Luke Donald up against it on cusp of hat-trick

We are in Wentworth this week for the BMW PGA Championship, which is the flagship event of the European Tour. This is one title that is unparalleled in terms of prestige and one that every member of the Tour hopes to win at least once in his career.

Luke Donald has already won it twice, and those have come in the past two years. That means he is on the cusp of history as he attempts to become only the second player after Colin Montgomerie to win three successive PGA titles. The spotlight will be well and truly trained on him as he sets out to master the Ernie Els-redesigned West course again this week.

However, Donald will have his task cut out as this week’s field is as deep as it gets on the European Tour. World No 2 Rory McIlroy is back and he will be eager to rectify what is definitely not the proudest of records on a golf course. He took a bit of stick last year after missing the cut, and considering that he is expected to announce another big change in his career — of severing ties with his present management company and going it alone — it could get unpleasant again for Rory if he doesn’t perform well.

Then there is Graeme McDowell, who is playing some outstanding golf and come in with the added confidence of winning the Volvo World Match Play last week, and Lee Westwood, who always seems to play well at Wentworth. And let’s not forget Els, who has such a phenomenal record on what has been his home course for several years.

Last year, we were blessed with gorgeous weather throughout the tournament, but Tuesday was cold and overcast. I just hope that we do not have any rain during the next few days because that would be a real shame. I believe we had record crowds for the tournament last year - over 95,000 for the four days — and with a bit of assistance from the weather, we can surely beat that number this year.

I have always liked the West Course layout at Wentworth, and the one feature that I love most are the two closing par-5s. That just adds immensely to the drama. You can be standing on the 17th tee on Sunday couple of shots behind the leader, and it could all change in no time if you make birdies, or even eagles, on those two.

Personally, I have had a pretty decent record in the tournament but I do need a big week. I have been playing well for some time but somehow, I have not been able to get all aspects of my game right for four successive days. So hopefully, I will make that turnaround here.

Jeev Milkha Singh is a four-time champion on the European Tour