Rai outshines McIlroy with opening 66 at Wentworth

Aaron Rai beat Rory McIlroy by three shots in the first round of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth on Thursday. Rai closed on 66, six shots better than the course standard of par, to tie Joakim Lagergren for the early lead. McIlroy had to settle for three under par after a fast start slipped away, The Guardian reported.

McIlroy looked ready to run away with it. He was five under par after 10 holes, which means five shots better than standard, and he shared the lead for part of the morning, according to Golf Channel. Then it stalled. Dropped shots on the way home left him three back from his playing partner.

It was very different from the day before. McIlroy had shot 60 around the West Course in a pro-am, a relaxed round where professionals play alongside amateurs and celebrity guests. That score did not count in the tournament. It only raised expectation around his opening round.

Rai held his game together in the same group. He played clean golf while the attention sat with McIlroy, and his 66 put him top of the early board with Lagergren. Ryan Fox, the third man in their group, was close behind on 68, four under par.

There was movement elsewhere too. Patrick Reed also opened with 68. Reed is trying to hold off McIlroy at the top of the DP World Tour's season-long points race, the Race to Dubai. McIlroy is chasing what would be a record-equalling eighth title in that race.

What makes this stand out is the swing of the day. McIlroy played the first 10 holes in five under and the crowd leaned in. Rai stayed level and then passed him. Over a long West Course, where water and trees punish loose drives, that kind of patience matters. Three shots is a small gap after one round, but the early edge belongs to Rai.