VIRGINIA WATER, England (AP) — Shane Lowry tapped in for birdie at the 18th hole and then had to wait and see if Rory McIlroy could produce something special to force a playoff at Wentworth.

McIlroy gave himself a chance and the crowd cheered as his long eagle putt on the final hole crept slowly toward the cup, only to stop less than an inch short.

McIlroy crouched down, staring at the ball in disbelief, while Lowry hugged his caddie in the scorer’s tent to celebrate a one-shot victory at the BMW PGA Championship on Sunday.

It was Lowry’s first win since the British Open at 2019 and came after a bogey-free performance over three days at Wentworth.

It was also, according to the 35-year-old Irishman, a win for all the golfers who — like him — have rejected the lucrative offers from Saudi Arabia-backed breakaway series LIV Golf. Lowry and McIlroy were both outspoken this week in criticizing the fact that a contingent of LIV golfers had been allowed to play at Wentworth.

“I wanted to go out and win this tournament for myself, first and foremost, but I think for this tour and everyone that has stayed loyal to this tour,” Lowry said. “I really feel like this is one for the good guys.”

McIlroy and Jon Rahm were tied for second, one shot back. Talor Gooch, who plays on the LIV circuit, was another shot back in fourth place.

It was Lowry’s first win since the British Open at 2019 and came after a bogey-free performance over three days at Wentworth.

The tournament was reduced to 54 holes with no play on Friday after the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday.

Lowry finished with a 7-under 65 for a 17-under total of 199.

“I said to my coach this morning, `I need to just allow myself to play golf today,'” Lowry said. “I’m playing the best golf of my life, I need to just allow myself to do that. And I did that.”

Rahm surged up the leaderboard with a 62, rolling in an eagle putt on the 18th to take a two-shot clubhouse lead at 16 under. He then had to wait more than two hours to see if it would be good enough for the win, although on a low-scoring day at Wentworth it never looked likely to be.

A superb approach shot from Lowry on the 18th made sure of that.

Lowry hit an iron from 242 yards onto the center of the green — a shot good enough to earn an immediate fist bump from his caddie — and then rolled an eagle putt to within a few inches of the hole, leaving himself a tap-in birdie for the lead.

McIlroy, playing in the pairing behind Lowry, also had a 14-foot birdie putt on the 17th break just to the right of the hole. When Lowry then birdied the last hole, McIlroy knew he needed to eagle the par-5 18th — something he has never managed at Wentworth.

He came agonizingly close.

“I thought three feet out even that that putt was going in the hole,” said McIlroy, who won his third FedEx Cup title last month. “It just sort of wriggled right on me at the end. But overall it’s been another really good week.”

It was a first win for Lowry at Wentworth in his 13th appearance in the European Tour’s flagship event, having finished second to McIlroy in 2014.

“I love it here, I’ve contended in the past,” Lowry said. “The bad shots that I’ve hit over the years in contention actually started to creep into my head. It’s amazing what this game does.”

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Shane Lowry was crowned 2022 BMW PGA champion after pipping Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm to the coveted title after an action-packed final day at Wentworth.

Following the cancellation of play on Friday, after the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the tournament was reduced to 54 holes and the Irishman played them flawlessly, managing to play the West Course three times without dropping a single shot.

A birdie at the last meant he posted a final round 65 and a 17 under total, but he faced an anxious wait as McIlroy, in the group behind, had an eagle putt at the 18th which would have forced a play-off with his close friend Lowry. McIlroy’s 23-foot effort just stayed above ground, though, meaning the Northern Irishman signed for a 67, finishing a shot back on 16 under. That handed Lowry his first victory in a tournament that means so much to him, in the first week of qualification for the European Ryder Cup team in 2023.

Rahm, meanwhile, carded a stunning ten-under 62 earlier in the day to lay down the gauntlet to the overnight leaders, but settled for a share of second place alongside McIlroy.

Lowry, who hadn’t won a tournament since The Open in 2019, said: “Winning this championship means a lot. I love it here and I’ve contended in the past, so it’s great to finally get over the line. It’s been a good year, but I’ve felt like I’ve been close a few times and I felt like I was running out of time to win this season. Obviously, this one is right up at the top the list, so I’m delighted to have come out ahead.”

The performances of Lowry, McIlroy and Rahm, three of the highest ranked DP World Tour members in the field, will have caused a collective sigh of relief in the corridors of power within the DP World Tour, many of whose officials no doubt feared that one of the 15 LIV golfers in the field would win the title at the tour’s headquarters.

That looked a very real prospect when Patrick Reed, one of the first players to join the Saudi-backed tour, fired a final round 63 early on Sunday to post the clubhouse lead at -14. Rahm’s 62 ended the American’s hopes of victory, but Talor Gooch, another LIV golfer, threatened to the spoil the party when he got with two of the lead with six holes left to play. However, the America’c challenge stalled over the back nine, and only an eagle at the par-five 18th lifted him into fourth place on 15 under.

Speaking to the media, Lowry expressed his delight at having ensured a LIV golfer wasn’t celebrating on Sunday night. He said: “I made no secrets as to how I felt about the whole thing at the start of the week. I wanted to go out and win this tournament for myself, first and foremost, but I think for this tour. Everyone that’s stayed loyal to this tour and everyone that’s done everything for this tour. I feel like this is one for the good guys.”

McIlroy, another player to have voiced his unhappiness at LIV golfers playing at Wentworth this week, was also delighted that the man to beat him was a friend and fellow DP World Tour player. “I think Shane winning softens the blow. If it had of been someone else, I might not have felt as comfortable with it as I am,” he said. “Seeing a friend win is always great and I’m really happy for him. I struggled today. I didn’t hit my irons very well. I was scrambling quite a lot. But I got the most out of my round. I sort of dug in there and did what I needed to to give myself a chance going down 18. I don’t take as much momentum as if I had won the thing but I keep saying, the more you put yourself in these positions, law of averages suggests that you’re going to get your fair share.”

Second round leaders Soren Kjeldsen and Viktor Hovland went backwards on Sunday, with both players shooting 70 to finish tied fifth with Reed and Thomas Detry. Defending BMW PGA champion Billy Horschel posted a closing 67 to finish tied ninth on 13 under.

For the final leaderboard, click here. 

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