World No 44

He is not one of the most recognisable golfers, preferring to shun the limelight, but one thing is certain: he knows the West Course at Wentworth as well as any fellow professional. Hansen was a surprising winner of the PGA Championship in 2002 on the same course, his first European Tour win.

Then, as now, Hansen was not daunted by playing with the world's best players. In 2002, Colin Montgomerie was at the height of his powers, but Hansen saw off the Scot's challenge, among others, to hold on to a lead of five strokes going into the final round. Many expected him to claim further notable victories, but it seems that quality of wins counts more than quantity for the Dane.

This season he led a good field at the Qatar Masters (it was won by Retief Goosen) before going on to claim the PGA Championship for a second time and thereby join a list of multiple winners that includes Nick Faldo, Severiano Ballesteros and Bernhard Langer. If the first win at Wentworth had been a shock, the victory this year came equally out of the blue, although Hansen knew that his form was good enough to claim a big tournament. In fact, he hinted at how well he was playing during the Qatar Masters. “Sometimes I get in these modes when I just feel it,” Hansen said. “I was even laughing on the 14th and my caddie asked me why and I would not tell him. I just felt I could not go wrong.”

It has not always been such plain sailing for the 36-year-old because between the two wins he had suffered a slump in form and it was affected by changing tours and trying his luck in the United States this season, where he missed four cuts in nine events. That, however, was forgotten with his play-off victory over Justin Rose at Wentworth and a winner's cheque for £495,000.

“Five years ago I came to this event playing well and full of confidence, but it wasn't like that this time,” Hansen said. “I have been working so hard with my coaches, but I don't think I have been getting the results I've deserved in America. That's why winning this event this time means a lot more than it did the last time.”

Factfile

Age: 37 Nationality: Danish Wins: 2 Major wins: 0 Major record in 2007: Masters: did not compete; US Open: tied-55th; Open: tied-57th; US PGA: tied-12th How he qualified for World Match Play: First on European Tournaments ranking Previous WMP experience: None