Willett, Yong-eun and Hend in three-way tie

US Masters champion Danny Willett, South Korea’s Yang Yongeun and Scott Hend from Australia were tied for the lead after two rounds of the European PGA Championship at Wentworth.

Yongeun, who beat Tiger Woods in the 2009 US PGA Championship, was the last to join the group at the top of the leaderboard when he got up and down from a bunker on the parfive 18th to finish on 10under 134 for the 36 holes on Friday.

Hend eagled the same hole to take his place alongside Willett and Yongeun after turning in a 69 to add to a 65 on Thursday which saw him share the first round lead with Yongeun and Joost Luiten.

But England’s Willett had earlier threatened to blow the tournament open with some brilliant golf on the front nine – he was five in front at one stage, before fading slightly coming home.

Willett dominated the early proceedings going to the turn in 29 – a tournament record – before coming home 10 shots worse, in 39.

He had bogeys on the 10th, 15th, 16th and 17th before pulling a shot back at the parfive last but was not complaining about a round that has left him right in contention for the European Tour’s flagship event.

Willett said: “I played great most of the day and then chucked a couple of horrid golf shots in there, and it was nice to make birdie at the last, two really good golf shots and I composed myself quite nicely.

“You could have just chucked it and finished really poorly, but to make birdie was good. It shows a little bit of mental strength. But it was still not quite the back nine we were hoping for, but 10under, you’d have taken it at the beginning of the day.”

The leading trio are followed by South African Jaco van Zyl who is on nineunder, after a 68, but there is a threeshot gap back to Spain’s Jorge Campillo.

Spain’s Rafa Cabrera Bello jumped nearly 30 places up the leaderboard with a 68. — AFP

you could have just chucked it and nished really poorly, but to make birdie was good. It shows a little bit of mental strength. Danny Willett