BMW PGA Championship enters post-McIlroy era

9:36 AM ET

VIRGINIA WATER, England — The BMW PGA Championship has lost its sparkle.

On May 4, between opening presents and blowing out the 27 candles on his birthday cake, Rory McIlroy decided that, like Ian Poulter, Sergio Garcia and Henrik Stenson before him, he wasn’t going to play in the European Tour’s flagship event, citing a hectic schedule. Justin Rose later pulled out with a back problem.

It means just one player from the world’s top 20 — Masters champion Danny Willett — will tee it up at Wentworth this week.

McIlroy’s withdrawal, while frustrating for European Tour chief executive Keith Pelley and, of course, the fans, is hardly a surprise. He makes little secret of the fact he doesn’t like Wentworth’s notorious West Course and his record confidently backed up his grumblings. Once he had finally lifted the trophy he’d spent so long struggling to get his hands on, it was common opinion in golfing circles that he would defend his title and that would be it.

Not that his fellow pros are giving him a hard time about it.

“I understand why Rory is not playing,” Lee Westwood told reporters at Wentworth. “Unfortunately this time of year there are a lot of tournaments that he enjoys playing in and plays well in.

“I can understand why he went to Quail Hollow and then the Players, and then obviously he wants to support the Irish Open and I know he likes the Memorial. Somewhere along the line, a tournament has to give and unfortunately it’s this one. He’s supported it in the past, and fair play to him for having won here, and having won last week, as well, at his own tournament and coming back and supporting certain events on the European Tour.”

Lee Westwood told reporters: ‘I wouldn’t want to miss this week.’ David Cannon/Getty Images

While McIlroy was determined to keep …

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