Cockerill struggles through a wild weather Friday in St Andrews... full scoreboard

Richard Mansell fired a remarkable 68 in extremely testing conditions at the Old Course, St Andrews to lead the 2022 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship by two shots at the halfway stage.  Leaderboard

Having opened his second round at the sixth hole due to the shotgun start at all three host courses on Friday morning, Mansell made four early birdies to climb to the top of the leaderboard.

But as the weather got worse on the Scottish coast, the battle to avoid losing ground became the priority and the Englishman had to make do with a bogey and nine pars in his next ten holes.

He finished with a flourish, though, birdieing the fifth from six feet despite being buffeted by the wind, to head into the weekend on ten under par.

Swede Alex Noren was Mansell's nearest challenger on eight under after carding five birdies and two bogeys at Kingsbarns Golf Links.

Dane Niklas Nørgaard Møller and Frenchman Antoine Rozner were in joint-third after their 74s at St Andrews and Carnoustie respectively.

The stunning 68 was the lowest round of the day across all three courses.

Johannes Veerman & Will Ahmed and Christiaan Burke & Bruce Mitchell co-lead the team event on 19 under par.

Eddie Pepperell had a day to remember, making a magnificent hole-in-one at Kingsbarns' eighth hole.

Canada's Aaron Cockerill playing here for the first time, found out what links golf at St Andrew's can be all about. 

After a stunning -7 65 on Kingsbarns on a sun drenched Thursday which saw him T7 with 7 birdies at 11 pars, the storm came in over the North Sea overnight and the players woke up to howling winds and torrential rain which worsened as the day went on.

At the par 4 15th he hit a full tee shot which only travelled 211 yards into the wind. It was 1 of 9 bogeys on his way to a hard fought 81 which will see him drop 65 places T72 at +2.

The cut will be made after Saturday's round which he will play at Carnoustie, in what is expected to be  more strong winds.

Bryan Angus

Aaron Cockerill T7 at Alfred Dunhill Links Championship... live scoring

The French flag is flying high after a sun drenched breezy day one at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. Romaine Langasque tied the course record at St Andrews with -11 61 to take the lead a shot ahead of compatriot Frederic Lacroix with his flawless 62 at Kingsbarns Golf Links. Leaderboard

The Frenchman started at the tenth tee and went out in 33 before coming home in 28 - having covered the final six holes in seven under - to match Ross Fisher's record at the historic venue.

Langasque recovered from an early bogey with two eagles and eight birdies to reach 11 under par on a beautiful day in Scotland.

Their countryman Antoine Rozner, who played at The Old Course on day one, was in a tie for third alongside Niklas Nørgaard Møller (Kingsbarns) another shot back on nine under.

Thomas Pieters' 65 was the lowest round of the day at Carnoustie Golf Links - this week's unique tournament's other host course.

Due to the weather forecast, Friday's second round will have a shotgun start at 08:30 on all three courses, with leader Langasque tackling Carnoustie on day two.

Canadian Aaron Cockerill took full advantage of the sponsors exemption with a bogey free, seven birdie -7 65 at Kingsbarns and is T7, four shots off the lead with that bad weather forecast for Friday and strong winds all weekend.

He is currently ranked 395 in the world and 97th on the DP World Tour. The top 50 qualify for the Race to Dubai finale and the top 110 get to keep their tour card.

Bryan Angus

Canadian tee times at Sanderson Farms Championship..

 PGA Tour : Sanderson Farms Championship 

Here are the Canadian tee times for the Sanderson Farms Championship beginning tomorrow at the Country Club of Jackson down in Mississippi as the PGA Tour continues it's 2023 wrap around season.

All times EST

8.00 1st tee  Adam Hadwin 

8.11 10th tee  Mac Hughes

8.55 1st tee  Nick Taylor

Ben Silverman

9.28 10th tee  Ben Silverman

1.17 1st tee Adam Svensson

2.34 10th tee  Michael Gligic

Bryan Angus

A star studded week ahead in Scotland: Alfred Dunhill Links Championship

The DP World Tour returns to Scotland this week for the 21st staging of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship as a host of Major Champions gather alongside famous celebrities and amateurs. Here are your five things to know.  Entry List

Willett defends

Danny Willett celebrated his 34th birthday in style last year when he returned to the DP World Tour winner’s circle after a two-year wait. The 2016 Masters Champion finished two shots ahead of nearest rivals Tyrrell Hatton, a two-time former winner, and Joakim Lagergren after a closing four-under 68 at St Andrews’ Old Course. Up until his victory at the Home of Golf, 2021 had proven a challenging time for Willett due to several health problems. However, this time around, the Englishman arrives in Scotland hot on the heels of a runner-up finish at the Fortinet Championship - the opening PGA TOUR event of the 2022-23 season.

Three times a winner?

No player is yet to win the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on three occasions, with six-time DP World Tour winner Hatton and 2020 Ryder Cup Team Europe Captain Pádraig Harrington the only players to have won the event twice. Both are in the field this week as they aim to make history at the Home of Golf on Sunday. Hatton has already written his name into the history books of this week’s tournament after he become the first player to successfully defend his title in 2017, a year after claiming his maiden DP World Tour title at St Andrews. The two-time Ryder Cup player was also runner-up in 2018 and 2021. Harrington won his two titles in 2002 and 2006, respectively. The Irishman then won three Major Championships in a 14-month span, including back-to-back Open Championships in 2007 and 2008 to underline his expertise for links golf. The 51-year-old is now a force on the PGA TOUR Champions, with three titles to his name in his rookie season.

Unique format played at historic links venues

As ever, the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship incorporates two separate competitions - an individual professional tournament for the world's leading golfers and the Team Championship in which the professionals are paired with amateur golfers. The format lends itself to forging a strong sense of camaraderie between the professionals and amateurs in the field. The setting for the tournament is steeped in history, with play held in rotation over the first three days at the Old Course at St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns. The final round is then played over the Old Course, which staged The 150th Open Championship in July. The cut is made after three rounds, with the 60 leading professionals and ties playing in the final round, along with the 20 lowest scoring pro-am teams, regardless of the professional’s individual score.

Star-studded line-up

The event has proven a magnet for the world’s best golfers since its inception in 2001. Among the headline acts are Major Champions Rory McIlroy, Matt Fitzpatrick and Shane Lowry, winner of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Club earlier this month. “I finished fourth last year and after winning the PGA at Wentworth, I couldn’t be going to St Andrews more confident. I’ve been playing well for a while, and this is an event I’d love to win. Everyone would like to win a big Championship on the Old Course on a Sunday," said the Irishman. Francesco Molinari and Tommy Fleetwood, who forged a formidable partnership together at the 2018 Ryder Cup, are also sure to attract a strong following. Pivotal to the magic of the event is the presence of celebrities from a wide range of fields. Many of the same faces return every year, including ever-present five-time Olympic rowing gold medallist Sir Steve Redgrave, while former West Ham captain Mark Noble will make his debut alongside Hammers supporter Billy Horschel. Last year saw history made as Ireland’s Maeve Danaher became the first woman to win the team event alongside 2011 individual champion Michael Hoey, who has since joined the DP World Tour as a Rules Official.

Canada's Aaron Cockerill has been given an exemption to play this week. Tee Times

Family ties

The chance for professionals to tee it up at an event alongside a family member continues to prove one of the attractions of playing at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. Four-time Major Champion McIlroy will reunite this week with his father Gerry in the team event, having come close to winning together in 2019. Also vying to become just the second father-and-son duo to win the team competition since Sam and Daniel Torrance is 15-timeDP World Tour winner Thomas Bjørn and his son Oliver. Reigning U.S. Open Champion Fitzpatrick is another of the household names from the professional game in the field, with the Sheffield man playing alongside his mum Susan for the first time.

Weather : It will be toques and gloves all round with the high temperature over 4 days at 15*c and overnight lows in single digits. There is rain in the Saturday forecast but the main story will be the wind over the weekend at 15-20mph.

Monday wrap: USA wins Presidents Cup, Internationals win respect ..final scoreboards

Presidents Cup final results here.

In the end the early USA dominance on Thursday and Friday matches where they won 7 out of 10 for an 8-2 lead was too much for the International team to overcome,

However the final 17.5 - 12.5 score doesn't do the weekend's play justice, with the internationals winning 5 of 8 on Saturday and in Sundays singles just being edged 6.5 - 5.5. Further to that  many of the earlier losing matches were very close. 

Singles winners were Si Woo Kim, Seb Munoz, Sungjae Kim, KH Lee, and Christiaan Bezuidenhout, while Hideki Matsuyama played Sam Burns to a draw.

I'll leave the summation to captain Trevor Immelman.

"Im sick and tired of hearing this team is a joke. These gentlemen are no joke, They all played some incredible golf, some inspired golf for the shield against a very, very good USA team playing at home. They kept fighting right until the end, even when the result was known they kept on fighting.

It's been an incredible couple of years, considering when I took over there was no such thing as a pandemic. There were a few other things that weren't around as well so as you know we've had a lot of  hurdles to get to this point, (LIV defectors included stalwarts Louis Oosthuizen, Marc Leishman, Branden Grace, Cameron Smith, Abraham Ancer amongst others)

"So I'm extremely humbled and proud to be sitting up here with them and I thank them for everything they've done." 

As for the Canadians, Taylor Pendrith and Corey Connors despite contributing no points,  both came out of the week saying it was "an incredible experience"

Pendrith actually led Tony Finau through the middle of their match, but the big hitting American made 8 birdies to win 3&1. Connors was ahead of Xander Schauffele after 3 straight birdies 12,13 and 14 but he managed to 3 putt the17th, allowing the American to win with a bogey, a cardinal sin in match play. Xander than birdied the last to win 1up.

Certainly disappointed said Connors, " We had some really good momentum after Saturday and the guys were ready to go on Sunday, some of them got points to keep us in it early, I'm really disappointed I didn't add to our total, still it was a fun week." 

Summary:

In 2 years the Cup will be in Montreal, Mike Weir will likely be the captain and the likes of Pendrith and Connors will be that much stronger, and competition will be fierce with others like Mac Hughes, Adam Hadwin, Adam Svensson, Nick Taylor. Michael Gligic and Roger Sloan all desperate to make the team.

4 of the 5 Koreans won singles and if you include the sensational emerging star Tom Kim along with the outstanding play of Seb Munoz, Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Mito Pereira you can see a strong nucleus taking shape to replace veterans like Adam Scott and Hideki Matsuyama.

Two years ago in Melbourne, Ernie Els had shocked the world with his squad, and only a phenomenal fight back in the Sunday singles rescued the heavily favoured American team. 

Their performance breathed life back into the American dominated Presidents Cup.

This years edition couldn't come all the way back, but while USA won the Cup, the young International team won everyone's respect. 

Elsewhere no Canadians played on Sunday in the LPGA here  or Champions Tour  here

DP World Tour : Cazoo Open de France final Results

A brilliant birdie at the last capped a superb final round for Guido Migliozzi as he surged through the chasing pack to win the Cazoo Open de France.

The 25-year-old Italian began the day five shots off the lead but a course record-equalling 62 saw him edge past Denmark's Rasmus Højgaard, who had begun the day five shots ahead of his rival, for a third DP World Tour win and his first in three years.

The 2023 Ryder Cup is in Italy and Migliozzi has now thrown his cap into the mix with his performance this week. 

Bryan Angus 

 

International fight back falls short : USA wins Presidents Cup Sunday singles results.. final scoreboard

On Friday the underdog International squad just couldn't make crucial putts and when they did the USA simply made theirs right on top. Down 8-2 this year's Presidents Cup looked bleak for Trevor Immelman's chances.. They needed some inspiration on Saturday.

Enter 20 year old South Korean,Tom Kim. His 2 electric eagles during play were crucial and his youthful exuberance breathed life into his teamates.

They won 5 of the 8 matches, and while they still are behind into today's singles 11-7, the shackles seem to be off as they went to bed last night with the belief in their hearts that a comeback was indeed possible, if improbable.

The question is, "can they come all the way back."

Here are the Sunday single matches, and the USA only needs 4.5 points to retain the Cup, however, as has been the case all week, the underdog International team still has nothing to lose.

Getty Images

Sunday match results

12.02  Si Woo Kim 1up Justin Thomas

12.14  Cam Davis 4&3 Jordan Spieth

12.26  Hideki Matsuyama tied Sam Burns

12.38  Adam Scott 3&2 Patrick Cantlay

12.50  Seb Munoz 2&1 Scottie Scheffler

1. 02  Taylor Pendrith  3&1 Tony Finau

1.14  Corey Connors  1up  Xander Schauffele

1.26  Sungjae Im  1up  Cameron Young

1,38  KH Lee 3&1  Billy Horschel

1.50  Tom Kim  1up Max Homa

2.02  Mito Pereira 3&2 Colin Morikawa

2.14  Christiaan Bezuidenhout 2&1 Kevin Kizner 

USA wins 17.5  Internationals 12.5

Bryan Angus 

Tom Lee leads International fightback after Saturday matches : Presidents Cup live scoreboard

After a hard fought Friday of fourball matches the USA team takes an strangle hold on this version of the Presidents Cup into play this morning.

The International team simply couldn't get crucial putts to drop, time after time just missing  with the hole there for the taking.

As a result they are down 8-2 going into the foursomes Saturday morning with fourball matches in the afternoon.

Here are the Saturday morning match results

Match 11 (7.12am)

Corey Connors/ Sungjae Im  4&3  Jordan Spieth/ Justin Thomas

Match 12 (7.24)

Adam Scott / Hideki Matsuyama   3&2  Cam Young / Colin Morikawa

Match 13 ( 7.36)

KH Lee / Tom Kim   2&1  Scottie Scheffler / Sam Burns

Match 14 ( 7.48)

Si Woo Kim / Cam Davis  4&3 Tony Finau / Max Homa 

USA 10  Internationals 4 

Saturday afternoon Fourball Match results

Match 15 

Si Woo Kim / Tom Kim  1up  Patrick Cantlay/Xander Schauffele

Match 16

Hideki Matsuyama /Taylor Pendrith  4&3 Justin Thomas/ Jordan Spieth 

Match 17

Sungjae Im / Seb Munoz  3&2  Tony Finau / Kevin Kisner 

Match 18

Adam Scott/ Cam Davis 1up  Billy Horschel/ Sam Burns

USA 11  Internationals 7

Bryan Angus

USA wins Friday fourball matches leads Presidents Cup 8-2... live scoreboard

After Adam Scott and Hideki Matsuyama played a poor opening foursome, getting thrashed 6&5 by the brilliant pairing of Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele the Internationals had 4 very close matches, but came on on the wrong end of 3 of them.

So it goes without saying today's 5 fourball matches will need to go their way.

Corey Connors said, "I think we'll learn a lot from today, we're going to be just as hungry to get out there on Friday. It's a pretty sweet feeling playing for the International squad"

Here they are, I'll post the results as they happen later today..

Canadians Corey Connors / Taylor Pendrith are paired together in the final match for the first time in President Cup history., follow the live scoreboard here.

Friday match results 

Match 6 (11.35)

Adam Scott / Cam Davis  2&1Jordan Spieth/ Justin Thomas

Match 7 ( 11.50)

Sungjae Im / Seb Munoz  tied  Scottie Scheffler/Sam Burns

Match 8 (1205)

Mito Pereira/ Christiaan Bezuidenhout  tied  Kevin Kisner / Cam Young

Match 9 (1220)

Hideki Matsuyama / Tom Kim  3&2 Patrick Cantley / Xander Schauffele

Match 10 (1235)

Corey Connors/ Taylor Pendrith  1up  Billy Horschel/ Max Homa

USA 8  Internationals 2

Bryan Angus

USA Leads 4-1 after thursday foursome matches /results...

In 13 matches at the Presidents Cup which began in 1994 the International Team has but one win and a draw. That's been the story of the past.

Last time around in Melbourne, Ernie Els set his team out, relishing the under dog role and it took a big singles rally on Sunday by the Americans to prevent the Internationals from getting their 2nd win. However it was thrilling stuff, and put the pizzazz back into this event.

Corey Conners and Taylor Pendrith

Captain Trevor Immelman has taken  Ernie's temp plate heading into play today in their smart new yellow and black uniforms, their theme "'Lets make history". They simply have nothing to lose. They've bonded well in a short time.

Play gets underway today at Quail Hollow in NC, with 5 foursome matches. Captain Davis Love, a legend in Carolina has a stacked team again, huge favourites in front of huge American flag waving crowds.

Both Canadians are in play today, although not together. 

First team to 15.5 points wins..

Here are Thursday match ups and results, all in EST, under sunny skies at 30*c. Follow the scoring here.

Match1 (1.05)

Hideki Matsuyama/ Adam Scott  6&5  Patrick Cantlay/ Xander Schauffele

Match 2 (1.17)

Corey Connors/ Sungjae Im  2&1  Jordan Spieth/ Justin Thomas

Match 3 (1.29)

Tom Kim/ KH Lee  2&1 Cameron Young/ Colin Morikawa

Match 4 (1.41)

Cam Davis/ Si Woo Kim  2up  Sam Burns / Scottie Scheffler

Match 5 (1.53)

Taylor Pendrith/ Mito Pereira /  1up  Tony Finau/ Max Homa

USA leads 4-1 after Thursday foursomes

Bryan Angus

Monday wrap.. final scoreboards, Presidents Cup..

 DP World Tour : Italian Open final Results

Robert MacIntyre overcame U.S. Open Champion Matt Fitzpatrick in a play-off to win the 2022 DS Automobiles Italian Open and underline his match play credentials at the venue that will host next year's Ryder Cup.

The Scotsman made ten birdies and three bogeys in a spectacular 64 on Sunday to force a play-off with third-round leader Fitzpatrick before birdieing the first extra hole to claim his second DP World Tour title.

There were several twists and turns on the back nine as the lead changed hands throughout a thrilling afternoon at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club.

Fitzpatrick's closing 67 contained an eagle, three birdies and a solitary bogey and saw him finish the tournament on 14 under, one clear of Perez in third.

Rory McIlroy was another shot back in fourth place, with Aaron Rai and Lucas Herbert in a share of fifth on 11 under.

PGA Tour: Fortinet Championship final scoreboard here.

Nick Taylor earned his first top 10 of the year, with a Sunday -4 68 to finish T6 -11 in Napa California at the Fortinet Championship.

Adam Svensson T12 -9, Mac Hughes T25 -7. Taylor Pendrith T67 +1 after a Sunday 77.

With the Presidents Cup ready to go at Quail Hollow this week it wasn't the preparation Corey Connors may have liked as he missed the cut 70 74 along with Michael Gligic 76 75. 

Danny Willett had the event won before he 3 putted from 4 feet to hand the title to Max Homa who managed to chip in at the last to give him an outside chance of a playoff...He got a lot more than that !

LPGA: Portland Classic final scoreboard here 

Two time champion Brooke Henderson went bogey free for a closing -5 67 to finish T10 at -14, her 9th this year.

Alena Sharp T52 -2 after a Sunday 74. Maddie Szeryk missed the cut. 

American Andrea Lee won by a shot 72 64 67 66 -19.

PGA Tour Champions: Sanford International final scoreboard  here 

In Sioux Falls, SD,  Stephen Ames finished 27th at -6, Mike Weir was 28th -5.

The winner in a playoff was Steve Stricker who made a birdie at the first to edge veteran Swede Robert Karlsson. 

Bryan Angus

Italian Open...Fitzpztricck leads Rory by a shot .. Sunday scoreboard

 DP World Tour: Automobiles Italian Open..Leaderboard

Matt Fitzpatrick will take a one-shot lead into the final round of the 2022 DS Automobiles Italian Open after producing a stunning 69 in challenging conditions at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club.

The reigning U.S. Open Champion got up and down for a closing birdie to move to ten under par and edge one stroke clear of nearest challengers Rory McIlroy and Aaron Rai.

Fitzpatrick started the day a single shot behind halfway leader McIlroy but turned in 36 after carding one bogey and no birdies on the front nine.

The wind changed as the final group reached the turn and shortly afterwards Fitzpatrick opened his birdie account at the tenth before rolling in for another on the 12th green to get to nine under.

He continued to impress in the tricky conditions and after saving par at the 17th, he birdied the last to take the outright lead.

McIlroy also finished his round with a birdie to post a level-par 71 which contained three birdies and three bogeys.

Rai, meanwhile, fired two eagles and two birdies in a flawless 65 to make a huge move up the leaderboard.

France's Victor Perez, American Kurt Kitayama and Australian Lucas Herbert were in a three-way tie for fourth on eight under.

Fitzpatrick said: "Really pleased with today. We had the wind switch on the ninth and the golf course just completely changed. "It was a wind we had not played in all week. To me, I just felt like if I could just hang on and just avoid bogeys, I would put myself in a good position.

"Managed to pick up a few on the back nine. Delighted to be going into tomorrow with the lead."

When asked what it would mean to win on Sunday, Fitzpatrick added: "It would mean the world.

"I love coming to play the Italian Open.

"I love the country. I love playing golf here. The fans are fantastic and to win tomorrow, yeah, would be a great feeling.

McIlroy, who like Fitzpatrick will be hoping to represent Team Europe when the 2023 Ryder Cup is hosted at this venue, knows it will be tough to overcome the Englishman in the final round.

He said: "I felt like I played okay. Every birdie I made, I followed it with a bogey, so that was not good.

"But just when the wind got up there when we turned - I struggled with the putter all day but I think especially when the wind got up - I struggled just to sort of commit to reads, and 'do I play the wind, do I not play the wind?'.

"I held a couple of nice ones coming in but missed a lot of opportunities there at sort of the start of the middle of the round.

"Thankfully I'm still in it. Still only one shot back. I'll be in the final group tomorrow. So that was a big putt on the 18th to hole so I can keep an eye on Fitz and what he's doing.

"I know it will be a tough day. Fitz is very solid. These are the sort of conditions that he relishes. He's going to be tough to beat."

After holing some valuable par putts over the opening five holes, Rai got his first birdie of the day from 11 feet at the sixth.

Two more par saves from around ten feet at the seventh and eighth kept Rai's card clean before an eagle on the ninth catapulted him up the leaderboard.

And when he chipped in from just short of the 12th green for a second eagle of the day, Rai moved to eight under.

He followed that up with a 12-foot birdie at the 13th to get to nine under.

And with the wind picking up significantly in the closing stages of his round, Rai managed to par his way home to sign for a bogey-free 65.

Rai said: "I'm very pleased with how I played today overall."

New PGA Tour season begins.. Pendrith, Connors prepare for Presidents Cup..

When I checked the calendar this morning it is Tuesday September 13, 2022, so I know this may be confusing to those who don't follow golf, but the 2023 PGA Tour season gets under way this weekend out in Napa, California for the Fortinet Championship.

After Rory was the "story" 3 weeks ago winning the 2022 Presidents Cup and scooping the winning $18,000,000, the $75,000,000 final prize fund has all been paid up to those who've earned their share, and the long trek to next year's Tour Championship begins.

Rory finished 2nd in last week's BMW PGA Championship on the DP World Tour, with Shane Lowry taking the winners cheque. Rory will now concentrate on trying for the double in winning the Race To Dubai.

Meanwhile with the Presidents Cup next week at Quail Hollow in NC, Canada's 2 International Team members, Corey Connors and Taylor Pendrith have caught a flight to California and are in the Fortinet field along with Michael Gligic, Mac Hughes, Adam Svensson and Nick Taylor who all have their 2023 cards.

On the distaff side, the LPGA continues with a stop at the Portland Classic where Brooke Henderson who won it this 2015,2016 is in the  field along with Maddie Szeryk and Alena Sharp. Brooke T18 last week in Cincinnati at the Kroger Queen City Championship with a closing 73. That scoreboard is here.

If you're anywhere near Sioux Falls in South Dakota you can get a ticket for the Sanford Classic where Mike Weir and Stephen Ames will tee it up on the PGA Tour Champions. Both of them T41 last week in St Louis at the Ascension Charity Classic. the final scores here 

 Bryan Angus

McIlroy in contention at 54 hole BMW PGA Championship..full scoreboard

• Leaderboard

Rory McIlroy pointed to his putting after shooting a bogey-free 65 to get within a shot of the lead at the 2022 BMW PGA Championship.

Viktor Hovland and Søren Kjeldsen sit top of the pile on 12 under, with McIlroy in a group just behind with a round to go.

The fourth Rolex Series event of the year was shortened to 54 holes after Friday's play was cancelled following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday.

Wentworth held a two-minute silence on Saturday morning and players wore black ribbons.

McIlroy's round got going with an eagle at the fourth and he added birdies at the eighth, 11th, 12th, 17th and 18th. The birdie at the 17th came after his tee shot looked gone, only for the ball to come back out of the trees after an agonising few seconds.

But for McIlroy, some of the pars were just as memorable.

He said: "Par putt on 16 was huge. Par putt on 13 was big as well. Even that little one at the last, I put myself in a good spot and sort of had it slide by five feet. To hole that one and just get one closer to the leader going into tomorrow was really important.

"I thought my putting today was really good, and that's really what's kept me in the tournament."

McIlroy is chasing a double as he leads the DP World Tour Rankings in Partnership with Rolex having won the FedEx Cup last month.

He added: "I had that great finish in the States, I wanted to turn my attention to here and win the Rankings. It would be great to win it for the fourth time, and I didn't want to let up.

"I've got a great chance tomorrow to win this prestigious event but also to extend the lead in the Rankings, and then we'll go to Italy and try and do it all over again.

"I gave myself a couple of days off from East Lake but my attention quickly turned to, not just this event but the rest of the season, and I'm keeping myself quite busy over the next couple of months.

"I want to finish the year off on a high. I finished the season in the States off on a real high, and I want to do the same over here.

"I want to try to get that double. So a good day tomorrow would put me well on my way to doing that."

Play suspended Friday at BMW Championship in honour of Queen Elizabeth's passing... full scoreboard

BMW PGA Championship Leaderboard

Tommy Fleetwood, Viktor Hovland and Andy Sullivan shared the lead at the BMW PGA Championship after a sombre first day at Wentworth Club.

The Ryder Cup trio carded rounds of 64 to get to eight under before play was suspended after Buckingham Palace announced the sad death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at the age of 96.

No play will take place on Friday, with further updates on the resumption of play to follow in due course.

England's Matthew Jordan was at seven under, a shot clear of countryman Marcus Armitage, Ireland's Shane Lowry, Australian Jason Scrivener and Paraguayan Fabrizio Zanotti at the fourth Rolex Series event of the DP World Tour season.

Scotland's David Law was three shots off the lead alongside Dane Rasmus Højgaard, who had one hole left to play before the players came off following the announcement of the passing of the UK's Head of State, who had been on the throne for over 70 years.

"On behalf of our members and everyone connected with the European Tour group and the BMW PGA Championship, it is with great sadness that we have learned of the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.  

She truly was an inspiration to people the world over. 

Out of respect for Her Majesty and the Royal Family, play has been suspended at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Club for the remainder of Thursday and flags at Wentworth Club will be lowered to half-mast. 

Furthermore, no play will take place at the BMW PGA Championship on Friday and the golf course and practice facilities will be closed. 

Round 2 will commence at 640am local time on Saturday.

Our deepest sympathies and condolences are with the Royal Family at this time."

McIlroy, Horschel head a star studded field at BMW PGA Championship ...Tee times

 

Tournament: BMW PGA Championship Rolex Series: Fourth Rolex Series tournament of 2022 DP World Tour Rankings: Tournament 34 of 45 events Venue: Wentworth Club, Virginia Water, Surrey, England Prize Fund: $8,000,000 Tee Times Tee Times

Tournament Preview Billy Horschel returns to defend his title at the BMW PGA Championship, and has admitted he feels a special affinity with England and its golf fans as he looks to become the first American to win the prestigious Rolex Series event on multiple occasions. The 35-year-old has an enviable record at Wentworth Club, finishing tied fourth on his debut in 2019 before earning his maiden Rolex Series title last year courtesy of a nerveless one-stroke victory. Horschel is a West Ham United supporter and even attended their away defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, while he was also briefly joined on the fairways this week by England and West Ham midfielder Declan Rice. Having become the first American since the great Arnold Palmer in 1975 to win the BMW PGA Championship, Horschel is hoping to once again feed off those good vibes this week. He was also outspoken in his press conference about the 15 LIV defectors who are being allowed to play, asking the question about some of them ""Why are they here ?".. more on that in a minute.. It is also a big week for Luke Donald, not only as a two-time former winner of this event but also as the 2023 European Ryder Cup Captain, as the Qualification Points race tees off in earnest at the Surrey venue. Jon Rahm is one of those players who will be targeting a place in Donald’s team for Rome next year, and the Spaniard is relishing his return to an event he came close to winning on his last appearance in 2019. It's a star studded field led by Rory McIlroy fresh off his $18,000,000 win of The FedEx Cup in Atlanta.  However with all the kerfuffle surrounding LIV defections, it''s seems a little more than confusing to see Graeme McDowell, Ian Poulter, Sergio Garcia, Abraham Ancer, Talor Gooch, Branden Grace, Richard Bland and Lee Westwood and 7 others all allowed in the field. Apart from Ancer and Gooch, all are stalwarts of the European Tour who jumped ship and signed for more guaranteed millions with the controversial Saudi backed regime. All are looking for World ranking points which are not awarded on the LIV, and all are being allowed to play until at least February 2023 when a U.K court will decide if they are allowed in DP World Tour events. Player Quotes Billy Horschel: "It's great to be back. I love it. I love it here. I really enjoyed my time over here. And to be back and to be the defending champion, and to see the support that I've gotten over the years and what I've already gotten this week, is really exciting. Like I said, it just putts a massive smile on my face thinking about it. “I can understand why some of the West Ham fans are supportive of me, but the non-West-Ham fans, I can't thank them enough. I felt I've tried throughout my entire career to play the game the way I felt like it should be played and represent myself in the right way and I feel like I've done that. “To see that the fans over here really appreciate that I travelled this far on numerous occasion to come support their tour, and I think over the years, I have always appreciated how they supported me and I’m thankful for that as well. Like I said, when I think about, it I can't believe I got this much support over here.” Luke Donald: "I can't believe it's ten years (since his second win at Wentworth) to be honest. But time flies, I suppose. But it's great to be back here. I played every year, and have such fond memories. “Obviously one of the best moments as an individual came here - eleven years ago in 2011 when I got to Number One in the world and celebrating that victory around family and friends that grew up not too far away from here. It's always been a special week for me. “It's all getting very real (with the Ryder Cup). It's great to see the points are starting this week and great week for it to start. Excited to see how the guys get going and obviously be playing close attention to players that have played Ryder Cups and players that are kind of on my radar.” Jon Rahm: “It was my first and only time playing in 2019, and then covid happened. I'm happy to be back. I've spoken many times about how much I like the history of the game and when it comes to the history of the DP World Tour, this event and this venue is very, very important - a lot of great champions. “I was close the only time I came and I'm looking forward to hopefully giving myself a better chance. But it's a golf course that I enjoy, a very nice area of the country and if we get luckier with the weather than we are right now it should be a very fun week.”

International Team announced for President's Cup.... Taylor Pendrith selected..

The International Team for the 2022 Presidents Cup was finalized today, with International Team Captain Trevor Immelman selecting six players to round out his 12-player team. 

Immelman selected South Africa’s Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Australia’s Cam Davis, South Korea’s Si Woo Kim and K.H. Lee, Colombia’s Sebastian Muñoz and Canada’s Taylor Pendrith. 

The Presidents Cup will be contested at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina, the week of September 20-25.

Of the six captain’s picks, five are first-time participants, with Kim making his Presidents Cup debut in 2017. In total, seven countries are represented on the International Team: Australia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Japan, South Africa and South Korea.

TAYLOR PENDRITH
Country: Canada
Age: 31
Best PGA TOUR Finish: T2, 2022 Rocket Mortgage Classic
Presidents Cup: Rookie

2021-22 Highlights: Held the 54-hole lead at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship before finishing T5. After being sidelined for four months with a rib injury, returned at the Barbasol Championship, where he finished T13. Added a T11 result at the Barracuda Championship before earning his career-best finish with a T2 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. Added his third top-10 of the season at the BMW Championship.

Captain Immelman on Pendrith: “Quail Hollow is a golf course which rewards length, and Taylor is without doubt one of the longest drivers of the ball in our sport. The way he responded to the adversity of a serious injury in his rookie season, rejoined the PGA TOUR and had five top-15 finishes in his last six events highlighted by a T2 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, meant that he was someone we couldn’t look past. Along with that, he will bring with him a loyal Canadian fan base both onsite, as well as cheering him on from home, and I look forward to our team responding to that support from Canadians around the world.”

The team : Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) Taylor Pendrith, Corey Connors (Canada) Sungjae Im, Tom Kim, Si Woo Kim, KH Lee (South Korea), Adam Scott, Cam Davis (Australia), Christiaan Bezuidenhout (South Africa) Mito Pereira (Chile) Sebastien Munoz (Columbia)

Team USA will be announced on Wednesday...

Bryan Angus 

Monday wrap.. final scoreboards featuring Gligic, Henderson...

LPGA: Dana Open final scoreboard  here.

Brooke Henderson's best round of the week on Saturday at this Dana Open in Ohio, a -6 65 had her within a shot of the lead at one point. She went into Sunday 4 shots off the lead and her closing -2 69 saw her finish T13 at -12 some 6 shots behind Spaniard Gaby Lopez.

Maude Aimee Leblanc T65 -2 while Maddie Szeryk T72 +1.

Korn Ferry Tour: Tour Championship final scoreboard here

It was another good week for Michael Gligic who secured his PGA Tour card last week. He led for the 1st 2 rounds in Newburgh Indiana, and ended up 70 -17 T5th , just 4 shots off the winner American Justin Suh -21.

DP World Tour : Made in Himmerland final scoreboard Results

On a week in Denmark when Canadian Aaron Cockerill was DQ forgetting to sign his 1st round scorecard, it was English good guy Oliver Fisher -21 who pipped Scotland's Ewen Ferguson -20. It was the veteran's 2nd win, the last was 8 years ago. 

LIV Golf.... no interest..

Bryan Angus

 

Cockerill's crazy back 9 disqualification at Made in Himmerland.. full scoreboard

 DP World Tour : Made in Himmerland scoreboard here.

Aaron Cockerill has been jetting around the world this year including a stop for a charity raiser back home in Winnipeg, and another for the RBC Canadian earlier in the summer.

This week he continued his quest to regain his DP World Tour card after a trip to Switzerland, with a stop in Denmark at the Himmerland Golf and Spa Resort.

All was going well with 3 birdies on his front nine -3 33, but his wacky back nine began with a bogey on the par 3 10th when he couldn't get up and down from 36 feet. A par 5 at the 645yd 11th was followed by another bogey at the par 4 12th, after he found the fairway bunker. At the par 4 13th, he drove it left into the trees, had to take a drop hit his 3rd 60 feet from the pin and 3 putted for a double bogey 6th.

After routine pars at 14 and 15 things really took a turn with his 2nd hole in one in 2 weeks, a one hopper at the 139yd par 3. After all the celebrating he promptly drove it out of bounds at the 17th, hit his 3rd into deep rough, hacked it out with his 4th, hit his 5th 22 feet from the pin and managed to 3 putt from there for a quadruple bogey 8. 

Not finished he drove it into the water at 18th, took a drop and hit his 3rd short of the green, chipped his 4th to 5 feet and made a bogey 5 for a back nine 44.

His 75 didn't knock him out of the tournament, but when he'd finished celebrating his hole in one he forgot to sign his scorecard before leaving, and that did !!

All this hasn't helped his rankings, currently 375 in the world, and projected to finish this weekend 80th in the DP World Tour ranking. The top 60 qualify for the lucrative Race to Dubai finale, the top 110 typically retain or regain their Tour cards for 2023. 

Bryan Angus