American Billy Horschel spoiled home fans’ hopes for a Rory McIlroy-inspired party after beating the four-time major champion at the second hole of a play-off at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.
The 37-year-old Floridian, who nearly holed out his third shot at the last in regulation play, ended with a birdie-birdie finish to climb alongside South Africa’s Thriston Lawrence and McIlroy at 20 under before the trio returned to the 18th tee for the play-off.
Lawrence blinked first after a wayward tee-shot and then found the fairway bunker and water to be the first eliminated as McIlroy and Horschel calmly rolled in birdies to force a second extra hole.
They both found the green in two before McIlroy narrowly slid by his eagle effort, before Horschel holed a stunning eagle putt of his own to win the event for the second time in four years.
The 2021 champion had been a picture of consistency at the famous Surrey venue, carding four rounds in the 60s, including a career-best seven straight birdies during the third round on Saturday.
After being presented with the coveted trophy, Horschel said: “My heart was pounding on the last couple shots, and the last couple holes, and especially in the play-off, but it’s always fun being in those situations. That’s what I’ve worked so hard for, and that’s where I’ve always wanted to be, in situations like that, going against the best players in the world and hopefully be able to come out on top on the day. Thankfully I was able to nip Rory and Thriston and come away with the victory.”
Horschel, who sports a West Ham logo on his golf bag, added: “I appreciate the fans and all the support that I get wherever I play in the UK, whether it’s at The Open or this tournament. It’s always one of my most special weeks of the year. I enjoy coming here. I feel a sense of ease. I know I’m not from the UK or England, but I feel almost at home when I come here.”
For McIlroy, this latest loss comes in a year of near misses, most notably at the US Open, and also at last week’s Irish Open, where he came up one shot shy of a play-off.
“The game is testing me a little more than it has done in the past”
Despite the heartbreak, the Irishman is still determined to find the positives. “Two weeks in a row, I’ve played well. Just not quite well enough. Look, it’s golf and I’m playing well,” the 35-year-old said.
“These things happen. It’s just the game is testing me a little more than it has done in the past but that’s fine. 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.”
He added: “The nice thing is there’s next year and the year after and the year after and the year after. Hopefully the other years will be little more productive or a little bit better. I have certainly had years where I’ve felt worse. When you get yourself in contention so much, inevitably you’re going to have disappointments. Unfortunately, I’m just getting a little too used to feeling what it’s like when you do, but hopefully the tide will turn.”
English pair Matthew Baldwin and Aaron Rai finished in a tie for third at 17 under par with third round leader Matteo Manassero, who continued his comeback on the DP World Tour with an impressive week at Wentworth.
To see all the scores from the BMW PGA Championship, click here.