WILSON RACING TOWARD STARDOM AT BMW // 23rd May 2008

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VIRGINIA WATER, England – If the secret to golf is more about perspiration than inspiration, then Oliver Wilson should have no problem getting to the top. Wilson might not have the talent of many European Tour players, but he wants success so badly he can almost taste it. The former Augusta State player returned a 6-under 66 in the second round of the BMW PGA Championship. The 27-year-old Englishman is 36 holes from winning the biggest tournament of his young professional career. He trails Paul McGinley by five shots. Colin Montgomerie, Ernie Els, Michael Campbell, Justin Rose, Darren Clarke and Thomas Bjorn missed the cut. Lee Westwood also won’t be around for the weekend. He withdrew after five holes of his second round, citing food poisoning. He was 7 over at that point. Wilson’s form is not surprising. He has finished runner-up three times this year, and six times in the three years he’s been on the European Tour. What may be surprising is that Wilson has carved out a successful career while others apparently more talented have either fallen by the wayside or are still waiting for their careers to take off. The Englishman played on the victorious 2003 Great Britain & Ireland Walker Cup team alongside players like former University of Tulsa standout David Inglis and teenage English sensation Michael Skelton. All the talk back then was on those two going on to make it big in the pro ranks. The hype was justified. Inglis topped the Golfweek/Sagarin College Rankings at one point and Skelton was only 19 when he appeared at Ganton. Five years later and Skelton is toiling on the British EuroPro Tour, while Inglis was last seen playing the Gateway Tour in 2007. “I just wanted success more than other guys,” Wilson said. “Golf is the only thing in my life right now. I’ve made a lot of sacrifices for the sake of my golf. It’s cost me time with my family and friends, but I reckon I will have time for them later. “I’m really driven to play well and succeed. I’ve always been like that.” Wilson is currently 11th on the European Tour Order of Merit. He is in good company in the top 15 along with Adam Scott, Retief Goosen, Trevor Immelman, Lee Westwood, Vijay Singh and Henrik Stenson. However, the former psychology major at Augusta State is under no illusions that his golf deserves to be compared to those European Tour stalwarts. “I’m not a great striker of the ball like a lot of guys,” he said. “There are a lot of players who hit the ball better than me, but it’s always been that way. There were many better players than me when I played amateur golf that still haven’t managed to make it in the professional game. I still play with guys who hit it better than me who are not on tour. “I learned early on that it doesn’t matter how well you strike the ball. It’s how you get it around the golf course. I’ve always managed to get it round the golf course.” Wilson spent a year on the European Challenge Tour after playing in the Walker Cup, and earned his ticket to the main tour via the junior circuit. He finished 97th on the money list in his rookie season of 2005, rose to 71st in 2006, and finished 30th last year. “There’s only thing missing from my resume, really, and it’s just the win,” Wilson said. “It’s only a matter of time.” The man from Mansfield in the northern England missed the cut in this championship in his debut in 2006. Last year he finished 47th. Those performances won’t deter Wilson from doing what he does best: giving it his all on every shot. “I feel like this could be the week,” he said. “If I can be there coming down the last few holes, with that finish (two par-5s), I feel reasonably comfortable on that finishing stretch.” The European Tour’s flagship event has had some unusual winners over recent years. Andrew Oldcorn, Anders Hansen, Ignacio Garrido and Scott Drummond put their names on the trophy in a four-year stretch from 2001. If players of that caliber can win the biggest tournament in Europe outside the Open Championship, then there is no reason why Oliver John Wilson can’t make the BMW PGA Championship his first tour victory. It won’t be for want of trying, that’s for sure. To return to the main News page click here (Article by Alistair Tait/Golfweek. Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)