David Patrick is poised for Wentworth chance

THE Scottish contingent in next week’s BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth looks set to rise to 13 after Tartan Tour player David Patrick was put on standby last night for the European Tour’s flagship event.

A place in the field is likely to open up for Patrick due to Englishman Paul Wesselingh, one of the ten PGA players who had qualified, being offered a spot in the clashing US Senior PGA Championship. “We are just awaiting official confirmation from Paul that he plans to play in the US but we are almost certain that he will,” a PGA spokesman told The Scotsman.

While it used to be through the regional order of merits, PGA pros now qualify for the lucrative Wentworth event through the Titleist PGA Play-Offs in Turkey. The top 10 in that earn places and Patrick, a former Walker Cup player who won on the Challenge Tour before deciding to concentrate on the domestic circuit, lost to Barrie Trainor in a play-off for the final spot last season.

Martin Laird, Paul Lawrie, Colin Montgomerie, Richie Ramsay, Scott Jamieson, Stephen Gallacher, Peter Whiteford, George Murray, David Drysdale, Marc Warren, Greig Hutcheon and 2004 winner Scott Drummond are already in the field.