Wentworth warm-up for Dixon and O’Hanlon

David Dixon (Enmore Park) and Richard O’Hanlon (St Kew) will prepare for the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth this month by challenging for the first PGA in England and Wales (South West) Order of Merit event of the season.

Before setting off for the European Tour’s flagship event, they compete in the Total Triumph Classic at Oake Manor, near Taunton, next week.

Dixon, who has already secured his place in this year’s PGA Cup team to play in California, and O’Hanlon guaranteed their Wentworth places via the PGA Play-Offs in Turkey last year. If they are to return this year they need an impressive start at Oake Manor.

So does Michael Watson who is coming into the form he showed in winning the Order of Merit for the first time last year. The Wessex Golf Centre professional is a slow starter each season as club work rather than playing fills his winter season. After a tie for 34^th in the Cornish Festival he shared third in the 54-field pro-am at Minchinhampton.

“It always takes me time to warm up each season but I feel ready for the challenge,” said the 44-year-old who joins in-form players Paul Hendriksen (Dinnaton) and Giuseppe Licata (Bristol Golf Centre) in the feature three-ball for the opening round on May 13.

Seniors’ winner Kevin Spurgeon (Ferndown) and European Tour champion Andrew Sherborne (Trevose), last year’s winner Matt Dearden (Llantristant and Pontyclun), Chris Gill, the first winner in 2009, and former winners Barry Austin (Downs Crediton) and Ross Jones (inPlayGolf, Bristol) will also be in contention.

The second day features 80 amateurs playing alongside the pros for the final round, a scheme devised by Oake Manor’s PGA director of golf Russell Gardner.

Neil Mossman, managing director of Taunton motor cycle dealers Total Triumph and a former captain at Oake Manor, said: “With 100 professionals and a full field of good amateurs, the first order of merit event of the season has become an established and highly regarded tournament.”