Aaron Rai of England and Joakim Lagergren of Sweden opened the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth with matching scores of six-under-par 66 to claim the first-round lead. Playing in challenging windy conditions, both players displayed strong form throughout their rounds.
Adam Scott, the 2013 Masters champion, moved into contention with a seven-under-par 67, tying for third place alongside Ryan Gerard, Ludvig Åberg, and Nacho Elvira. Scott described his performance as one of his best tee-to-green rounds of the year, though a wayward drive on the 17th resulted in his only bogey of the day.
Rory McIlroy finished the first round in a tie for 19th place, three strokes off the lead at three-under-par 69. Despite an encouraging start that included birdies on holes 10, 12, 16, 17, and 18, McIlroy struggled with his driving accuracy, missing 10 fairways out of 14 attempted. He finished poorly, going two-over par in his final three holes after finding the water on the eighth hole. McIlroy acknowledged the disappointing finish but expressed encouragement about other aspects of his game, including his wedge play and putting performance.
Patrick Reed, who leads the Race to Dubai standings, was among 12 players tied for seventh place at four-under-par 68. Viktor Hovland, Ryan Fox, and Robert MacIntyre also carded 68s to sit in the seventh-place tie.
Jon Rahm experienced a difficult opening day, posting a six-over-par 78 that included three bogeys and a double-bogey on his front nine, leaving his tournament standing in jeopardy heading into the second round.
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