PGA Features

I've got the experience of playing the course and I'm going back a better player than last time.

East Anglian golf professional Ian Ellis is determined to finally break his Wentworth hoodoo as he prepares to play in the European Tour's flagship for the fifth time in eight years.

And the Weston Park pro (pictured above), who qualified after topping the PGA East Region Order of Merit last year, is quietly confident that he can finally go the distance when he tees off in the BMW PGA Championship - the richest event on the Tour's calendar.

Ellis is one of ten regional PGA men in the world-class field, including the likes of major winners Ernie Els, Vijay Singh, Retief Goosen and Angel Cabrera competing over the famed West Course for a share of the £3.6m purse.

And the 35-year-old arrives as a man on a mission - and that is to make the cut having so far being denied the privilege of a prolonged stay in leafy Surrey.

"Having been there four times before I'm really looking forward to going back and having another crack at it," he said.

"The first year I played there I was literally blown away by the whole tournament and even though my putting was shocking I took away a lot of good memories.

"I missed the cut by one in 2006 and each time I've been I've only done the first two days so it would be nice to savour the weekend as well."

Ellis certainly isn't overawed by the grandeur of the tournament or its share of golfing heavyweights.

"Obviously there are differences, in terms of the course and the players and it can take some getting used to," he said.

"The courses we play in the regions certainly are not as long and every player in the field this week - from top to bottom - can certainly get the ball round and so you have to be sharp.

"In the regions, you can get away with having an iffy round - but that's certainly something you can't do at Wentworth.

"It does take a bit of getting used to but when I go I'll view everyone the same as it's a golf tournament and they're doing the same thing as I am. There's no difference between them and me as far as I'm concerned. They're just golfers and so there's certainly no reason to fear them."

Ellis will turn up having missed most of the winter season due to a bulging disc in his back, which has been corrected with the aid of physiotherapy.

But he returned to the competitive arena in mid-April, giving him sufficient time to sharpen up his game.

"I have only just recovered from the bad back and it was the first time I'd played in a couple of months when I hit the course in April.

"But that gave me five weeks to get in lot of competitive golf. But I'm not unduly concerned because I've got the experience of playing the course and I'm going back a better player than last time."