Aaron Rai and Joakim Lagergren share Wentworth lead as McIlroy loses late ground

Aaron Rai and Joakim Lagergren share Wentworth lead as McIlroy loses late ground

VIRGINIA WATER, England — PGA champion Aaron Rai and Joakim Lagergren of Sweden each posted a 6-under 66 on Thursday in the BMW Championship with the kind of finish Rory McIlroy could have used at Wentworth.

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McIlroy, who caused a stir with a 60 in the celebrity pro-am on the eve of the European flagship event, didn't lose a step in the opening round when he opened with five birdies on the back nine to shoot up the leaderboard.

But he went into the trees, into a bunker and into the water on the front nine, all of those shots leading to bogeys, that dropped him to a 69 and into a tie for 19th.

“Good way to put it — a stumble home,” said McIlroy, coming off a pedestrian week in the Irish Open. “I wish I was standing here a couple of shots better. That’s what I feel I should be, but overall, I saw some good signs in my game and saw some putts go in which was encouraging compared to last week.”

Adam Scott was practically flawless off the tee except for one drive that sailed well left into the trees and out-of-bounds on the par-5 17th. He had to hit another tee shot and did well to escape with bogey. Then he hit his second shot into 5 feet on the par-5 18th.

The Australian missed the eagle putt, but still salvaged a 67 and was one back, along with Ludvig Aberg of Sweden, American Ryan Gerard and Nacho Elvira of Spain. Aberg also made only one big mistake, a double bogey on the the 15th with a wild drive followed by three putts from 50 feet.

The struggle belonged to Jon Rahm, who made only one birdie in his round of 78, his highest score in a non-major since a 78 in the first round of the Andalucia Masters in 2021.

Rai, who has yet to register a top 10 since his major victory at Aronimink in May, dropped only one shot when he missed the fairway on the 16th, came up just short of the green and missed a 7-foot par putt. He answered with his seventh birdie of the round on the par-5 17th.

Lagergren is at No. 69 in the Race to Dubai, needing to hold his position with six events left before the two-tournament postseason in the Middle East. He overcame his lone bogey at No. 9 by making an eagle putt just outside 20 feet on the par-5 12th. The Swede played the par 5s in 4 under.

They both warmed up in the rain, which turned into a pleasant day but with wind that swirls through the treetops and causes so much uncertainty.

“I felt like I got into the round fast and got a couple birdies early on and continued to just play well throughout the round and keep the momentum going when I was out of position,” Rai said. “So yeah, really good start.”

McIlroy had 10 birdies and an eagle in his pro-am round — “I wish it was on a Thursday and not on a Wednesday,” he said — but still took confidence his game was turning around.

“I brought that feeling for the most part into today and a bit disappointed with the way I finished,” he said. “But still a good score to build on and some very good signs in the game.”

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