All 12 Europe Ryder Cup players made the cut at Wentworth
The flagship event on the DP World Tour took centre stage last weekend at Wentworth. Conditions were perfect for three rounds but the weather changed for the final round with heavy rain and play been suspended. It was incredible that all 12 Europe Ryder Cup players participated and all made the cut at the BMW PGA Championship. It was the last time to show were their game is at before they battle against USA at Marco Simone.
World number two got off to a slow start as Rory McIlroy shot an opening round of even par. McIlroy was in danger of missing the cut before he made two birdies in the last four holes to advance to the weekend. McIlroy went back to his natural right to left swing for the final two rounds. This made a difference as McIlroy shot 12 under over the weekend to finish in a tie for seventh. McIlroy was disappointed that he didn’t birdie either 17th or 18th but a 65 is a great way to bounce back from The K Club. Two years ago was a difficult Ryder Cup for McIlroy and he will be looking for an improvement in Rome.
Jon Rahm finished second in the 2022 BMW PGA Championship. Rahm got off to a poor start in the final round as he made three bogeys on the front nine. The Masters champion finished very impressively as he made five birdies in the last seven holes. Rahm had an opportunity to tie the lead with an eagle on the 18th but unfortunately his putt was just hit a bit hard. Rahm finished fourth on 16 under.
Viktor Hovland won the 2022/2023 FedEx Cup. Hovland has hit a purple patch with his two recent wins at the BMW Championship and Tour Championship. Hovland was six behind going into the final round and shot a five under round to finish on 15 under. Hovland finished fifth in the BMW PGA Championship and will play a big role in Rome for Luke Donald’s men.
18 year old Ludvig Aberg was picked as a wildcard for 2023 Ryder Cup. Aberg wasn’t faced by playing with McIlroy and Hovland over the first two rounds at Wentworth. His distance control was incredible with his wedge shots as he was leading on 16 under after 54 holes. The final round didn’t go the way he wanted but a great learning experience which will help him in the future. Aberg still managed to finish in the top 10 on 12 under.
Tyrell Hatton won the BMW PGA Championship in 2020. Hatton was five behind the lead going into the final round. He started with birdies on two, three and five before holing a shot out of a bunker for birdie on the sixth hole. It looked like Hatton had one hand on the trophy as he reached 17 under after a birdie at the 11th hole. The rain was coming down very heavy and this affected Hatton as he hit his drive out of bounds on the 15th hole. Remarkably Hatton achieved a bogey at the 15th hole. Hatton made a birdie at the 18th to finish in a tie for second on 17 under. Hatton needs to repeat this form in Rome for the Ryder Cup.
Seven of the 12 Europe Ryder Cup players finished in the top 10 who were Hatton, Rahm, Aberg, Hovland, McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood and Sepp Straka. Straka’s putting was remarkable at Wentworth and this will be important for Rome. Fleetwood was excellent for the first three rounds but had a poor final round to finished sixth on 14 under. Fleetwood is another player that needs to step up and play a big role in Rome.
Shane Lowry and Matt Fitzpatrick both finished inside the top 20. Justin Rose finished in a tie for 36th on five under. Robert MacIntyre and Nicolai Hojgaard finished well down the leaderboard with the Scotsman finishing in a tie for 45th and the Denish superstar in a tie for 64th. Both MacIntyre and Hojgaard have won the Italian Open at Marco Simone.
Wentworth was a fantastic event which was won by an excellent final round by Ryan Fox. Europe are in good shape with the Ryder Cup just around the corner but are massive underdogs due to America having all their players inside the top 30 of the World Golf Rankings.
Hope you enjoyed watching all 12 Europe Ryder Cup players at Wentworth.