Rory McIlroy, LIV player in sight of the leaders at the BMW PGA Championship

VIRGINIA WATER, England – A shortened tournament could pave the way for a thrilling final of the BMW PGA Championship, with the top 10 players separated by two shots going into Sunday’s final round.

Rory McIlroy is included, as are two golfers from the Saudi-backed Breakaway series.

The DP World Tour’s flagship event was shortened to 54 holes after a day of play was canceled following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Viktor Hovland and Soren Kjeldsen were tied by 12 under par at the end of the second round on Saturday.

McIlroy birdie-birdied on the closing par 5s at Wentworth to shoot 7-under 65 – tying his career low round in the tournament – and was third with Thomas Detry (65) and Rafa Cabrera Bello ( 65.), a shot behind the leaders.

Complete results of the BMW PGA Championship

Then fell five players to 10 – including Adrian Otaegui (65) and Talor Gooch (64), both now playing in the controversial LIV Golf series. Gooch’s presence on the field drew criticism ahead of the event from some golfers, who have opted to stick with the sport’s more established tours and shun the Saudi money.

Gooch was even name-checked by defending champion Billy Horschel, who said his compatriot was in Wentworth “for one reason only and that’s to try and get world ranking points because you don’t have them” at LIV tournaments.

Otaegui and Gooch play together on Sunday.

Hovland shot a 68 to continue his opening 64, while Kjeldsen started with a bogey and, after opening with 68, finished a birdie birdie with 64.

Hovland has not won since the Dubai Desert Classic in January. The last of Kjeldsen’s four DP World Tour titles came in 2015.

McIlroy, meanwhile, won the Tour championship – and the FedEx Cup – two weeks ago and is aiming for back-to-back titles globally for the first time since 2014.

As the current leader of the Race to Dubai, the four-time Major Champion is also well placed to win the money lists on both sides of the Atlantic.

“I felt like my putting was really good,” McIlroy said after a 5-foot birdie putt in 18th place, followed shortly after a big par save in 16th place, “and that kept me in the tournament .”

The game started at 6:40 a.m. local time on Saturday, with 30 players having to complete their first rounds, which were stopped late Thursday after the announcement of the Queen’s death at the age of 96.

It was decided that no play would take place on Friday – meaning the event was cut back to 54 holes – as a mark of respect to the monarch of more than 70 years, and players, caddies and officials observed a two-minute period of silence from the course at 9 :50 p.m

The proclamation of King Charles III. was later shown on the television screens at the Championship Village.

Horschel said he and his wife visited Windsor Castle to pay their respects to the Queen when the tournament was suspended on Friday, while Australian player Min Woo Lee – who posted a week-low 62 – did the same at Buckingham Palace.

McIlroy paid tribute to the “Queen’s dignity, devotion and grace”.

“She was such a stable figure for the whole country,” McIlroy said. “I was very lucky, I met her a few years ago and she couldn’t have been nicer. I have the picture of it in my house next to my MBE, which I’m also very proud of.”

McIlroy said it was the “right decision” to go ahead with the tournament.

“I don’t think we’re disrespecting anyone by playing and celebrating what a life the Queen had,” he said.