The first round of the BMW PGA Championship was suspended due to darkness with just a handful of players left on the course, but after Day 1 Marcus Helligkilde holds a two-shot lead over Richie Ramsay and European Ryder Cupper Matt Fitzpatrick.
Helligkilde got around the Wentworth Club Thursday in 8-under 64, a round that included five birdies and a bogey on each side. His big run came on Nos. 4-9 where he made five birdies in six holes.
The 232nd-ranked golfer in the world from Denmark has yet to win on the DP World Tour, but has put together a solid stretch of late tying for fourth at the ISPS Handa World Invitational and for 13th at the European Masters a few weeks ago.
“I did it by hitting it terrible on the range,” he said when asked how he put his round together, “and as my coach says, I asked him, what should I do, and he’s like, yeah, you’re probably going to play great. So that was what happened.”
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Fitzpatrick, like Helligkilde, had two bogeys on his card but made eight birdies, good enough for a 6-under 66. The Englishman has found his game over the last month or so, tying for second at the PGA Tour’s BMW Championship, for ninth at the Tour Championship and for third at the European Masters. He’s just one of the several European Ryder Cuppers entering the biennial battle in Rome in great form.
Adrian Meronk of Poland plays his second shot on the 16th hole during Day One of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Golf Club on September 14, 2023 in Virginia Water, England. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
One of the biggest Ryder Cup snubs, Adrian Meronk, is sitting pretty at 5 under after his first 18 holes. With all 12 members of the team in the field — plus captain Luke Donald — Meronk is looking to send a message in Surrey, England.
As for some of the big names, Ludvig Aberg (4 under) and Tyrrell Hatton are T-12, Viktor Hovland (3 under), Shane Lowry and Tommy Fleetwood are T-21, Tom Kim (2 under) is T-31, Jon Rahm (1 under) is T-45 and Rory McIlroy (Even) is T-65.
“It was great. A little bit more people than I’m used to following me around,” Aberg said after playing with McIlroy and Hovland. “It was really fun playing with those two guys. Obviously, the level of golf that they can do is pretty amazing and for me to watch that is pretty cool.
“I was kind of walking around and then almost pinched myself in the arm on the fairways but really enjoyed it, and proud of the way I handled it today.”
The three European stars will tee off at 7:40 a.m. ET for their second rounds.
Coverage resumes on Golf Channel Friday morning from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET.