Volvo pulls out of Masters of Asia sponsorship

Volvo has confirmed that, after careful consideration, it has decided not to take up its contractual option to further extend its golf sponsorship of the Volvo Masters of Asia for an extra year into 2009.
Following recent meetings in Singapore with events rights holder, World Sport Group and the sanctioning body, the Asian Tour, Per Ericsson, President & Chief Executive Officer of Volvo Event Management said, "There is no single issue that has led us to take this decision, more so a combination of factors. The current economic climate, the unstable situation surrounding Asian golf at present and recent unrest in Thailand all played a part."
He continued, "On reflection and taking all these issues into consideration, the board of Volvo Event Management has concluded that it would not be taking up its option on a further extension on this occasion, however remains open to opportunities in Asia in the future."
Volvo's current golf portfolio includes the €3.25million Volvo World Match Play Championship, to be held at Finca Cortesín in Spain from October 29-November 1, 2009, the Volvo China Open and the Volvo Masters Amateur.

Monty will have three wild card selections

for 2010 Ryder Cup match at Celtic Manor

Colin Montgomerie wanted to boost the number of captain's picks from two to four for the 2010 Ryder Cup match at Celtic Manor. He has had to settle for three. Still that's one more than Nick Faldo and other past European captains had since 1995.
Only the top four players instead from a points list based on world rankings will be automatically selected. Previously the top five from a world points list and the leading five from what amounted to a European Tour money list were guaranteed places.
At skipper Paul Azinger's insistence, the United States revamped its system for the 2008 matches, allowing four captain’s picks. The Americans ended its longest losing streak by winning at Valhalla.

NEWS RELEASE FROM EUROPEAN TOUR
The qualification process for Europe’s 2010 Ryder Cup Team has been announced following a meeting of the European Tour’s Tournament Players Committee.
After discussion with Europe’s 2010 captain, Colin Montgomerie, it was decided that the leading four players from the Ryder Cup world points list would be joined by the leading five players, not otherwise qualified (having selected the four players from the Ryder Cup world points list) from the Ryder Cup European points list in automatically qualifying for Europe’s 2010 Ryder Cup team at the end of the qualification period.
Those nine players will then be joined by three captain’s picks to make up the 12-man team to take on the United States over the Twenty Ten Course at the Celtic Manor Resort, Newport, Wales, from October 1-3, 2010.

Paul Lawrie Foundation boys'

match-play reaches last 32

By MURRAY CARNIE
The Paul Lawrie Foundation boys' match-play tournament enters the last 32 stage with a lot of interesting matches.
Pick of the round might be the clash of Alex Wiseman (Fraserburgh) playing the ever-improving Lewis Morgan (Kemnay). Both boys have the capability of producing stunning golf, but it might be home advantage that tips the scales in favour of Alex.
Another match which catches the eye is the all-Peterhead tie between Ross Gordon and Philip Lemon. This tie could go all the way to the 18th and I would not be surprised if extra holes were needed to separate them.
Top seed and holder of the trophy, Ryan Bain faces a tough test against Steven Sharp (Newburgh on Ythan) but I suspect that Ryan might carry too much fire power for Steven.
All matches in this round must be played on or before June 14.

ROUND OF THE LAST 32

RYAN BAIN (Strathlene) v STEVEN SHARP (Newburgh on Ythan)
DECLAN CHRISTIE (Portlethen) v LIAM ALLAN ( Torphins)
MICHAEL ANGUS ( Hazlehead) v MATTHEW McWILLIAM (Ellon Mc Donald)
PHILIP LEMON (Peterhead) v ROSS GORDON (Peterhead)
ROSS McALLAN (Stonehaven) v GREG SINGER (Kemnay)
CRAIG CHALMERS (Murcar Links) v DONALD FRASER (Turriff)
RYAN GORDON (Alford) v ROSS BUCHAN (Inverallochy)
GRAEME GUILD ( Huntly) v ANDREW CARRELL (Peterculter)
ALEX WISEMAN (Fraserburgh) v LEWIS MORGAN (Kemnay)
DOUGLAS ELRICK (Hazlehead) v ROBBIE GAULD (Cruden Bay)
SCOTT GOODBRAND (Westhill) v JAMIE MANSON (Oldmeldrum)
CHRIS LAMB (Newmachar) v JACK PRESLY (Banchory)
GORDON MCKECHNIE (Oldmeldrum) v KEVIN WATSON (Newburgh on Ythan)
GORDON MUNRO (Fraserburgh) v STEVEN SMITH (Deeside)
JOE GRIFFITHS (Cullen) v NEALE BARNES (Deeside)
ZACK CLARK (Cruden Bay) v FRASER CLARK (Westhill)

Aberdeen Trades Foursomes Results

HAZLEHEAD No 1 COURSE

QUARTER-FINALS

ACCNS beat LAWYERS by three holes
I Morrison & C Strachan 4, W Park & D Purdie 0.
I Pratt & D Morris 0, D Macandrew & D Kerr 1.

APORA beat SPARROW OFFSHORE by 10 holes.
S Spiers & K Duthie 7, S Watt & B Smith 0.
T Robertson & R McKen 3, J Henderson & G Blackwood 0.

BANKERS bt POLICE by four holes.
G Stewart & B Gibson 2, B Ritchie & J Calder 0.
S Carmichael & M Paterson 2, G Marr & S Ednie 0.

SURVEYORS bt GREENKEEPERS 1 by two holes.
C Kerr & M Halliday 1, N Saddler & R Paterson 0.
J Broadley & G Hendry 1, R McCrae & D Grant 0.

+ACCNS = Aberdeen City Council Neighbourhood Services.
+APORA - Aberdeen Post Office Recreation Association

WEDNESDAY NIGHT'S SEMI-FINALS
4.40 ACCNS v APORA.
4.54 BANKERS v SURVEYORS

Key man Spencer goes .... "Race to

Dubai" long-term future in doubt

By ALISTAIR TAIT
GolfWeek Senior Writer
David Spencer, the architect behind Leisurecorp’s partnership with the PGA European Tour and the season-ending “Race to Dubai,’’ is OUT as chief executive of the high-end development company.
Spencer, the public face of Leisurecorp’s golf activities, became redundant after parent company Nakheel, a real-estate developer in the United Arab Emirates, assumed the day-to-day running of Leisurecorp.
Spencer, an Australian, is on medical leave. According to a story in the UAE-based newspaper The National, he will continue in a consulting role through the Open in July and the Dubai World Championship in November.
Spencer’s role is thought to have been reduced to 10 hours per week.
The move, plus the suspension of Leisurecorp’s flagship development Jumeirah Estates in Dubai, throws into question the long-term future of the European Tour’s “Race to Dubai.’’
Tour officials reached by Golfweek would not comment, deferring to a Nakheel statement.
Nakheel said its commitment to golf would continue.
“While the real estate activities of Leisurecorp are part of Dubai World’s current consolidation, Leisurecorp’s golf business activities continue as usual,’’ Nakheel said in a statement.
“Due to ongoing health reasons, David Spencer is currently on medical leave although he continues to be closely involved with Leisurecorp’s golf activities.’’
Leisurecorp has pledged $178 million to the European Tour over the next five years. The money is for the naming rights to the Order of Merit and the Dubai World Championship, the Tour’s season finale held on the Greg Norman-designed Earth course.
The top 60 players on the European Tour’s money list, the “Race to Dubai,” will compete each year for a $10 million prize fund, with a further $10 million bonus pool to the top 15 on the Race to Dubai.
The extra $78 million consists of a treasure chest available to the European Tour.
Leisurecorp also owns Turnberry, site of this year’s Open, and is backing the European Open at The London Club on May 28-31.
Jumeirah Estates has postponed construction of two of four planned courses, citing the ongoing economic downturn. The Earth was the first course to be completed. A second Norman-designed course, the Fire, also has been finished. The Wind and the Water courses are on hold.
“The focus for us this year has been to complete the two courses which are capable of staging the Dubai World Championship, and we have achieved that,” Leisurecorp marketing director Colin Smith told The National.
“We will move on from there when the market is right,’’ Smith said. “It is too early to say at the moment when that will be. We will see where the world is in a few months’ time. It’s normal for people all around the world to re-evaluate projects because of the financial climate. And we are doing exactly that.”

Glenmuir PGA professional championship eliminator

Arnott's level par at tough

Dundonald good enough

to lead Scots qualifiers

By RON MARSHALL
PGA Scottish Region Press Officer
A level-par 72 by Robert Arnott over the tough Dundonald Links was good enough for victory in today's Scottish qualifying round of the flagship event for Britain and Ireland’s top club professionals.
The 45-year-old from Bishopbriggs Driving Range, one of the Tartan Tour’s most consistent players in recent years, will return to the Ayrshire course with the Scottish contingent of 21 qualifiers for the 72-hole Glenmuir PGA Professional Championship, from June 16-19. While scores in the blustery conditions were ballooning into the 80s among some of his fellow competitors, Arnott fired halves of 36, a birdie and bogey in each, and he can now entertain the prospect of pursuing his second selection for the PGA Cup team (the club pros’ version of the Ryder Cup) to meet the USA in September over The Carrick at Cameron House on the shores of Loch Lomond.
Arnott, pictured above, played in GB & I’s losing side in Florida six years ago.
Despite running up four penalty shots, Downfield’s Ken Hutton still mustered a 74, tying with Glasgow’s Nick Walton, Sandy Strachan (Deer Park) and Paul Wardell (Whitekirk).
Hutton had to lift out from ditches at the long third and short sixth holes, and added to his woes by driving out of bounds at the par-4 12th.
“But I managed four birdies and generally struck the ball very well”, said Hutton. “I had a practice round last week when the wind was blowing in exactly the opposite direction, so club selection was that bit tougher.”
Highlight of his round, coming immediately after two dropped shots, was a nine-iron second shot at the 395yd eighth, which travelled 145yd downwind, finishing up 4ft from the pin, for his third birdie of the front nine.
Walton, who’s 45 and has played much of his golf in the north of England and on the Hooters’ Tour in America, recovered well from a disastrous double-bogey/bogey start. Out in 39, three over, he made late saving gains at the 17th and 18th for an inward 35.
Strachan, the former head pro at Bathgate, handed in a scorecard boasting four birdies and no bogeys. The downside was the appearance of three double bogeys.
Wardell, after a good 35 out, double-bogeyed the 10th and dropped another at the 460yd 16th for an inward 39.
The leading 21 players from a field of almost 80 will return next month in pursuit of a £78,000 prize fund, from which the winner picks up £10,000, and the leading 10 finishers are exempt from regional qualifying for the 2010 Open at St Andrews.
LEADING QUALIFIERS
Par 72
72 R Arnott (Bishopbriggs DR)
74 N Walton (Glasgow), K Hutton (Downfield), S Strachan (Deer Park), P Wardell (Whitekirk)
75 F McLaughlan (Bothwell Castle)
76 C Matheson (Falkirk Tryst), F Mann (Musselburgh), C Everett (Caldwell), S O’Donnell (Balbirnie Park)
77 C Elliott (Haggs Castle), I Taylor (Drumpellier), S Savage (Dalmuir), C Donnelly (Balbirnie Park).
78 M King (Kingsfield), N Huguet (Musselburgh), S McNally (Sco. Inst. of Sport), G Law (Uphall)
79 (after a play-off) A McCloskey (Bothwell Castle), A MacKenzie (Duddingston), A Fullen (Largs).
OTHER SCORES INCLUDED
79 (beaten in play-off) Alastair Forrow (Whitecraigs), Colin Cunningham (Westin Turnberry).
80 Derek Watters (Gourock), Mark Loftus (Cowglen), Samuel Cairns (Colville Park), Bill Lockie (North Gailes), Andrew Cooper (Newmachar), Jonathan Porteous (Craigielaw), Neil Colquhoun (Merchants of Edinburgh).
81 Simon Payne (Cowglen), Gordon Stewart (Cawder), Jacky Montgomery (Dunbar).
82 Andrew Marshall (Houston GR), Duncan Williamson (Kirkhill), Richard Cartwright (Dunbar).
83 David Fleming (Prestwick), Michael McAllan (Murrayfield), Paul Jamieson (Dunblane), Alan Purdie (Kingsbarns).
84 Iain Kennedy (Mearns Castle GA), Gary McFarlane (Clober), Alan Reid (West Lothian), John Kelly (Kames CC), Gavin Cook (Prestonfield), Ron Goudie (Islay), Gordon Niven (Stirling Unv), Russell Smith (Gleneagles).
85 James Erskine (Portpatrick Dunskey), Andrew Gibson (North Gailes), Robert Collinson (Bearsden GR), Richard Copsey (Enville), Colin Munro (Ralston), Jonas Hedberg (Royal Aberdeen).
86 Jonathan Cliff (Murrayhfield), Paul Malone (Braid Hills).
88 Alistair Brown (Whitecraigs), Stuart Morrison (Tain).
89 Paul Morrison (Balmore), Paul Wytrazek (Burntisland).

SATURDAY IS CLOSING DATE FOR

ABERDEEN LINKS ENTRIES

Saturday (May 16) is the closing dates for entries to Aberdeen Links golf championship, open to members of the Bon-Accord, Caledonian and Northern golf clubs.
Entry forms are available in the respective clubhouses.
Davie Grieve is the new secretary of the championship.
"We are introducing a 2s competition and nearest the pin contests at all the par-3s in the qualifying rounds, to try to encourage more members to participate," he said.
The dates for this year's competions which come under the umbrella of the Aberdeen Links championship are:
Seniors championship - May 29 and June 5.
Links championship - Qualifying rounds: May 30 & June 6. Match-play starts Monday, June 8 in the evenings, running all week and into the following week, culminating in the handicap finals on Wednesday, June 17 and the scratch championship final on Friday, June 19.
Murray Cup - May 31 and June 7.
The two most recent winners of the championship have both been Caledonian members - Adrian Styles in 2007 and Alex Cruickshank last year.
members.

Falling members means Torphins Hill

cannot afford to keep Browne as pro

FROM THE EDINBURGH EVENING NEWS
By MARTIN DEMPSTER
An Edinburgh golf club is dispensing with the services of its professional after seeing membership levels fall by 50 per cent over the past few years.
Jamie Browne, who has been at Torphin Hill for the last 12 years, is leaving the club at the end of this month and will not be replaced."
Jamie is leaving mainly for financial reasons brought on by a falling membership," said Willie McCathie, the club secretary.
"We are down to just over 200 ordinary members, having had 400 or so eight years ago."
Most golf clubs in Scotland have lost members this year due to the recession, with some holding special Open Days to try and recruit new players.
Royal Musselburgh and Newbattle have already held such events and Lothianburn are opening their doors this Sunday.
"It's a real fight these days not only to get new members but then keep them," added McCathie. "The trouble is that, with a lot of the clubs having taken the step of getting rid of a joining fee, people are having a year here and a year there.
"We've got a special offer at the moment whereby people can become a member for £368 in the first year and we've had a small uptake on that. Whether they stay after that first year, however, is another matter and, unfortunately, it was a case of either dispensing with the club pro or the admin staff."
Browne, who was previously at the Braid Hills Golf Centre, will retain his status as a PGA pro but will be starting a new venture to try and make ends meet once he finishes at Torphin Hill.
"I will be staying as a golf professional and would like to get a teaching position somewhere," he said. "But, in the meantime, my brother, Malcolm, and I are going to get a black cab in Edinburgh."
Meanwhile, Lloyd Saltman has pulled out of this week's European Challenge Tour event in France after missing the cut in his last two outings on that circuit.
"He is taking the week off," commented dad Jack, who manages Lloyd and his two brothers, Elliot and Zack. Elliot is in action this week on the PGA EuroPro at Faithlegg in Ireland and will hope to take up where he left off when finishing strongly to tie for second at Collingtree Park last
week.

Gavin Dear's Irish win hoists

him up to No 25 in the world

Gavin Dear's victory in the Irish open amateur stroke-play championship at the weekend promoted him 17 places in the latest R&A World Amateur Golf Rankings.
The 24-year-old Murrayshall Golf Club, Perth man from Scone is now 25th - 20 places above the only other Scot in the top 50, Comrie's Wallace Booth who finished second at Royal Dublin on Sunday.
Booth has moved up from 59th to 45th.

Dear, winner of the Craigmillar Park Open earlier in the Scottish season, would dearly like to make the top 10 of the WAGR before he turns professional in late September. Victory in the upcoming Scottish open amateur stroke-play championship at Murcar Links would be another huge step in that direction.

Booth will, of course, be defending the title he won in last year's weather-shortened 54-hole championship at The Duke's Course, St Andrews.
Apart from Dear and Booth, there is only one other Scot ranked in the world's top 100 amateurs - Ross Kellett (Colville Park) who moves up five places in the rankings to No 91 after making the final day of the "Irish."
The biggest Scottish mover in the WAGR is Troon's Michael Stewart, a first-year student at East Tennessee State University, Johnson City. His first win on the US college circuit in the Atlantic Sun Coference championship sees him improve 38 places to No 172.
On the downside, Keir McNicoll (Carnoustie), runner-up in last year's Irish open amateur stroke-play but who missed the cut at the weekend, drops 61 places to No 278. Paul O'Hara (Colville Park), winner of the recent Edward Trophy but another who was eliminated at the halfway stage at Royal Dublin, drops 64 places to No 294.

TOP RANKINGS AND SCOTS IN LEADING 500
1 Scott Arnold (Aus) 1361.25.
2 Morgan Hoffman (US) 1210.00
3 Rickie Fowler (US) 1178.95 (+1).
4 Nicol Van Wyk (SAf) 1168.75 (-1).
5 Nick Taylor (Can) 1165.28
Selected players:
25 Gavin Dear (Murrayshall) 974.67 (+17)
45 Wallace Booth (Comrie) 927.27 (+14).
91 Ross Kellett (Colville Park) 855.22 (+5).
130 Steven McEwan (Caprington) 806.25 (+14).
172 Michael Stewart (East Tennessee State Univ) 772.41 (+38).
246 James Byrne (Arizona State Univ) 715.25 (+1).
264 Mark Hillson (Craigielaw) 703.13 (+3).
278 Keir McNicoll (Carnoustie) 694.29 (-61).
294 Paul O'Hara (Colville Park) 689.46 (-64).
306 Glenn Campbell (Blairgowrie) 681.13 (-1).
355 James White (Lundin) 654.10 (+1)]
382 Craig Watson (East Renfrewshire) 637.50.
386 Lewis Kirton (Louisville-Kentucky Univ)0 635.00 (-1)
399 Scott Borrowman (Dollar) 624.68 (+2).
405 Gordon Yates (Hilton Park) 620.00 (-1).
415 David Law (Hazlehead) 614.29 (-4)
435 Philip McLean (Peterhead) 604.00 (+9)
+Where no "+" or "-", player's position is the same as it was last week.

Ian Baker-Finch, the Open winner

whose game went into meltdown

FROM THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD WEBSITE
These days, Ian Baker-Finch regards himself as a television commentator, golf course designer and corporate golf host, but he reckons the 20th anniversary of his only victory on American soil is good enough reason for a brief tournament comeback.
The 1991 Open champion, whose game totally disintegrated just a few years after that win, has confirmed his entry in the Colonial Invitational in Fort Worth, Texas, from May 28 to 31.
"I'm playing because, as a former champion, I won't be taking a spot from another player. It's also the 20th anniversary of my victory there so I thought it would be nice to return," Baker-Finch told AAP.
Interestingly enough, the Colonial is being telecast in the US by CBS, the network for which "IBF" commentates. But CBS will telecast only the last two days of play, with The Golf Channel covering the opening two days.
Should he make the cut, will he be wired for sound by CBS? Maybe have a chat with fellow commentator Nick Faldo along the way?
Whatever, there is no doubt the eyes of the golfing world will be upon him. They have been for each of his handful of tournament appearances since that sad, sad day in the Open at Royal Troon in 1997 when his driver became his hara-kiri sword along the way to a first-round 92 and his subsequent withdrawal.
The 48-year-old is eligible for the Open until the age of 65, but he has never played it since, not even in 1998 or last year when it was back at Royal Birkdale.
IBF did play the Colonial in 2001, missing the cut. In fact, the last time he made a cut on the US PGA Tour was in 1994.
Back in 1997 after the disastrous events of Royal Troon, Baker-Finch honoured a commitment to play the inaugural Queensland Masters, a secondary tour event here, just a week later as he was part-owner of The Willows, the tournament venue.
He was aghast when the Herald turned up to cover the event, but we shared a few beers later. His name wasn't mentioned in dispatches when it came to the leader board in the 54-hole event.
Later in the year he played the Coolum Classic, then a pro-am tournament. In the opening round, IBF was six over after eight holes and, on the 18th after hitting two drives into the water, he disqualified himself from the professional section of the tournament but continued to play with his pro-am partner.
It is incongruous that IBF lost his way in tournaments. At his home club in Florida, he plays off a +5 handicap and shoots between 66 and 72. His best round in the past 18 months is a 10-under 61.
Last year, he told the Herald: "I play for fun, and if I don't play four times a week, I start pulling my hair out. When I turn 50 [in October next year] whenever I can I might play part-time. But the Seniors Tour is really just an exhibition for old blokes with grey hair."
He was waiting for the inevitable question. What of that dreadful day at Royal Troon in 1997? "It doesn't haunt me, only when people ask about it," he replied.
Baker-Finch is one of the nice guys in golf. Let's hope he plays the Colonial as though it is a social outing with his mates and shows something of the old magic.

+Editor's note: During Baker-Finch's downward spiral in the 1990s, he drove out of bounds from the first tee at the Old Course, St Andrews ... a wild hook over the white fence that borders the 18th fairway.

WENTWORTH EVENT IS EARLY-SEASON HIGHLIGHT

Men of the moment head for next

week's BMW PGA Championship

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE EUROPEAN TOUR
The ability of the BMW PGA Championship to attract the ‘men of the moment’ in the world of golf will be emphasised once again this year when Swede Henrik Stenson joins Angel Cabrera of Argentina to headline a truly world-class field at Wentworth Club from May 21-24.
Both men possess exciting and explosive talents as they have shown over the past four weeks; Cabrera leading the way last month with his thrilling victory in the Masters Tournament at Augusta National, while Stenson followed suit last weekend with an electrifying victory in The Players Championship in America.
Now Cabrera, the man with the Green Jacket in his Augusta locker, and Stenson – whose stunning victory propelled him to World Number Five - will aim to add one of golf’s most prestigious titles to their already impressive respective CVs when they line up in The European Tour’s flagship event with an eye on the first prize of €750,000 from a total prize fund of €4,500,000.
To do that, they will both have to be at their very best in view of the calibre of the field which includes ten of the top 25 players in the world today, including Paul Casey of England, currently ranked seventh, who attempts to become the first ‘home’ winner at Wentworth Club since David Howell in 2006.
Cabrera returns to the scene of his success four years ago aiming to follow in the footsteps of Nick Faldo, Seve Ballesteros, Bernhard Langer and José Maria Olazábal, who all captured the Masters title and went on to further glory at Wentworth Club the following month.
He said: “The BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth is always one of the highlights of the year and I have enjoyed some good results there. The West Course is one of my favourites while the atmosphere surrounding the Championship gives it the feel of a Major event. I am looking forward enormously to trying to repeat my win of 2005.”
Casey, who recently won the Shell Houston Open, also captured his ninth European Tour title in January by winning the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship, and was runner up to Geoff Ogilvy in the World Golf Championships – Accenture Match Play at the beginning of March.
While the achievements of Cabrera and Stenson have caught the public imagination over the past few weeks, there is no shortage of players aiming to shoot them down; from defending champion Jiménez to the English contingent of Casey, Luke Donald, Justin Rose and last year’s runner-up, Oliver Wilson, who all have their eyes on the prize on home soil.
Casey said: “BMW are one of our best sponsors and the Championship is at Wentworth, the home of The European Tour, so I am really looking forward to it,” said Casey. “I’ll be returning home and I’ll have family and friends around.
“I have obviously had success on the golf course (winning the 2006 World Match Play) and we are playing for big prize money so it will be very important for The Race to Dubai.
“I am looking forward to coming back to Europe to support BMW and The European Tour. There are few finer places in the world than this part of Surrey on a nice Spring day. I will arrive early to get my practice done because I want to play well there.
“The BMW PGA Championship is extremely important for me as my next appearance after that in Europe will be The Open Championship. They are two events I always look forward to. We play all over the world now but there is always a special feeling when we arrive at Wentworth as this particular week heralds the start of a big part of the golfing season. It is a very important event.”
In-form Casey, who finished in a tie for tenth over Wentworth Club’s famous West Course in 2008, will be joined by compatriots Rose – who lost a play-off to Anders Hansen of Denmark in 2007 - and Wilson, who narrowly missed out on claiming his maiden European Tour title in the BMW PGA Championship in 2008.
Wilson also came off second best in a play-off, losing to Jiménez on the second play-off hole last year having tied with the Spaniard on 11 under par 277 in regulation play.
Wilson said: “I have fond memories of the BMW PGA Championship and what it did for my career. In one week I moved from 11th to second on the Order of Merit and into the top 50 in the world at Number 45. I achieved some big objectives there.
“BMW know how to put on awesome tournaments and with the combination of the Tour’s Flagship event on their own doorstep, great TV coverage and big crowds, it generates an aura and excitement which isn’t replicated at many other events.”
Having recovered from the hand injury he sustained at the US Open Championship which ended his 2008 season and ruled him out of a place in Nick Faldo’s Team in Valhalla, a revitalised Donald also returns to Wentworth Club hoping to improve on his tied third place at last year’s Championship.
Donald fired a superb final round 65 to finish level with Robert Karlsson last May, two strokes behind Jiménez and Wilson, for his second consecutive top ten finish after his seventh place in 2007.
Two-time Masters Champion José Maria Olazábal adds his considerable flair to the 2009 Championship while the field is enhanced considerably by the presence of others in the world’s top 25, namely Sweden’s Robert Karlsson, Lee Westwood of England, South African Ernie Els, Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, Retief Goosen of South Africa and Germany’s Martin Kaymer.
About the BMW PGA Championship 2009
The BMW PGA Championship 2009 will boast one of the strongest fields on the European Tour International Schedule, with many of the world’s best players in action pursuing a prize fund of €4,500,000. All four days will be broadcast live on both BBC Television (May 23 and 24) and Sky Sports (May 21 and 22) with extensive highlights on both channels.
Tickets are now on sale for the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Club from May 21-24, 2009 via http://www.europeantourtickets.com/. Hospitality packages in the magnificent Club Caprice are also available. Please visit http://www.europeantourtickets.com/ or call +44 800 023 2557.

£2.2million home fit for a golfing prince outside Belfast

Rory McIlroy investing in

a future in Europe

FROM THE BELFAST TELEGRAPH WEBSITE
Most lads his age would be splashing their cash on boy toys and have a Ferrari or two parked in the driveway. Rory McIlroy is different. Just 20 and already one of the hottest prospects in world golf, this shrewd youngster is investing in real estate.
Already the owner of a smart detached house in his native Holywood and a plush property on Fermanagh’s exclusive Lough Erne Resort, McIlroy has embarked on a £2.2m project to build a home fit for a golfing prince just outside Belfast.
Having agreed a price for 13-plus acres near the Co Down village of Moneyreagh, McIlroy is planning to instal a full-sized driving range and state-of-the-art short game facilities.
“We’ve agreed everything,” said the youngster, who in 21 months as a pro has banked £2.036m prizemoney; a fraction of his off-course earning potential as the world’s most exciting young player.
Shortly after turning pro in September 2007, McIlroy visited Padraig Harrington’s Co Dublin home and was impressed by the facilities at the Open Champion’s disposal.
“At that time I never thought I’d have made enough money to do something like that,” he reveals.
“I’d been looking at land for a while and this place came up. It’s perfect. There’s already a house on five acres and then there’s two four-acre paddocks — one is quite narrow and 280 yards long, so it’ll make a perfect driving range.
“The house is only three years old. It’s a beautiful place. We knew it was just right the first time me and mum and dad went up to have a look at it.”
With the deal due for completion by July 31, McIlroy, as touring pro for the Lough Erne resort, will have no problem finding someone to build the practice facilities.
“I’m actually going to use the guys who built Lough Erne. They’ll come and have a look at what I’ve got and design a place
for me. So I don’t think it’ll cost an astronomical amount,” he explains. “I hope everything will be ready by next spring.”
His decision to invest in property at home and not in Florida underlines McIlroy’s determination to base himself in Europe — for the foreseeable future — and not take out membership of the US Tour.
McIlroy’s attitude is similar to Players Cahmpionship winner Henrik Stenson, who as a member of the Europe’s Tournament Committee, is happy just to play the Majors, World Golf Championships and selected other events in the States without having to commit to the minimum 15 US tournaments required of full US PGA Tour members.
Stenson showed his Major-winning potential as he shot the only bogey-free round on Sunday, a stunning 66 on The Stadium Course, which played as mischievously as designer Pete Dye intended, leaving even Tiger Woods bemused in eighth place after a closing 75.
Though McIlroy missed a cut for the first time in the US last Friday, he’s as big an asset to the European Tour as Stenson. So his decision to resist the lure of the US circuit and remain at home is a big feather in the cap for European golf.
“I feel more comfortable in Europe,” McIlroy explains. “If I can play 15 events in Europe and then add in the World Championships and Majors, that’s more than enough. I’ll also play a couple in Asia in the winter months and that’d be fine.”
This week, his focus is on the Irish Open at Baltray, where a bumper home crowd should help McIlroy recapture the buzz he felt on his debut at April’s US Masters.
Like many professionals, McIlroy got such a high at Augusta, he felt flat at Hilton Head the following week, though he was surprised when the spark didn’t return at the US PGA Tour’s showpiece in Sawgrass. Mind you, playing in the very last group on Friday, after most fans had gone home, hardly helped.
Stenson’s classy finale lent The Players the major championship cachet the US PGA Tour craves. Victory also lifted the Swede four places to fifth in the world rankings, dropping Harrington to eighth.
Yet the atmosphere at The Stadium Course seemed muted this year as recession took its toll. Sawgrass insiders reveal pre-tournament ticket sales were down by 25% for an event which usually sells out, while the corporate areas, especially around the famous 17th hole, weren’t as boisterous.
After Northern Trust, recipients of a US government rescue package, took a shellacking in Washington for spending so much on clients at this year’s Los Angeles Open, other hard-pressed businesses are being very careful with entertainment budgets, severely limiting corporate earnings for golf tournaments around the globe.
Yet the Irish Open, until recently the sick child of the European Tour, boasts new sponsors, — a 20% increase to its prize fund and the strongest field in years. It’s a mini-miracle.