BMW PGA Championship: Jon Rahm, Danny Willett set up final round showdown

Like it was at the halfway point, Jon Rahm and Danny Willett lead the way after three rounds of the BMW PGA Championship at the Wentworth Club.

Jon Rahm and Danny Willett are all set for a Sunday showdown at the 2019 BMW PGA Championship. The pair started the day with a two shot lead, and that has been extended to three with just 18 holes to play at the European Tour’s flagship event at Wentworth.

Both men shot 68 on the third day to move to -15, but there was not the best of starts for the Englishman, who bogeyed the first, while Rahm made a birdie.

That two-shot swing was soon quashed by the 2016 Masters Champion, as he birdied four of his next eight holes to pull himself level with the three-times Rolex Series event winner. However, he needed all of his powers of recovery on the 15th, as he pulled this shot out of the locker.

A birdie on the 18th looked like it would put Willett into the outright lead going into the final day of the BMW PGA, but Rahm managed to miraculously make par despite going out of bounds, with the pair ending the day three shots clear of the field.

Three men sit at -12, with another Englishman among them in Justin Rose. The 2013 US Open winner and 2018 FedEx Cup champion had an up and down day, as shown on the final two holes, as he finished his third round with an eagle and a bogey.

He sits in a tie for 3rd alongside South Africa’s Christiaan Bezuidenhout and India’s Shubhankar Sharma.

The Indian carded a 66 on Saturday, one of the lowest rounds of the day, as he made a charger up the leaderboard. Meanwhile, Bezuidenhout played with the leading pair on the third day, and had a calm round compared to some, with four birdies and a bogey in his 69.

Scotland’s Richie Ramsay and Spain’s Rafa Cabrera Bello sit a further two shots back at -10, in a tie for 6th place. The pair both shot 67s on the third day at Wentworth, moving them into the top ten.

Patrick Reed then sits on his own in 8th place at -9. The 2018 Masters Champion followed up his opening two rounds of 70 with a 67 on Saturday, including four birdies in his final seven holes to make his way up the charts.

A group of six sit a further shot back, seven off the lead, including another two Americans. Billy Horschel and Andrew Putnam are still in the mix, alongside the English duo of Paul Casey and Andrew ‘Beef’ Johnston.

Reigning BMW PGA Champion Francesco Molinari is also among the group at -8, along with European Tour debutant Viktor Hovland. The Norwegian has gone 69, 69, 70 to put himself in range of a possible first professional title.

One of the biggest stories of the day came from someone who was a bit further down the leaderboard before they came to the 18th hole. Ross Fisher was sat at -4, until he did this…

The Englishman shot up to -7 with an albatross, winning a £130,000-plus BMW in the process, and putting himself on the fringes of the top ten. Not a bad way to finish, ey!

He sits alongside fellow Englishman Paul Waring and Sweden’s Henrik Stenson. The 2016 British Open champion was the only man to shoot over par in the top 30, as his 74 saw him fall out of the top five and into a tie for 15th.

The round of the day came from former World No.1 Rory McIlroy. The four-time major winner struggled on the first day, carding a 76. He then needed a putt on the last to just make it through to the weekend on Friday evening.

The Northern Irishman carded a seven-under-par 65 on Saturday to move into the top 20 at Wentworth, thanks to six birdies, three of which came in his first four, an eagle at the 12th and a bogey.

Reigning British Open champion Shane Lowry sits at -4, eleven shots off the lead, while the leader after the first 18 had been completed, Matt Wallace, shot a level-par round on Saturday to remain at -3 for the tournament.

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The likes of Tommy Fleetwood and Tony Finau are in the final batch of the 48 golfers that are currently under par at the BMW PGA, while Miguel Angel Jimenez, Martin Kaymer, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Ernie Els and Ian Poulter are all currently in the black numbers with a round to play.

However, back at the top, it looks like it could be a two-way battle for the title at Wentworth. Both Jon Rahm and Danny Willett have past memories of winning big titles, with major championships and Rolex Series events between them, as well as Ryder Cup experience.

This could be the second coming for Willett though, who was ranked outside the World’s top 450 at one point in 2017, even losing his PGA TOUR card. Now, though, the Englishman is back in the hunt, but he faces a fierce competitor in ‘Rahmbo’.

The Spaniard has already won three Rolex Series events, including this year’s Dubai Duty Free Irish Open, and sits in the top six in the Official World Golf Rankings.

Who wins the title tomorrow, though? Will be one of the leading pair, or could someone spring a surprise from the chasing pack. If it was to be one of the chasers, they will need a quick start to put pressure on the top two. Will the West Course allow that on Sunday, though?

The final pair tee off at 13:20 local time (GMT+1), win the winner being crowned around four hours later. It is going to be a good one, that’s for sure!

Leaderboard:

T1 (-15): Danny Willett (ENG), Jon Rahm (ESP)

T3 (-12): Christiaan Bezuidenhout (RSA), Justin Rose (ENG), Shubhankar Sharma (IND)

T6 (-10): Richie Ramsay (SCO), Rafa Cabrera Bello (ESP)

8 (-9): Patrick Reed (USA)

T9 (-8): Paul Casey (ENG), Billy Horschel (USA), Andrew Putnam (USA), Viktor Hovland (NOR), Francesco Molinari (ITA), Andrew Johnston (ENG)

Selected Others:

T15 (-7): Henrik Stenson (SWE), Ross Fisher (ENG)

T18 (-6): Alex Noren (SWE), Rory McIlroy (NIR), Bernd Wiesberger (AUT)

T23 (-5): Erik van Rooyen (RSA)

T27 (-4): Shane Lowry (IRL)