One of the highlights of the DP World Tour season begins at Wentworth Club in Virginia Water, Surrey, on Thursday as an elite field gathers for the BMW PGA Championship.
Wentworth's West Course, a classic tree-lined layout designed by Harry Colt, first hosted this tournament in 1972 as the Viyella PGA Championship, before becoming the permanent venue in 1984.
The course, which is the home of the DP World Tour, has undergone numerous renovations over the years, including redesigns by Ernie Els in both 2010 and 2017, and is now a par-72 layout measuring 7,267 yards. Given the claustrophobic nature of the fairways, tee-to-green accuracy has tended to trump brute power.
Rory McIlroy, the BMW PGA champion in 2014, leads the betting in a star-studded field that also includes Tommy Fleetwood, Jon Rahm, Ludvig Aberg, last week's Irish Open hero Shane Lowry and other potential members of Luke Donald's Ryder Cup squad for next year's showdown at Adare Manor.
All of them will have designs on making a fast start when round one begins at 7:10am BST on Thursday, but three others catch the eye in the first-round leader market.
BMW PGA Championship First-Round Leader Tips Summary
Best Bet - Matt Fitzpatrick First-Round Leader @ 30/1
Alternative Bet - Tom McKibbin First-Round Leader @ 40/1
Bet Builder - Francesco Molinari First-Round Leader @ 90/1
BMW PGA Championship First-Round Leader Prediction
Best Bet: Matt Fitzpatrick First-Round Leader @ 30/1
Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald has used the BMW PGA Championship as a reason to bring his star names together and a select group of 16 potential team members were in Ireland for a Monday scouting mission, including England's Matt Fitzpatrick.
Fitzpatrick has had an excellent year, rising to fourth in the world rankings with PGA Tour wins coming at the Valspar Championship, the RBC Heritage and at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans alongside brother Alex, who could also be in Donald's plans next year.
The elder Fitzpatrick brother looks the best bet in the first-round leader market at Wentworth on Thursday.
Conditions look evenly balanced throughout the day and the 32-year-old looks primed to make a strong start from a marquee 7:50am group which also features his Ryder Cup teammates Tyrrell Hatton and Shane Lowry.
Fitzpatrick's accurate game is well suited to tree-lined Wentworth and, of those in this week's field who have played in the BMW PGA on three or more occasions, only Viktor Hovland and Shane Lowry can better Fitzpatrick's round-one scoring average of 69.7.
The Englishman ranked eighth on the PGA Tour for first-round scoring in the 2026 season and he has been in the top 10 at the conclusion of the opening round in four of his last seven events.
Alternative Bet: Tom McKibbin First-Round Leader @ 40/1
Tom McKibbin's future with LIV Golf remains up in the air and the Northern Irishman appears eager to make a big impression on the DP World Tour this autumn as he bids to keep his options open.
McKibbin has finished sixth, 12th, sixth and fifth in his last four worldwide events, striking the ball superbly, and he was in the top 10 after the opening round in three of those tournaments.
The Belfast-born 23-year-old has quickly taken to Wentworth, finishing 10th and 11th in the last two editions of the BMW PGA.
Alternative Bet: Francesco Molinari First-Round Leader @ 90/1
At attractive each-way odds, it is worth taking a chance on Francesco Molinari, who has shown signs of his best form this year and knows Wentworth well, winning this title in 2018 and finishing in the top 10 on six other occasions.
Molinari is unlikely to ever recapture his 2018 form, when he also won The Open Championship, but he set the pace at the Dubai Desert Classic in January, opening with a 65, and he carded a first-round 67 at the Open in July.
At a course where he is supremely comfortable, the popular Italian could be among the fast starters again.
Key Tournament Stats
The BMW PGA Championship has taken place at the West Course each year from 1984 onwards
The extensively remodelled venue is now a par-72 layout measuring 7,267 yards
Ludvig Aberg and Tom Vaillant shared the 18-hole lead after eight-under rounds of 64 last year
Matt Fitzpatrick ranked eighth on the PGA Tour in first-round scoring average last season
Irish Open winner Shane Lowry has been in the top five after round one of the BMW PGA five times
Tournament favourite Rory McIlroy has a Wentworth first-round scoring average of 71.57 (14 rounds)
Read more golf betting tips and predictions on site.
This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
