Ernie Els is hoping further changes to this week’s BMW PGA Championship will dispel the complaints directed at him the past two years as the Wentworth West course re-designer.
The double US Open winning was heavily criticized two years ago when changes were first introduced to the European Tour’s flagship venue.
Then last year England’s Ian Poulter leveled more criticism at further Els work on the course declaring he was ‘absolutely headless’ after taking an 18th hole double bogey during the second round.
Ernie Els hoping his fellow competitors will also be smiling after further changes to the Wentworth West Course. (Photo - www.golfbytourmiss.com)
“Look, you make changes to a golf course like the West Course, and people are not going to like them,” said Els.
“That’s part of what we do as designers and hopefully what we’ve done fits most of the other golfers’ eyes but it’s not going to, you’ll have people that are not going to like it.
“But I think we’ve passed that bridge.
“I didn’t enjoy it really too much two years ago when the guys were speaking out through the press but last year that started coming to me.”
Els revealed the big change this year is returning the 12th hole from a par four back to a par five and there’s been further changes to the par four 15th, the par five 17th and the final hole.
“There’s a new green at 17 and what we’ve done at 18 is that we’ve removed a bunker down the right of the fairway so guys can get the ball down there,” said Els.
“We’ve actually lifted the fairway quite a bit with about 100,000 tones of material before you get down to where the water is guarding the green.
“So 18 should play a lot easier and there’s a tree on the right that’s been taken down as it dies.
“The 18th should be a great finishing hole again. There’s a water feature, and there’s risk and reward, so you now hit a proper shot in there, if you want to go for the green.
“It should set up for an exciting finish and you could make eagle there now.”
Els further indicated he is hole that the changes he’s overseen this year should be the last for some time.
“We are just about there with the changes while we have also looked at the scoring,” said Els.
“We really wanted to have scoring more like a Major as we saw last year with Luke (Donald) and Lee (Westwood) finishing at 6-under.
“We wanted a real tough test. We may have pushed the envelope a bit here and there in the past but we are just about there now”.
Els will play the opening two rounds of the Euro 4.5m event in the company of fellow US. Open champion, Rory McIlroy and Scotland’s Martin Laird.
Laird is making his debut in the Tour’s flagship event.
