Fitzpatrick Helped By 'stolen Ball' At Bmw Pga

BMW PGA Championship - information 1 leaderboard

-8 L Aberg (Swe), T ​Vaillant (Fra); -7 C Jarvis (SA); -6 A Rozner (Fra), M Fitzpatrick (Eng), R Ramsay (Sco), J Lagergren (Swe)

Selected others: -5 J Rose (Eng), S Lowry (Ire), V Hovland (Nor); -3 T Hatton (Eng), R McIlroy (NI)

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Matt Fitzpatrick believes his shot was stolen during a weather-affected first information astatine nan BMW PGA Championship - but said "it was a bully result" that whitethorn person helped him to a six-under-par 66.

The Englishman said nan incident occurred aft he went correct disconnected nan tee connected nan 18th spread astatine Wentworth conscionable arsenic play was suspended for much than 90 minutes because of thunder and lightning.

When play resumed, he was capable return a punishment driblet alternatively than playing his provisional shot - which he believed saved him astatine slightest a shot.

Fitzpatrick is 2 strokes down his playing partner Ludvig Aberg, who is tied for nan lead pinch France's Tom Vaillant.

"Someone from nan nationalist saw 2 lads moving into nan bushes, moving retired pinch a play shot and truthful they tin only deliberation it was my ball," Fitzpatrick said.

"I made a bogey six, but if we'd had to find it, we astir apt wouldn't have.

"I'd past person had to play my provisional shot and it would apt person been worse. So, each successful all, it was a bully result. I'd person preferred alternatively than bargain it, they'd chucked it backmost retired connected to nan fairway."

The upwind hold connected a rain-soaked day near 30 players, including Europe's Ryder Cup skipper Luke Donald, to complete their opening rounds connected Friday morning.

With Sepp Straka nan only absentee astatine Wentworth from Donald's 12-man squad for nan biennial title against nan United States later this month, Aberg was nan prime of his players.

The Swede, playing pinch Fitzpatrick successful a motion towards imaginable pairings astatine Bethpage Black successful New York, made 3 consecutive birdies to finish, pinch nan item being a 50-foot putt connected nan 17th, arsenic he drew alongside early starter Vaillant astatine nan apical of nan leaderboard.

"I felt for illustration erstwhile I sewage connected nan greens, I was rolling nan putter really bully and tried to beryllium fierce pinch nan speed. I managed to make a batch of putts, which is nice," Aberg said.

"Any clip you sprout that benignant of score, I deliberation you request to beryllium bully connected nan greens, and that was what it was today.

"It's very easy to beryllium astir him [Matt] and we tin chat astir each sorts of things that are not moreover play related. Today was 1 of them days wherever we some played beautiful well. Hopefully we tin do that successful New York successful a mates weeks' time, too."

South Africa's Casey Jarvis enjoyed a tally of 5 successive birdies to extremity up a changeable backmost connected 7 under.

Fitzpatrick is among 4 players a changeable further adrift aft a information containing 8 birdies, pinch bogeys connected nan ninth and 18th holes.

It was a time of mixed fortunes for Rory McIlroy, caller from his triumph astatine nan Irish Open.

The Northern Irishman - playing alongside Ryder Cup team-mates Shane Lowry and Jon Rahm - began pinch a birdie but bogeyed nan 5th and recovered nan h2o connected nan last spread to extremity up 5 shots disconnected nan pace.

Meanwhile, Justin Rose, Viktor Hovland and Lowry - courtesy of a superb attack that group up a tap-in birdie connected nan 18th - are successful an eight-man group astatine 5 under.

Two-time awesome champion Rahm showed his people arsenic he recovered from 4 bogeys successful his opening 11 holes to decorativeness astatine 1 under.

There were flashes of brilliance from Tyrrell Hatton arsenic he carded a three-under 69 playing pinch Robert MacIntyre, who went astir successful 71, successful what could beryllium a fiesty double enactment for Europe.

Tommy Fleetwood, who precocious claimed a first PGA Tour title astatine nan 164th clip of asking astatine nan Tour Championship, could only negociate a one-over 73 contempt having his bully friend Rose, who celebrated pinch him successful Atlanta, successful his three-man group.

Rasmus Hojgaard, who will beryllium Europe's only rookie successful New York, made 2 double bogeys arsenic he recorded a two-over 74.

However, things could person been overmuch worse for nan Dane, who birdied nan 17th and past remarkably eagled nan 18th - blading his attempted spot from conscionable disconnected nan greenish and watching it cannon into nan flagstick earlier dropping successful nan hole.