Wentworth’s West Course celebrates its centenary year in 2026, and in its first 99 years, many of the greats of the game have taken on the famous layout in some of its biggest tournaments.
Through the years, the famous course has hosted contests as prestigious as the 1953 Ryder Cup, the 1956 World Cup and the HSBC World Match Play Championship, which was played at the West Course between 1967 and 2007.
As a result, legends of the game, including Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Gary Player, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino, Seve Ballesteros, Tiger Woods and Ernie Els have all played competitively at the West Course, but despite their undoubted greatness, none of them holds the course record of 62.
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Despite that, the record is shared by three players and each was made at the other big tournament the course is known for, the DP World Tour’s flagship event, the BMW PGA Championship, which has been played at the West Course every year since 1984.
The first time 62 was achieved at the course came during the 2010 tournament, by Swede Robert Karlsson in the third round.
Remarkably, it came after a mad dash back to Wentworth from his home in Monaco after he left early, convinced he had missed the cut.
After getting to within “a par five” of his front door, he was given the news that it looked as though he would make it beyond the halfway stage after all, prompting an about turn to the airport and a flight to Paris.
With no direct flight from there to London, he paid for a private jet leaving at 6am the day of the third round, making it back to Wentworth for his tee time of 8.55am.
Despite his heroics in the third round, he didn’t win, instead placing T13.
Four years later, Dane Thomas Bjorn matched Karlsson’s course record in the opening round of the 2014 BMW PGA Championship
His round included eight birdies and an eagle and afterwards, he said: “You shoot great rounds in your career but to shoot 62 on this course, you can’t ask for more.”
The score gave him a two-shot lead over Shane Lowry. However, like Karlsson, he couldn’t win the tournament, finishing T3 behind Lowry and winner Rory McIlroy.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Another Swede, Alex Noren, joined Karlsson and Bjorn with a 62 in his final round of the 2017 edition.
Noren began the final round seven shots off the lead, but he played some incredible golf and with an eagle to set the standard heading back to the clubhouse. It proved enough as he won by two over Francesco Molinari.
Following the win, Noren said: “I had not thought of trying to win this morning. My putting was probably the best it’s ever been.”
Alex Noren won the title with a course record in 2017
(Image credit: Getty Images)
While no one else has officially matched the course record, an honorable mention goes to Min Woo Lee, who, at the 2022 edition of the BMW PGA Championship, made seven birdies and two eagles to card a 62 in the second round.
However, he only joins Karlsson, Bjorn and Noren in an unofficial capacity because preferred lies were in play.
