BMW PGA Championship 2016: Thursday Leaderboard Scores and Highlights

Joost Luiten, Scott Hend and Y.E. Yang set the clubhouse target on Thursday after each hitting an opening-round 65 to finish the first day of the 2016 BMW PGA Championship at the top of the leaderboard.   

Danny Willett finished on 66 and had to settle for finishing one shot off the leaders, despite being the only player not to hit a bogey on day one at Wentworth Club.

Englishmen Robert Rock and Luke Donald kept pace with the leaders, thanks to rounds of 67 and 68, respectively. Meanwhile, some late struggles undermined Graeme McDowell's efforts to do the same.

Here's what the leaderboard looks like after the opening round:

Position	Player	To Par	Total
T1	Scott Hend	-7	65
T1	Y.E. Yang	-7	65
T1	Joost Luiten	-7	65
4	Danny Willett	-6	66
T5	Jaco van Zyl	-5	67
T5	Robert Rock	-5	67
T5	Richard Green	-5	67
T8	Luke Donald	-4	68
T8	Kiradech Aphibarnrat	-4	68
T10	Felipe Aguilar	-3	69

Recap

Hend was in superb form, shooting par eight times and hitting seven birdies over the first 14 holes, before trouble struck at the 15th. That was when Hend hit a bogey, but the Australian soon bounced back.

He rebounded in style by finishing one under at the par-four 16. The official European Tour Twitter feed relayed a highlight of the putt that claimed the hole with a shot to spare:

While Hend had begun strongly, Yang slipped to a bogey at the opening hole. But he soon steadied his nerves to hit eight birdies from the next 17 holes in an efficient assault of the course.

After seeing Hend and Yang set the pace early on, Luiten answered with eight birdies from the first 15 holes. It was a remarkable recovery after falling victim to a bogey at the first hole.

But a bogey at the 16th was followed only by par at the 17th before Luiten rescued things with his ninth birdie on the 18th to tie the leaderboard at seven under.

One of the highlights of Willett's day came on the par-four six when he sank a birdie putt in superb fashion. NBC's Golf Channel relayed the stroke:

Shots like this one gave Willett the chance to end the day tied for the lead. He needed to close out the course with a pair of birdies to share pace with Hend and Yang.

Things didn't start well when he failed to hook a low drive onto the green and ended up on the rough after his second shot at the par-five 17. He still got his birdie but had to settle for par on the final hole.

Willett kept the crowds entertained and will have been pleased to have ended his day within a touch of the top of the leaderboard.

Similarly, Donald may have finished three shots behind, but he's still optimistic about his chances, according to the tournament's official site:

The player's confidence is justified since he won this tournament in 2012, the last time he started with a 68, per the European Tour. Donald was steady rather than spectacular, claiming three of his six birdies on par-five holes.

He looked like a savvy player merely easing his way into the competition and the challenges of its course.

Graeme McDowell had a few more memorable moments. Two of them came on the par-four 11, the sight of one of McDowell's four birdies, via the European Tour:

But trouble followed when McDowell found himself in a bunker after an errant drive to start the par-four 16. This came on the heels of a bogey on the 15th.

McDowell recovered to par the hole, but it was an opportunity to make up some missed ground. He finished on 69, four shots off the top.

Luiten and Co. may have led the clubhouse, but it was Willett who caught the eye on the opening day. His bogey-free round is an endorsement of the Masters Tournament winner's credentials to claim this championship.