BMW PGA Championship 2016: Friday Leaderboard Scores and Highlights
Danny Willett, Scott Hend and Y.E. Yang are tied at the top of the 2016 BMW PGA Championship leaderboard at 10 under par after Round 2's action at Wentworth Golf Club in Virginia Water, Surrey, United Kingdom.
Masters champion Willett carded a course-record 29 on the opening nine holes and finished on 68 for the day. Meanwhile, Hend lost his overnight lead before a sensational eagle on the 18th saw him return to the top of the pile.
Yang also remains in the chase for top honours after a round of 69, with South African Jaco Van Zyl one stroke further back in the standings.
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Here's what the leaderboard looks like after the second round:
| T1 | Danny Willett | -10 | 134 |
| T1 | Scott Hend | -10 | 134 |
| T1 | Y.E. Yang | -10 | 134 |
| 4 | Jaco Van Zyl | -9 | 135 |
| 5 | Jorge Campillo | -6 | 138 |
| T6 | Kiradech Aphibarnrat | -5 | 139 |
| T6 | Rafa Cabrera Bello | -5 | 139 |
| T6 | Joost Luiten | -5 | 139 |
| T6 | Eduardo De La Riva | -5 | 139 |
| T6 | Thomas Aiken | -5 | 139 |
Recap
Willett produced a sublime performance on the front nine, marking his card with two pars to start the day before birdieing all but the seventh hole for a course record to move five clear of his nearest challenger.
His standing at the top could have been even greater had it not been for a disappointing return to the clubhouse, as he blotted his copybook on four occasions with strokes over par.
At 12 under, the Englishman was set to challenge Paul McGinley's tournament-record halfway score of 13 under, but a bogey on the 10th disrupted his progress.
The highlight of his opening holes on Day 2 was a magnificent fairway shot to find the green on the eighth. Difficult pin position made this terrific effort even more impressive, as captured by the European Tour:
Willett somehow only parred the 13th hole despite a wonderful approach shot from the tee, via the European Tour's official account:
A run of three straight bogeys starting on the 15th brought Willett back into contention for the trailing pack, but he will be pleased to end the day on a positive. He finished with a birdie on the final hole to end his round at four under for the day.
Joint overnight leader Hend continued his good form into Day 2 of the tournament, birdieing two of the opening four holes but ending his front nine with a score of 34 after a bogey on the ninth.
The two-time European Tour winner highlighted his ball control with a superb approach to the eighth—which left him with an eight-foot par putt—but the Australian missed his opportunity to close the gap.
A birdie on the 12th moved him to within one of the Sheffield-born 28-year-old, before Hend followed up with another on the next. After four hours of solitude at the summit of the standings, Willett was joined by Hend.
However, a bogey on the 15th dropped him one back from the clubhouse leader. Hend eventually clawed back the deficit with a brilliant eagle, sinking a 25-yard putt on the final hole to end the day tied at the top.
Yang, the 44-year-old World No. 337, turned back the clock on the opening round to end the day among the joint leaders with a score of 65.
The South Korean had a mixed start to his Friday, with bogeys on the second and ninth sandwiching two birdies on the 552-yard fourth and seventh.
After a steady early round, Yang burst into life with an outstanding eagle on the 12th and a birdie on the 14th to draw level at 10 under at the top alongside Willett and Hend. He ended the day with another on the 10th from the bunker, via the European Tour:
There were highlights throughout the field on another glorious day of second round action from Wentworth.
Former World No. 1 Ernie Els congratulated the organisers for the conditions at the tournament on social media:
Meanwhile, European Tour Performance Institute & Physio Unit showcased how they put the legendary Miguel Angel Jimenez through his paces before hitting the course:
Back on the iconic surroundings, few shots were more spectacular than Austria's Bernd Wiesberger's on the 11th, as he escaped the sand to find the hole, per the European Tour:
The account also broadcast how Frenchman Victor Dubuisson couldn't have got much closer to winning a BMW M2 with a hole-in-one on the competitive 179-yard 14th:
Last year's prize winner Chris Wood also came close, via the tournament's official social media account:
But it was Scott Jamieson who eventually took home the prize, and a much-needed eagle, with a hole-in-one on the 10th hole, sinking off the pin from 184 yards:
Masters winner Willett broke a course record for his front-nine display on Friday, but he is not alone at the top of the charts heading into the weekend's action.
The Englishman's opening gambit displays his threat ahead of the final two days of competition at this year's BMW PGA Championship, but Hend's comeback is a testament to his ball-striking ability.
Yang, meanwhile, has shown determination and flashes of brilliance during the early stages of the competition and deserves his place at the top of the leaderboard heading into Saturday.
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