Aaron Rai and Joakim Lagergren shot rounds of 6-under-par 66 to share the first-day lead of the BMW PGA Championship at the Wentworth Club in Surrey, England, on Thursday.
The players faced questionable weather to start the day, with rain and wind, but Rai said it wasn’t a factor when his group of 2026 major champions – Rai (PGA Championship), Rory McIlroy (Masters Tournament) and Ryan Fox (The Open) – teed off.
Rai, a crowd favorite in his native England, and Lagergren, of Sweden, lead a packed leaderboard. They stand a stroke ahead of Ludvig Aberg of Sweden, Australian Adam Scott, Nacho Elvira of Spain and American Ryan Gerard.
At 4-under is a group of 12 players that includes Race to Dubai leader Patrick Reed, Fox, Viktor Hovland of Denmark and Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre.
“Really pleased overall. Conditions were pretty tricky. We had a lot of rain during that warm up. But by the time it started, the wind had stopped, so that helped to start really well,” said Rai, who had seven birdies and a bogey on the day.
“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.
“So, yeah, really good. Really good start.”
Lagergren had an eagle, five birdies and a bogey on his way to 6-under but wasn’t fully happy with his performance.
“Scored really well today so I’m happy with that,” Lagergren said. “I feel like I wasn’t at my best today, if that’s OK to say after a minus-six, but I feel like I have still work to do.”
McIlroy, who is chasing Reed in the Race to Dubai, is well within striking distance of the leaders. He stands three strokes off the lead, one of 15 players to card a 69.
The native of Northern Ireland was 5-under through the first 11 holes, then struggled a bit as he said he had a few “loose” drives on the way in.
“It started to get a little tricky there at the end. Wind was gusty. But I played well,” McIlroy said. “I certainly saw some improvements on the greens compared to last week. So, yeah, it’s an encouraging start.”
–Field Level Media
