All eyes will be on the DP World Tour as some of the world’s best head to Wentworth for the BMW PGA Championship.
With the PGA Tour on its short break between seasons, it means that we get a fantastic line up for the Tour’s flagship event.
Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Matt Fitzpatrick will be just some of the stars at the event — but they will also be joined by a number of LIV Golf players and that has not happened without some outcry from a number of players.
"It's a slap in the face!"
Billy Horschel says he 'doesn't agree' with LIV golfers being allowed to play at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. ⤵️pic.twitter.com/WkDYsmPR41
— Sky Sports Golf (@SkySportsGolf) September 6, 2022
But that will not take away from what is always a fantastic event at an iconic course.
Since moving to September the course has tended to be a lot softer and more scoreable than it was in its old slot in May. It means that whoever wins is likely to need to post a low number, even with some less than great weather expected.
It is McIlroy that head the market at 6/1 and it is easy to see why. In his past four visits, he has a 9th place finish to go along with a runner up and a win, but it is another former winner that really catches the eye in Tyrrell Hatton.
His record here is mixed with some missed cuts around that win but he has played so well this season and will come into this event looking for his first win since January 2021. He putts as well as anybody in the field when he is at his best and he has been very solid in that department of late. Sometimes his temperament can get the best of him and he can throw away some shots, but he was dominant when winning in 2020 and he can make it another win on the West Course. 30/1 just looks overpriced.
Shane Lowry has a fantastic record at this venue, with four top-10s and nine top-20s, but he has never been able to get over the line. But he is a player that has been playing with a lot of confidence and if the weather does get tricky, he will be as equipped as anyone playing this week to deal with it. He may even prefer the wind to get up and make this event a real grind. His scrambling ability is well publicised but his all-around game is so strong and he can keep up with the best of them, even if this becomes a shoot out. 16/1 is very tempting, even if it is perhaps on the limit of where it would feel comfortable to back him.
Of all the LIV golfers in the field it is Branden Grace that stands out at 55/1. He has played so well on the breakaway tour so far, sitting second on the order of merit there. He has had a number of good finishes here in the past and despite a rough few years in the event, he is playing much better golf right now. These players are going to have something to prove and it could go one way or the other. They could thrive under the spotlight or it could be too much, but Grace is a player that has contended all over the world and he could well step up with all the eyes on him.
Inches away from back-to-back albatrosses for @Thomas_Pieters & @JustinRose99 last year 🤯 #BMWPGA | #RolexSeries | #TourArchive pic.twitter.com/FhzqZhth9e
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) September 6, 2022
This event is the biggest event on the DP World Tour calendar with the exception of the Tour Championship and the players turning up for it reflects that. It is a great event that always draws huge crowds and this one will be no different with very few tickets available.
There will be a lot of support for the likes of McIlroy and Rahm but it will be interesting to see how the likes of Ian Poulter will be received. He normally has huge galleries following him at this event but at the Open Championship earlier this year there were some boos.
But this event so often produces fantastic finishes and this one should be no different. We have seen some big priced winners over the years here but with the quality of the field we could well see a big name come away with this prestigious title that has been won by European golfing royalty such as Nick Faldo and Seve Ballesteros in the past.
