Day two digest: 2021 BMW PGA Championship

Everything you need to know from the second round of the third Rolex Series event of the 2021 Race to Dubai.

Kiradech kept his nose in front, Francesco was dancing in the dark, we had two pieces of perfection and the Ryder Cup race was hotting up on day two of the 2021 BMW PGA Championship.

Here is everything you need to know from Friday at Wentworth Golf Club.

Aphibarnrat leads the way

Kiradech Aphibarnrat continued to put his tough spell behind him as he carded a 68 to stay at the top of the leaderboard. The Thai has twice been a runner up in Rolex Series events but after missing 11 of his first 15 cuts worldwide in 2021 following an injury disrupted 2019 and Covid interrupted 2020, he would not have been among the favourites arriving this week. But the 32-year-old is not a four time European Tour winner for nothing and he followed up his opening 64 to get to 12 under. "I'm really proud of the way I'm playing these first two rounds," he said. "A lot of good stuff in there. Everyone tried to get a low score but this golf course, you can hit a lot of birdies but it can hurt you if you're out of position. I tried to play for more fairways, more greens. My putter was rolling well this week and I'm really pleased."

Laporta leaves it late

Francesco Laporta matched the lowest round of the day with a 65 to get to 11 under but he had to make his closing birdie in the dark. The Italian went out in the final group of the day and it was deep into dusk when he holed a 20 footer to complete his bogey free effort. "Nice finish in the dark," he said. "Played solid today. It was nice to finish with a birdie and another weekend and it's going to be great tomorrow. I played the last two holes, I asked the referees if the players ahead were in the fairway and they told us, 'yeah, if you want to go for it, then yeah'. It was a bit quick those two holes. It was great to have a big leaderboard on the left side. It was dark."

Game on

Bernd Wiesberger came home in 32 to move to six under and keep the Ryder Cup race wide open. A top 50 finish here will all but secure the Austrian's place at Whistling Straits, which would not be good news for Shane Lowry or Lee Westwood. Lowry is eight under with Westwood at four under and there are many scenarios that could unfold over the next two days. After 36 holes, Shane is missing out. It's gonna be a long weekend.

Holes-in-one are like buses.....

History was made as Dane Joachim B. Hansen and Frenchman Romain Langasque both made holes-in-one on the tenth, the first time that the same hole has been aced twice in the same round at this event. They took the total of holes-in-one at Wentworth to 24 since 1999.

Big birds send Donaldson flying

Jamie Donaldson carded three eagles in a single round for just the second time in his European Tour career on day two. The Welshman had previously achieved the feat in the final round of the Trophée Hassan II in 2012, the same year in which he made two eagles in the first round here at Wentworth. This year in round two, he holed out from 122 yards on the par four seventh, made a 19 footer on the par five 12th and put a stunning second to nine feet on the par five 17th to become the first player to register a hat-trick in this event since Peter Fowler in 2003. "To have three eagles in a round, you never know what's coming in golf," he said. "You have to keep grinding and pushing and suddenly you've made three eagles and shot 66 and it's just crazy. I've struggled to make three in a year, to be honest, never mind three in 12 holes or whatever it was. Yeah, it's crazy."

She'll never let him live that down

Justin Rose is one of life's good guys and on Friday he made a fan for life. We salute you Justin and we're all for inspiring the next generation, but that poor lad will never hear the end of the gloating.