| -17 S Lowry (Ire); -16 J Rahm (Spa), R McIlroy (NI); -15 T Gooch (USA); -14 P Reed (USA), T Detry (Bel) |
| Others selected: -12 L Westwood (Eng), M Southgate (Eng); -11 D Horsey (Eng), S Horsfield (Eng); -ten G Forrest; -9 I Poulter (Eng); -8 M Fitzpatrick (Eng); -seven G McDowell (NI) |
| Full ranking |
Shane Lowry birdied the 18th to beat Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy to the BMW PGA Championship title by one stroke.
Spaniard Rahm hit two eagles and seven birdies, playing the final 10 holes in nine under, for a final 62 as he set a Test target of 16 under.
But Lowry kept his composure and found the par-5 18th in two then two putts to sign for a 65 and finish 17 under.
Northern Irishman McIlroy had a good chance to eagle 18 and equalize Irishman Lowry but his putt just missed it.
The event in Wentworth in Surrey was suspended on Thursday evening following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the UK’s longest-serving monarch.
Players, caddies and officials paid tribute to the Queen with a two minute silence when play resumed on Saturday, with the tournament reduced to 54 holes.
It was Lowry, 35, who finished top of a high-profile leaderboard at the showpiece event of the DP World Tour as he picked up his first victory since The Open Championship 2019.
He told Sky Sports: “I’m the happiest man alive. Winning means a lot, it’s been a good year, I’ve been close a few times and really wanted to win one.
“This one was right at the top of the list, I love it here and have supported it in the past. The bad shots over the years have started to creep into my head, but I’m so happy.
“I arrived at 16 [Rahm’s score] then I had to worry about Rory behind me, who can do anything on the last few holes. I’m playing the best golf of my life.”
The tournament was played against the backdrop of 18 players from the LIV Golf Series, a Saudi-backed breakaway, competing because their suspensions had been lifted, allowing them to play.
One of LIV’s players, American Talor Gooch, shot a closing 67 to take it to 15 under and fourth place.
Lowry said after his triumph: “I made no secret of how I feel about it all and wanted to go and win the tournament for me and those who stayed true and did everything for the round. It’s a for the good ones.”
McIlroy has been a staunch opponent of LIV Golf and said heading into the tournament that facing breakaway players would be “difficult to digest for me”.
On the course, it was almost the perfect response from the FedEx champion, but an eagle and four birdies in a final round that saw him hit several bad iron shots weren’t enough for the four-time major winner to claim a sixth event. of his season.
