Players full of praise for Ernie Els over changes at Wentworth

Second-ranked Luke Donald, US Open champion Graeme McDowell and world No 6 Rory McIlroy also praised the way Els had altered the eighth, 15th and 18th holes following criticism last year from many of the players.

"It was well documented I criticised the eighth and 18th greens and he has changed those," said Westwood yesterday. "So, if they are not right, you can blame me I guess.

"It's nice to see those changed because the eighth was maybe a little severe. At the 18th everybody likes to see somebody having a chance to make an eagle-3 to win or having to be aggressive and making the target a bit bigger will encourage that."

Els, who has a property on the Wentworth estate, has widened the 18th green from 380 to 586 square metres and also given the players extra room to the right of the putting surface to encourage a more attacking approach.

"The changes are good," said Donald. "The 18th has obviously been made a little more inviting to go for the green in two. I think if the wind conditions are where you can get within 230 yards or less to the green… a lot more people will take that shot on.

"The miss to the right and the bunkers there, and how they have banked the green from the right, will entice people to go for it," added Donald, who was tied for second behind fellow Englishman Simon Khan in the 2010 BMW PGA Championship.

McIlroy echoed those sentiments about the new-look closing hole at the West Course. "I love the way they have remodelled the 18th," said the Northern Irishman. "It really invites you to hit a second shot in there and hopefully it will make for an exciting finish."

McDowell said the course bunkers were too deep last year and applauded the way Els and his greenkeeping staff had rectified those errors. "The changes certainly fit my eye," said McIlroy's fellow countryman. "The tweaks are a huge improvement. The 15th is a big improvement as well. He has opened up the left side of the fairway which is now letting you be more aggressive off the tee. There are some strong winds forecast for the first round so the course will be quite a test."

McDowell also said he believed the European Tour is now as strong as its ever been having gone through a fallow period as a result of the global credit crunch.

The world No 5 said this week's event, which boasts a prize fund of 3.9 million and features seven of the world's top ten players, was a good guide of how much progress the circuit had made.

"There is no doubt the European Tour is very excited about the state of the game within our Tour," said the 31-year-old. "This is our flagship event and we've got a great field. The Tour has been through a tough three or four years - the financial crisis hit sponsors, hit everyone. [But] we now have as strong a product as we've ever had."

McDowell said it was time for the Tour to try to resuscitate some old tournaments that have fallen by the wayside in recent years. "We are in a position to hopefully go out and bring events back like the European Open, English Open, events in Germany, the big strong events we've lost in the last few years," he added. "We are in such a strong position now. We [the players] remain very supportive of the Tour and I think we are all in a position to do what we can to make sure we get those big events back."

McDowell also called for the Seve Trophy to be given fresh impetus following the death of five-times major champion Seve Ballesteros earlier this month. The team event between Britain and continental Europe has often struggled to attract the best players, but McDowell said that would change at this year's edition in Paris in September. "If I don't qualify for the Tour Championship finale in the US I will definitely be supporting the event," he said. "I think 75 per cent of the heavyweights will be available and hopefully the Seve Trophy will gain a bit of momentum. Seve has left an amazing legacy here on the Tour and I know the players really want to support that.

"It has got the chance to be a really great event and hopefully solidify as a permanent fixture."

Paul Lawrie, 22nd in the Race to Dubai, spearheads the Scottish challenge, which also includes Stephen Gallacher, who finished fourth last year.