VIRGINIA WATER, England (AP) — Shane Lowry tapped in for birdie at the 18th hole and then had to wait and see if Rory McIlroy could produce something special to force a playoff at Wentworth.
McIlroy gave himself a chance and the crowd cheered as his long eagle putt on the final hole crept slowly toward the hole, only to stop an inch short.
McIlroy crouched down, staring at the ball in disbelief, while Lowry hugged his caddie in the scorer’s tent to celebrate a one-shot victory at the BMW PGA Championship on Sunday.
McIlroy and Jon Rahm were tied for second, one shot back.
It was Lowry’s first win since the British Open at 2019 and came after a bogey-free performance over three days at Wentworth.
The tournament was reduced to 54 holes with no play on Friday after the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday.
Lowry finished with a 7-under 65 for a 17-under total of 199.
Rahm surged up the leaderboard with a 62, rolling in an eagle putt on the 18th to take a two-shot clubhouse lead at 16 under. He then had to wait more than two hours to see if it would be good enough for the win, although on a low-scoring day at Wentworth it never looked likely to be.
A superb approach shot from Lowry on the 18th made sure of that.
Lowry hit an iron from 242 yards onto the center of the green and then rolled an eagle putt to within a few inches of the hole, leaving himself a tap-in birdie for the lead.
It was a first win at Wentworth in his 13th appearance in the European Tour’s flagship event, having finished second to McIlroy in 2014.
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