Rory McIlroy wins BMW PGA Championship

Rory McIlroy
Rory McIlroy has elected to play for Ireland at the 2016 Olympics
(Image credit: Getty Images)
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Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy carded a closing round of 66 to win the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth by a single shot from Shane Lowry of Ireland.

Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy carded a closing round of 66 to win the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth by a single shot from Shane Lowry of Ireland.

Like his playing partner, Luke Donald also suffered a triple bogey at the sixth hole and, although he fought back with five birdies over his next 10 holes, it wasn’t enough to catch McIlroy.

It was an amazing performance from the 24-year-old on a course he has never performed well on before, he'd missed the cut in two previous starts.

"It's been 18 months since I won on The European Tour and to win the flagship event, I could not have asked for any more,” he said. “I knew coming in here I was playing well. I struggled a little on Friday but played great over the weekend. I was a little fortunate that some of the guys ahead of me made mistakes and I took advantage of it.”

“I’m happy for Rory,” said Luke Donald. “We all know what he’s been going through and sometimes making those tough decisions maybe takes a weight off your mind and he can engulf himself in golf.”

McIlroy will go into the year’s second Major (the U.S. Open on June 12) with renewed confidence.

“I really wanted to win before going into the U.S. Open,” he said. “I could not have asked for a better way to prepare.”

BMW PGA Championship Wentworth Club, Virginia Water, Surrey, England May 22-25, purse €4,750,000, par 72

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Fergus Bisset
Fergus Bisset
Contributing Editor

Fergus is Golf Monthly's resident expert on the history of the game and has written extensively on that subject. He has also worked with Golf Monthly to produce a podcast series. Called 18 Majors: The Golf History Show it offers new and in-depth perspectives on some of the most important moments in golf's long history. You can find all the details about it here.

He is a golf obsessive and 1-handicapper. Growing up in the North East of Scotland, golf runs through his veins and his passion for the sport was bolstered during his time at St Andrews university studying history. He went on to earn a post graduate diploma from the London School of Journalism. Fergus has worked for Golf Monthly since 2004 and has written two books on the game; "Great Golf Debates" together with Jezz Ellwood of Golf Monthly and the history section of "The Ultimate Golf Book" together with Neil Tappin , also of Golf Monthly.

Fergus once shanked a ball from just over Granny Clark's Wynd on the 18th of the Old Course that struck the St Andrews Golf Club and rebounded into the Valley of Sin, from where he saved par. Who says there's no golfing god?