VIRGINIA WATER, England (AP) — Billy Horschel became the first American to win the BMW PGA Championship twice when he holed an eagle to beat four-time major winner Rory McIlroy in a playoff on Sunday.
Horschel showed no sign of nerves when he sank a long putt from near the edge of the 18th green on the second playoff hole. Horschel and McIlroy each closed with a 5-under 67 and were joined at 20-under 268 by Thriston Lawrence, who had a 65.
Lawrence was eliminated on the first extra hole with a bogey on the par-5 18th.
Horschel won at Virginia Water three years ago. Arnold Palmer, in 1975, was the only other American winner of the flagship event on the European tour.
Matteo Manassero, who started the final round with a three-shot lead, closed with a 73 and tied for fourth. McIlroy was runner-up for the third time since winning at Wentworth in 2014. He also was runner-up last week in the Irish Open.
LPGA Tour
MAINEVILLE, Ohio (AP) — Lydia Ko turned a two-shot deficit into a five-shot victory Sunday with a 9-under 63 to win the Kroger Queen City Championship for her third LPGA Tour title of the season.
Ko won for the third time in her last four starts, which includes her Olympic gold medal that gave the 27-year-old from New Zealand enough points for the LPGA Hall of Fame. It also includes another major in the Women’s British Open, this one at St. Andrews.
Jeeno Thitikul, who had a two-shot lead after eight holes, made birdie on the par-5 18th for a 70 to finish alone in second. Haeran Ryu (67) finished third.
Ko, who finished at 23-under 265, now has 22 career LPGA victories. It was the fifth time she has at least three wins in the same season on the LPGA, her biggest year coming with five wins when she was 18 and reached No. 1 in the world.
LIV Golf League
CARROLTON, Texas (AP) — Cameron Smith and Lucas Herbert delivered clutch putts late in the round Sunday to lead Australia-based Ripper to its first team title in the LIV Golf League.
Herbert, who looked as though he might have cost his team with a double bogey and a bogey on two of the par 5s at Maridoe Golf Club, responded with four birdies over his last five holes, the final putt a 12-footer for birdie for a 69.
Smith hit a 60-yard pitch to 12 feet and holed the birdie putt on the 17th to give Ripper the lead for good, and then drilled his tee shot down the middle on the 18th that effectively sealed the win. He shot 68. Matt Jones birdied two of his last three holes following a double bogey. He had a 70, along with Marc Leishman.
Ripper finished at 11-under 277, three shots ahead of 4Aces and Iron Heads.
Ripper won $14 million, with each player getting $1.4 million and the rest going to the team management.
PGA Tour Champions
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Paul Broadhurst finished off his second PGA Tour Champions victory of the year with a few nervous moments Sunday, closing with an even-par 72 at Pebble Beach for a three-shot victory in the Pure Insurance Championship.
Broadhurst was staked to a five-shot lead going into the final round and expanded that to as many as six shots. But the lead shrunk to two shots when Alex Cejka shot a 64, and the Englishman held his nerve to the end.
Broadhurst, who finished at 14-under 202, got up-and-down for a tough par on the par-3 17th that kept his lead at two shots playing the final hole.
Broadhurst, a 59-year-old from England, has two senior majors among his seven career PGA Tour Champions titles. He moved up to No. 8 in the Charles Schwab Cup standings.
Korn Ferry Tour
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Frankie Capan III closed with a 1-under 70 and won the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship by two shots on Sunday for his first Korn Ferry Tour title.
Capan already is assured of finishing in the top 30 on the Korn Ferry Tour points list to get a PGA Tour card for the 2025.
He won by two over Carter Jenkins (67), William Mouw (69) and Thomas Rosenmueller of Germany (70). All but Jenkins are assured of getting PGA Tour cards. Jenkins moved up to No. 37 in the points list with one tournament remaining.
The top 75 advance to the season-ending Korn Ferry Tour Championship in two weeks.
Dan McCarthy had a closing 69 to tie for seventh, while Rick Lamb, Cole Hammer, Jacob Solomon and Davis Shore joined him in moving inside the top 75 to at least give themselves one last chance.
Other tours
Kensei Hirata closed with a 7-under 65 for a three-shot victory in the Panasonic Open for his fourth Japan Golf Tour title this year. At 23, he became the third-youngest player with four wins in a Japan Golf Tour season behind Ryo Ishikawa (18) and Hideki Matsuyama (21). … Jenny Bae closed with a 1-over 73 and held on for a one-shot victory over Therese Warner and Lauren Stephenson in the Murphy USA El Dorado Shootout on the Epson Tour. … Helen Briem of Germany closed with a 6-under 66 for a two-shot victory over Pauline Roussin-Bouchard of France in La Sella Open on the Ladies European Tour. … John Parry won the Italian Challenge Open with a 3-under 68 to win by one shot over Justin Walters. Parry won for the third time this year on the Challenge Tour and earned an instant promotion to the European tour. … Yurav Premlall rallied from a four-shot deficit with a 6-under 66 for a one-shot victory over Martin Vorster in the Vodacom Origins of Golf-Sishen on the Sunshine Tour in South Africa. … Yuka Yasuda shot 2-under 34 for a three-shot victory in the Miyagi TV Cup Dunlop Ladies Open. The Japan LPGA event was shortened to nine holes in the final round and a 27-hole tournament because of rain. … Jeongmin Moon closed with a 4-under 68 for a two-shot victory in the Daebo Haus D Open on the Korea LPGA. … Van Phillips shot 4-under 68 and won a three-man playoff over Adilson da Silva and Phillip Archer to win his first Legends Tour event in the Winston Golf Senior Open in Germany.
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