GOLF:Ian Poulter and Paul Casey were scathing in their criticism of the West Course at Wentworth, writes PHILIP REID

THEY’RE A pampered lot, these professional tour players. What with courtesy cars, tickets to the Champions League final for those in the know, and the little matter of a top prize here at the BMW PGA Championship that amounts to a recession-busting €750,000, mere mortals who actually buy their ProV1s would be inclined to wonder if they get it too easy.

The belief that many of them live in a cocooned world was heightened here at Wentworth yesterday, where something of a catfight developed between some players who now deem the West Course to be too tough.

In one corner, a group of players, among them the world number 14 Ian Poulter; and, in the other, course redesigner Ernie Els. Hell, it seemed, hath no fury like a golfer scorned.

Poulter, a week after pocketing €800,000 for winning the Volvo World Matchplay, led the catcalls to Els’s design powers. “I don’t like this golf course. Period. End of story . . . you don’t need to do a lot wrong on this newly-designed Wentworth golf course to struggle,” opined Poulter, who had a bad old day at the course when he returned to his Jaguar in the parking lot only to discover the car occupying the space next to him had parked so close he couldn’t get in the door.

The cry that the course was too tough didn’t belong just to Poulter, with Paul Casey – a winner here as recently as 2009 before the severe changes were implemented – adding his tuppence worth.

“I used to really enjoy playing this course and now it’s a grind. I think Richard Caring (the owner), from what I’ve heard, was perhaps wanting something like level par to win. Well, he might get that. But does that make it entertaining?”

Poulter’s views were more critical, emphasising that his love affair with the course went back to the days when he’d be brought along as a young child. “I was here as a kid watching all the great shots but, unfortunately, we have lost that . . . (like) Faldo’s shot out of the trees right on 15, a massive cut around on to the green. I can go on and on and on and on. It’s now changed, it’s different. We are going to have to fill up the archive with a lot of new shots.”

As you’d expect, Els – who won seven World Matchplays on the course – wasn’t too impressed with the comments of his fellow-players. In a statement issued after being made aware of the commotion, Els said: “Wentworth is now a fair and honest test of golf. Make no mistake, in two weeks at (the US Open at) Congressional, if you are marginally off, you will pay the price. This is by no means the US Open, but it’s a great warm-up tournament.”

While admitting that the course set-up had been tough – especially given that four different tees were available on each hole – Els added: “There is almost no rough this year so players have opportunities to play shots into greens. The bunkering strategy puts more of a premium on accuracy and there is a lot of risk and reward.

“If you are a little bit off your game, then the penalties are a little more severe than in the past. That’s how Major championships are played out and the BMW here is the (European) Tour’s major. This course is by no means unfair . . . it is a true test of the game.”