This article originally appeared on dpworldtour.com

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Wil Besseling and Lars van Meijel were on hand to support the running of a GolfSixes League event taking place in advance of the KLM Open as the popular format continues to be introduced to more and more young people.

Ahead of the 103rd edition of the Netherlands’ national open this week at Bernardus Golf, the two home stars joined a local coach on Tuesday in organising playing opportunities for youngsters with little golfing experience.

GolfSixes League started as a grassroots version of the short-form GolfSixes professional team event, which the DP World Tour created in 2017.

It has seen great success across Great Britain and Ireland where it is administered by the Golf Foundation, England Golf, Golf Ireland, Scottish Golf and Wales Golf.

Since last year, GolfSixes League, and its off-course version GolfSixes Mini League, has expanded to also run across a host of other European countries, including the Netherlands.

“This is a great way with the KLM Open to get [children] involved in golf,” said Besseling, who is among those flying the home flag this week.

“Hopefully it is a good start and can help to get them to play golf and have some fun together with other kids.”

Since its inception, the number of participants in Great Britain & Ireland alone has grown to over 6,000, from 524 clubs forming part of 117 leagues in 2023.

GolfSixes League pilots were run in the Netherlands in 2018 and 2019 before the Covid-19 pandemic put a pause to them.

Reflecting on the interest of the short format, European Challenge Tour winner Van Meijel added: “18 holes is almost five hours these days and for kids it is not really appealing.

“But it is always really good to play with friends and have a group of kids that you grow up together with and play together. That is the reason I started playing golf.”

The programme is led by the PGA and supported by the Dutch Golf Federation in Holland ensuring the project has become a great success.

In 2022, GolfSixes was played in 5 regions in Holland with 25 teams, involving 170 children, with the aim of increasing that to 250 kids this year.

For more information on GolfSixes League please visit cp.golf/golfsixesleague

On World Environment Day last week, the European Tour launched Green Drive – a strengthened commitment to sustainability with a vision for the Tour to become a showcase for social and environmental responsibility, delivering net positive impacts around the world.

The Green Drive underlines an intensified approach towards priority issues such as climate change; biodiversity loss; air and ocean pollution; and sustainable and ethical procurement. It also sees the Green Drive take a formal position within Golf for Good, the European Tour’s overarching Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme.

Implementation will encompass all aspects of the business including operations, partnerships, technology, tournaments, TV production and venues (including European Tour Destinations) across the Tour community, which typically involves staging, promoting and sanctioning over 100 tournaments in over 30 countries each year over the European Tour, European Challenge Tour and Legends Tour.

The Green Drive extends to European Golf Design, the golf course design company of the European Tour, and the ethos will be encompassed within projects for new courses and redesigning existing member and resort courses to host tournaments and The Ryder Cup.

The Green Drive will be delivered with support from the GEO Foundation for Sustainable Golf (GEO) — a non-profit organisation dedicated to inspiring, supporting and recognising sustainability in and through golf around the world.

Keith Pelley, Chief Executive of the European Tour, said: “As an organisation that celebrates the best of professional sport in a diverse range of environments and cultures around the world, we want to both respect and enhance communities wherever we travel.  That means we need to act responsibly as a business and find new and innovative ways to deliver tournaments with lighter environmental footprints, and even greater social value.

“Under our Golf for Good banner we are committed to using the game we love as a force for good, whether that is through charitable endeavours, promoting health and wellbeing, or environmental and social responsibility.  We launched Golf for Good in 2020 during a challenging time for our sport and the wider world, but we see it as a central part of the Tour’s service to stakeholders and society in the long term – making a difference on some of the priority issues of our time; providing a platform for our many valued venues and partners around the world; and helping to advance and grow golf.  We believe all of those things will also make the Tour stronger.

“We are embarking on this important journey with our close partners, GEO Foundation for Sustainable Golf. Together we believe we can deliver world class sport and entertainment in a way that not only respects, but also helps to replenish the landscapes and communities that ultimately provide so much to us.”

GEO brings a wealth of experience, working collaboratively with golf governing bodies, associations, athletes and media over the last 15 years.  More widely, GEO has been highly active in the mainstream movement of sustainability, consulting with government agencies, NGOs, business and supply chain platforms to bring latest knowledge and insights to sustainability solutions for golf associations, tournaments, venues and athletes.

Jonathan Smith, Executive Director, GEO Foundation for Sustainable Golf, said: “The timing of this re-doubling of commitment and action by The European Tour could not be more important as we enter the UN ‘Decade of Action’, highlighting the need and urgency.  The Tour has a broad influence across its community and reaches and inspires millions of people all round the world.  With their leadership and ambition, and solutions in place for comprehensive yet effective delivery, we look forward to driving meaningful change, accelerating action and celebrating sustainable golf with the European Tour in the months and years to come.”

The key aims of the European Tour’s Green Drive are to: Lead by Example by integrating best practices into core operations, owned events and procurement, establishing Tour wide policies and tools, and activating new partnerships; to Support and Share by providing guidance and examples of best practice, fostering a growing community of collective action and results; and to Promote and Inspire by raising awareness, inspiring others and establishing a credible leadership position for golf in sustainable sport.

The Green Drive is aimed at contributing to internationally recognised environmental and social priorities, including many of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The approach to climate action is directly aligned to The Paris Agreement and the UN Sport for Climate Framework.

All carbon calculations are in line with the UN Greenhouse Gas Protocol; and offsetting will be carried out using GEO’s Sustainable Golf Climate Projects that are in turn fully accredited by The Gold Standard, and which are designed to also ensure additional contributions to the UN SDGs.

Golf for Good is the umbrella name for the European Tour’s overarching Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme. It involves three main pillars:

• Support for Worthy Causes: Which embraces all the charitable activity of the original 2020 Golf for Good initiative
• Sustainability: Which embraces the Green Drive focus around our operations, partnerships, technology, tournaments, TV production and venues, with a commitment to deliver net positive impacts around the world
• Inclusivity and Health: Which embraces our Golfers with Disability and golf for all messaging, in addition to promoting the wider health benefits of the game

For more information, visit et.golf/greendrive and sustainable.golf

RECEIVE FUTURE CPG NEWS

The Rolex Series event, at The Renaissance Club, North Berwick has already gathered some of the world’s best golfers who will provide the entertainment on the course, and for those spectators following their favourite player there is also the added bonus that they can boost their health.

Spectators at the Aberdeen Standard Investment Scottish Open would likely not be confident of beating Rory McIlroy or the world’s best players assembling at The Renaissance Club for the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open, but while they may not get close to beating Rory on the golf course, or win the event, they may get some of the same health benefits these leading players get, by racking up over 10,000 steps while out on the course. The European Tour’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr Andrew Murray outlined just some of the benefits from attending golf tournaments;

• Spectators rate gaining physical activity, fresh air and time with family as important reasons to spectate
• Golf spectators in UK gained 11500 steps while spectating, 85% meeting daily physical activity guidance
• Spectators, when given information are keen to become more active in daily life (Legacy)

Dr Murray – whose PhD is in Golf and Health from the University of Edinburgh, explains: “The Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open players will take 11,000 steps on average while out on the course. We know from the 2018 International Consensus on Golf and Health, (presented at recent World Health Organisation affiliated meeting) that golfers live longer than non-golfers, and can get well-being and physical health benefits from playing the sport.

“Our research at European Tour events in Scotland shows that spectators take an average of 11,500 steps, getting out and watching the golf. So, while they may not win trophies, this is well in excess of the 10,000 steps per day advised to improve health.”

So how do spectators keep tabs on the distances they walk at this year’s event?

• Maps will be available for everyone which provide details of routes around the 18 holes and the distances covered.
• Huge deckchairs will be situated throughout the venue providing photo opportunities and important health statistics
• Walk to the 5th hole and post your selfie for the chance to win a signed pin flag

It’s not just health professionals who are aware of the benefits to spectators, the players from the European Tour acknowledge that watching golf is a great way to stay fit and healthy. Richie Ramsay, Scottish European Tour professional said: “When you come to a tournament and you play golf obviously you’re walking around the entire golf course and you’re probably not realising how far you’re going and how much energy you’re using up and maybe not realising how good an exercise it is.

“I remember playing when I was younger and playing 18 holes a day for 6 or 7 days. And you don’t realise it but you’re getting a huge amount of exercise from it. Because at that point you’re growing. It’s just good for you, it’s good to be out there socialising and obviously the main thing is to get the exercise.

“I buy into this completely. I practice what I preach so I go out, like I said I played when I was a junior, you know I go to the gym at the moment. Any kind of exercise just makes you feel so much better. It puts you in a positive mind frame, and it’s good for your body.

Many other Tour players acknowledge the health benefits from golf:

• “Despite the frustration of missed putts, golfers overall live longer. A study from Sweden showed golfers live 5 years longer, regardless of age or income.” Henrik Stenson
• “Golf can put a big smile on your face. Research shows that golf can help improve self-esteem and provide a range of mental health benefits.” Padraig Harrington, Golf and Health Ambassador
• “I owe a lot to the fact that I was encouraged to be active throughout my life from an early age. I hope to encourage generations to do the same.” Gary Player, Golf and Health Ambassador

The Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open will once again be followed by the Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open, which will be played over the same course, from August 8-11, 2019.

Fans can buy tickets to see some of the world’s best golfers – including official Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open hospitality packages – at www.asiscottishopen.com.

The Englishman, who secured his most recent title at the Czech Disabled Golf Masters last week, will tee it up alongside nine players who have qualified for the event through the World Rankings for Golfers with Disability (WR4GD) at The Renaissance Club in North Berwick, over the weekend of the European Tour’s third Rolex Series event of the season.

Mike joins Brendan Lawlor and Adem Wahbi – who came third and fourth in the Czech Republic – as well as Christopher Biggins, Joakim Björkman, Paul Ellison, George Groves, Shane Luke, Geoff Nicholas and Reinard Schuhknecht.

Continuing the drive for inclusivity within golf, the EDGA Scottish Open field will tackle the same course setup as the European Tour professionals at the Renaissance Club, teeing off approximately one hour and 40 minutes before play begins in the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open on Saturday and Sunday morning.

With both the European Tour and EDGA (European Disabled Golf Association) striving to create a lasting legacy through the event, EDGA is offering free golf lessons with professional coaches to spectators with a disability throughout the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open, from July 10-14.

EDGA will share the Inclusive Golf Stand in the championship village with Leuchie House, one of the tournament’s Official Charity Partners and Scotland’s only dedicated respite centre, which offers caring respite breaks to people with long term neurological conditions. The European Tour and EDGA will also be conducting outreach programmes in the wider community.

By encouraging people with a disability to try the game at the Renaissance Club, EDGA is continuing to work towards its stated objective of introducing 500,000 people to golf.

The season-ending DP World Tour Championship, Dubai will host a second tournament run by the European Tour and EDGA at Jumeirah Golf Estates. It will be a similar model, but the tournament will be played on Friday and Saturday (November 22-23), with eight players eligible for that event.

Scoring for both tournaments will feature on the European Tour’s website and App for fans to follow, while highlights of both contests will form part of the world feed broadcast. The winner in Scotland will also take part in the main prizegiving ceremony on Sunday afternoon.

EDGA President and IGF Head of Disability and Inclusion, Tony Bennett, said: “The two events in Scotland and Dubai are exciting developments and help to illustrate that golf has the potential to be the most inclusive game of all.

“By offering free golf lessons to people with a disability at the Renaissance Club we hope to engage even more people in the game we love, as we continue to see a rapid increase in interest in both participation and competition programmes.

“We’re delighted to welcome Mike Browne into the ten-player field for the inaugural EDGA Scottish Open, which promises to be an exciting and game-changing event for our sport, and we look forward to showcasing the skills of the field at The Renaissance Club next week.”

Entry List – 2019 EDGA Scottish Open

Category 1 – The leading six available players from the World Rankings for Golfers with Disability (WR4GD) week 20.

George Groves – England

Brendan Lawlor – Ireland

Adem Wahbi – Belgium

Geoff Nicholas – Australia

Shane Luke – Australia

Joakim Björkman – Sweden

Category 2 – The leading home nation player in the WR4GD

Paul Ellison – Scotland

Category 3 – USGA nominated player

Christopher Biggins USA

Category 4 – Golf RSA nominated player

Reinard Schuhknecht – South Africa

Wild Card

Mike Browne – England

The Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open is being played for the first time at The Renaissance Club – which was founded in 2008 and nestles on 300 picturesque acres along the Firth of Forth. Scotland’s national open is the perfect day out for all the family, with fantastic food and drink outlets in the championship village as well as retail experiences and entertainment for all ages.

Fans can buy tickets to see some of the world’s best golfers – including official Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open hospitality packages – at www.asiscottishopen.com

GolfSixes was launched in 2017 with the aim of attracting new and younger audiences to golf and engaging players in the game early in their sporting development is a key part of the long term strategy.

During the first GolfSixes tournament in 2017 the Golf Foundation launched a pilot project introducing six leagues of junior players to the fast and fun six-hole concept, which resulted in a 65% increase in affiliated membership among participants, while 80% of kids said they wanted to play more golf.

Thanks to new partnerships with the PGA of Belgium, PGA of Holland and Danish Golf Union, the GolfSixes League is now being rolled out across Europe, while the Golf Foundation is expanding the concept in the UK ahead of the European Tour’s second staging of GolfSixes at Centurion Club in St Albans, near London, on May 5-6, 2018.

Later this month the PGAs of Belgium and Holland will team up to rebrand their respective junior programmes as GolfSixes League PGA Belgium and GolfSixes League PGA Holland. In a major change to their junior programmes, golf is being presented to children and their parents as a team sport, with teams of six boys and girls competing against each other in match play contests.

Last year around 200 young golfers took part in junior programmes in the two countries, and the aim is to grow that to 600 participants by the end of 2018.

In Denmark – the country that triumphed in the inaugural GolfSixes last year when Lucas Bjerregaard and Thorbjørn Olesen lifted the trophy – the Danish Golf Union will host the GolfSixes Danish National Championship on May 19-20, 2018 at Odense Eventyr Golf Club where 32 mixed male and female teams – 16 junior teams and 16 seniors (aged over 19) – will compete.

Meanwhile in the UK, Official Delivery Partner the Golf Foundation is expanding its successful GolfSixes League programme, with more than 1500 boys and girls expected to be coached by club PGA professionals each week in their 12-player squads before displaying their new-found skills at weekends.

There will be 27 junior leagues in the UK – increased from six last year – including two in Wales and three in Scotland for the first time, welcoming teams of youngsters from 125 golf clubs.

With five of Europe’s best female players – Solheim Cup Captain Catriona Matthew, Georgia Hall, Charley Hull, Mel Reid and Suzann Pettersen – taking part in the GolfSixes tournament in May, it is appropriate that this new inter-club team format aims to foster a sense of belonging for new young players including encouraging more girls to get involved.

Keith Pelley, Chief Executive of the European Tour, said: “One of the main aims of GolfSixes is to bring golf to new and younger audiences, and what better way to engage young people than to get them involved in playing this exciting new short format of golf themselves?

“With the second GolfSixes event taking place in May this year, it’s fantastic to see that the concept is already beginning to leave a legacy. The event at Centurion Club is continuing to evolve, this year with the introduction of wildcard teams and female players. If we can further build on this innovation by getting young people excited about playing and watching golf, then that is a true test of the success of the concept.

“Our thanks go to all of our partners in the UK, Belgium, Denmark and the Netherlands for embracing GolfSixes and helping to engage young people across Europe in our wonderful game.”

Thomas Hartwich, Tournament Consultant at the Danish Golf Union, said: “The Danish Golf Union wants golfers to think differently from the traditional 18 holes of golf. The new GolfSixes format is proof that you can do that – you don’t always need to play 18 holes, it’s okay to play six or nine holes and still enjoy the game.

“GolfSixes is more action packed, it’s fun to play – for junior and senior players. We can also have focus on pace of play with a shot clock hole and it is great for spectators to watch.”

Frank Kirsten, Chief Executive of the PGA of Holland, said: “Junior golfers are the future, and by teaming up with the PGA of Belgium under the GolfSixes League we believe this will give the junior programmes in both countries a boost.

“This new format gives young players the chance to enjoy golf as a team experience, and this was received very enthusiastically by PGA golf professionals, youth golfers under the age of 13 and their parents. In this way, golf is presented as a team sport and something that is attractive to children and parents, like football and hockey.”

Bernard De Bruyckere, Chief Executive of the PGA of Belgium, said: “The GolfSixes League format allows children to have a lot of fun, share high fives and become enthusiastic about playing together and helping each other. The children can get used to playing in teams for their own club in a relaxed manner, and with a lot of success.

“Last year, 200 youth golfers were participating in the PGA of Belgium and Holland junior programs. The PGAs aim, together with their respective Federations, is to get to 600 participants in 2018.”

Brendon Pyle, Chief Executive of the Golf Foundation, said: “We are hugely excited by the expansion of the GolfSixes League in 2018 and our partnership with the European Tour. There will be 28 junior leagues in the UK, including two in Wales and three in Scotland for the first time, welcoming teams of youngsters from 125 golf clubs.

“Last year, the pilot project in six leagues showed that this fun and shorter team format encouraged young players to practice and play more often at golf clubs while attracting the interest and support of their parents. This follows the model of other successful team sports such as football, netball and rugby where families new to the sport are welcomed into the club.”

European Ryder Cup Captain Thomas Bjørn and Solheim Cup Captain Matthew will join forces in a world first for professional golf when GolfSixes returns to the European Tour in May. The Dane and the Scot will be the first male and female professionals to play together in a competitive match play format when they form the ‘Captains Team’ – one of four exciting wild card selections introduced to this year’s event, with two of the other three being; an ‘England Women’s Team’ comprising Hall and Hull; and a ‘European Women’s Team’ featuring England’s Reid and Pettersen of Norway. They will join defending champions Denmark, represented again by last year’s winners Bjerregaard and Olesen, with the final wildcard team to be announced soon.

Tickets for the event at Centurion Club on May 5-6, priced at £6 for children and £16 for adults, are available now at http://et.golf/GolfSixesTickets

Find Out More @ golfsixes.com

Englishmen Matt Wallace and Eddie Pepperell, both European Tour winners in 2018, will represent the home side when the innovative GolfSixes returns to Centurion Club in St Albans, near London, from May 5-6.

England are the highest ranked of the 11 qualifying teams who join defending champions Denmark and four wildcard entries to form a 16-team field packed full of European Tour winners in the second staging of the innovative six-hole competition.

The confirmed qualified teams from around the world are: England, France, Australia, Thailand, Italy, South Korea, South Africa, USA, Spain, Scotland and Sweden.

Pepperell claimed his maiden European Tour victory by finishing on 18 under par at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters in February, while Wallace won a thrilling play-off against countryman Andrew ‘Beef’ Johnston to win the Hero Indian Open earlier this month. Wallace is now looking forward to teeing it up in the unique GolfSixes event for the first time.

The 27 year old said: “Playing in front of a home crowd is an exciting prospect and something I’ve always looked forward to. Last year it looked as if there were a lot of kids enjoying the whole experience, so it should be a lot of fun to play in front of so many young fans and hopefully get them excited about golf.

“I think it’s a great idea to have new and different formats like this on the European Tour, and, with the wildcard teams in the mix this year, there could be some intriguing match ups. Eddie and I have both had good starts to the year, and the chance to team up to represent England is really exciting. I’m sure we’ll have a good laugh on the course and hopefully give the home fans plenty to cheer about.”

European Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjørn and Solheim Cup Captain Catriona Matthew will become the first male and female professionals to play together in a competitive match play format on the European Tour when they form the ‘Captains Team’ as one of the four wildcard entries.

An ‘England Women’s Team’ comprising Charley Hull and Georgia Hall will be joined by a ‘European Women’s Team’ of Norwegian Suzann Pettersen and England’s Mel Reid, with the final wildcard team to be confirmed shortly.

Defending champions Lucas Bjerregaard and Thorbjørn Olesen will return to represent Denmark in the fast-paced competition as the 16 teams go head to head for a total prize fund of €1 million with the eventual winners receiving €100,000 each.

ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth winner Kiradech Aphibarnrat, who currently lies second in the Race to Dubai, will once again represent Thailand alongside eight-time European Tour winner Thongchai Jaidee.

Aphibarnrat, who will make his second appearance at the Masters Tournament next week, said: “I had a lot of fun taking part in GolfSixes alongside Thongchai last year and we’re looking forward to getting back to Centurion Club again.

“I enjoyed the team format, and it definitely seemed to be exciting for the fans too. Last year it was great to see so many kids around the course making noise and cheering on the teams, so it will be fantastic to see more of the same this year.

“We don’t get too many opportunities to play for our country as golfers, so it will be fun to team up with Thongchai again to represent Thailand. We got to the quarter finals last year, but we’ll be aiming to get our hands on the trophy this time around.”

France will be represented by 2017 KLM Open champion Romain Wattel and four-time European Tour winner Alexander Levy, whilst the last two winners of the UBS Hong Kong Open – Wade Ormsby and Sam Brazel – will compete on behalf of Australia.

Former Ryder Cup player Edoardo Molinari will be joined by 21 year old Renato Paratore, who won his maiden title at the 2017 Nordea Masters, in the Italian team.

Three-time European Tour winner Jeunghun Wang and 2016 Shenzen International champion Soomin Lee will play on behalf of Korea in the country’s debut GolfSixes appearance, while the South African team of George Coetzee and Haydn Porteous boast six European Tour titles between them.

Julian Suri, who captured the 2017 Made in Denmark title, will play in a USA team along with 2014 Omega European Masters winner David Lipsky, while Adrian Otaegui will represent Spain alongside Pablo Larrazábal, who has come close to securing his fifth European Tour title with three top ten finishes on the European Tour so far this season.

The Scotland team will feature two European Tour winners in Scott Jamieson and Richie Ramsay while Sweden have seized the final automatic qualification spot, with Alexander Björk and Joakim Lagergren joining the field.

The 16 teams will compete over six holes in a group stage, with teams split into four groups of four, before the top two teams from each group progress to the knockout stages – the quarter-finals, the semi-finals, a third/fourth place play-off match and the final.

In the group stages, three points will be given for victory with one point awarded for a draw and the matches will be played in a greensomes match play format.

Once again the six holes will be themed, with the popular shot clock hole returning – with a penalty imposed if players take longer than 30 seconds per shot – alongside the long drive and closest to the pin holes.

The innovative six-hole competition will have a festival feel with a centrally-located Fan Zone full of entertainment for all the family.

The 15 confirmed teams are:

Defending champions

DENMARK: Lucas Bjerregaard, Thorbjørn Olesen

Qualified teams

• ENGLAND: Matt Wallace, Eddie Pepperell
• FRANCE: Romain Wattel, Alexander Levy
• AUSTRALIA: Wade Ormsby, Sam Brazel
• THAILAND: Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Thongchai Jaidee
• ITALY: Renato Paratore, Edoardo Molinari
• SOUTH KOREA: Jeunghun Wang, Soomin Lee
• SOUTH AFRICA: George Coetzee, Haydn Porteous
• USA: Julian Suri, David Lipsky
• SPAIN: Pablo Larrazábal, Adrian Otaegui
• SCOTLAND: Richie Ramsay, Scott Jamieson
• SWEDEN: Alexander Björk, Joakim Lagergren

Wildcard teams

• CAPTAINS TEAM: Thomas Bjørn, Catriona Matthew
• ENGLAND WOMEN’S TEAM: Charley Hull, Georgia Hall
• EUROPEAN WOMEN’S TEAM: Suzann Pettersen, Mel Reid
• FINAL TEAM TBC

Tickets for the event, which will feature amphitheatre-style stands around tees and greens, music and pyrotechnics on the first tee and player engagement across the course, are on sale now for just £16 for adults and £5 for children from http://et.golf/clscgA.

Find Out More @ golfsixes.com

Noren eagled the final hole after a sublime 225 yards five iron approach shot to five feet to seal a quite brilliant display over Wentworth Club’s revamped West Course, taking full advantage of the immaculate new greens.

The 34 year old, who also posted eight birdies in his ten under par round, had started seven shots behind third round leader Andrew Dodt and matched the biggest comeback in the history of the BMW PGA Championship, previously achieved by Simon Khan in 2010 and Rory McIlroy in 2014.

Noren also produced a grandstand finish in his last European Tour triumph, carding a closing 63 to come from six shots back to win the Nedbank Golf Challenge last November. That was his fourth title of the 2016 season – and he made it five European Tour wins in just 17 appearances, three of which have come on UK soil after victories in the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open and British Masters supported by Sky Sports.

After posting the clubhouse target of 11 under par, Noren had to wait a further two hours as 11 more groups finished, but the other contenders gradually fell away, with Italian Francesco Molinari, playing in the penultimate group, birdieing the final two holes in a round of 68 to claim second place on nine under par.

Noren is the first Swede to win the BMW PGA Championship and his compatriot Henrik Stenson, the Open Champion, closed with a 68 to finish on eight under par in a share third place with Japan’s Hideto Tanihara (67) and Belgium’s Nicolas Colsaerts, who eagled the 12th and the 18th holes en route to a round of 65.

A crowd of 109,684 – the second highest in the history of the BMW PGA Championship – watched the four tournament days and Celebrity Pro Am, as the European Tour launched the Rolex Series in style, with a further seven events to follow in 2017.

Find Out More About the BMW PGA Championship @ EuropeanTour.com

Dodt fired a sparkling 68 in testing conditions over the West Course to charge up the third round leaderboard and end the day on eight under par and in possession of a one stroke lead over Grace; with Westwood and Molinari tied for third place on five under.

Stenson sits alongside Irishman Shane Lowry and the Japanese Hideto Tanihara on four under, while the English quartet Ross Fisher, Tyrrell Hatton, Andrew Johnston and Graeme Storm joined Thai Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Welshman Bradley Dredge, German Maximilian Kieffer and Scotsman Scott Jamieson five shots off the lead.

The elite field gathered for the first ever Rolex Series event had been treated to glorious sunshine and calm winds over days one and two, and while the sun continued to shine on the revamped West Course, increased gusts made it a different proposition.

Dodt has two European Tour wins to his name – both coming in Asia – and enjoyed an excellent start to the season with back-to-back top threes before the turn of the year.

Victory on Sunday would represent the biggest win of his career and he will have to be at his very best to hold off the challenge of a hungry chasing pack

Find Out More About the BMW PGA Championship @ EuropeanTour.com

Belgian Pieters had finished his opening round with a bogey after finding water and he dropped another shot on the third hole of his second round, but then gained that back on the next hole before powering his way to the top of the leaderboard with further birdies on the ninth, 12th and 17th holes.

“Today was much less stressful than yesterday,” said Pieters. “I hit a lot more greens today. I didn’t make as many putts as yesterday but that’s always going to happen. So I’m quite happy about today.”

Pieters, who finished as Europe’s top points scorer on his debut at last year’s Ryder Cup, was joined at the summit by Jamieson, who recovered from dropping three shots in his opening three holes to post seven birdies in his round of 70. Former Ryder Cup player Molinari, who has four top ten finishes at Wentworth, then made it a three-way share on seven under par when he birdied the two closing par fives for a round of 70.

“I didn’t play amazingly well but I made some good up-and-downs to keep the round going,” said Molinari. “And then obviously I finished very well on 17 and 18.

“I’ve been in position before here but hopefully the ending will be different.”

The trio are one shot clear of Germany’s Max Kieffer who climbed the leaderboard after picking up five shots in four holes from the 11th in his round of 68.

The chasing pack is an impressive one, with Open Champion Henrik Stenson (71) Ryder Cup legend Lee Westwood (69), 2015 BMW PGA Champion Byeong Hun An (69) and seven-time European Tour winner Branden Grace (71) sharing fifth place on five under par, just two shots back.

A crowd of 24, 716 people – the second largest Friday crowd in the event’s history – watched the second round of action at the prestigious Surrey venue.

Find Out More About the BMW PGA Championship @ EuropeanTour.com

Carlsson made a blistering start to the European Tour’s new Rolex Series, reaching the turn in just 30 shots courtesy of five birdies on the front nine, and he picked up three more shots on way in, although his back nine was bookended by bogeys on the tenth and 18th holes.

“It was fun today,” he said. “It’s a big event this year, and you kind of feel it with the atmosphere. Everything is big around this tournament, and obviously you want to do good.

“The greens are so good. I love this golf course right now.  I think it has become so much better, and I think a lot of other players probably agree with me, as well, on that point.

Carlsson holds a one shot advantage over Italian Francesco Molinari, Scotland’s Scott Jamieson and Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat, while Carlsson’s compatriot Henrik Stenson, the Open Champion, is one of nine players a further shot back on four under par after a bogey-free 68, with all four of his birdies arriving on the back nine.

England’s Ross Fisher and Ireland’s Shane Lowry, both of whom have previously finished runner-up in the BMW PGA Championship, are also amongst that group, along with Ryder Cup player Thomas Pieters who bogeyed the closing hole.

A crowd of 20,692 people – the second largest Thursday crowd in the event’s history – watched the opening round and they were treated to innovations including a new entertaining first tee experience.

Find Out More @ EuropeanTour.com