The flagship event of the DP World Tour once again attracted one of the best areas of the year, with 11 European Ryder Cup performers taking it with many PGA Tourers and DP World Tour’s cream.
The first day on Wentworth’s western route was derailed by the changing weather, warm and sunny, the next minute of rage and grey, and the afternoon delayed by a 90-minute delay, which was caused by the threat of lightning.
Some players have not completed their first round yet, but a powerful picture appears.
France’s Tom Vaillant and Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg led by 64, while the United Court’s joint girlfriend started slowly but not disastrously: Rory McIlroy shot 69 and Jon Rahm hit 71.
Let’s look at the early winners and losers.
winner
Matt Fitzpatrick
The British hit his T-shirt 18 trees to the right, so Hooter continued to stop playing due to this lightning threat.
His caddies suggested marking the ball, but trouble had emerged in the shape of two young men who were believed to have escaped the area-the ball could not be found.
Witnesses helped Fitzpatrick to fall, admitting that despite having bogeyed when he resumed the game, it might have saved him a shot. He signed 66 and fought for the first cup lift.
Ludvig Aberg
The Silky Swedish is second only to the second time he has played in this championship and he has already made a very good record. Two years ago, he hit two 54-hole leads with a 68-66-66 record, and then he had a tenth share of 76 on Sundays. This year, he opened with the bogey, but responded with nine birdies to capture the overnight lead.
Brandon Robinson Thompson
The Isle of Wight golfer earned a worship position at the 2023 Open, with his fans naming the Sauce Army. Prior to this, he had traded in South America and the third tier of the United Kingdom and the Middle East.
But three minor tour wins that year followed by a big champion golf weekend, which fueled his first win in the challenge.
This earned him a second-tier card, who graduated from the DP World Tour late last year. The top 10 of this year put him at 47th in Dubai, so good results this week will be a long way to get a seat at the end of the DP World Tour season.
In the summer of 2023, this outstanding form is crucial to his development.
“I’ve performed well and have a good head,” he told Golf365 after 68 rounds.
“Until then, I believed I could do it, and then I knew I could do it. It gave me a lot of confidence and confirmed that I could play at this level.”
Justin Rose
The veteran’s career in India summer – ranked second in the playoffs last year, and may have another chapter after he could have scored a good start in his 22nd BMW PGA Championship in the Masters and the St. Jude Championships of the PGA Tour.
He lost extra holes in 2007 and was second again in 2012, but a win just a few miles from his home would count as a major career highlight. He admitted that before “using 5-5” back nines, he did nothing but “before the first nine.”
Tom Vaillant
The Frenchman’s second year on the DP World Tour, his two top ten participated in his rookie campaign. So he needs a special week to secure his game rights in 2026, and the lead on Thursday night is a good start. Maybe, if he finished a pleasant week, he might even win the Wikipedia page.
Rory McIlroy
The 2014 champion pointed out at a pre-match press conference that his record at Wentworth is a little better than the first one, as he played the top five in the last five games and ranked second in 2018, 2022 and 2024 (losed only on extra holes last year).
He is still a Wentworth resident now, so perhaps sleeping in his own bed will prove the difference between a close miss and another trophy. Although he did missed the 17-year-old 4-foot birdie putt, he performed well in the 17-foot first round and then made a bogey at 18 after finding the water. The real victory could have become more boundary.
loser
Jon Rahm
The Spaniard has played the championship three times in the past, but he has not finished outside the top four yet. That could change after putting him on the cut line at the age of 71.
His Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald may be a little worried, and he scored fewer points as he was feeling down the line.
Brooks Koepka
This was considered his long-term form to improve when his coach Pete Cowen gave five minority titles at the U.S. Open and responded with T12.
But he hasn’t finished the top 20 since then, missing the Irish Open cut after 80 rounds last week and beat the top 100 with 75 shots.
Højgaards
The 24-year-old Dane missed a re-choice of Luke Donald’s European Ryder Cup team after a below-average season, and his Wentworth record wasn’t too good.
Yes, he finished the T20 when he debuted in 2021, but he has failed to break the top 60 over the past three years, and it is extremely unlikely that he will break the trend after six wins of 78 and 6 wins, making him the lowest point in the rankings.
He was 1-over stood on the penultimate tee whereupon it all went pearl-shaped with a quadruple-bogey 9 at 17 and a bogey-6 at 18. Brother Rasmus, who is part of Europe’s 2025 team, fared much better on 17 and 18. In going birdie-eagle he better his brother on those two holes by eight shots, but still only carded a 74.
Maybe it was Luke Donald
After a dry and hot summer, the rain came in the second week of September. It is likely that it will remain the same throughout the week, and the threat of further stopping is real, which can lead to a narrowing of the weekend and – worst-case scenario – ends the end of Monday morning.
This will make Luke Donald’s plan a mess as both him and his team will fly to New York for the Ryder Cup Recce on Sunday night. This shows that all work will be done to ensure the game ends before that.
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