Two birdies in his final two holes moved Padraig Harrington to within touching distance of the lead after his first round of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth today.

The Dubliner, chasing a €1 million bonus if he can repeat last week's success at the Irish Open, had a mixed afternoon, carding three bogeys on his way to a three-under par 69.

Justin Rose and Paul Broadhurst set the early pace, both coming in with six-under-par rounds of 66.

Broadhurst, the 41-year-old former Ryder Cup player who has not had a top-10 finish all season, was in the sixth group out and made the most of the ideal early conditions by bursting out of the blocks with five birdies in the first eight holes.

Then later in the day Rose, making his first appearance since coming fifth in the Masters last month and then suffering more back trouble, grabbed eight birdies to make it a tie at the top.

They were one shot ahead of a group which included Simon Khan, runner-up to David Howell in the event last May, but perhaps still best known as the player fined a record £8,000 for slow play in Ireland two years ago.

Only two behind - and still with the par five 18th to come - was world number five Ernie Els, the man who has toughened up the West Course in the last two years and who lives alongside it.

Darren Clarke, meanwhile, did what his Liverpool side failed to do by converting an early chance, but slipped back to level par by close of play.

Clarke was returning to action after pulling out of two events in America and then withdrawing from last week's Irish Open because of a hamstring strain.

Prior to that he missed four halfway cuts in a row and with his world ranking slumping to 87th he needs a top-two finish on Sunday to avoid having to qualify for next month's US Open.

Clarke suffered his hamstring string playing football with his sons Tyrone and Conor and on Sunday they witnessed him flipping over an off-road buggy in a field near their home.

He escaped from that with only a swollen hand, though, and thankfully it went down in time for him to tee off in the £3million event.

Paul McGinley finished alongside Gary Murphy and Graeme McDowell on two-over while Damien McGrane and Simon Thornton were on the same mark as they neared the end of their first rounds.