Els Oversees Major Renovation at Wentworth; Harrington: 18th Hole is Very Interesting

by golf8279 on 2010-05-26 00:06:16

Sohu Sports News - April 21, Beijing time, information. Among the various golf tours taking place this week, the European Tour - BMW PGA Championship naturally drew the most attention. As the flagship event of the European Tour, the European Championship with a total prize money of 4.5 million euros attracted countless world-class stars to participate. Among all these participants, one person was the most nervous: South African star Ernie Els.

The venue for the European Championship - the West Course at Wentworth - has long been criticized, especially the greens of this old club, which many top players including Padraig Harrington have described as "unfair." Therefore, throughout the past winter, Ernie Els stayed in London. His primary task was to supervise the renovation work of the West Course at Wentworth, and Els hoped that it would receive more positive feedback from the players.

Since 1984, the BMW PGA Championship has always been held at the West Course at Wentworth. Now, this aging club has finally decided to give way and accept renovations by current top players. However, many traditional critics believe that some of the renovations at Wentworth violate its natural form and are wrong. In particular, Els dug several new bunkers on the course and placed a small lake in front of the 18th green. Critics worry that Els' renovations might result in too many bunkers on the West Course at Wentworth, even hiding the greens amidst dense bunkers, making it unfavorable for attacking the flagstick position.

In response, Els said: "I am extremely nervous. I feel like sitting on pins and needles. This renovation project may be recognized by everyone, or it may not be supported. If they don't like it, I need to carefully listen to their opinions." Therefore, Els will spend this week in great anxiety, eagerly awaiting feedback from the 149 professional golfers. After all, since Harry Colt built Wentworth in 1927, Els is the first person to make changes to it.

"At the end of a day's play, you'll see that the course tests the players' skills fairly. We wait to see what happens at the end of the week," Els admitted he had no confidence about whether the renovation work was successful, "Clearly, I can't satisfy everyone, so I will seek opinions everywhere. But hopefully, the course will gain recognition from the players. That's what I desire most."

Richard Caring, the owner of Wentworth, played a decisive role in this matter. It was his persistence that led to the design collaboration with Els. Although Wentworth is an ancient club with nearly a hundred years of historical style, the much-criticized greens were no longer suitable for modern professional golf tournaments, especially for three-time major champion Padraig Harrington. For this reason, Harrington had refused to participate in the European Championship for various reasons. In the past two years, he had never set foot inside the gates of Wentworth.

Therefore, Caring ultimately made the decision to renovate the entire course, in order to keep up with the times and gain recognition from professional top players.

Els said: "The BMW PGA Championship is great; it's like the fifth major tournament in Europe. Therefore, the competition venue must have distinct characteristics. I think I've accomplished this task. Everyone will enjoy the game here, or they might be shocked, but I believe they will find ways to perform well."

Although he has already decided to undergo cartilage restoration surgery on his right knee next Tuesday, perhaps out of respect for his good friend, Harrington finally returned to the Wentworth course. After trying out the course, Harrington gave positive feedback on Els' work: "I'm impressed with the course. They made the course more genuine, and now Wentworth is fair for every participant."

Then, did the renovated course become more difficult? Harrington's answer was: "We will see many dramatic moments on the 18th hole." (Ghost Ghost, Sohu Sports)