final two holes to seal a three-stroke triumph, adding to his maiden Rolex Series victory at the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, Dubai in 2018.
The Englishman jumped ahead of Rahm with two early birdies and, despite pressure from the Spaniard, he went on to sign for a closing 67 for a three-shot victory.
After dropping to 462nd in the Official World Golf Ranking following a missed cut in the event the previous year, Willett moved back inside the top 40 as he became the eighth player to win both the BMW PGA Championship and The Masters.
Tyrrell Hatton fulfils childhood goal (2020)
Tyrrell Hatton made it back-to-back English winners at the Surrey venue as he realised his boyhood dream of winning the BMW PGA Championship in 2020.
In a final round that looked set to go down to the wire, the Englishman made six birdies in a five-under-par 65 – his fourth sub 70 round of the week – to claim a four-stroke victory.
Hatton’s three-shot advantage was wiped out in the space of four holes as France’s Victor Perez birdied the second before he holed from 22 feet for eagle at the par-five fourth.
But it was Hatton, a visitor to the event since he was a five-year-old child, who made a hat-trick of birdies from the ninth to move two shots clear and maintained his focus down the closing stretch to seal victory.
Billy Horschel emulates Palmer as American winner of BMW PGA Championship (2021)
Two years after finishing in the top five on his debut, Billy Horschel fulfilled one of his golfing ambitions, as he made a birdie at the 18th to claim a one-shot victory at the BMW PGA Championship.
A bogey-free closing round of 65 saw him finish at 19 under and become the first American to win a Rolex Series event on the DP World Tour, emulating the great Arnold Palmer as only the second player from his country to win the title.
Kiradech Aphibarnrat seemed set for victory after making five birdies in his first seven holes and an eagle at the par-five 12th, however the Thai finished one shot shy in a share of second place after a bogey at the 17th.
Horschel won the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play earlier on in the season and went on to finish second behind compatriot Collin Morikawa in the season-long DP World Tour Rankings.
Shane Lowry becomes "happiest man in the world" with second Rolex win (2022)
Shane Lowry became a two-time Rolex Series winner after edging out Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy to end his wait for a BMW PGA Championship victory.
Lowry did not card a single bogey all week on his way to victory in the 2022 season's fourth Rolex Series event, which was shortened to 54 holes after Friday's play was cancelled following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday.
The Irishman has long had a terrific record at Wentworth Club, and came into that week with nine top-20 finishes to his name in this event. And his love affair with the host venue continued as he carded an eagle and five birdies on Sunday, including at the last, to sign for a closing 65 and get to 17 under par - one ahead of early clubhouse leader Jon Rahm.
Lowry would then endure an anxious wait as McIlroy, in the group behind, gave himself an eagle putt at the 18th which would have pulled him alongside his Ryder Cup teammate but it failed to drop, leaving him in second place with Rahm.
The 2019 Open champion went on to declare himself "the happiest man in the world right now"
