Published July 17, 2008 on May 25, 2018

Bjerregaard Leads BMW PGA Championship

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Lucas Bjerregaard carded a flawless seven under par 65 to take the lead after the opening round of the BMW PGA Championship – the first Rolex Series event of the European Tour’s 2018 Race to Dubai – as Rory McIlroy marked his return to Wentworth Club with an impressive 67.

Dane Bjerregaard entered the week on the back of a strong run of form, with back-to-back top tens in his last two appearances, and he carried that momentum into the opening round on the pristine West Course.

A birdie at the par three second hole got him up and running before picking up three more shots for a front nine 31, and three more gains on the way home – including a closing birdie at the par-five finishing hole – handed the London-based 26-year-old a one-stroke lead.

Tied for second place were South African duo Dean Burmester and Darren Fichardt, who have six European Tour titles between them, after a pair of 66s.

All eyes were on four-time Major Champion Rory McIlroy, however, who was returning to Wentworth for the first time since 2015 after being forced to withdraw through injury last year, and he delighted the huge crowds with an impressive five under par 67 to move to within two strokes of the lead.

The 2014 BMW PGA Champion from Northern Ireland carded seven birdies and was disappointed to have missed a short birdie putt at the final hole, but the fans will no doubt be out in force on Friday morning in support of the former World Number One.

McIlroy was joined in a share of the fourth position by Englishmen Richard Bland, Sam Horsfield and Matthew Fitzpatrick, playing his first event of the year on European soil and targeting a fifth European Tour victory in four seasons.

The 2017 BMW PGA Champion Alex Noren as a birdie four at the last rounded off a three under 69 which kept him in the hunt to become the first player to win the prestigious title in back-to-back seasons since Luke Donald won it for a second successive time in 2012.

Malaysia’s Gavin Green posted regulation 72 and is bunched with 16 other players after the first day. The best Asian player so far is Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat on 4-under 68 with his compatriot Thongchai Jaidee one stroke back.

 

First Day Scores:

65 L Bjerregaard (Den) ,
66 D Fichardt (RSA) , D Burmester (RSA) ,
67 R McIlroy (Nir) , M Fitzpatrick (Eng) , S Horsfield (Eng) , R Bland (Eng) ,
68 B Dredge (Wal) , N Bertasio (Ita) , M Korhonen (Fin) , K Aphibarnrat (Tha) , C Paisley (Eng) , L Jensen (Den) ,
69 M Southgate (Eng) , G Fernandez – Castaño (Esp) , T Olesen (Den) , B Grace (RSA) , R Ramsay (Sco) , R Rock (Eng) , S Lowry (Irl) , H Tanihara (Jpn) , C Ford (Eng) , T Jaidee (Tha) , S Gros (Fra) , F Zanotti (Par) , J Morrison (Eng) , A Noren (Swe) , M Kieffer (Ger) ,
70 E Van Rooyen (RSA) , R Fox (Nzl) , A Saddier (Fra) , B Hebert (Fra) , A Dodt (Aus) , D Lipsky (USA) , L Westwood (Eng) , D Brooks (Eng) , M Kaymer (Ger) , A Levy (Fra) , T Fleetwood (Eng) , F Molinari (Ita) ,
71 N Colsaerts (Bel) , A Quiros (Esp) , J Smith (Eng) , M Warren (Sco) , R Fisher (Eng) , P Dunne (Irl) , D Frittelli (RSA) , T Immelman (RSA) , S Gallacher (Sco) , G McDowell (Nir) , B Neil (Sco) , A Sullivan (Eng) , S Lee (Kor) , A Björk (Swe) , P O’Hara (Sco) , M Ilonen (Fin) ,
72 T Detry (Bel) , T Aiken (RSA) , M Pavon (Fra) , J Campillo (Esp) , A Rai (Eng) , R Cabrera Bello (Esp) , J Heath (Eng) , G Green (Mas) , J Guerrier (Fra) , A Wu (Chn) , M Lorenzo-Vera (Fra) , J Lagergren (Swe) , C Wood (Eng) , M Wallace (Eng) , P Larrazábal (Esp) , P Casey (Eng) , E Pepperell (Eng) ,
73 A Johnston (Eng) , A Chesters (Eng) , J Kruyswijk (RSA) , S Hend (Aus) , C Pigem (Esp) , S Brazel (Aus) , H Li (Chn) , D Horsey (Eng) , A Pavan (Ita) , D Howell (Eng) , T Hatton (Eng) , P Waring (Eng) , R Karlsson (Swe) , A Romero (Arg) , J Luiten (Ned) , P Hanson (Swe) , O Farr (Wal) , B Stone (RSA) , J Choi (Kor) ,
74 M Kinhult (Swe) , I Poulter (Eng) , H Porteous (RSA) , R Paratore (Ita) , J Wang (Kor) , J Winther (Den) , C Shinkwin (Eng) , D Drysdale (Sco) , S Chawrasia (Ind) , J Dantorp (Swe) , C Hanson (Eng) , P Khongwatmai (Tha) , B An (Kor) , R Coles (Eng) , R Cho (Kor) , J Suri (USA) , S Fernandez (Esp) , A Bland (Aus) ,
75 W Ormsby (Aus) , M Fraser (Aus) , E Els (RSA) , O Fisher (Eng) , T Pieters (Bel) , S Jamieson (Sco) , M Manassero (Ita) , J Donaldson (Wal) , R Gouveia (Por) , J Scrivener (Aus) , P Oriol (Esp) , N Elvira (Esp) , G Coetzee (RSA) , B Rumford (Aus) , T Bjørn (Den) , D Willett (Eng) , A Otaegui (Esp) , G Bourdy (Fra) , H Varner Iii (USA) , G Havret (Fra) , D Im (USA) , J Norris (Aus)
76 R Jacquelin (Fra) , S Kjeldsen (Den) , R Evans (Eng) , R Sterne (RSA) , M Siem (Ger) ,
77 C Sordet (Fra) , T Pulkkanen (Fin) , L Slattery (Eng) ,
78 Z Lombard (RSA) , C Koepka (USA) , E Molinari (Ita) , A Connelly (Can) , R Wattel (Fra) , R Wallis (Eng) , P Harrington (Irl)
80 S Brown (Eng) ,
85 G Hay (Sco) ,
** Y Miyazato (Jpn) ,