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Jon Rahm posted a 1-under 71 on the first day of the BMW PGA Championship to finish T46 on Thursday, September 14. He is seven strokes behind the first-round leader, Marcus Helligkilde.
Rahm made a bogey on the par-4 third hole but recovered quickly by shooting a birdie on the following hole. This was his only birdie on the front nine, as he reached the halfway point of the day at even par.
Similarly, in the second half, the Spaniard initially bogeyed the 11th hole but promptly recovered with a birdie on the 12th. His final birdie of the day came on the last hole, ensuring that he finished the day at 1-under par.
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John Rahm is paired with his Ryder Cup teammates Nicolai Højgaard and Tyrrell Hatton for the first two rounds of the BMW PGA Championship. The trio will begin their second round at 3:40 a.m. ET on Friday, September 15.
Hatton had a great first round at Wentworth, finishing at T12 after shooting 4-under 68. On the other hand, Højgaard struggled on Thursday and finished the day at joint 84th after posting 1-over 73.
When will the second round of the BMW PGA Championship tee off? Tee-time details explored
The second round of the 2023 BMW PGA Championship will start at 1:45 a.m. ET on Friday, September 15, with the first trio, Nacho Elvira, Darius Van Driel, and Jeff Winther, teeing off. Ryo Hisatsune, Justin Walters, and Marcus Armitage will follow 10 minutes later.
Despite boasting a star-studded field, Marcus Helligkilde, ranked 232nd in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), stole the show on the first day at the BMW PGA Championship.
Helligkilde began the day with a bogey on the third hole but then went on to shoot four straight birdies to pull momentum his way. He made another birdie on the ninth hole to finish the first half at 4-under 31.
On the back nine, the 26-year-old Dane shot two consecutive birdies on the 11th and 12th hole. After a bogey on the 14th, he finished the first round with birdies on the final three holes.
Matt Fitzpatrick finished two strokes behind Helligkilde, along with Ritchie Ramsay of Scotland. He made eight birdies and two bogeys in his first-round 66.
After his round, Matt Fitzpatrick said he felt like he played well and was driving the ball well.
"Just gave myself plenty of chances and putted well. Overall, it was a really solid day," he said.
"I think the greens are maybe a hair firmer than they have been the last couple of years. Obviously like you say, the rough's up. I think it's a little bit longer in places than it should be but you know, the golf course is in fantastic shape. It really is," Fitzpatrick added.
The 2022 US Open Champion hasn't finished inside the top 10 at Wentworth since 2020 and would like to have a good run here ahead of the Ryder Cup, which begins in two weeks.
