Luke Donald has attracted an unwanted and probably harsh reputation for being a golfer who has picked up decent cheques without dirtying his hands.
The Englishman's career has been littered with many a lucrative finish without properly challenging for the title. But Donald's second place at the PGA Championship does not fall into that category.
On this occasion he was in the thick of it throughout the tournament and it would take a hard heart not to be impressed with his tenacity throughout his final round on the toughened West Course.
As he stood on the 17th tee Donald knew a birdie at one of the two closing par 5s would be enough for to deny Simon Khan his heart-warming win and it proved a terrible moment to hit his worst drive of the day.
"I just didn't execute when I needed to, and that was disappointing," was Donald's frank assessment after the blocked tee shot that flew wide of the trees to the right of the 17th fairway and settled amid a holly bush.
He has always been a master of understatement and this loss will hurt because he had fought hard for the opportunity to end a four-year winless streak.
There are some courses that are just too long for this relatively short hitter to be a factor, but the West Course does not fall into that category. With the emphasis even more on precision following Ernie Els' latest changes this was a golden opportunity and Donald knew it.
But he must draw strength from the way that he battled with a series of courageous par saves and trademark bunker escapes throughout his final round.
The 37-year-old seized the moment and there seemed to be some help from upstairs when his ball seemed ready to defy the clutches of the 18th hole before finally disappearing at the end of his tournament-winning 66.
The 18th green needs to be lowered, the proximity of the putting surface to the water at the eighth and the difficulty of the now par four 12th are the other main areas of concern. The ditch on the 15th isn't great either.
But the deepened bunkers provide and excellent defence, especially in the fast firm conditions of this week. The greens will become quicker and the overall conditioning was remarkably good considering how recently made the changes have been.
Wentworth owner Richard Caring has promised a post tournament review. Already he can conclude that one important objective has been achieved in the toughening of the course.
Those who played the PGA were subjected to an exacting test that will prepare them well for events like the US Open where there is such a premium on hitting fairways and the correct parts of greens. This is just what Els wanted.
And such demands are now what have to be satisfied to conquer the West Course, just as Donald found to his cost.
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