VIRGINIA WATER, England, 26 May 2005 — Wentworth resident Ernie Els and three-times champion Colin Montgomerie have added incentive at this week’s BMW Championship.
South African Els, despite having twice clinched an unprecedented hat-trick of World Match Play titles over Wentworth’s West Course, is determined to win the European Tour’s flagship event for the first time.
Although Briton Montgomerie claimed the prestigious title three years in a row from 1998, he is running out of time to qualify for next month’s US Open at Pinehurst and needs to finish no worse than 16th this week.
World No. 3 Els, who will be chasing his fourth European victory of the season when he tees off in Thursday’s opening round, could hardly feel more at home at Wentworth where his house backs on to the 16th hole.
“I love playing here and obviously I know the West Course very well,” the 35-year-old told reporters as he prepared for his eighth European Tour event of the year.
“I’d just love to win this tournament. This has always been a great championship and, next to the British Open, it’s the best tournament we have on the European Tour.
“I’ve been close here a few times and had some good tournaments here but the PGA (Championship), so far, has eluded me.”
Els has produced impressive form this year, apart from a disappointing 47th place at the U.S. Masters -- his worst finish at Augusta National in 12 appearances.
“It’s been a good year for me and I’m excited about playing this week,” said the South African, whose European victories this season came at the Dubai Desert Classic, the Qatar Masters and the Asian Open.
“I’ve been playing well recently and the Masters was the only tournament so far where I wasn’t on my game. I wasn’t healthy that week but I’m not going to make those excuses. I just didn’t play well.”
It is a very different story, though, for seven-times European No. 1 Montgomerie who is desperate to avoid missing the U.S. Open for the second year in a row.
The 41-year-old Scot would cement his berth at Pinehurst for the June 16-19 event by returning to the world’s top 50 with a top-five finish at Wentworth. A top-16 placing would suffice if other factors went his way.
Should he fail in his bid, his final opportunity is a 36-hole U.S. Open qualifier being played at Walton Heath Golf Club on the outskirts of London, England on June 6.
“I was 54 in the world for a while but the gap has shortened and a decent week here should get me in,” said Montgomerie, who lies 53rd in the global pecking order.
“Thankfully, everything’s going in the right direction,” added the Scot, who has produced five top-10 finishes in nine starts on this year’s European Tour and is second behind Els in the Reuters Statistics stroke averages on 69.28.
Another bonus for Montgomerie is the lift he always experiences by being back at the par-72 West Course.
“I stand on the first tee at Wentworth and I feel somehow one up because I am very confident here,” he said.
Also playing at Wentworth are U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen, American Ben Curtis, winner of the 2003 British Open, twice U.S. Masters champion Jose Maria Olazabal and 11 of the 12-man European team that triumphed in last year’s Ryder Cup at Oakland Hills.
Spaniard Sergio Garcia is the sole Cup absentee while world No. 12 Luke Donald, Britain’s highest ranked player and one of Garcia’s team mates at Oakland Hills, makes his debut in the event.
Another Briton, Scott Drummond, defends the title he won as a shock outsider last year with a tournament-record equalling 72-hole aggregate of 19-under-par 269.
Perry Takes Top Billing at St Jude Classic
Meantime, as the newest member of golf’s top 10, Kenny Perry heads the bill this week at the $4.6 million St Jude Classic in Memphis, Tennessee.
With world No. 1 Vijay Singh and the rest of the top 10 all taking a week off from the PGA Tour, Perry will have the distinction of being the highest ranked player taking part.
He moved into ninth spot with his-record equalling 19-under-par victory at the Colonial on Sunday.
Singh, who reclaimed top spot in the rankings from Tiger Woods on Monday even though neither man played last week, begins his third stint and 30th week as world No. 1.
The Fijian is resting away from the PGA Tour as he begin his meticulous build-up to the season’s second major, the U.S. Open.
Perry has made a habit of producing red-hot winning streaks and with two wins this season could be about to enter another rich period of form.
In 2003 he registered three wins in four starts beginning with his record run at the Colonial and after romping to a seven-shot victory at Hogan’s Alley last Sunday will be one of the hot favourites this weekend.
There is no one in the field more happy to be back in Memphis than two-time defending champion David Toms.
After getting the season off to a blistering start with four straight top-five finishes, including an impressive win at the WGC-Accenture Match Play, Toms has been mired in a slump distracted by a bitter legal dispute with his sports management.
He had not cracked the top 30 until his tie for third place last week at the Colonial.
