Staff WriterHideki Matsuyama may be new to Wentworth, but he’s already making himself at home. The Japanese star leads the BMW PGA Championship by a single shot at the halfway mark, thanks to a second-round 64 that included not one but two eagles—because apparently birdies are just too mainstream.
The Major champion began the day four shots back after the weather-delayed opening round finally wrapped up on Friday morning. By the time he polished off his afternoon stroll around Surrey, Matsuyama had muscled his way to the top at 12-under, with a chasing pack of Ryder Cup heavyweights breathing down his neck.
From Steady Start to Full-Throttle
Matsuyama’s front nine looked like a masterclass in controlled aggression: an eagle, two birdies, and a turn in 31. Then came a flurry of three birdies in four holes after the turn, before reality briefly intruded with a bogey at the 15th. No matter—he simply chipped in for another eagle at the 17th to restore order and the outright lead.
“This is my first time playing Wentworth,” Matsuyama said, sounding almost surprised by his own brilliance. “I wasn’t expecting I would play this good. So, very happy with the round today. There’s not something specific. It’s more like flow. I had a really good flow process yesterday. So everything went really well.
Obviously it’s a very challenging golf course. You know, I’m just trying to focus on my game, trying to do the same thing for tomorrow and the weekend. So looking forward to the weekend. I would love to achieve something big right here, but obviously the condition are going to be changing for the weekend, so hopefully I can adjust to that, and looking forward to the weekend.”
The Pack in Pursuit
Trailing just a shot behind on 11-under are three men who know their way around a Ryder Cup locker room: Justin Rose, Viktor Hovland, and Ludvig Åberg. Pablo Larrazábal lurks at 10-under, a reminder that Spain tends to produce golfers who enjoy spoiling an Englishman’s party.
Rose thrilled the home crowd with eight birdies in his 66, undoing the damage of two bogeys along the way. Hovland matched him with a 66 of his own, highlighted by a closing eagle that made it look like he’d been waiting all day just to show off. Åberg signed for a tidy 69, keeping himself firmly in the mix.
Hovland, ever the honest Norwegian, admitted things weren’t quite as smooth as they looked. “I can’t remember when I chipped it and putted it as nicely as I did the last two days. That goes a long way,” he said. “Iron play was not so good yesterday and started ramping up towards the end of the round.
Today was better. We’re getting it better but I still have to drive it a little bit better so I can get myself more iron shots from the fairway but really happy with the way I’m scoring.
I’m super happy to be where I’m at and scoring-wise, it’s incredible to be honest with you. I really am struggling off the tee, and I’m just trying to do whatever I can just to put it in the fairway.
Trying not to hit it off-line and in the trees, and so far, it’s been good, and from there I’ve been amazing. But I do want to play the game a little bit more stress-free.”
A Weekend Set for Fireworks
Play was halted Friday evening due to darkness, with round two to resume at 7:00 a.m. on Saturday. Round three will shift to a one-tee start in three-balls, no earlier than 8:00 a.m.—because apparently daylight is non-negotiable, even at the BMW PGA Championship.
With Matsuyama holding the narrowest of leads, Rose and company circling like well-fed sharks, and Wentworth promising to bare its teeth over the weekend, this is shaping up to be one of those classic Rolex Series weekends where nothing is safe, not even par.
