It was billed as ‘The Duel on the West’, with Luke Donald’s title expected to come under fierce challenge from the numbers one and three in the world, Rory McIlroy (NIR) and Lee Westwood (ENG), but the 2012 BMW PGA Championship ended with a rampant Donald winning by four clear shots and recapturing the number one spot at the top of the world rankings.

For Donald, this was a very different final day to the dramatic scenes he experienced at the end of the 2011 tournament, when he defeated Westwood in a play-off. This year, he cut a far more relaxed figure as he strode down the 18^th with a comfortable four-shot lead. The new number one in the world was cheered onto the green by the huge galleries that have become a feature of the European Tour’s flagship event in recent years.

The final couple of holes may have looked like a stroll in the park, but that was the result of the golfing master class that Donald delivered over the four days of the tournament. When the strong winds left the dreams of many lying tattered and torn on the iconic West Course on day three, Donald showed all his class to grind out a magnificent round of 69 and move two clear. Only his good friend Rose was able to keep pace with Donald, setting up the enticing prospect of an all-English final flight on the decisive Sunday.

When Rose birdied three and four to move level with the reigning champion, it looked like being another dramatic evening in Surrey, England. Donald responded like a true champion, however, shooting four birdies to Rose’s one over the next eight holes. With all this going on in the top flight, Paul Lawrie (-11) of Scotland almost sneaked in under the radar. The 1999 Open Champion shot the lowest round of the day, a six-under round of 66, to claim a share of second place with Rose. Fourth place went to Ireland’s Peter Lawrie (-8), who could hardly hide his delight at holing his bunker shot for a birdie on the last, while Branden Grace (RSA, -7) finished fifth.

The chasing pack were left hoping for a major blunder from the man who topped last year’s money lists on both sides of the Atlantic. But it never came. Donald rained down perfect iron shot after perfect iron shot to emerge from the Wentworth Club a thoroughly deserved winner – for the second year.

The Wednesday before the BMW PGA Championship is traditionally a day, on which the amateurs experience a round on one of the world’s most renowned golf courses and the pros show them how they probably should have done it. The 2012 Pro-Am was no different.

With the London Olympics just around the corner, a number of British Olympians turned up to show off their sporting prowess. Kriss Akabusi, who won bronze in the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, teamed up with World Cup winning rugby player Matt Dawson, former Arsenal and England footballer Ian Wright, and 2010 BMW PGA Championship winner Simon Khan (ENG).

The flight featuring Open Champion Darren Clarke boasted an incredible nine Olympic gold medals, courtesy of just two men: rowers Sir Steve Redgrave and Sir Matthew Pinsent. They were joined by the coach of England’s 2003 Rugby World Cup winning team, Sir Clive Woodward. Later in the afternoon, world number three Lee Westwood took to the course alongside another multiple Olympic gold medallist: sailor Ben Ainslie has three titles to his name and looks a good bet to pick up medal number four in Weymouth this summer.

While Ainslie may be quick on his boat, probably the fastest man on the West Course today was Australian Troy Corser. The double Superbike world champion may have retired from competitive racing last year, but still works closely with the BMW Motorrad Motorsport team and is a BMW Brand Ambassador. Corser had plenty of time to discuss engine matters with former racing driver Tiff Needell, whilst being guided round Wentworth in the capable hands of South Africa’s Thomas Aiken.

The winning team on the eve of the 2012 BMW PGA Championship was that of Wentworth resident Ernie Els (RSA). Despite having won seven tournaments on the West Course during his illustrious career, “The Big Easy” is yet to win the BMW PGA Championship.

In the long and illustrious history of “The Players’ Flagship”, only one player has won the prestigious tournament in Wentworth three times in a row: Scotland’s Colin Montgomerie achieved this feat between 1988 and 2000. In 2013, Luke Donald will be looking to follow in “Monty’s” footsteps and make history again on the West Course.

After successfully defending his title in May 2012, the Englishman said: “Thank you very much to the crowds, who were ten deep in places. I have never seen such huge crowds.”

The BMW PGA Championship is set to deliver an enhanced spectator experience in 2013 as Europe’s Ryder Cup Team, triumphant from the ‘Miracle at Medinah’, regroup for the first time competitively on British soil at Wentworth Club in England.

The BMW PGA Championship 2013 will provide a superb package of fun, celebrity-spotting and world class golf over a six-day period, starting with the Official Practice Day on Tuesday, May 21 through to the climax to The European Tour’s flagship event on Sunday, May 26.

Tickets are now on sale.