The jewel in the crown of the DP World Tour, the BMW PGA Championship has once again attracted an all-star field from across all three Tours and it is not surprising considering the list of winners that includes Nick Faldo, Seve Balleteros, Bernhard Langer, Colin Montgomerie, Rory McIlroy and Tyrell Hatton.
Key Stats/Skill Set Required
- Driving Accuracy
- GIR
- Strokes Gained: Approach
- Strokes Gained: Tee To Green
- Scrambling
- Putts Per GIR
- Bogey Avoidance
Wentworth has hosted this event since 1984 and is widely regarded as England’s finest parkland course. It is claustrophobic in nature, putting a premium on finding fairways and hitting greens. What is done from the tee and in particular what is done from the fairway is central.
Key Correlation Tournaments
- Crans
- Green Eagle
- The K-Club
The winner here back in 2020, star Tyrell Hatton has two other Top 7 finishes across the last decade. A T-42 at the K-Club last week looks poor but he cracked it in the last room when it was all over, shooting a final round 77. He posted three Top 16 major finishes this year. He ranks 2nd in GIR, 3rd in Strokes Gained: Approach, 13th in Bogey Avoidance and 14th in Strokes Gained: Tee To Green.
Alex Noren is another former winner worth riding this week with course form a premium this week. He won back in 2017 and has two more Top 8 finishes. He is flying too with the veteran winning the British Masters two starts back after Top 7 finishes at his last two PGA Tour events. Leads the DP World Tour in Putts Per GIR while he ranks Top 15 in key stats Bogey Avoidance, Scrambling, GIR and Strokes Gained: Approach.
Dane Rasmus Hojgaard is heading to the Ryder Cup and he could enter in great form with a big showing at Wentworth. He has a lovely profile ranking 3rd in Strokes Gained: Tee To Green, 6th in Strokes Gained: Approach, 6th in GIR and 13th in Putts Per GIR. His form at the European Masters is a good guide, finishing 2nd this year. Finished Top 16 in four of his last five starts.
It is astonishing veteran Justin Rose has not won at Wentworth after so many close calls. In such stellar form though, Rose can absolutely contend this week. Rose lost a playoff at Augusta in April and roke through for a win in the FedEx St Jude Championship during the PGA Tour playoffs. He ranks Top 10 in GIR, Strokes Gained: Approach, Strokes Gained: Tee To Green and Scrambling.
Italian Francesca Laporta is an underrated type who profiles nicely here. He ranks 9th in Scrambling, 11th in Bogey Avoidance and 14th in Driving Accuracy. He has only played here twice but finished T-6 on debut. Nice hope at any old odds.
Nine Asian players tee it up this week with major winner Hideki Matsuyama the favourite but the value is with DP World Tour player Keita Nakajima. The Japanese player has excellent form on the correlation courses and ranks Top 10 in Driving Accuracy.
Jordan Smith just doesn’t win enough to consider him a winning proposition but he has a tremendous profile with his form on the correlation courses making him a very nice Top 10 bet.