PAUL Casey admits he cannot wait to play in front of his home crowd again after confirming he will return to the BMW PGA Championship – the first of eight Rolex Series events on the European Tour in 2018 – at Wentworth from May 24-27.

Casey returned to winning way ways recently when holding off Tiger Woods to win the Valspar Championship on the US PGA Tour - a victory which moved him up to 12th in the world rankings and boosted his chances of returning to Europe’s Ryder Cup Team in France this September.

The 40-year-old will be back on home soil in May when he makes his first appearance at Wentworth in five years.

Casey grew up in Surrey and regularly walked the fairways of the West Course as a youngster, watching legends of the game such as Seve Ballesteros and Sir Nick Faldo win the prestigious tournament, before the three-time Ryder Cup player went on to lift the title himself in 2009.

After playing in 12 consecutive editions of the BMW PGA Championship from 2002-2013, he has not featured at Wentworth for the past four years due to a combination of injuries and family commitments in the United States.

But after re-joining the European Tour at the start of 2018, the former world No.3 is relishing the chance to return.

“It’s a bit of a homecoming for me,” said Casey. “Wentworth is one of the reasons I now play golf.

"I used to watch the PGA Championship when I was a kid and watching Faldo and Seve play round that course was really what sparked my interest.

“To have played in the PGA Championship as many times as I have, and to have won it, and then having taken a little bit of a break, means I have so many wonderful memories. I am truly, genuinely excited about making my return.”

He added: “Winning at Wentworth was one of the finest moments of my career. There is something about the fact that it is the home of European Tour golf, and the fact that it was in front of a home crowd and my family made it even more special. I would love to win another one.”

Also competing at Wentworth are 2017 Race to Dubai Champion Tommy Fleetwood who formed an impressive partnership with Casey in the EurAsia Cup in January.

Both players are now targeting a place in Thomas Bjørn’s European Ryder Cup team in Paris in September, with the BMW PGA Championship marking the start of a critical point in the qualification campaign.

For tickets for all four days of the BMW PGA Championship and the Wednesday Celebrity Pro-Am go to europeantour.com