BMW PGA Shocker as Khan wins at Wentworth
The jury may still be out on whether the latest iteration of Wentworth makes for golfing Xanadu, but at least the newly-redesigned course has found its own Khan. Simon Khan to be specific, the 37-year-old who triumphed at the BMW PGA Championship yesterday.
Essex-based Khan, previously ranked 473rd in the world, saw his ranking rise to 106th in the world after yesterday's victory. That's a leap of some 365 places for the Englishman who, prior to this win, had won only once before on the European Tour.
Khan reduced a deficit of seven strokes on the final day, carding a five-under-par 66 and sealing the win with a 20 foot birdie on the 18th to finish a stroke ahead of Sweden's Fredrik Andersson Hed, and England's Luke Donald. The Englishman had not even been expecting to make an appearance at the tournament until last Monday, when he received a late invitation to play.
The win is an incredible turn-around for Khan who, last year, was forced to return to Qualifying School after failing to retain his tour card. Khan's reward includes the first prize of £637,000, as well as a five-year exemption on the European Tour, guaranteed entry to the Open in July - and even the possibility of making it into Europe's Ryder Cup team.
At a tournament where many golfers had criticised Ernie Els’ changes to the venerable old course in Surrey, a couple of younger players looked to be in with a chance of success, Danny Willett and Chris Wood both playing well but tailing off at the end, Willett coming home three-over-par 74, three-under for the tournament, while Wood was six-over on Sunday, two-under in total.
Many of Europe's elite golfers failed to shine here altogether, with Padraig Harrington the best of the big names, finishing two-under to claim sixth place. Lee Westwood had struggled throughout the tournament but produced a fine final round of 66 to move up to 10th place, on one-under for the competition. Paul Casey was one-over after a final round of 75. And the much feted Rory McIlroy was five-over par for the tournament, 2-over-par 73 on the final day.
And what of course designer Ernie Els? He finished in joint 34rd place, three-over par, after a final round that included five birdies and six bogeys, though at least he didn't hit his approach into the already infamous water hazard on the 18th this time.
That's probably scant comfort for Els, who has already been bemoaning the fellow pros who have been vocally criticising his changes to the course this week. Els should probably try to track down Simon Khan - the Essex man is surely delighted at the havoc Ernie's re-jigged course has caused for the more established players.
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