BMW PGA Championship – spherical one
-6 A Rai (Eng), J Lagergren (Swe); -5 R Gerard (US), A Scott (Aus), I Elvira (Spa), L Aberg (Swe)
Chosen others: -4 P Reed (US), R Fox (NZ), R MacIntrye (Sco), V Hovland (Nor), T Detry (Bel); -3 R Fisher (Eng), R McIlroy (NI), D Regulation (Sco), A Sullivan (Eng), E Ferguson (Sco), J Dean (Eng); -2 T Hatton (Eng), JJ Spaun (US); -1 S Lowry (Ire) -1 M Wallace (Eng); E A Fitzpatrick (Eng), M Fitzpatrick (Eng)
Whereas Rory McIlroy sparkled after which suffered a late stumble, Aaron Rai was a mannequin of consistency as he shot a six-under 66 to share the first-round lead with Sweden’s Joakim Lagergren on the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.
Rai, who grew to become England’s most recent major winner earlier this season, knocked in seven birdies, with the one blemish to his card arriving on the sixteenth, when he discovered the golf green bunker off the tee and ended with a bogey 5.
Lagergren, whose one and solely win on the DP World Tour was again in 2018, additionally made a wonderful begin with an eagle on the twelfth, the spotlight of his spherical.
Six-time main winner McIlroy had bought below approach in sensational style earlier within the day till his spherical unravelled on the again 9.
The Northern Irishman was 5 below after 10 holes and within the outright lead however some erratic driving proved pricey after the activate a course he coated in 60 in Wednesday’s pro-am.
And when McIlroy additionally discovered the water on his penultimate gap, it contributed to one in every of his three bogeys within the ultimate seven – leaving him at three below, three strokes adrift of the joint-leaders.
American Ryan Gerard, Australia’s Adam Scott, Spain’s Nacho Elvira and Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg are at 5 below, whereas Patrick Reed, the one participant above McIlroy within the Race to Dubai standings, is one in every of 12 gamers at 4 below.
Reed, who’s bidding to turn out to be solely the second American after Collin Morikawa to win the Race to Dubai, is in a bunch two photographs off the lead with Open champion Ryan Fox, Norway’s Viktor Hovland and Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre, who made birdies on the seventeenth and 18th holes to conclude with a flourish.
Nevertheless, it was a tough day for Spain’s two-time main winner Jon Rahm, who carded a six-over 78.
Birdies proved tough to return by as Rahm performed alongside Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood, with not one of the trio choosing up a single shot on the entrance 9.
Whereas the English duo had been capable of make 5 birdies between them on the again 9 to complete at one over, Rahm toiled to 5 bogeys and a double bogey as he repeatedly discovered hassle off the tee.
Former US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick, who outlined his reluctance to travel to Dubai for November’s season-ending DP World Tour Championship occasion on Wednesday, is at stage par, alongside along with his youthful brother Alex.
