A quick glance at the leader board of the BMW International Open gives you a good idea of the pedigree of golfers making up this field – the top five, and nine of the top 11 are all currently in the top 60 of the Race to Dubai.
That leader board is topped by Spain’s Rafa Cabrera-Bello and England’s Danny Willett, each of whom shot an 8-under 64 on Thursday to take a two-stroke lead over seven other players tied at 6-under.
It’s a continuation of great play for Willett, who tied for third at last week’s Irish Open and is currently 43rd in the Dubai standings.
Cabrera-Bello is looking for his first win of 2014, but already has five Top 10 finishes this year, including at the Nordea Masters in early June.
Both players recorded rounds with eight birdies and no bogeys on Thursday.
The only players in the Top 10 not int he Race to Dubai standings are England’s Graeme Storm and France’s Gary Stal, both are in the mix at 6-under. The rest of the 6-under crowd includes Spain’s Alvaro Quiros, Northern Ireland’s Michael Hoey, Argentina’s Emilliano Grillo, Denmark’s Anders Hansen and England’s Andy Sullivan.
Among those at 5-under is Spanish Open champion Miguel Angel Jimenez, currently ranked 28th in the world. The 50-year-old Jimenez fired four birdies in a five-hole stretch on the back nine to reach 5-under.
World No.2 Henrik Stenson is tied for 19th at 4-under. Stenson had an eagle 3 on the 519-yard No. 13.
Current Race to Dubai leader Thomas Bjorn is tied for 47th at 2-under in his first action since the Nordea Masters on June 1.
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