Rory McIlroy endured a maddening opening day at the BMW PGA Championship, signing for a three-under-par 69 that could have been so much better. The world number two had surged to five under through his first 10 holes at Wentworth’s West Course, sitting atop the leaderboard before his round fell apart down the stretch.
Three bogeys over his closing six holes took the shine off what had been a brilliant start. To compound his frustration, McIlroy disclosed that he had fired an extraordinary 12-under-par 60 during Wednesday’s practice round.
That stunning rehearsal featured nine birdies and an eagle across a remarkable 10-hole purple patch — the sort of scoring that would have blown the field away had it come 24 hours later.
“Any time you play like that and you string nine birdies and an eagle in 10 holes, you know you’re doing something right,” McIlroy said with a smirk. “Alas, it was on a Wednesday and not a Thursday.”
Rory McIlroy suffered a tough time on Thursday at the BMW PGA Championship
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The two-time Masters champion revealed he had opened with a pair of pars before his scoring spree began. “I actually started with two pars but it was great, although I have done things like that before,” he added. “Ultimately that 60 didn’t matter. It’s about doing it on the day.”
When it came to the round that actually counted, McIlroy was left rueing his inability to maintain momentum. “I wish I could be standing here a couple of shots better – because I should be,” he said. “After a good start, I had a disappointing finish.”
His round featured a slice of fortune at the par-three 14th, which was his sixth hole of the day having begun on the ninth. McIlroy tugged his tee shot left, with the ball finishing against the out-of-bounds fencing.
What appeared certain to cost him a penalty stroke turned into a reprieve — the ball had settled on a thin strip of turf between the buggy path and the boundary hedgerow, entitling him to a free drop. He duly converted a tidy up and down to salvage par.
That escape seemed to set the stage for a charge, yet wayward driving proved costly in the closing stretch. Bogeys at the third and sixth holes were followed by a visit to the water at the eighth, where he limited the damage with a nine-foot putt for a single dropped shot.
PGA Championship winner Aaron Rai currently shares the lead with Joakim Lagergren
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McIlroy’s swing has been plagued by issues since successfully defending his Masters crown in April, and he acknowledged the road back will be lengthy. “It’s going to take a long time to get back to where I really want it to be,” he said, adding that his practice sessions still look more polished than his competitive play.
The Northern Irishman estimated that correcting the bad habits would require as long as it took to develop them. “If it’s taken me five or six months to get into this bad habit, it’s probably going to take me a similar period to get back out of it.”
Despite those mechanical concerns, McIlroy has a clear target before the season ends: securing an eighth DP World Tour order of merit crown, which would draw him level with Colin Montgomerie’s record. He currently sits second in the standings behind Patrick Reed, who also opened with a 69 at Wentworth.
Aaron Rai and Sweden’s Joakim Lagergren set the early pace at six under par, sharing the clubhouse lead. Rai, this year’s PGA Championship winner, compiled seven birdies against a solitary bogey in his 66.
The Englishman admitted to unusual first-round jitters playing alongside McIlroy and Open champion Ryan Fox. “I felt really nervous,” Rai said. “I can’t remember feeling that nervous on a Thursday and Friday, if I’m honest. It was not only playing with Rory and Foxy but also playing at this event which is obviously our flagship event on Tour.”
Fox completed the high-profile threeball with a four-under 68. Shane Lowry, buoyed by his recent Irish Open triumph, sits five adrift of the leaders after a one-under opening effort.
