Day one digest: 2020 BMW PGA Championship

Everything you need to know from the opening round of the third Rolex Series event of the 2020 Race to Dubai.

There were home comforts for Hatton, comebacks galore, an old adage was proven and a switch of equipment paid dividends on day one of the 2020 BMW PGA Championship.

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

Home from home for Hatton

Tyrrell Hatton certainly made himself feel at home as he shot an opening 66 to take a share of the lead in Surrey. After spending a lot of time in the United States of late, the Englishman is back on home soil and able to stay at his home just 25 minutes from the course. He revealed some of the first things he did on getting back to the UK were have a bacon sandwich, a cup of tea and a curry but it was on the course where he revealed he felt truly comfortable. "I've been around it so many times now, so (it) kind of almost has that home course feel and you just feel like you know it so well," he said. "This is a tournament I've been coming to since I was five years old. To lift the trophy here is a goal of mine in my career, and hopefully I can play well the next few days and give myself a chance to do that. My dad used to bring me up here. So it's like one of my sort of favourite things to do when I was a kid... that's what makes this week so special."

Speaking of Tyrrell........

If you're going to take the lead, you may as well do it in style. What a shot.

Wish you were here

After carding an opening 67, Shane Lowry spoke of how much he missed the fans in Surrey. "I miss the fans here, the best of the year by far, and I miss them," he said. "You really do miss them in tournaments because they come out here and there are thousands and they do appreciate good golf. So we miss them here." Well just because there are no fans doesn't mean you can't acknowledge them, which is exactly what Shane did after he holed this monster.

Beware the injured golfer

Ian Poulter started suffering with back spasms on Sunday. After having acupuncture and other treatments he still was not fully recovered by Thursday and needed some medical assistance early in his opening round. "After four holes, I was contemplating whether to call it a day," he said, adding of his on-course 'massage': "He's a big guy and his elbows are pretty strong, too, so that is not enjoyable at all." The Ryder Cup talisman still looked to be struggling but he toughed it out to be just one over after 15 holes and finished birdie-birdie-eagle to get to three under. Ian Poulter never knows when he is beaten.

The comeback kids

Eddie Pepperell described his 67 on Thursday as "definitely the best five under I've ever shot on Tour". The Englishman hit four wild tee shots on the front nine but some stunning short-game play kept him in touch. "I hit the starter's hut on the East Course off the first tee... made a chip-in for par," he said. "Snap-hooked my tee shot into three, made a great bogey and I had no idea what I was doing. It was awful, going everywhere off the tee and I made two birdies. I snap-hooked two more tee shots. How I was under par after six, seven, eight holes, I have no idea. My short game was unbelievable. My iron play was brilliant and I actually missed a couple of birdie opportunities." Pepperell signed for a 67 and is just one off the lead.

Tommy Fleetwood made a bogey-bogey start and more dropped shots on the fifth and seventh meant he turned in 39 and the thoughts of some observers were turning to the cut rather than the trophy. The 2017 Race to Dubai champion then birdied the 12th and 13th and finished his round with three more gains to drag himself back into red figures.

Well done gentlemen.

JB changes things up

They say a change is as good as a rest - well Joachim B. Hansen made a slightly unusual change this week: he swapped his four iron for a seven wood. The gambit clearly paid off as the Dane fired a 68 to sit just two off the lead. Sometimes it pays to think outside the box.