VIRGINIA WATER, England (AP) — Ludvig Aberg of Sweden closed in on his second straight victory on Saturday when he posted a 6-under 66 at Wentworth for a two-shot lead over Connor Syme and Ryder Cup teammate Tommy Fleetwood in the BMW PGA Championship.
Aberg, in most effective his fourth month as a professional, seized keep an eye on early in the 3rd spherical with a 7-iron to 5 ft for eagle at the par-5 fourth, or even his lone bogey was once dynamic when he holed a 35-foot putt at the thirteenth gap to stay command.
The Swedish sensation were given up-and-down from a bunker at the par-5 18th for one ultimate birdie to put him on 16-under 200. He is making it glance simple, even though it does not really feel that means to him.
“I wish this game was easy but it’s not,” Aberg stated. “I feel like I’m striking the ball quite well, and I’m just trying to take advantage of playing well.”
Aberg, who earned a PGA Tour card straight away after his senior yr at Texas Tech from main the “PGA Tour University” rating, gained the European Masters in Switzerland two weeks in the past and was once picked for the Ryder Cup day after today.
Now he has an opportunity to win a Rolex Series match and crack the highest 50 in the sector.
Syme surged into the combo with a excellent again 9 of 4 birdies and an eagle, most effective to have to accept pars at the seventeenth and 18th — each par 5s — for a 65.
Fleetwood hit a laser from the golf green bunker at the par-5 twelfth to arrange birdie, holed a birdie putt at the par-5 seventeenth to get inside of one shot, however then wasted an opportunity to get closer when his second shot at the 18th clipped a tree and left him a tricky shot to get shut. He shot 67.
Callum Shinkwin had a bogey-free 64 and was once 3 photographs again at 13-under 203 together with Aaron Rai (67) and Ryan Fox (66).
Masters champion Jon Rahm appeared to be creating a run on the lead with a birdie at the eleventh gap — his twelfth birdie in a 21-hole stretch courting to Friday — most effective to drop two photographs coming in from the golf green. But he closed with two birdies, together with the 18th when he hit a fairway bunker shot over the water and in the back of the pin, from the place it spun again to 5 ft.
He shot 66 and was once 4 in the back of.
Rory McIlroy made the lower at the quantity with a birdie in the darkish on Friday night time. He shot 67 on Saturday and was once 10 photographs in the back of in his ultimate match prior to the Ryder Cup.
All 12 gamers on Europe’s workforce are in the sector, and all 12 — together with Captain Luke Donald — made the lower. Four of them are inside of 5 photographs of Aberg, beginning with Fleetwood and together with Sepp Straka and Tyrrell Hatton at 11-under 205.
But it begins with Aberg, taking part in prior to his greatest gallery as a professional and now not having a look in the slightest degree afflicted by means of the instant. He neglected a couple of drives to the left, particularly on No. 13. The force disappeared into the timber, prompting the Swede to hit a provisional off the tee.
He took a penalty stroke from the creek, chipped out to the golf green and left it 35 ft beneath the outlet. He appeared positive to make double bogey till he poured in the bogey putt and could not lend a hand however smile.
“I didn’t even know there was a water hazard there,” Aberg stated. “But took the drop, and chipped out and then I ended up making, I don’t even know how long the putt was but it felt pretty good when it went in. One of them bonuses, I guess.”
Fleetwood fell in the back of with an early bogey, most effective to get proper again in the combo with a 12-foot eagle putt at the fourth and a 40-foot birdie putt at the subsequent gap. He was once bogey-free the remainder of the best way.
(*3*) Fleetwood stated. “It’s not an easy golf course at all — some great round, 5 under on a Saturday.”
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