The BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth opened with a crowded leaderboard on Thursday, featuring Aaron Rai and Joakim Lagergren sharing the top spot after strong rounds of six-under-par 66.

Rai navigated the Surrey course with steady precision, racking up seven birdies. His only misstep occurred on the 16th hole, where an errant tee shot into a fairway bunker led to his lone bogey of the day.

Lagergren matched the English golfer's score with a polished performance of his own. The Swedish competitor highlighted his round with a brilliant eagle on the 12th hole as he chases his second career victory on the DP World Tour.

Rory McIlroy experienced a contrasting fortune during his opening 18 holes. The Northern Irishman began brilliantly and surged to five under par through his first 10 holes, taking the outright lead on a layout where he had shot a remarkable 60 during the pro-am.

However, the momentum shifted after the turn as wayward driving began to hurt his score. McIlroy dropped three shots over his final seven holes, including a costly trip into the water hazard on his penultimate hole, leaving him three under par and trailing the leaders by three strokes.

A congested chasing pack sits just one stroke behind the leaders at five under par. That group includes American Ryan Gerard, Australia's veteran campaigner Adam Scott, Spain's Nacho Elvira, and Sweden's rising star Ludvig Aberg.

Patrick Reed leads a large contingent of players positioned two shots off the pace at four under par. Reed, currently second behind McIlroy in the Race to Dubai standings, is pursuing history as he aims to become only the second American to capture the tour's season-long title.

Other notable names in the group at four under include New Zealand's Ryan Fox, Norway's Viktor Hovland, and Scotland's Robert MacIntyre, who finished his round strongly with back-to-back birdies on the 17th and 18th holes.

Jon Rahm endured a frustrating opening day, struggling to a six-over-par 78. Playing alongside English players Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood, the Spanish major winner failed to register a single birdie on the front nine and ultimately carded five bogeys and a double bogey following persistent trouble off the tee.

Rose and Fleetwood managed to recover slightly on the back nine to finish one over par. Meanwhile, Matt Fitzpatrick, who recently questioned the travel requirements for the upcoming tour finale in Dubai, ended his opening round at level par alongside his brother Alex.

Reporting based on coverage first published by BBC Sport. Read the original report at BBC Sport.