Staff WriterThe BMW PGA Championship got off to a thunderous start—literally—as lightning delays, birdie streaks, and a touch of drama left Ludvig Åberg and Tom Vaillant sharing the lead at eight under par after a suspended opening round at Wentworth Club.
For Tom Vaillant, the Frenchman who had the honour (or curse) of striking the tournament’s very first tee shot, the day became something rather special. He rattled home ten birdies in a scintillating 64, turning in a steady two under before exploding on the back nine with six birdies in his final seven holes. Not bad for a man sitting 124th on the Race to Dubai Rankings and still looking for a breakout week.
“It was a nice round. It was a wake-up at 03.50, and then it was very nice. I played well,” said Vaillant. “I tried to stay patient and give myself opportunities because I know I’m playing well the last couple of weeks. So it showed that I can go low, so that’s nice.”
Åberg, meanwhile, continues to look every inch the Ryder Cup star he is about to become for the second time. The Swede started with a bogey, shrugged it off like brushing lint from a blazer, and then rattled off nine birdies. He closed with three in a row after returning to the 18th in near-darkness following a lightning delay of more than an hour.
“It was very efficient. I felt like once I got on the greens, I was rolling the putter really nice and tried to be aggressive with the speed. Managed to make a lot of putts, which is nice,” Åberg said.
“Any time you shoot that kind of score, I think you need to be good on the greens, and that was what it was today. It’s one of my favourite events of the year. I think I said that multiple times in the last couple days, and it’s really nice to be here.
Obviously the golf course is in great shape and the crowds are always amazing. It’s a treat to play well here… Matt (Fitzpatrick), we get along great. He’s a great guy. It’s very easy to be around him… Today was one of them days where we both played pretty well. Hopefully we can do that in New York in a couple weeks’ time, too.”
Chasing Pack
South Africa’s Casey Jarvis wasn’t far behind, finishing his round with five straight birdies to card a seven-under. The home crowd had something to cheer too, with Matt Fitzpatrick tucked in alongside Richie Ramsay, Antoine Rozner, and Joakim Lagergren at six under.
The first round will need finishing touches on Friday morning after play was called at 19:30 local time due to darkness. Golfers stranded on the course will return at 07:45 to tidy up their scorecards before round two begins at 06:40 as scheduled.
A Story Still Unfolding
It’s only Thursday, but the BMW PGA Championship already has the feel of a heavyweight scrap—young guns, streaking birdies, a few home favourites, and a Frenchman waking up before dawn to lead the way. If this is just the opening act, Wentworth may need stronger floodlights by Sunday.
