Great start for Irish at Wentworth

The Irish contingent at Wentworth has started strongly, with three of them taking up positions in the leading pack.

Stephen Hamill and Peter Lawrie lead the BMW Championship field on -3 after five holes, while Gary Murphy lies two shots back in fourth place.

Padraig Harrington has had a sedate start. He is on par after two holes. Graeme McDowell is in the same position after three holes. Darren Clarke, disappointingly pipped at the post in the Irish Open on Monday, will tee off at 12.55pm today.

Meanwhile, days of heavy rain led to officials reducing the length of two of the holes for the start of play today.

The West Course has been lengthened and toughened by Ernie Els since last September’s World Match Play, but the 465-yard third was cut by 77 yards because of the saturated state of the fairway and a forward tee was in use on the 418-yard sixth.

Placing of the ball was also being allowed and would remain in operation for at least the first two rounds, while greenkeepers had to do repair work to some of the bunkers after the latest downpour.

At least the rain had stopped when play got under way at 7am, with Welshman Jamie Donaldson registering the first birdie of the week on the short second. He had bogeyed the first, though.

Els himself was among the early starters, teeing off at 8.10am with Miguel Angel Jimenez and Thomas Bjorn, winner of the Irish Open on Monday.

The South African star is a six-time winner on the course, but all of those have come in the Match Play. He is making his 11th attempt to capture the European tour’s flagship event – formerly known as the Volvo PGA championship - after finishing second in 1994, 1997 and 1998.

A total of 30 bunkers have been added since last year and every hole except the short 14th has been altered, but the shortening of the third and sixth meant the course was playing only about 150 yards longer.