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BMW PGA CHAMPIONSHIP 2019



                                                                                                                                             MASTER STROKES







                                                                                                                                    2016 Augusta winner Danny Willett sees off Jon Rahm to claim the BMW PGA Championship



                                                                                                                                       nglishman  Danny  Willett  secured
                                                                                                                                       victory at a fantastic 2019 BMW PGA   DAY ONE
                                                                                                                                       Championship, with a three-shot win
                                                                                                                                 Eover  Spaniard  Jon  Rahm.  Willett  led   An eye-catching opening day saw Matt Wallace lead the way in the Clubhouse
                                                                                                                                  the  star-studded  field  from  the  end  of  day   after  an  opening  round  65.  Jon  Rahm  and  Henrik  Stenson  were  his  closest
                                                                                                                                  two, and held off pressure from Rahm along   challengers after both shooting 66, while Danny Willett sat fifth alongside eight
                                                                                                                                  with the likes of Justin Rose, Rory McIlroy and   others in a leaderboard packed with quality. Ernie Els, Justin Rose, Paul Casey
                                                                                                                                  Patrick Reed to lift only his second title since   and defending Wentworth champion Francesco Molinari were all in the top 20,
                                                                                                                                  the 2016 Masters.                     but it was Rahm’s finish of four birdies in the final five that really caught the eye
                                                                                                                                                                        on day one. Rory McIlroy, meanwhile, eagled hole four and birdied five as he
                                                                                                                                  With the BMW PGA Championship moving   threatened to put something special together, but a mid-round meltdown saw
                                                                                                                                  to September for the first time in golf’s busy
                                                                                                                                  calendar, the build-up was dominated by big   him in danger of missing the cut. Five bogeys erased his quick start, before a
                                                                                                                                  name stars of the game signing up to test out   bogey and a double bogey on the finishing pair of par fives saw McIlroy finish
                                                                                                                                  Wentworth’s  autumn  offering.  Americans   four over par, 11 shots behind leader Wallace.
                                                                                                                                  Tony Finau and Billy Horschel joined Patrick
                                                                                                                                  Reed in the Surrey countryside, while ten of
                                                                                                                                  the  successful  European  2018  Ryder  Cup
                                                                                                                                  team headed for the West Course. With
                                                                                                                                  European captain Thomas Bjorn, and 2020
                                                                                                                                  captain  Padraig  Harrington,  also  in  the  field,
                                                                                                                                  the Ryder Cup effect was in full flow in Surrey.


                                                                                                                                          “This is our biggest
                                                                                                                                     European event, it’s the one -
                                                                                                                                         you want to be there”



                                                                                                                                  It  was  fitting,  then,  that  the  BMW  PGA
                                                                                                                                  Championship  was  the  first  qualifying  event
                                                                                                                                  for  Harrington’s  side  as  they  aimed  to  book
                                                                                                                                  their  spots  for  Whistling  Straits  next  year.
                                                                                                                                  Wentworth  will  be  the  focus  of  Ryder  Cup
                                                                                                                                  attention  next  year,  too,  as  the  BMW  PGA
                                                                                                                                  2020  is  set  to  be  the  final  event  before
                                                                                                                                  Harrington confirms his team.

                                                                                                                                  “This  is  our  biggest  European  event,  it’s  the
                                                                                                                                  one  you  want  to  be  there,”  said  Harrington
                                                                                                                                  before  this  year’s  tournament.  “You’re
                                                                                                                                  guaranteed to get a really strong field, which is   DAY TWO
                                                                                                                                  not  just  important  this  year,  but  it  will  be   The blue skies returned on day two along with the huge crowds, and once again,
                                                                                                                                  exceptionally important come this time next   all eyes were firmly fixed on Rory to see if he could make the weekend. A solid if
                                                                                                                                  year that we have the best players playing the   unspectacular round was capped off with two great pars to secure his spot just
                                         John Deere official partner of Wentworth Club                                            last event [before the Ryder Cup].”   inside the cut line, but he would need something spectacular to trouble the
                                                                                                                                                                        leaders. Matt Wallace’s four over par saw him slip out of contention, while Ernie
                                                                                                                                  Months of preparation left the course looking
                         Garden tractors, walk-behind and robotic mowing equipment                                                stunning ahead of day one, especially in the   Els, Tommy Fleetwood and Martin Kaymer were among the big names to do
                                                                                                                                  incredible  September  sunshine,  and  after  a
                                                                                                                                                                        the same after impressive opening rounds. As the light faded on day two, with
                                  20% off RRP for Members only, quote code ‘WC1922’                                               star-studded  Pro-Am  on  Wednesday,  where   five  players  still  to  complete  their  round,  Willett  and  Rahm  led  the  way  on
                                                                                                                                  the likes of Niall Horan, Harry Redknapp and
                                                                                                                                                                        eleven under par. The Englishman’s seven under par was the lowest of the day,
                                                                                                                                  Kevin Pietersen took to the fairways alongside   and at one point it had looked like it was going to be something even more
                                                                                                                                  golf’s  brightest  stars,  the  crowds  arrived  on
                                                                                                                                  Thursday in anticipation of a wonderful four   incredible, after four birdies and an eagle on the front nine saw him reach the
   info@farol.co.uk                                                                                                               days of action.                       turn in just 29 shots. The 2016 Masters winner was starting to find some form.
   01182 077760                  www.farolmowers.co.uk                                                                            www.WENTWORTHCLUB.COM                                                                    13 / The Club

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