Moving day was all about trying to stand still at the BMW PGA Championship on Saturday for the majority of the field, when the wind got up after two sweltering, airless days and self preservation became more of an issue on a day when not one of the 66-man field enjoyed a bogey-free round.
Andrew Dodt of Australia, a Queenslander who lives in Newcastle NSW, was the most successful in the afternoon and produced a four-under 68 to add to his pair of 70s and hold the lead at eight under. He said he has been working on the mental side of his game and did not realise how well he had done until he added it up at the end, but he will go out in Sunday’s last pairing with Branden Grace of South Africa, who started at five under, held the outright lead at one point, and signed for a 70 and seven under.
“You know it’s going to be tough when it’s breezy,” Dodt said. “But the last seven holes were a little easier playing downwind compared to the first two days. They were quite tough when it’s into the wind, so it was a little easier, but you still have to hit the shots.”
The Wentworth course is rebuilding its reputation after the disastrous revamp in 2009 led to the course being widely derided as unfair and produced a growing list of no-shows from leading players. With the US PGA Championship expected to move to a May date from 2019, goodwill is needed and quickly if the English event is to maintain its eminence, the more so if it takes up a new slot on the calendar, with September the most likely suggestion. The early signs are that much has been recouped already.
This latest revamp began days after Chris Wood won last year’s tournament, when all of the greens were dug up, four of them being reshaped and five partially rebuilt, and a sub-air heating system was installed under all 18 so the speed can be regulated and keep them firm and fast. Twenty-nine bunkers were also removed and those that survived were made less punishing.
“The greens are not putting the same and that’s a good thing” said Lee Westwood, who is making his 24th appearance and reckons he has been re-learning the course, more experience of which he got with his level-par round that was all about hanging in until he made good the early damage with birdies at the final three holes.
“It was great to finish like that and get back to level par. I’m five-under the tournament, and it feels like it’s right in there. The 16th has gone back to being a birdie chance. I like that they have taken the traps away on the left-hand side. It gives you some fairway to hit into. The green has been remodelled and it’s much fairer. It gives you a chance to get it nearer to the hole, and I took advantage of that.”
The Open champion, Henrik Stenson, like Westwood, dropped a shot at the 1st after finding bunkers with his drive and then his third shot, let more shots go at the 4th and 7th but repaired some of the damage with two birdies on the way back to sign for a 73. That gave him a share of fifth with Ireland’s Shane Lowry, who quietly put together a two-under 70 and said he hopes the weather and wind are the same for the fourth round.
Two of the three overnight leaders also started badly, Francesco Molinari and Thomas Pieters both three-putting the opener, wit the Italian managing one birdie all day and finishing with a 74 for five under.
Pieters, who has been staying in the neighbourhood with Sam Torrance and his family, blew completely despite a relaxing evening of darts and pool at the house of his former Ryder Cup captain and was four over on the back nine to complete a 78 and his chance has gone.
The third, Scott Jamieson, parred the first and lead outright for an hour, but is effectively gone after a 76.
Andrew Johnson had an eventful round for his 72, with two eagles and no birdies that left him at three under and in a share of eighth, and said he was disappointed with failing to capitalise on the closing holes.
Nevertheless he was happy enough, as were the throngs of autograph hunters for whom he was still signing 20 minutes after his media duties were over and delaying his departure home on the M25 to watch the FA Cup final and the boxing.
The round of the day came from Japan’s Hideto Tanihara. His 67 moved him up from 32nd to a share of fifth, while Belgium’s Nicolas Colsaerts, off in the second game at 8am, returned a 69.
Justin Rose was two under for a level total, Ian Poulter shot 73 for two over, Danny Willett had a 76 for five over, while Luke Donald, a winner here in 2011 and 2012 and who began at one under, had a disastrous 81 and that included a birdie at the last.
