David Higgins Earns Place at BMW Championship

Another week of travel chaos is predicted, as a result of the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud, and so it is once again a hazardous time for European Tour players trying to get between tournaments as the season enters the business end of things.

For Irish professional David Higgins some of that so called glamorous jet travel might be welcome challenge as he arrives in Wentworth as 2009 Irish PGA Order of Merit winner and steps up from regional golf this week to take his place at the BMW PGA Championship.

His last major event was a year ago when he qualified for The Open and travelled knowing he had the pedigree on links courses to perform well at Turnberry. But a 75 on the second day put an end to any hopes of playing the weekend and it remains his sole appearance at The Open so far.

In November last year he failed to make it through European Tour Qualifying School but has remained active on the Irish circuit over recent months working on his game. This few days Surrey will be a telling reminder though if he is missing the cut and thrust of competitive golf on the international circuit.

The Irish contingent joining Kerry man David Higgins will be the top golf names in the country including last year’s 3 Irish Open winner, Shane Lowry; Quail Hollow Champion, Rory Mclroy, 2 time Open Winner, Padraig Harrington; Ryder Cup heroes Darren Clarke and Paul McGinley along with Graeme McDowell, four time winner on the European Tour.

For Damien McGrane the worries are about travelling from the Mallorca Open this weekend to London where he hopes to join Gareth Maybin, who finished runner up in the Ballantine’s Championship in Korea recently; Michael Hoey, who was sixth in the Madeira Islands Open BPI – Portugal and 2008 Open de España winner, Peter Lawrie.

Paul Casey of England will defend his BMW PGA Championship title against one of the strongest fields ever to have assembled for The European Tour’s flagship event, with five of the World’s Top Ten set to tee up over Wentworth Club’s newly remodelled West Course.

European Number One Lee Westwood, Race to Dubai leader Ian Poulter and defending champion Casey will be joined next week by three-time Major Champion and course designer Ernie Els all challenging for a major of the €4,500,000 prize fund.

The BMW PGA Championship will run from Thursday May 20th until Sunday May 23rd 2010 on the West Course at the Wentworth Club.