VIRGINIA WATER, England — 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 within the BMW PGA Championship.
Aberg, in solely his fourth month as a professional, seized management early within the third spherical with a 7-iron to five toes for eagle on the par-5 fourth, and even his lone bogey was dynamic when he holed a 35-foot putt on the thirteenth gap to maintain command.
The Swedish sensation received up-and-down from a bunker on the par-5 18th for one final birdie to place him on 16-under 200. He’s making it look straightforward, even when it would not really feel that technique to him.
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“I want this recreation was straightforward nevertheless it’s not,” Aberg mentioned. “I really feel like I am hanging the ball fairly nicely, and I am simply attempting to reap the benefits of taking part in nicely.”
Aberg, who earned a PGA Tour card instantly after his senior yr at Texas Tech from main the “PGA Tour College” rating, received the European Masters in Switzerland two weeks in the past and was picked for the Ryder Cup the subsequent day.
Now he has an opportunity to win a Rolex Collection occasion and crack the highest 50 on the earth.
Syme surged into the combination with an outstanding again 9 of 4 birdies and an eagle, solely to should accept pars on the seventeenth and 18th – each par 5s – for a 65.
Fleetwood hit a laser from the golf green bunker on the par-5 twelfth to arrange birdie, holed a birdie putt on the par-5 seventeenth to get inside one shot, however then wasted an opportunity to get nearer when his second shot on 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 three photographs again at 13-under 203 together with Aaron Rai (67) and Ryan Fox (66).
Masters champion Jon Rahm making a run on the lead with a birdie on the eleventh gap – his twelfth birdie in a 21-hole stretch relationship to Friday – solely to drop two photographs coming in from the golf green. However he closed with two birdies, together with the 18th when he hit a fairway bunker shot over the water and behind the pin, from the place it spun again to five toes.
He shot 66 and was 4 behind.
Rory McIlroy made the lower on the quantity with a birdie at nighttime on Friday evening. He shot 67 on Saturday and was 10 photographs behind in his ultimate occasion earlier than the Ryder Cup.
All 12 gamers on Europe’s group are within the discipline, and all 12 – together with Captain Luke Donald – made the lower. 4 of them are inside 5 photographs of Aberg, beginning with Fleetwood and together with Sepp Straka and Tyrrell Hatton at 11-under 205.
However it begins with Aberg, taking part in earlier than his largest gallery as a professional and never wanting in the slightest degree bothered by the second. He missed just a few drives to the left, particularly on No. 13. The drive disappeared into the bushes, 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 toes under the opening. He regarded sure to make double bogey till he poured within the bogey putt and could not assist however smile.
“I did not even know there was a water hazard there,” Aberg mentioned. “However took the drop, and chipped out after which I ended up making, I do not even understand how lengthy the putt was nevertheless it felt fairly good when it went in. Considered one of them bonuses, I suppose.”
Fleetwood fell behind with an early bogey, solely to get proper again within the combine with a 12-foot eagle putt on the fourth and a 40-foot birdie putt on the subsequent gap. He was bogey-free the remainder of the best way.
“Any time I used to be in bother I managed to hit a extremely good shot out of bother and for probably the most half the remaining was actually strong and gave myself a number of possibilities,” Fleetwood mentioned. “It is not a straightforward golf course in any respect – some nice spherical, 5 underneath on a Saturday.”
