SHANE LOWRY IS three shots behind leaders Ludvig Aberg and Tom Vaillant after the opening round of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.
Lowry and Rory McIlroy, playing together today with Jon Rahm, experienced contrasting fortunes at the final hole on a day when play was suspended during the first round due to thunder and lightning in the area, before it resumed at 3pm at the marquee event on the DP World Tour.
Lowry rounded off a stunning back nine, that featured five birdies in his last seven holes, by pitching in from 105 yards for a tap-in birdie on the last to ensure he had a round of five-under 67.
McIlroy started the 18th tee on four-under alongside Lowry, but found water with his second shot and subsequently missed his nine foot par putt, as he had to settle for a three-under 69.
The Irish Open champion started where he left off after he chipped in for an ominous birdie on the first hole at a tournament he won in 2014 before recording three runner-up finishes in his last five visits.
A second birdie followed at the par-five fourth only for McIlroy to bogey the following par three.
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But birdies on the 10th, 12th and 16th appeared to put him in a strong position for the remainder of the weekend as he stepped up his preparations for the Ryder Cup later this month.
However, McIlroy hit his approach at the concluding par-five 18th into the water and had to settle for a bogey and a three-under-par 69 as he completed his first round at 7:30pm and in near darkness after the rain delay
Lowry, who won this tournament in 2022, dropped to level par after his bogey on the 10th, before he tapped in for a birdie on the 12th, sank an eight-foot putt on 13, a 19-footer on 15, and three-footer on 17, before another birdie arrived at the last.
Sweden’s Aberg and France’s Vaillant share the lead on eight-under after rounds of 64, with South African Casey Jarvis a shot back on seven-under.
Other Ryder Cup players who made a strong start included Matt Fitzpatrick (-6), Viktor Hovland (-5), Justin Rose (-5), Tyrrell Hatton (-3)
Robert MacIntyre and Jon Rahm are both one-under, Tommy Fleetwood is one-over, and Rasmus Hojgaard is two-over.
Rahm was largely out of sorts, but holed out from the greenside bunker at 15 and then hit two birdies at the 16th and 17th holes to end on one-under par,
Tom McKibbin is three-under after shooting a round of 69, with six birdies and three bogeys on his card today. Dropped shots on the 15th and 16th were frustrating, having earlier done so on hole two, while he birdied the fourth, eighth, 11th, 12th, 14th and 17th.
Harrington, meanwhile, signed for a round of 73 to sit one-over.
The Dubliner shot bogeys on the third, fifth and ninth, while birdies arrived on holes four, eight, 12 and 18.
A disappointing double bogey on the par-four 16th set him back after he had pulled his drive into the trees, before Harrington bounced back to birdie the last.
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67 for Lowry and 69 for McIlroy in first round of PGA Championship at Wentworth
LAST UPDATE | 11 Sep 2025
SHANE LOWRY IS three shots behind leaders Ludvig Aberg and Tom Vaillant after the opening round of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.
Lowry and Rory McIlroy, playing together today with Jon Rahm, experienced contrasting fortunes at the final hole on a day when play was suspended during the first round due to thunder and lightning in the area, before it resumed at 3pm at the marquee event on the DP World Tour.
Lowry rounded off a stunning back nine, that featured five birdies in his last seven holes, by pitching in from 105 yards for a tap-in birdie on the last to ensure he had a round of five-under 67.
McIlroy started the 18th tee on four-under alongside Lowry, but found water with his second shot and subsequently missed his nine foot par putt, as he had to settle for a three-under 69.
The Irish Open champion started where he left off after he chipped in for an ominous birdie on the first hole at a tournament he won in 2014 before recording three runner-up finishes in his last five visits.
A second birdie followed at the par-five fourth only for McIlroy to bogey the following par three.
But birdies on the 10th, 12th and 16th appeared to put him in a strong position for the remainder of the weekend as he stepped up his preparations for the Ryder Cup later this month.
However, McIlroy hit his approach at the concluding par-five 18th into the water and had to settle for a bogey and a three-under-par 69 as he completed his first round at 7:30pm and in near darkness after the rain delay
Lowry, who won this tournament in 2022, dropped to level par after his bogey on the 10th, before he tapped in for a birdie on the 12th, sank an eight-foot putt on 13, a 19-footer on 15, and three-footer on 17, before another birdie arrived at the last.
Sweden’s Aberg and France’s Vaillant share the lead on eight-under after rounds of 64, with South African Casey Jarvis a shot back on seven-under.
Other Ryder Cup players who made a strong start included Matt Fitzpatrick (-6), Viktor Hovland (-5), Justin Rose (-5), Tyrrell Hatton (-3)
Robert MacIntyre and Jon Rahm are both one-under, Tommy Fleetwood is one-over, and Rasmus Hojgaard is two-over.
Rahm was largely out of sorts, but holed out from the greenside bunker at 15 and then hit two birdies at the 16th and 17th holes to end on one-under par,
Tom McKibbin is three-under after shooting a round of 69, with six birdies and three bogeys on his card today. Dropped shots on the 15th and 16th were frustrating, having earlier done so on hole two, while he birdied the fourth, eighth, 11th, 12th, 14th and 17th.
Harrington, meanwhile, signed for a round of 73 to sit one-over.
The Dubliner shot bogeys on the third, fifth and ninth, while birdies arrived on holes four, eight, 12 and 18.
A disappointing double bogey on the par-four 16th set him back after he had pulled his drive into the trees, before Harrington bounced back to birdie the last.
- Additional reporting from PA
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Golf Ludvig Aberg matt fitzpatrick PGa Championship Wentworth