Justin Rose’s only previous appearance in the World Match Play was in 2002. It was the year the Englishman broke through as a professional, winning twice on the European Tour and twice elsewhere, but he lost by one hole to Vijay Singh, of Fiji, in the first round at Wentworth.

The 2007 model is different from the one five years ago. Rose is not here to make up the numbers, but to win the £1 million first prize. And as ambitions go, this is not too lofty.

Rose, 27, has spent the past four years playing virtually full-time on the PGA Tour in the United States - golf’s toughest finishing school - and is reaping the rewards. He ended 2006 with victory at the Australian Masters in Melbourne, and is one of only seven players to have made the cut in all four major championships in 2007.

It is on the back of such a season that he has risen to No 13 in the world and is closing in on the top ten. Most striking is the confidence he exudes. There is nothing brash or flash about Rose, just a steely resolve.

He finished tied fifth in the Masters, at Augusta, tied tenth in the US Open, at Oakmont, and tied twelfth in the Open at Carnoustie and US PGA Championship at Southern Hills, results that proved he can live with the best. He would be the first to admit that he is not the finished article, but under the eye of Nick Bradley, his coach of 18 months, he is leaving no stone unturned.

British golf fans got a glimpse of how good Rose has become at the BMW Championship at Wentworth, in May, when he was beaten by Anders Hansen, of Denmark, in a play-off for the European Tour’s flagship event. He had returned from a spell out because of a lower back injury but looked fresh and strong.

He showed that he has the temperament and the game for matchplay when he finished in the top eight at the WGC-Accenture Match Play championship in Arizona, beating, among others, Phil Mickelson, now the world No 2.

“Any event at Wentworth seems to get my juices flowing,” Rose said. “It’s where I grew up and where I watched the World Match Play as a kid. I used to go with a ruck-sack full of sandwiches and watch all the great players.

“It’s hugely exciting to be playing the World Match Play again. Wentworth is such a beautiful golf course that you feel special playing there and it’s particularly nice to know that I did well there at the [BMW] PGA Championship. It’s also on my coach’s radar. He’s always wanted to win there, while my caddie [Mick Doran] grew up at Wentworth and started caddying there. There is nobody who knows the place better, so that should give us an advantage.

“This is a good time of the year to be playing. With this week and the World Cup coming up, there’s some interesting golf to be played and the prize-money is huge, too. It’s the silly season, as they say, but it’s great fun.”