Shane Lowry believes if he can hold off Rory McIlroy again at Wentworth he will go close to winning a second BMW PGA Championship title after an opening round of 67.
McIlroy held off Lowry in 2014 before the roles were reversed in 2022 and with both players currently sharing third place on five-under-par the crowds could be set for the trilogy at the flagship event on the DP World Tour.
“Might be better if someone apart from Rory, but yeah, Rory is obviously playing great golf,” chuckled Lowry. “Look, it’s not a surprise to see him at the top of the leaderboard today. I think if you’re going to win the tournament this week, if you finish ahead of him, you’ve got a great chance.”
The Offaly man managed to turn a frustrating round into a very good one after he lit up the back nine after turning in eight pars and a birdie on the gimme par-5 4th.
Lowry birdied 11 and rolled in for an eagle three from 25-feet on 12 and while he gave a shot back on 13 he responded with birdies on 14 and 18 and he was pleased to see his patience finally rewarded.
“I hit some good shots on the front nine; you don’t get rewarded. You kind of have to stay very patient around here you and always know you’re going to have a few chances coming in. I did that today and I got rewarded on the back nine.
“Yeah, hopefully I can keep this good golf up for the next few days, and give myself another run at this.
“I’m pretty happy. To be honest I feel like Thursday come around quick this week. At alarm went off at 5.00 this morning, it was a bit early. But yeah, I got out there and I played some great golf again, and it’s nice to come to a place that you know pretty well and I’ve done well in the past. I feel pretty comfortable around here, so I’m happy with that.”