Danny Willett won his second Rolex Series title as he held his nerve down the stretch to overcome Jon Rahm in a dramatic final round of the BMW PGA Championship.
The duo had been locked together since the end of round two at Wentworth Golf Club and went blow for blow over the weekend in an enthralling battle in front of bumper crowds at the European Tour’s flagship event.
Willett jumped out into a two shot lead with two early birdies on Sunday and while Rahm kept the pressure on during a round where the momentum was as changeable as the autumn weather, Willett signed for a closing 67 to get to 20 under and claim a three shot win.
South African Christiaan Bezuidenhout was then at 16 under after a 68, a shot clear of American duo Billy Horschel and Patrick Reed.
After missing the cut at this event last season, Willett was 462nd in the Official World Golf Ranking as his struggle for both form and fitness continued after his victory at the 2016 Masters Tournament.
A sensational maiden Rolex Series victory six months later at the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai represented a stunning return to the top of the game and the Englishman is now back in the top 40 in the world.
The victory also makes him the fourth player to win multiple Rolex Series events alongside Rahm, Alex Noren and Justin Rose, and the eighth to win both the BMW PGA Championship and the Masters.
‘It doesn’t get much better does it?’ he said. ‘An emotional week.
‘It was a good battle out there today with myself more than anyone else and it was nice to come through the other side.
‘(I’ve had) an undying want to get back there. I was willing to change whatever had to be changed and I think that’s pretty hard to do, it’s hard to jump full throttle into something that you’re not quite sure if it’s going to work out or not.
