At last Willett is a cut above the rest
Danny Willett has rather excruciating memories of the last time he played in the BMW PGa Championship. ‘I’d just had a vasectomy and I’m not going to lie to you, it was painful walking,’ he said.
at least he only had to walk for two days before suffering his second, ahem, cut of the week.
now look at him. Eighteen months on, there’s a positive bounce in his stride. The 2016 Masters champion played the first five holes in a barely believable five under par on his way to a 65 and a tie for the halfway lead with Spaniard Jon Rahm.
The yorkshireman wasn’t the only one in confessional mode. The knee injury that threatened Justin Rose’s participation this week?
He coyly admitted it happened while on his manager Paul McDonnell’s stag do in the south of France. Before anyone runs away with the wrong idea, however, Rose was quick to explain that no drink had been taken. ‘Honest truth is, half an hour after arriving there, not even a beer in hand, I’d been having a swim and slipped on the edge,’ he insisted.
‘I had a scan on Monday and didn’t know if I’d torn my meniscus or aCL but there was no ligament damage so I feel quite lucky,’ he added. a beer will certainly be in hand tomorrow evening if Rose lifts a trophy that has been on his bucket list for as long as he can remember.
‘I’ve still got so many memorable memories of coming down here as a schoolboy, watching idols like Seve, norman, Faldo and Olazabal, and then going home eager to practise what I’d learned,’ he said, following a 68 that has left him just two strokes adrift.
Rose is a big fan of the new September date that has attracted the strongest field in years and, as ever, gave an eloquent explanation of why.
‘When it was in May it was between two majors, next to the Memorial event in Ohio, which is close to my heart, and I always felt that a transatlantic trip on top of that wasn’t ideal,’ he said. ‘now, instead of worrying whether I can add it to my schedule I can focus on it, which is as it should be for Europe’s flagship tournament.’
Certainly, a classic weekend in the history of the storied event appears in store, with a leaderboard that would grace any major and with record crowds expected.
Just four behind is another local boy, Paul Casey, who won a fortnight ago in Germany and who believes he’s playing his best golf for a decade.
Brilliant norwegian newcomer Viktor Hovland is five behind following a 69 — his 19th successive round in the sixties on the PGa and European Tours.
Don’t rule out a first american winner since arnold Palmer triumphed way back in 1975. Billy Horschel is four back following a 65, with Tony Finau a further stroke adrift.
as for the biggest crowd-puller of all, Rory McIlroy rallied late on to repair some of the damage of his opening 76 with a 69 to make the halfway cut. He’ll be out early today. Expect fireworks.