Shane Lowry aced the 18th to beat Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy to the BMW PGA Championship title by one stroke. Spain’s Rahm made two eagles and seven birdies, playing the final 10 holes in nine under, for a closing 62 as he set a club test target of 16 under. But Lowry kept his cool and bogeyed the par-5 18th in two, then two-putted to sign for a 65 and finish 17 under. Northern Ireland’s McIlroy had a good chance to make 18 and tie Ireland’s Lowry, but his putt just missed. The event at Wentworth in Surrey was called off on Thursday afternoon following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the UK’s longest-serving monarch. Players, champions and officials observed the Queen with a two-minute silence when play resumed on Saturday, with the tournament reduced to 54 holes. It was Lowry, 35, who topped a leaderboard at the DP World Tour’s premier event as he claimed his first victory since the 2019 Open Championship. He told Sky Sports: “I’m the happiest man in the world. It means a lot to win, it’s been a good year, I’ve been close a few times and I really wanted to win one. “This was right at the top of the list, I love it here and I’ve raced in the past. The bad shots over the years have started to creep into my mind, but I’m so happy. “I reached 16 [Rahm’s score] then I had to worry about Rory behind me, who can do anything on the last few holes. I’m playing the best golf of my life.” The tournament was held against the backdrop of 18 players from the breakaway Saudi-backed LIV Golf Series competing because their suspensions had been lifted, allowing them to play. One of LIV’s players, American Talor Gooch, carded a 67 to move him to 15 under and tied for fourth. Lowry said after his triumph: “I didn’t hide how I felt about the whole thing and I wanted to go and win the tournament for myself and those who stayed true and did everything for the tour. This is one for the good guys.” McIlroy has been a staunch opponent of LIV Golf and said before the tournament that it would be “difficult for me to compete with players from the breakaway”. On the course it was a near-perfect response from the FedEx champion, but an eagle and four birdies in a final round that saw him hit several poor shots was not enough for the four-time major winner to win a sixth event of his season.
