BMW PGA Championship: Ludwig Oberg and Matt Fitzpatrick impress as Markus Heligkeld leads at Wentworth | Golf News

Markus Heligkeld shot -8 to lead after opening round of BMW PGA Championship; European Ryder Cup team members Matt Fitzpatrick (-6) and Ludwig Oberg (-4) also had good starts; Watch Round 2 of Wentworth live from 8.30am on Friday on Sky Sports Golf

Ludvig Åberg continued to justify his label as golf’s next superstar as he saw off two of the world’s best players to make a brilliant start to the BMW PGA Championship.

A day after Rory McIlroy declared himself forceful aboard Åberg’s “wagon,” Åberg partnered and bested world No. 2 and FedEx Cup champion Viktor Hovland at Wentworth.

The 23-year-old Swede, who only turned professional in June but was awarded a wild card into the Ryder Cup hours after winning the final qualifier, had a four-under-par 68 despite a double bogey on the 17th, while Hovland made a comeback.
69 and McIlroy struggled to reach the level of 72.

Åberg made five straight birdies from the 11th and also birdied the last after running seven on the 17th as he pulled his drive out of bounds.

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Marcus Heligkeld made 10 birdies en route to an opening-round 64 to move into the lead on day one of the BMW Championship at Wentworth

“The 17th was a bit stupid but other than that I felt like I hit the ball great and gave myself some chances, especially on the back nine where it’s a bit more scoreable,” Aberg said.

“Overall, I’m really happy with the way I played. I was really nervous this morning, which would have been weird if I wasn’t, and there were a lot more people following me than usual.

“But playing with Rory and Victor was so much fun. Walking down the fairway with them and having conversations was so great. I’m proud of the way I handled it, playing good golf with a lot going on and me as well.” Trying to maintain that.”

Hovland praised his Ryder Cup teammate, echoing Justin Rose’s description of the former world number one amateur as a “stud.”

The world number four said: “The way he played in the past two months has not been professional for a long time, but he certainly does not seem afraid at this moment.”

“I think this week is a great experience for him but I think he’s ready regardless.

“He’s a stud. When you have the tools, it’s easy to trust him. He’s obviously very mature and you just have to step up and do it. He’s very talented and he’s going to be around for a long time. He’s going to do a great job.” Things.”

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Ryder Cup rookie Ludvig Åberg made five straight birdies en route to an opening-round 68 at the BMW Championship at Wentworth

Denmark’s Marcus Helgekilde retained the club lead on eight under par after carding 10 birdies and two bogeys in a 64, while Englishman Matt Fitzpatrick and Scot Richie Ramsay shared second place on six under par.

“It’s a great start to the week,” said Fitzpatrick, who announced his engagement to girlfriend Catherine Gall last week. “I feel like I played well overall and did everything well.”

“It’s good to play well in front of the home fans, I’m focused on playing well this week and I know that when Sunday night comes, I can look forward to the Ryder Cup and work on what I need to do to prepare for the tournament.” “Which.”

Former winner Tyrrell Hatton scored 68 points despite finding water approaching 18th, while defending champion Shane Lowry and Tommy Fleetwood both scored 69 points.

“I got off to a great start, three to seven, and some bogey around the turn wasn’t great, but I think the course has gotten a little bit more difficult this year,” Lowry said.

“There are a lot of things that are a bit tougher and tougher, so a score of less than three is not a bad result.”

Former winner Danny Willett looked ready to challenge for the lead when he covered his first 12 holes in six under par, but the 2019 champion aggravated an ongoing shoulder injury after hitting his tee shot on the 15th.

That led to a double bogey and the former Masters champion dropped three more shots on the final two holes and had to settle for a one-under-par 71.

“I hit balls for a half-hour on Tuesday, a half-hour yesterday, and then I warmed up today, and I actually felt pretty strong,” Willett said. “But when it goes, it goes.”

Willett, who withdrew from the Irish Open last week after opening 76 matches, will visit a surgeon in Manchester on Monday to determine the best course of action.

Watch the BMW PGA Championship all week live on Sky Sports. Live coverage continues on Friday with highlights from 8.30am before full coverage from midday on Sky Sports Golf.

Live coverage of the opening day of the Ryder Cup begins on Friday 29 September from 6am on Sky Sports Golf, while live programming begins on Monday 25 September. Stream the PGA Tour, DP Tour, Ryder Cup and more with NOW.

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