Remodelled Wentworth given extra bite for PGA Championship

By Martyn Herman

LONDON (Reuters) - Players at the 2010 PGA Championship at Wentworth will face one of the most treacherous closing holes in golf after a remodelling of the famous West Course, organisers said on Thursday.

A new water hazard extending 90 yards down the 18th fairway and alongside a reshaped green will stiffen the challenge for competitors at the European Tour's flagship event won this year by Britain's Paul Casey.

All 18 greens were dug up immediately after this year's tournament and have been replaced using colonial bent grass to United States Golf Association specifications.

New bunkers have also been added to "future proof" the course against the game's big hitters.

"Next year will be particularly exciting as it will be the first European Tour event on the remodelled West Course," said European Tour championship director Jamie Birkmyre in a statement.

"The changes to the landscapes and the different challenges the greens will pose the players will surely make for a fantastic event."

The West Course, designed in 1926 by Harry Colt, has remained virtually untouched apart from alterations in 2005 and again this year which were overseen by South African triple major winner and local resident Ernie Els.

"I honestly think we've succeeded in making a great course even better," Els told the club's website (www.wentworthclub.com).