Noren beats Saddier in play-off to win PGA Championship

BMW PGA Championship – final leaderboard

–19 A Noren (Swe)*, A Saddier (Fra); -16 A Rai (Eng), P Reed (US); -15 SW Kim (Kor), E Ferguson (Sco), T Hatton (Eng), M Fitzpatrick (Eng), D Fichardt (SA), V Hovland (Nor)

Selected others: – 13 J Rahm (Spa), -12 L Aberg (Swe), R McIlroy (NI); -8 T Fleetwood (Eng), S Lowry (Ire); -6 J Rose (Eng)

* Noren wins play-off

Sweden’s Alex Noren beat France’s Adrien Saddier in a play-off to win the BMW PGA Championship in torrential weather at Wentworth Club.

While Team Europe’s Ryder Cup stars toiled in the rain, the two overnight leaders could not be separated over 18 gruelling holes, finishing three shots clear of the rest on 19 under par.

And it was the 43-year-old, one of Luke Donald’s vice-captains for the showdown in New York later this month, who won the play-off at the first extra hole after producing a fabulous shot out of the rough to set up short birdie putt.

It is Noren’s 12th win on the DP World Tour, his second in his past three starts after winning last month’s British Masters, and his second victory in the European circuit’s flagship event, after triumphing in 2017.

For Saddier, who finally broke through on the tour with a win on his 200th start in Italy earlier this year, it is another near miss after he held 36-hole and 54-hole leads at the European Masters and the Irish Open over the past month.

England’s Aaron Rai demonstrated the form that had made him a contender to make the Ryder Cup side, with an excellent bogey-free round of 66, matched by former Masters champion Patrick Reed, as they tied for third on 16 under.

As for Team Europe, Tyrrell Hatton and Matt Fitzpatrick led the way, both finishing four shots back. Playing in the final three-ball after his brilliant eight-under 64 on Saturday, Hatton missed a host of short putts on Sunday and was left behind by his playing partners as he closed with a two-under 70.

Only Rory McIlroy – with 20 titles – has won more times on the DP World Tour since 2009 than Noren and he needed all his nous to hold off the gutsy Saddier.

The Swede will be on the plane to New York alongside the current European stars but he proved he can still beat the best of them with this fine performance across four days at Wentworth.

Indeed, after winning his first title in seven years at the British Masters last month, there is an argument that Noren ought to have been making his second playing appearance for the team.

Ever humble, Noren was asked if he was taking his clubs to Bethpage in case any European needed to pull out through injury and simply said others were more deserving of the chance to play.

Regardless, this victory will only give him extra credence in the Team Europe dressing room.

In good news for captain Donald, before the rain set in, Europe’s two biggest players McIlroy and Jon Rahm had catapulted themselves up the leaderboard.

Both started the day a few hours before the leading groups but finished their rounds as clubhouse leader, McIlroy firing a seven-under 65 – including an eagle on the 18th – to reach 12 under par and then Rahm shooting a six-under 66 to go one better.

Also trending in the right direction are Fitzpatrick, Hatton and Hovland, although the latter two would perhaps have expected to offer more competition to Noren given their positions at two and three shots off the lead heading into the final day.

It is not all good news for Europe however.

Rookie Rasmus Hojgaard missed the cut on Friday, and he was joined in an early exit by Robert MacIntyre as the DP World Tour enacted an unusual cut after the third round.

Justin Rose was firmly in contention after two rounds before plummeting over the weekend with rounds of 76 and 73, eventually finishing 13 shots back.

Meanwhile, Ludvig Aberg, so impressive on Ryder Cup debut two years ago, was red-hot on Thursday but erratic over the weekend, albeit finishing with two birdies to post 12 under par.

Two years ago, seven players from Team Europe finished in the top 10 here before the victorious trip to Rome.