Two time and reigning US Open Champion Retief Goosen will hope to make it a case of ‘Lucky 13’ when he lines up in the field for the BMW Championship – the PGA Championship – at Wentworth Club, Surrey, England, on May 26-29, 2005.
The 36 year old South African, who currently tops The European Tour Order of Merit, has yet to taste victory in the flagship event on The European Tour but has gone close in the past dozen years where he has been an ever-present in the tournament.
The closest the current World Number Five came to success to date was in 1999 when he finished in a tie for fourth place, but he showed his growing affinity for the challenge of the famous West Course last year when excellent weekend rounds of 67-68 saw him finish on the cusp of the top ten.
“The fact that I have played in the last 12 PGA Championships underlines the importance I attach to the event,” he said. “It is, quite rightly, recognised as the flagship event on The European Tour and the arrival of a blue-chip company in BMW further emphasises the status of a Championship which is high on my list of goals.”
George O’Grady, Executive Director of The European Tour, said: “We are delighted that Retief is returning to Wentworth again and with Ernie Els here too, it will mean that the current Numbers One and Two on The European Tour Order of Merit will be challenging for the BMW Championship.”
Goosen, who will come into the event on a wave of confidence after some excellent early season form on both sides of the Atlantic, has a spectacular record on The European Tour since his first appearance in 1992. He has played in 278 events with 11 victories and, in all, 81 top ten finishes. His total winnings in that time are €14,742,451ss and he will be seeking to increase that sum by winning the first prize of €666,660 from a record prize fund of €4,000,000.
This season Goosen, winner of 25 tournaments worldwide, has finished runner-up in the Johnnie Walker Classic and third on two other occasions on The European Tour, and made the cut in all seven events he has contested on the US PGA Tour.
