Golf/Volvo PGA Championship: It's a numbers game at Wentworth this week. The European Tour celebrates its 1,000th tournament, the occasion doubly significant in that it represents the 50th staging of the PGA Championship.

It's 33 years since the tour began on April 11th, 1972 and by the time the cheques are distributed on Sunday evening, the prize money during that period will have reached a staggering €791,431,959 and a few cent.

Even the players aren't impervious to number crunching, Nick Faldo providing one of the lighter moments during yesterday's Pro-Am over the West course.

As he prepared to hit his drive at the opening hole, a car on the far side of a hedge 10 feet away was gunned into life.

The four-time former PGA champion raised an eyebrow, walked away from his ball and observed: "Ah, the throaty roar of the Cortina. I thought there was a four litre minimum here, not four letters." More serious matters take precedent today, as the flagship tournament - outside of the British Open - on the European tour gets under way.

World number two Vijay Singh and number three Ernie Els tee it up while the furore that surrounds the absence of Ireland's Padraig Harrington is finally beginning to abate. It is largely media-driven but even they have tired of pursuing that angle, preferring instead to course Singh about his ambition of usurping Tiger Woods as the world's number one golfer.

At a dinner on Tuesday night, Els, a close friend as well as rival, suggested that the Fijian was currently the best player in the world. Singh concurred, tongue-in-cheek: "Well, if that's what he says then I have got to agree with him.

"But no I have been playing pretty decent golf for the last year and a half, two years. I won't be fulfilled with all that talk until I'm number one in the world ranking and that's my goal, to make it official. It's not really Tiger that I am concerned about. I've played good enough golf to be there (world number one) but obviously that's not what the ranking is saying.

"I've made a goal that I want to finish my career having at least once being ranked number one. I don't have many years to go, maybe five or six. I plan to do it. I'm playing well enough and who knows maybe this is the year that I could make it."

Singh will be focusing on the 64 ranking points available at Wentworth, secure in the knowledge that he likes both the tournament and the golf course. "I love Wentworth. I've probably played more here than anywhere else in the world." While Els and Singh will be the front-runners with the bookmakers, Ireland's Darren Clarke has also shown an affinity for the venue. Last year he led after two rounds before fading over the weekend to finish in a tie for 14th place.

If he can unravel the mystery of the blade and enjoy a little success on the greens then the rest of his game seems in rude good health as evidenced by his third place finish at the Deutsche Bank in Heidelberg last week. For the Dungannon man the watchword will be patience and a white-hot putter that goes further than a brand name.

The Irish contingent numbers seven and this week includes Paul McGinley, who decided to miss Germany to allow further recovery time following knee surgery. He had earlier returned to competitive fare at the British Masters but on the advice of his surgeon was told to adopt a measured approach on his return.

He spent his week off undergoing physiotherapy, and then hit the gym to do some cardiovascular work.

"My surgeon said that if it was the British Open last week I could have taken a chance and played. Given the length of the season his advice was to take a week off, go at it again followed by more rest."

Peter Lawrie will be keen to make the weekend at worst having missed cuts in his last three tournaments, while Graeme McDowell failed to play the final two rounds in Germany last week. Gary Murphy managed tied 56th last time out but has been striking his new irons very well in practice.

The Kilkenny golfer is ranked second in terms of driving accuracy on the tour this season and if he could complement that with precision iron play then this course won't hold any fears. For Waterville's David Higgins and Damien Mooney this week is an opportunity to rejoin the elite and try and earn a decent cheque.