Aaron Rai made an impressive start to the 2026 BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, firing a six under par 66 to share the first round lead with Sweden’s Joakim Lagergren, while Rory McIlroy saw a promising opening unravel over the closing holes to finish three shots behind.
Rai produced seven birdies and just one bogey on the West Course, combining accurate approach play with composed recovery golf in challenging conditions. Starting his round on the ninth hole, the Englishman quickly found his rhythm with birdies at the 10th and 11th before adding further gains at the 13th and 14th.
His only dropped shot arrived at the 16th, but Rai responded immediately with a birdie at the par five 17th. He continued to create opportunities through his second nine and even managed to save par after finding water at the eighth, ensuring he completed the opening round at six under.
The performance continues Rai’s strong recent record at Wentworth. He has finished inside the top five at the BMW PGA Championship in each of the previous three seasons and entered the tournament seeking another major result in front of the home crowd. His opening 66 has immediately placed him in a strong position heading into Friday’s second round.
Lagergren matched Rai at the top of the leaderboard with his own 66. The Swede’s round featured an eagle, five birdies and a single bogey, with a 22-foot eagle putt at the par five 12th providing one of the highlights of his day. A closing birdie eventually moved him alongside Rai at six under.
Just one shot behind the leading pair is a strong group featuring Ludvig Åberg, Adam Scott, Ryan Gerard and Nacho Elvira, who all opened with five under 67s. Scott was particularly impressive from tee to green, producing six birdies against one bogey in a round that kept the former Masters champion firmly in contention.
Patrick Reed, Viktor Hovland, Ryan Fox and Robert MacIntyre were among a large group another shot back at four under, underlining just how congested the leaderboard became after the opening day. With numerous established names separated by only a few strokes, Wentworth is already set up for a competitive second round.
McIlroy looked capable of joining the leaders during the early stages of his round. Beginning from the ninth, he birdied the 10th and 12th before making three further birdies across the 16th, 17th and 18th. That burst took him to five under through his opening 10 holes and temporarily placed him at the top of the leaderboard.
His short game and putting provided plenty of encouragement, but accuracy from the tee became a growing problem. McIlroy missed 10 of 14 fairways during his round, and those mistakes began to become costly as he approached the finish.
After exchanging a bogey at the third with a birdie at the fourth, McIlroy dropped two more shots across his final three holes. A visit to the water at the eighth added to his frustration, and what had looked like a potential challenge for the overnight lead ended with a three under 69 and a share of 19th place.
McIlroy acknowledged afterwards that he had stumbled over the closing stretch, although he remained encouraged by parts of his performance, particularly after seeing more putts fall than during the previous week. He described the 69 as a score he could build on as he attempts to move back towards the leaders.
Elsewhere, Jon Rahm endured one of the most difficult rounds among the tournament’s headline players. The Spaniard recorded three bogeys and a double bogey during his front nine before eventually signing for a six over 78, leaving him with significant work to do if he is to survive the halfway cut.
Justin Rose also experienced a challenging day, slipping to three over through 14 holes before producing a valuable late recovery. Consecutive birdies at the 17th and 18th allowed the Englishman to finish with a one over round and gave him some momentum heading into day two.
With Rai and Lagergren holding only a one shot advantage over a talented chasing group and McIlroy still just three strokes behind, the BMW PGA Championship remains wide open after its opening round. Rai may have delivered one of the most complete performances of the day, but with three rounds still to play at Wentworth, the leaderboard could change rapidly.
For McIlroy, the challenge will be turning the flashes of excellent golf from Thursday into a more consistent performance. His opening stretch showed that he has the scoring ability to contend, but improved driving accuracy could prove crucial if he is to close the gap on Rai and the other leaders as the tournament moves deeper into the weekend.
