Molinari leads as Donald misses the cut
Italy's Francesco Molinari set the clubhouse target on a miserable day at Wentworth as Ryder Cup team-mate Luke Donald's bid for a third successive BMW PGA Championship title came to a premature end.
And fellow heroes of the 'Miracle at Medinah' also made an early exit from the European Tour's flagship £4million event, with Rory McIlroy (75), Graeme McDowell (75) and Ian Poulter (76) all joining Donald in missing the halfway cut.
Donald went into the second round insisting a hat-trick was not out of the question despite struggling to an opening 78, but the world number six could only manage a 72 on another cold and wet day to finish six over par. That was 12 shots behind Molinari, who birdied the 18th to complete a 68 and lead by one from England's Mark Foster, Scotland's Marc Warren, Spain's Alejandro Canizares and South African George Coetzee.
Molinari, whose halved match with Tiger Woods at Medinah sealed Europe's remarkable victory in Chicago, began his second round with a bogey and also dropped shots at the 10th and 16th, but also carded seven birdies on a course where he finished seventh last year.
English rookie Eddie Pepperell birdied his last four holes to card a 69 to lie just two off the lead on four under, with Lee Westwood and Ernie Els - playing alongside Molinari - another shot back after rounds of 71 and 69 respectively.
Sergio Garcia, embroiled in a race row since his "fried chicken" comment about Tiger Woods at the European Tour's awards dinner on Tuesday, was just five shots off the lead after a 71, with Nicolas Colsaerts a shot better off after a 70.
McIlroy had just one par, three birdies and five bogeys in a front nine of 37, but somehow scrambled seven pars in succession on the back nine despite a string of wayward drives before a double-bogey seven on the 17th ended his chances.
Poulter managed one birdie in a second successive 76 and has now missed the cut in his last three strokeplay events as well as losing both group matches in the Volvo World Match Play Championship last week.
Making his 600th European Tour appearance, Spain's Miguel Angel Jimenez birdied three of his last four holes for a 69 to finish one over.
