The Englishman won at Wentworth after attending the event as a five-year-old boy
Tyrrell Hatton Wins BMW PGA Championship
Tyrrell Hatton won his fifth European Tour title at the Wentworth, sealing the BMW PGA Championship by four strokes.
The Englishman described it as a dream after attending the event with his father as a child, first at the age of five.
Hatton beat Frenchman Victor Perez by four strokes after a final round of 67 (-5) to finish at 19 under par.
He moves into the world’s top 10 for the first time in his career.
Hatton admitted that he had been more nervous ahead of the final round than he had been on his Ryder Cup debut in 2018 and was composure personified as he pulled away from the pack thanks to three successive birdies around the turn.
He never looked back and a birdie at the final hole earned him a 19 under total.
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Victor Perez, who has now finished runner-up in three of his 11 Rolex Series appearances, put up an almighty battle having started the day three shots behind Hatton. He reached the turn in four under after an eagle at the par five fourth hole, but his challenge faded down the stretch and he signed for a four under round of 68 and a 15 under total.
Patrick Reed extended his lead at the top of the Race to Dubai Rankings with a share of third place on 14 under par, alongside Andy Sullivan – the Englishman recording his best finish in his home event. Ryder Cup star Ian Poulter was a further shot back on 13 under par after a closing 68.
“It’s very special to be standing here holding this. It’s been a dream of mine since I was a kid to play the tournament and hopefully win it one day, and thankfully this year is my year,” Hatton said.
“The last few holes, I didn’t know exactly where I stood. I was really nervous playing the last few, but once I fatted my second shot and we got very lucky that it didn’t go in the water, I found out that I had a three-shot lead, so that settled me down a little bit. It was nice to get up-and-down after a terrible golf shot.
“Although I didn’t know that I had a three-shot lead playing the last hole, I was pretty nervous there, and the second shot that we’ve hit into the last is probably the worst shot in the history of the tournament for the champion.
“So it is what it is. I’m kind of glad that I followed it up with a nice up-and-down. My short game has been really good all week, and just a nice way to sign off.”
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