SURREY, England (PA) -- Ernie Els has been a supporter of the European Tour ever since he signed up as a member back in 1992 at the age of 22.
Now the South African star believes he is doing something that might help European golfers become major champions like him. At least, he hopes they see it that way.
The prestigious Wentworth Golf Club in suburban London hosts the BMW Championship -- long known as the Volvo PGA Championship -- for the 23rd successive time May 25-28, but the West Course there will be very different than the one on which Colin Montgomerie won the title three years in a row and on which Els himself has captured a record six HSBC World Match Play crowns.
Having made the luxurious Wentworth his home, Els was the person called upon to add some more teeth to the famous layout.
And while he was at it, the world No. 5 decided some claws and fangs were necessary, too. The length has gone from 6,998 yards to 7,308 and there are no fewer than 30 new bunkers -- six of them on the final hole.
"I know I could be getting some stick from the guys for what's been done, but at the end of the day they will be better equipped for the majors," said Els. "Anybody going to the U.S. Open will have a much better feel of what they are going into. Miss a shot in a major and you're either in rough, a bunker or in danger of three-putting."
Twice the U.S. Open champion himself, of course, Els adds in a course guide to the new West Course: "Everyone knows how much I love it.
"I just have so many great memories from the tournaments I've played here over the years. This is also the place that we choose to call home. It's a wonderful part of the world to live, with everything we could want on our doorstep.
"These are some of the reasons it was so nice to take my relationship with the club to a new level at the start of 2005 when I signed a deal to represent Wentworth as its worldwide touring pro," Els added. "It's a great privilege for me then to be given the opportunity to refine and modernize the West Course.
"Don't get me wrong -- this is already a great golf course. The legendary architect Harry Colt did an amazing job way back in the mid 1920s," he said. "I want to make it clear from the outset that it is not our intention to change the character of the golf course. That would be a crime.
"But times change. The course will be nearly 80 years old in 2006 and my brief, along with [head greenkeeper] Chris Kennedy and the guys here is to ensure it remains a fitting challenge for the professional who plays in the tournaments as well as the amateur golfer.
"I appreciate the fact that there will be some people who maybe don't totally agree with what we're doing, but, trust me, doing nothing is not an option.
"The game of golf faces some tough decisions at the moment. Equipment has got better, the ball is going further and the players are fitter and stronger. The fact is the West Course does not play as Harry Colt intended. These changes will address that.
"We've studied the stats from past championships and as a result the major changes have been made on what are traditionally the easier holes."
The opening hole can never be called an "easy" hole, but Els has gone to work straightaway with a bunker either side of a fairway that he considered "maybe a bit too generous. It will just ask the golfer a few more questions, which I think is good."
There is more sand around the green, too, and so it goes on, with only one hole left totally alone -- the short 14th.
The biggest changes in length come at the long fourth, which has had 54 yards added, and the par-4 sixth, where the new tee is actually on the adjoining East Course and adds 67 yards.
There will more than a few players in the BMW Championship, one suspects, who will be relieved that the greens are pretty much as they were.
But Els warns: "There was insufficient time at this stage -- but it's something we're considering for the future."
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