Shane Lowry is just two shots off the joint leaders, with Rory McIlroy a further two back, after the opening round of the BMW PGA Championship, which was suspended following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Play was suspended as news broke about the death of the Queen around 6.30pm, with a majority of players already in the clubhouse. It was later confirmed that there would be no play on Friday as a mark of respect.
Stormy weather provided a fitting backdrop at Wentworth, where players on both sides of golf's bitter power struggle were in action on the soggy fairways.
Englishman Tommy Fleetwood, compatriot Andy Sullivan and Norway's Viktor Hovland lead the way following eight-under-par 64s, but Matthew Jordan (-7), Lowry, Paraguay's Fabrizio Zanotti, Australian Jason Scrivener and Marcus Armitage (-6) are breathing down their necks.
Birdies on 11, 15 and 18 lifted the Offalyman up the leaderboard to set him up for a decent tile this weekend.
Speaking to RTÉ Sport's Greg Allen after his round, Lowry said he was "happy" with how he had started: "I didn't know what to expect going out today. I prepared as best I could the last couple of days, and I just kind of know this place fairly well. I kind of know how to get it around here.
"And I hit a really bad shot, number five, and an unbelievable up and down there from 20 yards right of the green. So that was kind of the only time all day I was out of position, and I managed to have one of those up and downs that you don't do very often. So that was pretty cool."
He also addressed his recent criticism of the presence of LIV golfers at Wentworth, saying: "I just hate the fact of what's going on in the world of golf.
"I just hate the fact of what's going on in the world of golf"
— RTEgolf (@RTEgolf) September 8, 2022
After making a strong start to the #bmwpgachampionship Shane Lowry speaks to @gregallenRTE about his recent remarks on the presence of LIV players at Wentworth #rtegolf pic.twitter.com/QD9Egi3vAt
"I just absolutely can't explain how much I actually hate it, because I just think it's very disruptive and it's just lads who you've been friends with for a long time, and hopefully we see the back of this at some stage."
McIlroy also birdied 18 and only had one bogey in a solid 68, the same score as 14 others, including defending champion Billy Horschel and Abraham Ancer, one of the LIV golfers making a divisive tournament debut.
McIlroy got off to a slow start with four straight pars but birdied the fifth and sixth before dropping a shot on the eighth after only being able to move his ball a few feet from heavy rough.
The FedEx Cup champion was able to see the funny side and said: "I was very surprised. I thought if I could get enough speed into it and get steep enough on it I could at least get it over the water and somewhere around the green.
"Harry (Diamond, his caddie) did say to me, 'Are you not worried about this bank in front of you?' and I said, 'No, I can get over that'. I managed to get away with a bogey and I thought I played okay.
"The rain was on and off all day and that made it a little tricky, umbrellas up, umbrellas down, wet gear on, wet gear off. But the course is soft, so receptive. It's target practice out there.
"If you can hit the ball in the fairway, you've got the ball in your hand with preferred lies so you can go low. I definitely feel the course is going to be very gettable for the rest of the week."
Ian Poulter, one of 18 LIV players in the field, was greeted with a mixture of boos and cheers when he teed off.
Poulter received a similar reception on the first tee in the first round of the Open Championship at St Andrews in July.
DP World Tour members like Poulter, Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood are eligible for the event at Wentworth after their suspensions for playing in the inaugural event of the Saudi-backed breakaway were temporarily stayed on appeal, with the full hearing set for February.
Additional reporting: PA
