McIlroy falters as Rai and Lagergren share Wentworth lead

Aaron Rai and Joakim Lagergren shared the first-round lead at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth on 17 September 2026, while Rory McIlroy slipped to three under after a late back-nine collapse.

Rai carded a six-under 66, making seven birdies with his only blemish a bogey five at the 16th after finding a fairway bunker, and Lagergren produced an eagle at the 12th as he joined Rai on six under. Rai, who became England's most recent major winner earlier this season, and Lagergren, whose sole DP World Tour victory came in 2018, produced the joint-low rounds in the opening day.

Six-time major winner McIlroy began strongly and was five under after 10 holes to hold the outright lead, having covered the course in 60 during Wednesday's pro-am, but his round deteriorated on the back nine. Erratic driving proved costly after the turn, he found the water on his penultimate hole and made three bogeys in his final seven holes to finish three shots off the leaders at three under.

BMW PGA Championship - round one -6 A Rai (Eng), J Lagergren (Swe); -5 R Gerard (US), A Scott (Aus), I Elvira (Spa), L Aberg (Swe) Selected others: -4 P Reed (US), R Fox (NZ), R MacIntrye (Sco), V Hovland (Nor), T Detry (Bel); -3 R Fisher (Eng), R McIlroy (NI), D Law (Sco), A Sullivan (Eng), E Ferguson (Sco), J Dean (Eng); -2 T Hatton (Eng), JJ Spaun (US); -1 S Lowry (Ire) -1 M Wallace (Eng); E A Fitzpatrick (Eng), M Fitzpatrick (Eng)

American Ryan Gerard, Australia's Adam Scott, Spain's Nacho Elvira and Sweden's Ludvig Aberg finished at five under. Patrick Reed, the only player above McIlroy in the Race to Dubai standings, is one of 12 players at four under and is bidding to become only the second American after Collin Morikawa to win the Race to Dubai.

Open champion Ryan Fox, Viktor Hovland and Robert MacIntyre join Reed two strokes off the lead; MacIntyre closed his round with birdies at the 17th and 18th. Jon Rahm endured a difficult day, carding a six-over 78 as he repeatedly found trouble off the tee.

Rahm played alongside Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood and none of the trio picked up a single shot on the front nine; Rose and Fleetwood combined for five birdies on the back nine to finish at one over, while Rahm recorded five bogeys and a double bogey.

Former US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick and his younger brother Alex are at level par, with Matt having outlined his reluctance to travel to Dubai for November's season-ending DP World Tour Championship event on Wednesday.

Those scores reflect the first round at Wentworth, leaving Rai and Lagergren tied atop the leaderboard going into the next stage of the BMW PGA Championship.