Rory McIlroy will be one of the headline attractions at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, but the four-time major winner has a mixed record at the tournament.
McIlroy will make his ninth appearance, and first since 2015, at European Tour headquarters as the famous West Course welcomes another star-studded line-up.
The tournament will mark the first competition of the highly lucrative Rolex Series, with players determined to impress European Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjorn ahead of the biennial matchplay event against the United States in September.
McIlroy’s record at the European Tour’s HQ
- 2008: Missed Cut [MC]
- 2009: Fifth
- 2010: T48
- 2011: T24
- 2012: MC
- 2013: MC
- 2014: WON
- 2015: MC
McIlroy won the tournament in 2014, a victory which started a hugely fruitful summer, including two major titles – The Open and a second USPGA Championship. We take a look at his previous visits to Wentworth…
2008: In his first full season as a professional McIlroy, then only 19 years old, made his first visit but while Miguel Angel Jimenez prevailed after a tense play-off with Oliver Wilson, McIlroy didn’t make the weekend.
An opening two-over par 74, followed by a 77, saw the Northern Irishman finish at seven over in a tie for 116th.
2009: Fresh from a maiden professional win at the Dubai Desert Classic and an appearance at the Masters, McIlroy was quickly climbing the world rankings and his second visit to Wentworth was impressive.
After an opening level-par 70 and a two-under 70 on Friday, McIlroy shot up the leaderboard thanks to a seven-under 65, which included eight birdies, on moving day to surge into contention.
Rory McIlroy has confirmed he is to play at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth in May – a course where he admits he has been frustrated in the past
Despite his best efforts he was unable to bridge the four-shot deficit on the final round as overnight leader Paul Casey held firm to secure a one-shot victory over compatriot Ross Fisher.
2010: McIlroy made the cut for the second year running with a second round two-under 69 after a disappointing opening 74.
Back-to-back two-over par 73s saw him finish in a distant share for 48th position as Simon Khan stormed to a surprise victory thanks to a closing five-under 66 at a sun soaked Wentworth.
2011: Again a damaging five-over 76 set him back and hindered his hopes of a first victory at the West Course, only to show resolve and card a 70 to make the weekend.
An encouraging three-under 68 on Saturday was followed by a 73 as McIlroy finished at three over par – a full nine shots behind Luke Donald, who defeated Lee Westwood in a play-off at the 18th after a memorable duel, which saw him overtake his countryman at the top of the world standings.
2012: The then world No 1 missed a second straight cut after two forgettable rounds of 74 and 79 to end nine over.
McIlroy lost his standing at the summit of the sport as Donald successfully defended his title with a four-shot margin of victory.
2013: McIlroy was among a host of high-profile players to miss the weekend’s action, including Graeme McDowell, Ian Poulter and Donald, with the second round, in particular, played in cold and damp conditions.
Matteo Manassero became the youngest winner of the tournament as the highly-rated Italian won a fourth European Tour title after a dramatic play-off over Marc Warren and former champion Khan.
2014: A remarkable build-up to the tournament ended with an astonishing fightback triumph, as McIlroy finally tamed a course which had proved so hard to master.
On the eve of the tournament he revealed he had decided to break off his engagement to Caroline Wozniacki, days after sending out wedding invitations.
An opening four-under 68 was only good enough to be six shots behind first round leader Thomas Bjorn, and a second round one-under 71 appeared to have left McIlroy too much of a mountain to climb over the weekend.
A third round three-under 69 lifted hopes of a first European Tour title since 2012 but a final round six-under 66 for a one-shot victory will live long in the memory, after a tumultuous preparation, as McIlroy claimed a first professional success in continental Europe.
2015: McIlroy arrived at Wentworth as defending champion and on the back of two victories from his last three appearances in America, but that wasn’t enough to prevent him suffering a fourth missed cut.
A one-under 71 was followed by a hugely uninspiring six-over 78 from the world No 1 to finish at five-over par and miss the weekend by three shots in his most recent appearance at the event.
The 2018 BMW PGA Championships will take place from May 24-27, with all four days live on Sky Sports Golf.
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