Alex Noren (-15) and Adrien Saddier (-15) are the leaders of the BMW PGA Championship after the third round. The Frenchman is back in the game: he was leading in Switzerland two weeks ago after the second round and was leading again in Ireland last week after the third, exactly as is happening now at Wentworth. If we add to that the fact that this year he won for the first time on the DP World Tour (Open de Italia), it must be agreed that the Frenchman has really made a very significant leap in quality. So much so that he is currently one of the favourites to grab one of the ten PGA Tour spots to be distributed at the end of the season. Today he moved up thanks to a fantastic card of 65 strokes, seven under par for the day, leaving many balls very close to the flag. He’s in fine form and now just needs to find a way to shake off the nerves when the pressure is on.
– As for Noren… It’s no surprise to see him playing great golf on this course (today, a round of 66 strokes). He does it quite often (he won in 2017). It seems that this year, returning from a long injury absence, he never set his sights on playing the Ryder Cup and in the end, he wasn’t too far from being in Donald’s picks, who eventually takes him to Bethpage as a vice-captain. With the Swede, he’s never counted on initially, but in the end, the years go by and he keeps proving that sooner or later you have to count on him.
– What a change of guard at the top of the leaderboard. Tyrrell Hatton (-13), signing the round of the day (64), has entered the fight for victory, taking advantage of the bad day of Matsuyama (-8, today a round of 76), Rose (-7, round of 76), Aberg (-10, round of 73) or Larrazábal (-6, round of 76). Only Hovland (-12, round of 71), of those who started at the top today, has barely held on and played under par. A fateful turn of events, because they were all big names.
– Hatton’s performance today was a delight. And a real boost in Ryder terms, although we all know that the weight of what is done now, good or bad, is very relative two weeks before the big showdown at Bethpage. We highlighted earlier Saddier’s good approach shots, but the Englishman added eight birdies today and the longest putt he made on those eight occasions was no more than two and a half metres in any case. Neither the rain, which fell heavily at times, nor the wind could stop him. The Englishman was the best ‘Ryder news’ of the day, although Fitzpatrick (-10, today 69), Lowry (-7, today 68) and Rahm also outplayed the course with ease.
– Jon Rahm (-7) has maintained the same line all week: he’s not being the best at anything, but there he is. His game isn’t shining nor does it convey that sense of authority it sometimes does, but he keeps signing cards under par. It’s certainly another demonstration of his greatness. Today he improved significantly with the irons and wedges in hand, but he wasn’t ‘super’ with the putter, ultimately delivering a more than decent round of 69 strokes. Tomorrow he won’t be able to win the tournament, he’s too far from the lead, but he has patiently worked his way to the opportunity to finish with a great round and achieve another great result at Wentworth, which is what he has done every time he has played this tournament.
– For Larrazábal (-6) and Hidalgo (-3, round of 75), the day was challenging. Too much inconsistency. Too many mistakes on a course that year after year proves the same point: the reward can be very juicy for those who play well, but the rounds can feel very long for those who lose focus or start off poorly.
– Yesterday, 86 players made the cut, and today there was a second cut that left out Nacho Elvira (-2) or Robert MacIntyre (-2), among others. The Scot, like Fleetwood (-3), is in a lull before the big event in New York. Jorge Campillo (-3) will be there on Sunday.
– Good rounds from Eugenio Chacarra (-7, today 69) and Ángel Ayora (-6, today 68), who still aspire to climb even higher tomorrow and potentially achieve a great result that takes them even further up in the Race to Dubai, in pursuit of those PGA Tour cards.
