THE Volvo PGA Championship, one of the premier events on the European Tour, starts tomorrow at the magnificent Wentworth Golf Club.

Burnley's Paul Carman, the professional at Huddersfield Golf Club, will be teeing up alongside the likes of Nick Faldo, Colin Montgomerie, Seve Ballesteros and Ian Woosnam.

Below, Carman picks out the holes that may well decide this year's tournament winner, explains what makes them so difficult and gives some insight into how he hopes to play them. 1ST HOLE: One of the toughest starting holes in tournament golf. Normally plays a par-five for the members but is a par-four for the players this week. It's a pretty wide fairway but it slopes left to right. You need to get your tee shot away well and must not miss left. Plays a long-iron into the green and you're glad to walk away with a four under your belt. 3rd HOLE: Another really tough par-four. Plays extremely long. Bunker down the right side is generally in play. You're playing a three or four-iron into a three-tier green and it's vital you get on to the right tier. Shoot past the pin and you face a lightning fast downhill putt - if you're still level par at this stage you've done well.

13th HOLE: Dog-leg left and vital you make a good shot off the tee. Bunker positioned on the right of the fairway and trees hug the left side. Can be blocked out with your second if you play too close to them. Position A is down the right half of the fairway and the second shot is straightforward to a relatively easy bowl-shaped green. 14th HOLE: One of Wentworth's signature holes which, over the years, has been the difference for many players between victory and defeat. It's a four to five-iron tee shot uphill. Clubbing is very difficult to a semi-blind, double-tiered green. If you play through the green you face a very quick chip back and if you're short you roll all the way down a bank to leave a 60-yard uphill pitch. 15th HOLE: Drive here, again, is important on another long par-four. Anything right leaves a blind shot to the green, forcing you perhaps to play a 30 to 40-yard fade with a two, three or four-iron, in other words Seve-like improvisation. I tend to hit two-iron off the tee here. Must avoid a ditch that runs across fairway. Green slopes severely right to left with a bunker on the left. Quick putt if you leave it top side. 17th HOLE: Tight shot off the tee if trying to get round the corner and reach in two shots. Quite a bit of room down the right but it then becomes a three-shot par-five. Out of bounds on the left for guys who try to cut off too much yardage. Fairway slopes severely left to right and many second shots will be played out of right hand rough. Second shot blind over hill and tight entry into green.

CARMAN'S VERDICT A GREAT golf course, a true test of character, ability and nerve. Whoever wins on Monday will have played great golf and putted well throughout. Only the best win here and it's a thrill to be taking part.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.