Alex Noren emerged victorious in a thrilling play-off at the BMW PGA Championship, narrowly defeating Adrien Saddier. Both players ended the tournament tied at 19-under par.
On the extra hole, Noren managed to escape trouble after both hit their tee shots into the rough. He then sank a birdie putt to secure his 12th DP World Tour title and his second win at this event.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Noren expressed his mixed emotions after the win. “There are so many emotions right now,” he said. He noted that the play-off felt slightly easier than the final hole due to better conditions. Despite thinking he might hit water, he found a favourable lie and capitalised on it.
Noren acknowledged that Saddier might have had an edge from tee to green but credited his own putting and chipping for the victory. “Sometimes it comes to you easy, and sometimes you’ve just got to fight,” he remarked, highlighting how challenging the day felt.
Noren will serve as vice-captain for Team Europe at the upcoming Ryder Cup under Luke Donald. However, he dismissed any notion of playing, joking about bringing his clubs back home to Florida instead. He praised his teammates’ performance throughout the year and expressed excitement for the match.
Elsewhere in the tournament, Tyrell Hatton couldn’t maintain his momentum from a strong third round and finished four shots behind after carding a 70. Patrick Reed and Aaron Rai shared third place with rounds of 66. Justin Rose, who led early on, ended in 61st place at six-under par.
Rory McIlroy made a notable comeback with an impressive round of 65, propelling him into the top 20 standings by the end of the tournament.