Home favourite Matt Fitzpatrick has relished the warm welcome he has received upon returning to the BMW PGA Championship as a Major Champion.
The 28-year-old is teeing it up on English soil this week for the first time since his stunning U.S. Open Championship triumph at The Country Club, Brookline in June.
Fitzpatrick has already found himself in the spotlight at Wentworth Club, with plenty of fans coming out to see him in the Pro-Am, and he said the extra attention was a "pleasant surprise".
He said: "I was really surprised how many people were watching me in the Pro-Am this morning.
"That was a real pleasant surprise.
"Probably more people asking for photos and autographs than obviously normal years, which is new.
"I couldn't be more positive about how people have reacted to me winning and everything else that's sort of come with it.
"Everyone has been so congratulatory. I really appreciate that, so it's been good."
Fitzpatrick is just one of the star attractions in a world-class field, with five of the top 15 players on the Official World Golf Ranking assembling for the fourth Rolex Series event of the 2022 season.
He is looking forward to the week ahead.
"I love the week here," said Fitzpatrick. "I love playing the golf course. I feel like it tests every aspect of your game.
"It is a little bit soft out there today, so hopefully it kind of dries out. I know the weather is supposed to be forecast a little bit wet.
"But yeah, got a lot of friends and family down this week and it should be a good week."
Another Major Champion who is excited to be back at Wentworth this week is Shane Lowry.
The Irishman has a great record in this event, finishing in the top 20 on nine occasions, and he would love to win it.
He said: "It's a tournament that I love playing and I've done well in the past, and I'd love to win.
"It's our flagship event, and I'd love to put my name on that trophy with a lot of the great players."
The race to represent Europe in next year's Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club begins this week and Lowry is hoping to be there.
He added: "It's certainly one of my main goals for the next 12 months, not only to be a part of the team but go to Rome and win the trophy.
"Something I haven't done in my career so far, so it's definitely something that I want to achieve and yeah, all roads lead to Rome from here for me.
"Obviously I want to win big tournaments and do well in big tournaments. I'd clearly love to be on that team next year."
