After a 10/1 winning treble for Ben Coley on day one of the BMW PGA, Dave Tindall previews the second round at Wentworth.
Golf betting tips: BMW PGA round two
1pt double win Fisher and Reitan to win their three-balls at 5/1 (bet365)
Day one of the DP World Tour’s flagship event is in the books. Despite a soggy start, the sun broke through in the afternoon although the wind kept scores in check after Aaron Rai and Joakim Lagergren had set the pace with rounds of six-under 66 in the morning.
Rory McIlroy, who shot a 62 in Wednesday's Pro-Am, threatened another super-low score after getting to -5 after 10 holes, but a scrappy homeward run eventually saw him sign for a three-under 69.
I watched a chunk of McIlroy’s trees-and-bunkers drop off and made a mental note that he could be worth opposing.
The idea appeals in theory but the problem is, who with? Playing partners Rai (66) and Ryan Fox (68) both really impressed and although I’d give preference to the US PGA winner over the Open champ, it’s not by a great margin.
So, let’s stick to the following three-ball double.
Fisher to beat Stone and Bairstow (1200 BST)
ROSS FISHER has well-known links to this event. He grew up in nearby Ascot and earned a spot on the Wentworth scholarship foundation course as a teenager. As a pro, he was runner-up way back in 2009, enjoyed back-to-back top-10s in 2017 and 2018 and added another top-20 in 2020.
Given those past exploits it was no surprise to see him card another round in the 60s on day one, his three-under 69 seeing him nestled inside the top 10 after the morning session. But on most of his play in 2026, the veteran’s impressive start did have the air of a throwback lap.
But those watching events on the DP World Tour closely will have noted that Fisher was sixth after 54 holes of last week’s Irish Open before fading to 23rd on Sunday. Prior to that he was 46th at the British Masters but, with this bet in mind, note his halfway positions in those two tournaments: 10th and 14th.
I’ll take him to get the better of Sam Bairstow and Brandon Stone for the second successive day when they tee it up again at midday. I caught a bit of their group today and watched Bairstow blaze a wild drive way right on 17. He bogeyed which meant two ‘6s’ on his card on Thursday after a double at 9. An even-par 72 was okay but 30th and 63rd 2025 in two starts here suggests he hasn’t exactly cracked Wentworth.
Stone has found the West Course a struggle throughout his career. The South African has missed five of his eight cuts here and managed nothing better than 38th. A one-over 73 which actually included an eagle at 18 continued that poor run.
Reitan to beat Donald and Olesen (1230 BST)
Luke Donald has some glorious history at Wentworth after an amazing run of two wins, a second and a third in five starts from 2010-2014. But that’s all in the rearview mirror now and he’s missed four cuts in the last six and not made the top 35 in a decade.
So with the Ryder Cup skipper not expected to be a factor after his one-over 73 on day one, this should be a match bet between KRISTOFFER REITAN and Jacob Skov Olesen. And I’ll take the Norwegian to get the better of the Dane once more after he outscored him 71 to 73 on the opening lap.
The fast-improving Reitan climbed new heights when winning the PGA Tour’s Truist Championship in May – a Signature Event no less. It’s been hard to keep playing to those levels but a top-20 in the Open at Birkdale is one of four top-25s in his last six starts. Thursday's decent opener built on Reitan’s solid tied 24th on debut last year when he shot 68-67 over the middle two rounds.
Reitan birdied all four par-fives along the way. His fours on 12 and 17 were tap-ins while he holed putts from six feet at 12 and 18 feet at the last to complete the set. That bodes well and he showed good mettle to recover from a sticky start which saw him slip to +2 after 3.
Skov Olesen has been in fine form but lost momentum when in a title bid in last week’s Irish Open. He closed with a 73 there and he repeated that number at Wentworth on Thursday. This is his course debut and four bogeys (all on par-fours) against three birdies today suggests he still has some learning to do.
Posted at 20:55 BST on 17/09/26
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