When scanning for a potential winner of the Volvo PGA Championship at Wentworth names like Ernie Els, Vijay Singh, Adam Scott, last week's Deutsche Bank winner Trevor Immelman, Retief Goosen and Ireland's Darren Clarke are obvious candidates.

But what of the defending champion? Ignacio Garrido surprised everyone, including himself, last year when claiming the title in a sudden death play-off against Immelman. It is particularly apposite that his reign extends into the European Tour's 1,000th tournament as 32 years ago it was his father Antonio who won the tour's inaugural event, the Spanish Open at Pals Golf Club.

The connection has endured, not least for one member of the media who absentmindedly addressed Ignacio by his father's name. The affable Spaniard is in the throes of a swing reconstruction, one that began two and a half years ago.

His passion for the game has been undiluted by the frustration of a lack of competitiveness during that period: the Volvo victory an aberration. In search of a swing that will endure for the remainder of his professional career and one that will serve him unfailingly under pressure he went to Hospital, Domingo that is, the former tour professional.

"I have just finished with the changes I was doing to my swing. Everything was very unpredictable. You're hoping that the change is going to be positive in the long term but it's been quite a mixed bag (in the interim). I've had the best performance of my career and also some bad weeks.

"It wasn't easy to keep going (with the swing changes) after last year's PGA because you know that you have still a few things to change. You're thinking, 'well if I can win a PGA, with a swing the way it was, should I continue to change.' That lasted a few seconds. I had taken the decision before the event (2003 PGA Championship) and it didn't change the plan."

When his short game alone was keeping him afloat he knew that he had to make a tough decision.

The initial alterations were tough and at the back of his mind was the realisation that he had to retain a tour card. He didn't have the safety net of an exemption. A passion for the game that transcends merely making a living convinced him that he was doing the right thing.

Once an instinctive player, he now relies on technical solidity and there have been casualties, notably his celebrated short game. On a positive note, he is adamant that his swing is better now than when he won last year.

He mightn't win this week but his game won't be any poorer for that statistic.