I’ve been lucky enough to have been at Wentworth a couple of times to play in the pro-am for the BMW PGA.
And I’ve hung around to watch the proper golfers when the tournament has started.
My impression of the course, the infrastructure, the crowds and the vibe at the event is of one that still deserves to be put on a level above regular tour ones.
It’s not The Open but it’s got a real big competition feel about it.
And, the course itself seemed to be a very good test for the pros from my experience of playing it.
I certainly didn’t think it was unfair. Very tough, but not unfair.
I know that the greens have come in for some criticism and there are plenty of people who will never get over the course alterations – particularly the water at the 18th – but I still think it deserves to be regarded as the jewel in the crown of the European Tour.
That will all count for nothing, though, if players don’t want to come.
There definitely seems to be a growing trend, led by Rory McIlroy, that this is an event that can be skipped.
Perception can be very hard to change.
When we’re planning our schedule there are loads of factors that come into play. Among them are ice conditions, crowd and the strength of the field.
If one of those gets a low mark then it could be the difference between playing or not.
So, as much as I would probably prefer the BMW to stay a one-venue event, it’s starting to look more and more likely that won’t happen.
The easiest way to get players back on board is to change the course.
There’s the curiosity value. Players who have started to give it a miss will give another course a go because the date doesn’t seem to be a problem and neither does the prizefund.
The issue will be keeping everybody on board year after year. With so many players prioritising American events, that could be impossible.
The European Tour may just have to settle for the fact that times have changed and the PGA will never be quite what it used to be.
* British summer must have officially begun now that Andy Murray is putting his fans through torture.
Two five-set matches in rounds one and two of the French Open isn’t the best way to start a grand slam bid. Mind you, it’s better than losing, of course.
There must be a reason that he hasn’t been able to cruise through early rounds as relatively effortlessly as Nadal, Federer and Djokovic over the years. But if he hasn’t got to the bottom of it, you can’t expect the rest of us to!
The type of person he is, coaching changes and things like that must have a bigger impact on him than others. That definitely seems to have been the case in Paris.
I think we all have to get used to the fact that it’s never going to be the easy way for Murray and his supporters.
* The threat of the Zika virus in Brazil doesn’t seem to be going away.
Rory McIlroy and Danny Willett have both spoken about their worries recently.
If it was a Winter Olympics rather than a summer one, I’m sure I would still be going.
But I’m glad it’s not a choice I’m having to make.
If you do go, it’s far from ideal that something like this will be in the back of your mind for one of the most important sporting fortnights of your life.
