Page 15 - WW_Magazine-TheClub-Spring2020-A4P

BMW PGA CHAMPIONSHIP 2019
DAY THREE
If day two was all about the 2016 Masters
winner, then moving day saw the man still
chasing that elusive Masters win come to the
party. Rory scraped past the cut mark on Friday,
but he came to the weekend ready to make
amends, and birdies on three, four and five saw
a spring return to his step. A WELCOME RETURN
A birdie on 11 was followed by an eagle on 12,
and suddenly McIlroy started to believe Francesco Molinari returns to Wentworth
something special was on. The final holes
proved a step too far once again for the
Northern Irishman, but he finished the day with
a 65, which would once again prove to be the
low round of the day. Behind him, Shubhankar
Sharma posted a 66 to move into an
unexpected 3rd-place spot going into Sunday,
while Englishman Ross Fisher holed an
incredible albatross on 18 to finish his round in
the most incredible style.
The top of the leaderboard saw Rahm and
Willett continue to battle it out, as the duo
finished with a pair of 68s to go into Sunday
tied once more. The Spaniard bogeyed 17
before the Englishman birdied the last to move
them both to 15 under par.
14 / The Club SPRING 2020 www.WENTWORTHCLUB.COM
BMW PGA CHAMPIONSHIP 2019
DAY FOUR
Blue skies turned to clouds and showers on the final day,
and the challenging pack got lost in the mist. Justin Rose
started the day just three shots back from the leading
pair, but back to back double bogeys at 12 and 13 saw his
charge falter, while moves from Reed, Horschel and
Christiaan Bezuidenhout never materialised into
anything more than brief flirtations with the final duo.
Billy Horschel shot 65, Patrick Reed 66, but the
Americans made their move too late, and it was left to
Willett and Rahm to fight it out for glory. While Willett
raced to 19 under after ten holes, Rahm was faltering two
shots back when Willett put his ball into a tricky lie on 11
and was forced to chip out and leave a long bogey putt.
Rahm converted his par, and watched as the Englishman
holed a huge putt across the undulating 11th to drop just
one shot, and remain one clear. In truth, it was probably
the moment that sealed the fate of the 2019 tournament,
as the Spaniard miseread a false front on the 12th to drop
a further shot back.
When Willett put a bunker shot on 13 to within a few
feet, Rahm responded with birdie, but a bogey at the
14th saw the gap open back to two. Willett refused to
open the door, and when Rahm birdied 17 and watched
his playing partner follow suit, the tournament was all
but sealed. A huge drive on 18 put Willett in prime
position, and an absolutely beautiful second saw the
engraver start his work. The eagle putt didn’t quite drop,
but Willett was left with the shortest of tap-in birdies to
seal just his second title since that 2016 Masters win, and
to kickstart the celebrations with his family.
n Tuesday 17 September Francesco Molinari
th
and joins the Hall of Fame made a triumphant return to Wentworth to
present Neil Coulson with his winning Club for
Oour very own Hall of Fame.
A brilliant player from tee to green, Molinari can seem a
relentless opponent when he is on a roll. After winning the
BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth in May 2018 with a
virtually flawless display of golf over the final 36 holes,
Francesco Molinari went on to win the Quicken Loans
National in the US with a record-breaking score for the
tournament; beat a resurgent Tiger Woods down the stretch
at the Open Championship at Carnoustie; and became the
only European in history to win all five of his matches at the
Ryder Cup. Come the end of the 2018 season, the Italian
superstar was being crowned as Europe’s No. 1 after finishing
top of the standings in the European Tour’s Race to Dubai.
His 2019 season may not have had the wins of 2018 but who
can forget the 2019 Masters and his battle with an “on form”
Tiger Woods on Super Sunday?
15 / The Club