Åberg Shares Lead, McIlroy Stumbles at BMW PGA Championship
Ludvig Åberg fired an impressive 8-under 64 to grab a share of the first-round lead at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth on Thursday. The Swedish Ryder Cup rookie is tied with Tom Vaillant atop the leaderboard after a weather-disrupted opening day.
Åberg’s round was particularly remarkable considering it began with a bogey at the first hole. He didn’t drop another shot all day, making four birdies on the front nine, two more at the 10th and 12th, before closing with three straight birdies.
Rory McIlroy, fresh off his dramatic Irish Open playoff victory last Sunday, couldn’t quite carry that momentum to Wentworth. He sits five shots back after finding the water on his final hole.
McIlroy started promisingly with birdies on the first and fourth holes before stumbling with a bogey on the par-3 fifth. He added three more birdies on the back nine (10th, 12th and 16th), but his approach to the par-5 18th found the water, leading to a closing bogey and a 3-under 69.
Casey Jarvis holds solo third place at 7-under, just one shot behind the co-leaders.
A 90-minute weather delay disrupted afternoon play, eventually forcing officials to suspend the round due to darkness at 7:30 p.m. local time. Thursday’s late starters will complete their opening rounds Friday morning.
Ryder Cup Preview
This week’s tournament offers a preview of Europe’s Ryder Cup squad, with all but one team member competing at Wentworth. European captain Luke Donald confirmed last week that Sepp Straka is the lone absentee, staying home with his wife who recently gave birth prematurely.
Several of Åberg’s Ryder Cup teammates are also in contention. Matt Fitzpatrick, another of Donald’s captain’s picks, sits just two shots off the lead after posting a solid 66. Justin Rose and Shane Lowry are three back at 5-under.
Jon Rahm, the former world No. 1, made a late charge with three birdies from the 15th hole to salvage a 1-under 71.
The tournament serves as valuable preparation for Team Europe before they head to Bethpage Black later this month for the Ryder Cup showdown against the Americans.
