Rory McIlroy is back at Wentworth this week, and he’s got his eyes on the prize: another BMW PGA Championship title.
It’s been nearly ten years since McIlroy won this event back in 2014, but if there’s one thing we’ve learned about Rory, it’s that he’s never quite done.
He’s a competitor through and through, and he’s coming into this tournament ready to remind everyone why he’s still at the top of his game.
Since that 2014 win, McIlroy has been knocking on the door at Wentworth more than a few times—two second-place finishes and a couple of top-ten performances are proof that this course suits him just fine.
And after a near-miss at the Amgen Irish Open, where he came close to his 18th DP World Tour victory, Rory’s coming in with momentum and laser focus.
Currently leading the Race to Dubai Rankings, McIlroy’s had a year that’s kept him right at the top of the conversation.
His third Rolex Series win in Dubai earlier this year kicked things off, and he’s followed that up with a runner-up finish at the U.S. Open and a solid tie for fourth at the Scottish Open.
Rory McIlroy: Here at Wentworth, the sun is shining and so many people out there on a Wednesday. There’s not many better places to be. So, excited to be here.
I’m glad for the opportunity to get back on the horse again. I think there may be a misconception that it hit me harder than it maybe did (missing out on the Amgen Irish Open title). You know, I didn’t really feel like I necessarily lost the tournament. I felt like Rasmus went out and won it. Shot 31 on the back nine.
Obviously just trying to look for the positives in all of it but yeah, happy to get here. My game is feeling like it’s in pretty good shape and I feel like I have another chance to win a really big tournament that means a lot to me.
It feels like quite a long time since I won at Quail Hollow back in May, and I’ve come close here a couple of times. I was second to Francesco in 2018; second to Shane in 2022.
My form at this tournament over the last few years has been very good. So yeah, it would be niece to just get another win on the board. It’s felt like awhile. And I’ve played some very good golf in that stretch, just not been able to get over the line.
With that kind of form, he’s not just here for a nice walk on the fairways—he’s here to win his second BMW PGA Championship title.
But it’s not just Rory in the mix. Fellow Ryder Cup teammate Tommy Fleetwood is also out for glory.
Fleetwood’s had a strong year himself, with a victory at the Dubai Invitational and a silver medal from the Paris Olympics to show for it. He’s been in fine form and looks just as hungry for another win.
Tommy Fleetwood: It’s beautiful. I played Monday morning. I always think the course is in great condition. It’s so English, which is great. The course is in perfect condition, really.
It’s one of the nice things, when you play somewhere, you have such a feel for the golf course, like you know how shots play and you know what’s happened in the past on these holes. And that’s one of the nice things about when you come to the same course time and time again.
There’s always new things that you learn, but you have experiences around there, and just getting a feel for how it plays is always nice.
I think we are lucky that we have a sport where everybody can play. I think it’s a lot of people’s favourite pastimes, and people find it very relaxing, I guess. Anything that we can do to all grow the game, and I think people that love the game, the celebrities, they can do a lot to attract the game to new people. It was massively busy and neat to see so many people watching.
Then there’s Robert MacIntyre, another Ryder Cup star to watch. The Scot is coming into the tournament off the back of some big wins this season, including his first PGA Tour victory at the RBC Canadian Open and a national win at the Scottish Open in July.
MacIntyre’s looking to make a statement and secure his spot in next year’s Ryder Cup.
Robert MacIntyre: It was brilliant. It was like a dream come true for me, (Andy is) a sporting idol of mine. Yeah, it was just a special, special day. If I achieve half of what he achieved in his sport, then I’ll have overachieved to be honest with you. The guy is a sporting idol of many, many Scottish people.
Now the goal is to get obviously back on the Ryder Cup team, and obviously try to win golf tournaments every week. That’s my job, and there’s so much that goes into winning them.
For me, it’s just give myself as many chances as I can, and last week was the same. I gave myself a chance. Sunday I wasn’t at the races, and that’s part of it.
It’s always great. It always the best event of the year we play, and look, when the weather is decent like this, there’s not many better places to be. But it’s just good to be back and playing and seeing familiar faces and being comfortable in the environment. Just looking forward to the week.
And let’s not forget the atmosphere—Wentworth always brings the excitement, with packed galleries and even a few celebrities sprinkled in for good measure.
Andy Murray was spotted at the Pro-Am earlier this week, showing that even sports stars from other arenas are drawn to the energy of this event.
In short, the BMW PGA Championship is shaping up to be a must-watch, especially with McIlroy looking as sharp as ever.
Whether he’ll add another chapter to his storied career with a second BMW PGA Championship title remains to be seen, but if history is anything to go by, you wouldn’t bet against him.
