Aaron Rai took a share of the BMW PGA Championship first-round lead alongside Joakim Lagergren as Rory McIlroy “stumbled” after a strong start to finish three off the lead.
Englishman Rai, who dazzled with his approach play, and Lagergren of Sweden posted scores of six-under-par 66 at Wentworth.
In windy conditions, 2013 Masters champion Adam Scott also surged up the leaderboard to tie Ryan Gerard, Ludvig Åberg and Nacho Elvira for third with a score of 67.
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Rory McIlroy stumbled in the closing stages to finish his first round at the BMW PGA Championship three under par
Race to Dubai rankings leader Patrick Reed was one of 12 players to tie for seventh place heading into day two, with Viktor Hovland, Ryan Fox and Robert MacIntyre joining him as they carded 68s.
Jon Rahm endured a tough day on the course and left himself plenty to do to make the cut on Friday, after he posted three bogeys and a double-bogey in his front nine, on his way to a six-over 78.
Justin Rose, who struggled with his putting, fought back from going three down through 14 holes, to end his day at one over, thanks to birdies on the 17th and 18th.
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Justin Rose fought back at the end of his round, making back-to-back birdies on his final two holes to finish at one over
Rai, who started on the ninth, came out of the blocks firing, carding back-to-back birdies on holes 10 and 11, before doing the same on 13 and 14.
“I felt like I got into the round fast and got a couple of birdies early on and continued to just play well throughout the round and keep the momentum going when I was out of position,” said Rai, who won the PGA Championship in the USA in May.
Scott similarly got off to a fast start and made birdies in clusters, going four under through his front nine.
The Australian could have joined Rai and Lagergren at the top of the leaderboard, but a wayward drive on the 17th hole cost him his only bogey of the day before he bounced back with a birdie on the 18th.
Adam Scott surged to tied-third on the leaderboard after posting a first round score of five under
“I would say that was one of my best rounds, tee to green this year,” Scott said.
“Not really sure why, just a nice tee shot off the first, kind of calmed any nerves and then went about my business from there. It’s a nice way to play Wentworth when there’s low stress.
“I know I’m going to have to dig deep to hang in there this week.”
McIlroy comes unstuck late on
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McIlroy started his round in excellent fashion, going five under on his first 10 holes
It was a mixed first day for McIlroy who had a lot to be pleased about despite falling to tied-19th.
He began his round on the ninth and recorded birdies on the 10th and 12th, before making further gains on holes 16, 17 and 18.
McIlroy’s wedges and putting were both excellent during his first 10 holes but his driving let him down, with the 37-year-old missing 10 fairways out of a possible 14 during his round.
The Northern Irishman would mix in a bogey and a birdie on the third and fourth holes, before going two over par in his final three holes, notably finding the water on the eighth hole, to end his round on a sour note.
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McIlroy was encouraged by certain elements of his game following his first round
“A stumble home is a good way to put it,” McIlroy said, reflecting on his closing holes.
“I wish I was standing here a couple of shots better. That’s what I feel I should be, but overall, I saw some good signs in my game and saw some putts go in, which was encouraging compared to last week.
“It’s definitely a score I can build on.”
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