JJ Spaun outlasted a packed leaderboard of players on Sunday afternoon at the BMW PGA Championship to win his second DP World Tour event and his first outside of a major championship. An utterly thrilling final round of golf unfolded at Wentworth, with multiple players, including Rory McIlroy, Aaron Rai and Manuel Elvira, racing to the finish line, but all struggled to pull away from the pack. There was heartbreak for Elvira, who had the chance to leapfrog Spaun at the top of the leaderboard after tying the 2025 US Open champion with an eagle on the 17th hole.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player With Spaun already in the clubhouse at 17 under, the Spaniard, who is ranked 294th in the Official World Golf Rankings, needed a birdie on the 18th to win his first-ever DP World Tour title, but he stumbled, finding a fairway bunker with his tee shot before sending his bunker shot well past the green. He attempted to chip back on but agonisingly sent his shot into the bunker before ultimately confirming Spaun's two-stroke win with a double bogey. Elvira would tie McIlroy, Rai, and Adam Scott at 15 under par for second place, as 13 players would finish within three shots of the lead.
McIlroy mixed in moments of brilliance with a few critical errors. The Northern Irishman also struggled to make birdie putts, but surged in his back nine, making birdies on holes 12, 14 and 17, to post a final round score of 68. Rai, who had taken the joint lead after the first round, was equally impressive throughout his week at Wentworth, and the Englishman once again put the gas on as he tried to pull away from the chasing pack of players, taking the clubhouse lead before Spaun with a final-round 66.
Open champion Ryan Fox would join Matt Fitzpatrick, Joost Luiten and Filippo Celli tied for sixth place at 14 under. Spaun, who was omitted from Brandt Snedeker's Team USA Presidents Cup squad, felt he had 'taken care of business this week', showing his patience to bounce back from an early bogey on the first to card six birdies, and end with a score of 67. "We [him and captain Brandt Snedeker] haven't spoken," the 36-year-old said.
"But yeah, I played with a huge chip on my shoulder. "I'm so delighted to be here and just play this event. I've always wanted to this.
The extra motivation, I think that is the willpower that you kind of have, determination. "Being left off the President's Cup team a couple weeks ago was very disappointing and I wanted to prove that I deserved to be on that team. "I took care of my business this week, so all the best to my mates next week at Medinah, but I'll be on the couch watching." The next DP World Tour event is the FedEx Open de France, held at Le Golf National - the venue for Europe's 2018 Ryder Cup win - and beginning Thursday.
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