It was great being back at the AT&T Byron Nelson, a wonderful tournament that as I said in last week’s report has a special place in my heart.
After a pretty nice start on Thursday, I was looking forward to Friday’s round, especially in more Texas-like weather. I played solidly with a good birdie at the 1st and I had a lot of good looks for birdie. However, nothing dropped and sadly a few bogeys coming in on the final holes was enough to have me fall just the wrong side of the cut line. That’s always disappointing, especially as I was really looking forward to the week and swinging it well. Big congrats to Sergio, though. It’s good to see him back in the winner’s circle. Also, I want to congratulate Rory McIlroy, not only for the manner of his victory in the Irish Open with a sensational eagle on the 72nd hole, but also for donating his €666,660 winner’s cheque to charity, taking the total raised for the week to above the €1 million mark. Well done Rory!
The Tours should be applauded on this relatively new initiative whereby players such as myself, Rory, Sergio, Luke Donald and Ian Poulter have been given an opportunity to host their home Opens or a prestigious tournament in their home country. It’s proved very successful. It has I think also helped showcase the philanthropic spirit that runs deep throughout the professional game and that’s something worth celebrating, especially after a week in which news of the Muirfield vote could perhaps have skewed some peoples’ perceptions of the game. The truth is, golf grows ever more inclusive and every week on Tour we see players, sponsors, tournament officials, volunteers and fans, all united in a passion for the game and its power to change lives for the better. This week’s BMW PGA Championship is just one example, with the tournament’s official designated charity, Cancer Research UK Kids & Teens, benefiting from its association with golf and the increased awareness and inevitable uplift in funds raised that it helps generate.
I’m sorry to be missing this year’s BMW PGA Championship, one of my favourite weeks of the year. Of course, it’s a decision I would never take lightly. I’ve played in almost 30 tournaments at Wentworth over the past 25 years and, as everyone knows, I’ve always been a supporter of the Club and its activities and have had a great relationship with the course, especially at the World Matchplay. But, as any father will confirm, sometimes family has to come first. It’s my daughter Samantha’s birthday this week; she’ll be 17 and going off to college soon, so there won’t be many more times we can celebrate at home together. It is one of those significant moments in life that means a lot to any parent.
So, I want to take this opportunity to send my best wishes to all my friends at Wentworth Club and everyone on the European Tour, at BMW, and to all the fans who I’m sure will flood through the gates in huge numbers as they always do for Europe’s flagship tournament. No doubt everyone is in for a great week. Everything about this tournament – the staging, the heritage and the venue itself – is truly world-class.
That’s always been the underlying philosophy at Wentworth and it’s absolutely the mindset of the Club’s new Chairman, Dr Chanchai and the Reignwood Group, all of whom are dedicated to ensuring that Wentworth becomes one of the world’s premier private golf and country clubs. All of us at Ernie Els Design are proud to have an ongoing role in the Club’s ambitions, as we push forward this summer with a further phase of renovations on the West Course, much of which was on our original ‘to do’ list when we were first engaged as architects on this project some 8-9 years ago. In the past year or so we’ve also collaborated closely with David Garland and his team at the European Tour and the end result will be a few key strategic and aesthetic adjustments to the greens’ complexes on holes 8, 11, 14 and 16.
In partnership with Kenny Mackay and his team at Wentworth we’ve also worked closely with the Sports Turf Research Institute in order to determine the strain of grass best suited to providing great putting surfaces all-year round. We’ve settled on ‘creeping bent’ grass, a robust strain that will thrive in the UK climate and provide consistent surfaces and tight-knit grass coverage. In addition, the bunker strategy and playability on the course has been assessed and a plan is in place.
Anyway, all told we believe these latest improvements will enhance the playability of the West Course for all levels of golfer, and at the same time enhance the shot values that challenge the best players in the world. We want to do this while also preserving the amazing heritage and history of this great club. That’s never an easy balancing act, but that is what we have to deliver and we believe we will get it absolutely right.
That’s it for now. Follow me on Twitter @TheBig_Easy.
