Aaron Rai has just served notice that the US PGA Championship wasn’t a fluke. The Englishman fired a scintillating six-under-par 66 to grab a share of the lead after Thursday’s opening round of the European Tour’s flagship event at Wentworth, outshining Rory McIlroy in the process and reminding everyone that major champions don’t surrender the spotlight easily.
Rai sits alongside Sweden’s Joakim Lagergren atop the leaderboard., One bogey at the 16th represented his only blemish on a card decorated with six red numbers, and that was enough to edge clear of a quality field that includes multiple major champions and Ryder Cup heroes.
“Really good start,” Rai said. “I felt like I got into the round fast and got a couple of birdies early on and continued to just play well throughout the round and keep the momentum going when I was out of position.”
Whilst British Open winner Ryan Fox posted a solid showing to sit two shots off the lead, it was Rai who commanded attention with ball-striking that turned Wentworth’s challenging layout into a birdie fest.
McIlroy’s tale of two nines
If Rory McIlroy could bottle his front-nine golf and sell it, he’d make a fortune. The Northern Irishman, fresh off shooting a jaw-dropping 60 in Wednesday’s pro-am, picked up exactly where he left off with a blitz of birdies that had him five under through 10 holes and looking every bit the champion who’s won this event multiple times.
Then Wentworth reminded him that nothing comes easy. Three bogeys in his final five holes dragged McIlroy back to three under, two shots off Rai’s lead and left nursing the familiar frustration of what might have been.
At three under, he’s far from out of contention. Wentworth can yield low scores when conditions cooperate, and McIlroy possesses the firepower to post numbers that erase two-shot deficits in a heartbeat. But he’ll rue those closing bogeys, knowing that momentum squandered on Thursday often proves impossible to recapture on Sunday.
The chasing pack
Just one shot off Rai and Lagergren’s lead sits a quartet of serious contenders: Ludvig Aberg, Adam Scott, Ryan Gerard, and Nacho Elvira. Each brings a different narrative to the championship, but all possess the game to challenge over the coming days.
Aberg continues his meteoric rise through professional golf’s ranks, combining prodigious length with the kind of mature course management that typically takes years to develop. At just one back after round one, the Swede will fancy his chances of claiming another significant European Tour title.
Adam Scott, the veteran Australian with the sweetest swing in golf, proved that class remains permanent. At 44, Scott continues to defy Father Time, grinding out rounds that younger players would celebrate. One shot off the lead represents a perfect position.
Two shots off the pace sits an intriguing group that includes Fox, European Ryder Cup heroes Bob MacIntyre and Viktor Hovland. Fox, the British Open champion, has already proven he can handle pressure when major titles hang in the balance.
All three will view two shots as entirely manageable, particularly with three rounds remaining and Wentworth’s reputation for rewarding aggressive play.
Lowry’s solid start after Irish heroics
Shane Lowry arrived at Wentworth on an absolute high, having captured the Irish Open on home soil last week in scenes of jubilation that reminded everyone why golf means so much to the Emerald Isle.
Lowry posted a workmanlike 71, one under par, to remain within striking distance of the leaders. It’s not spectacular, but it’s professional.
Rahm’s battling just to survive
If Rai’s 66 represented Thursday’s high, Jon Rahm’s 78 marked the absolute nadir. Six over par. Battling to make the cut. The Spaniard, a multiple major champion and former world number one, endured the kind of round that haunts players for weeks.
What went wrong? Everything. Ball-striking deserted him. Putts refused to drop. Momentum spiralled negatively with each successive bogey, creating the vicious cycle that turns bad rounds into catastrophic ones. By the time Rahm signed his card, the damage was severe enough that making the weekend cut has become his primary concern rather than challenging for the title.
Can he recover? Absolutely. Rahm possesses the talent to post a low number on Friday and sneak inside the cut line. But recovering from six over to challenge for titles requires near-perfection across three rounds, and after Thursday’s nightmare, even making the weekend would represent a minor victory.
