Hovland and Kjeldsen lead at Wentworth as Min Woo Lee flirts with 59
Viktor Hovland – chasing 3rd European Tour title – photo Getty Images
With the BMW PGA Championship reduced to 54 holes following the decision by the tour’s management to honour the passing of Queens Elizabeth 11, play got underway early on Saturday at Wentworth in Surrey with several players still to complete round one ahead of an early start for those looking to get round two underway.
By the end of the day, and with now just one round to play, it would be veteran Soren Kjeldsen who shared the lead with Viktor Hovland but lurking just one back is a group of three players including the leader of the Race to Dubai Rory McIlroy.
47 year old Dane, Kjeldsen, bogeyed his opening hole in round two but was near faultless from there with seven birdies and an eagle for a round of 64.
The four-time European Tour winner is currently ranked 605th in the world and after a season to date which has yielded just one finish inside the top 40, he has been struggling to reach the levels he had earlier in his career.
Norway’s Hovland, at 24 years of age, is 23 years the junior of Kjeldsen and is currently ranked # 10 in the world with three PGA Tour victories and two DP World Tour victories to his name already in a relatively young career.
It is, however, McIlroy who will start the favourite to win this event tomorrow.
Just two weeks after his success in the USPGA Tour Championship and the Fed Ex Cup, McIlroy is chasing a second victory in this event having won in 2014 and also finishing runner-up in 2018.
Jason Scrivener leads the Australians, the Perth golfer making his first cut in now six attempts in the DP World Tour’s flagship event.
Scrivener is three shots from the lead and in a share of 11th place heading into tomorrow’s final round.
Also making his first cut in the event is Scrivener’s fellow Perth resident, Min Woo Lee, who was on a 59 watch until at 10 under par with two par 5’s to finish at Wentworth, he bogeyed the 17th after finding the trees on the demanding driving hole and finished with an unofficial course record equaling 62. His effort was unofficial due to lift clean and place.
It was, though, a remarkable bounce back for Lee, who after an opening round of 76 and missing out on gaining PGA Tour status last week must have been wondering when things might improve. They did, and in a hurry.
Lee is now six shots from the lead and tied for 34th with amongst others Queensland’s Maverick Antcliff.
Adam Scott 49th and Scott Hend 48th also made the cut.
