PAUL McGINLEY’S consistent pleas for a more old-fashioned form of golf seem to be falling on deaf ears with the world’s course designers but when he finds something like the West Course at Wentworth in yesterday’s fast, hard-running conditions, he feels right at home, writes Steve Scott, golf correspondent.

The Irish Ryder Cup star shot a seven-under 65 on a day when a number of supposed Wentworth specialists struggled, leaving him one ahead of the field in the BMW PGA Championship and revelling while most of the rest were tip-toeing around the tree-lined fairways.

He was one of only three players to get round yesterday without a bogey on his card and the others were Robert Karlsson—in second with a 66—and Australian Marcus Fraser, who is third on five-under. The trio of Charl Schwartzel, Daniel Vancsik and Garry Houston, like Fraser and McGinley all morning starters, share fourth on four-under.

For McGinley, places like Wentworth and Carnoustie, where he played so well in last year’s Open Championship, are levellers for his game built around course management against the bevvy of big bombers who populate the fields on the major tours. However, he bemoans this is a rare occurrence.

“I hope the message is getting through because everyone seems to think that 7500 yard courses is the secret to the future of golf, they think it’s Tiger-proofing when they are just playing into his hands,” he said.

“Firm and fast, like this, is the way to go, it brings the element of luck and chance and course management back into it, that’s what makes golf courses tough for us, it’s not about water everywhere and tough long four-irons into really small greens.

“This is a proper test of golf today, you’re tested on course management, this is old-style, almost links golf. It’s the way the game was initially designed and I revel in it because you not only have to play the shots and have the ball control, you have to manage your way around as well.”

Yesterday, McGinley’s course management was exemplary, chasing two-irons up the firm fairways, making sure he was on the right side of the hole, and he barely missed a shot, coming home in 32 and birdieing all four of the par fives.

What McGinley really wants is another Ryder Cup place, having resigned as one of Nick Faldo’s vice-captains to try and get a place on the team for the fourth time.

“I couldn’t have had better experiences than my three times on the team,” he said. “I wasn’t ready to be on the backroom staff, I felt there was a lot more good golf left in me.”

Karlsson was the only afternoon starter to challenge McGinley and holed from the fringe on the last after getting a flier from an uphill lie in the rough for his sixth birdie of the day.

The tall Swede had a top 10 finish at Augusta and has been third in Italy and Ireland in the last fortnight, so he feels the victory is not far away.

“I’m really enjoying the game, not wasting my energy on any sort of temper, just trying to play sensibly,” he said. “You have to be patient because the greens are bouncy and you won’t get too close to holes on approach shots.

“It’s a course for a patient sort of player, you see the winners here, the Montgomeries and Faldos. It plays like an inland links on days like today.”

Fraser didn’t take the birdie chances on the final two holes but the big surprise of the day was how many players considered as near bankers around this course struggled to make any impact.

Ernie Els was thrown by a double bogey six at the eighth and took a six at the 17th, ending up with a 75. Justin Rose, fancied to go one better than his play-off defeat last year, had no birdies in his 76 while defending champion Anders Hansen bogeyed the first two and toiled to a 75.

Darren Clarke (75) and Lee Westwood (77) couldn’t get started either but the biggest surprise was US Open champion Angel Cabrera’s horrendous start, bogeying the first five holes.

However with a win, two seconds and a fifth last year on this course, the Argentinian recovered and birdied the last two holes to come in with a one-over 73.

The hard and fast conditions are expected to turn damper for the rest of the tournament, which may suit the big hitters.