Wentworth and the Weight of the West Course: A Preview of the BMW PGA Championship
The BMW PGA Championship returns to Wentworth's West Course this week. Before the first shot is struck, a few things worth watching.
This is an editorial preview written before the tournament. No results are included or implied.
The BMW PGA Championship is, by most measures, the biggest strokeplay event on the DP World Tour's European calendar. It is also one of the few events left where the venue is as much the story as the field. Wentworth's West Course has hosted this tournament for decades, and the relationship between course and competition has shaped both.
The West Course in September
Wentworth West runs to around 7,300 yards in tournament setup, a number that sounds imposing until you see the scoring. The course plays fast in dry conditions and considerably harder when autumn softens the fairways and the rough fills in. September at Wentworth is famously unpredictable: the tournament has been played in shirt-sleeve sunshine and in grey, heavy rain, sometimes in the same round.
The stretch of holes from 12 through 18 is where the championship is usually decided. The par-five 12th offers the first genuine birdie opportunity on the back nine; by the time the field reaches the closing holes on Sunday, the pressure tends to be intense enough that even the straightforward-looking par fours become tests of nerve.
What Makes the West Course Distinctive
Harry Colt's original routing has been modified significantly over the years — the most substantial changes came in 2005-2006 under the direction of Ernie Els and his design team. The revisions remain a subject of debate among course architecture enthusiasts: the pre-revision West Course had a more intimate character; the current setup plays longer and more dramatically, but some feel it lost texture in the process. What is not debatable is that it tests every department of the game across its full length.
The par threes are among the best on tour. The second and 14th in particular offer the kind of mid-iron precision challenge that separates a good week from a forgettable one.
The Bigger Picture
Beyond the result, the BMW PGA Championship functions as one of the DP World Tour's showcase events — the kind of week that can attract mainstream attention to the tour in a way that a regular Rolex Series event in a quieter slot might not. Wentworth is an hour from central London, which means a Saturday or Sunday afternoon with leaderboard pressure plays out in front of a substantial crowd.
For golf travel, Wentworth itself is a private members' club and not open for green-fee play. But the surrounding area — Virginia Water, Surrey — sits on the edge of a stretch of excellent heathland golf: Sunningdale, Swinley Forest, and The Berkshire are all within reasonable reach. A trip to watch the BMW PGA Championship pairs naturally with a few rounds on the heathland courses, making it one of the more compelling golf-tourist weeks on the calendar.
This preview reflects editorial opinion ahead of the tournament. Results will not be added retroactively. For confirmed results, check the DP World Tour's official website.