Willett and Rahm Lead BMW PGA Championship At Halfway Stage

Is Danny Willett back to his major-winning best? He currently sits in a tie for the lead of the BMW PGA Championship, alongside Spain’s Jon Rahm.

The Englishman was the World No.9 when he put on the Green Jacket after winning the Masters in 2016, and in doing so, he became on the second Englishman after Sir Nick Faldo to win at Augusta. Now halfway through the BMW PGA, he sits atop the leaderboard.

Willett fell outside the top 450 in the Official World Golf Rankings halfway through 2018, thanks to injuries and other personal issues, but a win at the DP World Tour Championship in November of that year put him back on track.

Now, the man from Sheffield sits atop the leaderboard of the European Tour’s flagship event, thanks to rounds of 68 and 65 over the opening two days at Wentworth.

Willett’s second round started with three birdies and an eagle in his first five holes, as he raced out to an early four-shot lead. A bogey on 14 dropped him back to -11, where Rahm caught him to end the day.

The Spaniard has gone 66, 67 in his first two days in Surrey, but his second round started terribly, as he bogeyed the first two holes on Friday.

However, Rahm fought back to birdie his next four, before an eagle on the 18th saw him card a 67 on Friday, as he goes in search of his second Rolex Series title of the season, after winning the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open earlier this year.

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The pair have a two-shot lead from a group of three men. Major champions Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson sit alongside Andalucia Masters winner Christiaan Bezuidenhout at -9.

The South African shot a bogey-free 67 on Friday to make his way into contention, while both of the European duo, who play so well together in Ryder Cups, birdied the 18th to move into a tie for third place.

The leading American in the standings is the 2014 FedEx Cup winner Billy Horschel. He shot 65, like Willett, on the second day, to move up into the top ten. He sits alongside Englishman Paul Casey, who is looking for his second win at Wentworth, with his first coming in 2009.

Two more Americans, in Andrew Putnam and Tony Finau, sit at -6, five shots back. They are joined by European Tour debutant Victor Hovland, who is continuing his remarkable start to professional golf, and India’s Shubhakanr Sharma.

Reigning BMW PGA Champion Francesco Molinari sits at -5 after a bogey on the last saw him slip out of the top ten on the leaderboard.

He is joined by Andrew Johnston and Nicolas Colsaerts, among others, in a tie for 12th. They will start their third rounds at Wentworth knowing they need to go low on Saturday to stay in touch.

2018 Masters winner Patrick Reed is at -4, seven behind the leading pair, while 2017 BMW PGA victor Alex Noren is a further shot back after a level-par round of 72.

Overnight leader Matt Wallace struggled on the second day, and he was unable to back up his first round of 65. He carded a second round of 76, which included seven bogeys and three birdies, as he dropped down from 1st into a tie for 24th.

British Open champion Shane Lowry sits at -1 after a birdie at the last hole of his second round. He is joined by the likes of Ian Poulter, Miguel Angel Jimenez, and Haotong Li among others in a tie for 37th.

Only 44 men are under par after the opening two days at Wentworth, with the famous West Course playing much trickier on Friday compared to on the opening day of the tournament.

Ernie Els found that out, as he shot a 76 to follow his Thursday 68. That dropped the South African back to level-par, and into a tie for 45th, alongside the likes of countrymen Branden Grace and Erik van Rooyen, as well as Matthew Fitzpatrick and Martin Kaymer.

The cut line was +1, with some big names only just managing to scrape their way through to the weekend’s action. They included four-time major winner Rory McIlroy, who needed this par putt at the last to secure his place in the third round.

Tommy Fleetwood is also through after finishing his second day at +1. The Englishman struggled on Friday, shooting a 75, but he maintains his record of being the only player inside the top 50 to have made the cut at every event he has played in over the calendar year. Some stat!

Padraig Harrington, Edoardo Molinari, and Trevor Immelman are some of the other big names who just managed to make it through to the weekend’s action at the BMW PGA.

Despite shooting under-par on the second day, Lucas Bjerregard failed to make the cut after a poor first day. He finished at +2, just one shot outside the cut line. The Dane was joined by Andres Romero and the Australian trio of Wade Ormsby, Lucas Herbert, and Jason Scrinever among others.

Spaniards Pablo Larrazabal and Adrian Otaegui both finished at +4, while experienced Ryder Cup duo, Thomas Bjorn and Lee Westwood both ended their weeks prematurely, four shots below the cut line after two days play. The Englishman carded a 78 after a triple-bogey 8 on the 18th.

Jose Maria Olazabal, Luke Donald, and Tyrrell Hatton all finished well outside the cut line, while Eddie Pepperell and Robert Karlsson finished at +11.

Full Leaderboard:

• T1 (-11): Jon Rahm (ESP), Danny Willett (ENG)
• T3 (-9): Christiaan Bezuidenhout (RSA), Justin Rose (ENG), Henrik Stenson (SWE)
• T6 (-7): Billy Horschel (USA), Paul Casey (ENG)
• T8 (-6): Shubhankar Sharma (IND), Andrew Putnam (USA), Tony Finau (USA), Victor Hovland (NOR)

Selected Others:

• T12 (-5): Nicolas Colsaerts (BEL), Andrew Johnston (ENG), Francesco Molinari (ITA)
• T17 (-4): Patrick Reed (USA), Joost Luiten (NED), George Coetzee (RSA)
• T24 (-3): Alex Noren (SWE), Bernd Wiesberger (AUT), Matt Wallace (ENG)
• T38 (-1): Ian Poulter (ENG), Shane Lowry (IRL), Miguel Angel Jimenez (ESP)
• T46 (E): Ernie Els (RSA), Martin Kaymer (GER), Matthew Fitzpatrick (ENG), Erik van Rooyen (RSA)
• T57 (+1): Padraig Harrington (IRL), Rory McIlroy (NIR), Tommy Fleetwood (ENG)

Missed Cut:

• T75 (+2): Lucas Bjerregard (DEN)
• T94 (+4): Pablo Larrazabal (ESP)
• T97 (+5): Ryan Fox (NZL), Thomas Bjorn (DEN), Lee Westwood (ENG)
• T111 (+7): Luke Donald (ENG)
• T116 (+8): Tyrrell Hatton (ENG)
• T127 (+11): Eddie Pepperell (ENG), Robert Karlsson (SWE)