Tour chief gives backing to under-fire Wentworth
WILL this week’s BMW PGA Championship be the last time we see top- class tournament golf at Wentworth for the foreseeable future?
You could be forgiven for wondering as much if you’ve been following the angry membership dispute at the club, followed by a disturbing press release sent out by the Wentworth Estate Roads Committee threatening to disrupt this year’s edition, which tees off on Thursday.
The rocky ride for the event began late last year when the European Tour’s new chief executive Keith Pelley questioned its flagship status.
So how does he feel now following the winter of discontent, coupled with the fact that a number of highprofile names including Rory McIlroy and Sergio Garcia, the two winners on either side of the Atlantic on Sunday, don’t like the course and are notable absentees?
Any thoughts along the lines of: time for a fresh start, let’s move somewhere else?
Well, for the tens of thousands who flock to Wentworth for the event every year, there is some good news. Not only is Pelley promising this year’s tournament will be the best yet for spectators, he believes peace will break out between the warring parties and the event will remain at the West Course.
‘I read all the material put out and there have definitely been challenges along the way but I don’t believe there will be any noise around the event this week,’ Pelley said.
‘It’s in everyone’s best interests to put on a world- class tournament and that’s what I think will happen, and then shortly afterwards we will sit down and see where we go moving forward.’
Pelley thinks that will involve staying put. ‘I’m optimistic we will come up with a solution that is best for the tournament and will see us remain at Wentworth,’ he said.
‘I think a large majority of members and residents want the event to stay, and it’s a fabulous place to stage it. My number one concern is the golf course and it being a place the players want to come back to again and again.
‘And having had the opportunity to sit down with the owner I have great confidence there will be significant improvements for next year.’
What about the absentees this year? ‘I’m a glass half-full guy and I look at the fact the grandstands are sold out at the weekend, as are the reserved car parks, and I know people are going to have a great time given the innovations we’ve got lined up,’ he said.
‘We’ve got Danny Willett and all these young guys desperate to make Darren Clarke’s Ryder Cup team. And when these guys have all gone through the par-three second on the final day, we’ll have spectators playing it and having a nearest-to-the-pin competition. How much fun is that going to be for them?’
Pelley admitted there were some questioning looks from BMW executives at his outspoken remarks regarding the event’s flagship status but says they’ve moved on.
‘The relationship is at a different level now,’ insists the Canadian. ‘ Their commitment from an entertainment point of view has been nothing short of spectacular.’
The one thing needed now is the same with every outdoor event in Britain: luck with the weather. Help from Mother Nature and you suspect the dark clouds surrounding one of the great weeks on the European Tour will also dissipate.