Friday 22 May 2015 12:50, UK
Francesco Molinari stole the headlines on the first day of the BMW PGA Championship, while Rory McIlroy's tough recent schedule caught up with him at Wentworth.
Molinari ended the round with a two-shot lead over Robert Karlsson after a sublime seven-under 65, but McIlroy has ground to make up after admitting he was suffering from mental fatigue during an erratic 71 in his fourth tournament in as many weeks.
Andrew Johnston and Craig Lee both made holes-in-one on an entertaining opening day, although the West Course took its toll as only 35 of the 150 starters managed to break par.
McIlroy mixed four birdies with three bogeys, but he faces a fine from the European Tour after throwing a club in frustration following a poor second shot to the 17th.
It is not the first time this season McIlroy has been in trouble for such an incident, the world No 1 hurling his three-iron into a lake at Doral during the WGC-Cadillac Championship in March.
Molinari, who has finished in the top 10 in each of the last three years, kept a bogey off his card and, after cruising to the turn in 33, the Italian picked up three shots in four holes from the 11th and birdied the final two par-fives to surpass early clubhouse leader Karlsson.
"I think I missed one green on the third and chipped up to two feet, so it was as stress-free as it could be round here," said the 32-year-old, who has recorded just one top-10 finish in 10 starts on the PGA Tour this season. "I love this place and it's good to be back. It rewards accuracy, which suits my game.
"Playing in America is a new challenge and I think it's helping my game to improve. Hopefully I will get my rewards soon," added Molinari, who would move from 66th in the world rankings to inside the top 30 and secure his place in the US Open and Open Championship with a win on Sunday.
"I missed the Masters this year after 22 majors in a row and it was not a nice feeling, so I hope I will be back soon," he added.
Karlsson impresses
Former Ryder Cup star Karlsson had looked a likely leader after making six birdies, including two in the last three holes, while blotting his card only once at the seventh.
The 45-year-old, whose career has been blighted by illness and injury since he was crowned European No 1 in 2008, said: "It was nice to put a good round together. I've struggled a bit lately, so it was nice to keep it going for 18 holes.
"I was more careful off the tee and hit a lot more three-woods. It's important to keep the ball in play here and that became the main focus. I holed out nicely, and I'm very happy with a 67. It's a great start to the tournament."
Chris Wood, who was sidelined for five months after breaking a bone in his wrist last October, made a welcome return to form as he fired a five-birdie 68 to match the earlier effort of Jorge Campillo, who produced a superb finish when he followed a birdie at 17 with an eagle at the last.
Evergreen Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez continued to defy his 51 years as he birdied four of the last six holes to finish at four under along with former US PGA champion YE Yang and Marc Warren, joint-runner up at Wentworth two years ago.
Two-time champion Luke Donald recovered from two over after 11 holes with four birdies in six holes to salvage a 70, with McIlroy and Justin Rose a shot further adrift.
Live coverage of the second round from Wentworth starts Friday at 10am on Sky Sports 4 - your home of golf.
