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Little-known Englishman Matt Baldwin tied a tournament record to take a two-shot lead at the European Tour’s PGA Championship with 13 under par on Friday.
Less than three years ago, Baldwin had to turn to delivery driver jobs to get through the winter months after failing to keep his card on the DP World Tour.
But the world number 363 is now in pole position to win the £1.15 million ($1.5 million) top prize after adding a 66 to his opening 65 to equal the 36-hole tournament record set by Paul McGinley in 2008.
“I worked three or four months at Amazon driving a van just to get through the winter before the Challenge Tour started in 2022,” Baldwin said.
“I learned a lot from that. I learned there were other things I could do in life, but I also learned that I really wanted to play golf.”
British Masters winner Niklas Norgaard is Baldwin’s closest challenger at 11 under, with Frenchman Antoine Rozner trailing after making six birdies over the final seven holes in a bogey-free 65.
Rory McIlroy is four shots back at nine under after adding a 68 to his opening 67.
The world number three entered the week on the back of a heartbreaking defeat at the Irish Open.
McIlroy looked set to claim his first professional victory on Northern Irish soil at Royal County Down until costly late bogeys saw him finish a shot behind Rasmus Hojgaard.
“I wouldn’t have liked to have a bye week feeling sorry for myself if I hadn’t played,” McIlroy said.
“To come back and get right back on the golf course and play a few solid rounds to give myself a chance at another really big tournament that means a lot to me, I thought it was important to do that and luckily I did do. “
Baldwin’s childhood partner Tommy Fleetwood is also in contention at seven under, alongside his Ryder Cup teammate Bob MacIntyre.
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