Shane Lowry edged out Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy to end his wait for a BMW PGA Championship victory.
There was plenty of late drama in Surrey as Lowry birdied the last to overtake early clubhouse leader Rahm at the summit.
But he then faced an anxious wait as McIlroy, in the group behind, gave himself an eagle putt at the 18th which would have pulled him alongside Lowry.
McIlroy’s 23-foot effort just stayed above ground, though, handing Lowry his first victory in a tournament that means so much to him.
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The Irishman has long had a terrific record at Wentworth Club, coming into the week with nine top-20 finishes to his name in this event.
And his love affair with the West Course continued as he carded an eagle and five birdies on Sunday to sign for a closing 65 and get to 17 under par, declaring himself “the happiest man in the world right now”.
Lowry did not card a single bogey all week on his way to victory in the fourth Rolex Series event of the 2022 DP World Tour season, which was shortened to 54 holes after Friday’s play was cancelled following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday.
Rahm and McIlroy finished in a tie for second, one shot back on 16 under, with Talor Gooch another stroke further back.
After opening his final round with three straight pars, Lowry holed his 10-foot eagle putt at the 4th to jump to 12 under.
He then made back-to-back birdies at the 7th and 8th before another gain on the short 10th took him to 15 under – just one shot adrift of clubhouse leader Rahm.
Lowry almost took the outright lead at the long 12th but he was denied an eagle there as his bunker shot finished inches from the hole, having to settle for a par instead.
The 2019 Open Championship winner remained patient, parring the next five holes before giving himself an eagle try on the 18th.
His birdie there gave him a one-shot lead, and with McIlroy unable to join him on 17 under, Lowry added the BMW PGA Championship title to his CV.
“It means a lot,” he said. “It’s been a good year – I felt like I’ve been close a few times and felt like I’ve only got a few tournaments left this season and wanted to try and win one, and obviously this one is right up at the top of the list.
“I love it here and I’ve contended in the past, and even going down the back nine today, I was like, the bad shots that I’ve hit over the years in contention actually started to creep into my head and it’s amazing what this game does.
“I’m so happy. Honestly, words can’t describe how happy I am, how much this means to me and how much I love this Tour and how much I love this tournament. I’m the happiest man in the world right now.”
Report from DP World Tour website
