Francesco Molinari went bogey-free over the weekend to win the BMW PGA Championship by two strokes over Rory McIlroy, while Branden Grace was the best of the South African contingent.
Molinari’s impressive win at Wentworth will lift him inside the top 20 in the world with McIlroy left pondering where his early form disappeared to.
The Northern Irishman was one over through 10 as he continued his struggles off the tee. After birdies at 12th and 17th, McIlroy gave himself an outside chance of forcing a playoff but left his eagle putt inches short of the cup on the 72nd hole meaning he had to watch as Molinari stroked home what would’ve been a nervy one.
The Italian hardly put a foot wrong but his heart was in his mouth when his approach into the last hole caught the slope and rolled towards the water but stayed dry before he got up and down for a memorable win.
Grace finished on top of the South African pile after a 68. A slow start – he bogeyed the third for the second day in a row and was one over through five – which ruled him out of the running for the win but after a strong finish on the PGA TOUR last week, he bounced back in impressive fashion.
Grace missed a chance at the 9th but got going with birdies at 10th and 11th and added two more before looking down a six-footer on the last which would’ve put him into the group sharing third place. That putt stayed out but he’d done enough (four rounds in the 60s) to fend off a run by Darren Fichardt.
Much has been said of Fichardt’s struggles at Wentworth but he snapped that streak in fine fashion and closed with a 67 and seventh place alone. Next best was Dean Burmester, who rose 15 places after he matched Fichardt’s tally.
European Tour rookies Erik van Rooyen and Jacques Kruyswijk secured big cheques although in different circumstances with Van Rooyen finishing with a 71 and Kruyswijk a 65; the tied low round of the week to cap a successful week for the South Africans on duty.
