WENTWORTH, England — Billy Horschel of the United States won the BMW PGA Championship after beating Rory McIlroy and Thriston Lawrence in a thrilling three-man playoff at Wentworth to take home the winner’s cheque of $1.53 million.
The trio finished at 20-under overall and in the first playoff at the event in 11 years, Lawrence fell first when he bogeyed the 18th after finding the water, leaving Horschel and McIlroy to fight it out for the title.
McIlroy was looking to win it for a second time after lifting the trophy in 2014 and he birdied the 18th once again, but Horschel kept his nerve and sank a stunning eagle putt to become the first American to win the event twice.
“I am thrilled, excited for the way I played. At the same time, I am a little disappointed. Rory is a really good friend of mine, he is a generational talent and he has been so close this year,” said Horschel according to Reuters.
“I feel for him but I am also excited… There was a lot of luck on my side to get this victory today. I will give my all on every shot and grind it out and that is what I did today.
“That is what you have to do when you are not firing on all cylinders.”
South Africa’s Lawrence was five shots off the lead heading into the final round and he carded seven birdies, including a superb putt from 26 feet at the 16th.
McIlroy had also been playing catch-up all day having finished the third round three strokes behind and he made it count on the 17th when he holed a superb eagle putt from over 46 feet to share the lead.
Lawrence had the chance to finish with a birdie but his putt on the 18th green fell agonisingly short and he finished at 20-under, waiting to see how McIlroy and Horschel would fare.
McIlroy dodged a bullet when his approach found the rough near the water on the par-five 18th. Although he chipped it over the water to set up a birdie, he only managed a par.
Horschel had the chance to take the title with an eagle and he sank to his knees when he just missed the hole and birdied the 18th to force a three-way playoff, where he even chipped the ball out of a bunker to stay in contention.
For McIlroy, it was a second event in as many weeks where he narrowly missed out on the title after losing the Irish Open to Rasmus Hojgaard by one stroke.
“I think if I keep working on the things I am working on on the range that only bodes well for the future. To work on my swing but still go out there and have a really good chance to win, I am proud of that,” McIlroy said.
“I’m excited for the future, I’m playing well, I keep giving myself chances… I just have to dust myself off and get myself ready for the last three events of the year.”
McIlroy labelled himself a “nearly man” after finishing fifth in the Olympics in Paris, blowing his chances of a medal when he hit his approach to the 15th into the water.
The world number three had also bogeyed three of the last four holes in June’s US Open to miss out on a first major title since 2014 and last week narrowly failed to eagle the 72nd hole to force a play-off in the Irish Open after three-putting the 17th.
“Last week was a tough one but I left there with my head held high with the way I played the last hole trying to make three,” McIlroy said after a closing 67.
“And today I played the play-off holes perfectly, really, a couple of birdies. But it just shows the standard out here. If you slip up just a little bit or don’t make a birdie on a crucial hole, someone is always waiting to take advantage of that.
“Two weeks in a row I’ve played well. Just not quite well enough. The game is testing me a little more than it has done in the past, but that’s fine.
“If someone had of said you’re going to turn up at Wentworth this week and shoot 20 under par, I’d take that. All I can do is keep showing up and trying to play the golf that I’ve been playing and sooner or later it’s going to end up in a win.
“It could have been a different year but the nice thing is there’s next year and the year after and the year after and the year after.
“If you think of my career as a 30-career journey, it’s only one year in a 30-year journey, and hopefully the other 29 are a little more productive or a little bit better.”
Horschel’s chance of victory looked to have disappeared when he bogeyed the 15th, but he birdied the 17th and 18th to complete a closing 67 and force his way into the play-off.
“My heart was pounding on the last couple of shots, the last couple of holes, and especially in the play-off but it’s always fun being in those situations,” Horschel said.
“That’s what I’ve worked so hard for, and that’s what I’ve always wanted to be, in situations like that, going against the best players in the world. I was able to nip Rory and Thriston and come away with the victory.
“I’m thrilled, excited for the way I played and battled out there today but at the same time a little disappointed. Rory’s a really good friend of mine and I think the world of him.
