Behind the thrilling finish on Sunday in the DP World Tour’s BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth when Shane Lowry won from Rory McIlroy and John Rahm, Justin Harding was the best South African finisher in a share of 23rd.
In a tournament shortened to 54 holes – with a cut, for those who try to suggest that a 72-hole event reduced by circumstances like the death of a monarch is the same as a 48-man no-cut shotgun start overpaid exhibition – Harding’s closing two-under-par 70 saw him finish on 10-under-par for the tournament.
Lowry’s birdie on the final holes saw him pull clear of Rahm, who’s superlative 10-under 62 early in the day set the clubhouse target of 16-under. McIlroy matched that with a birdie of his own on 18 which was so nearly an eagle to force a play-off with Lowry, but was left to regret a wayward tee shot on 17 which could have helped him to better than the par he made on that par-five and to set up what would have been a fabulous win.
In the end, it was a win for, as Lowry characterised them, the ‘good guys’, as they held off great final round charges by LIV Golf players like, in particular, Talor Gooch, who finished fourth, and Patrick Reed who had a closing 63 to finish in a share of fifth.
Harding had a birdie on four, but then consecutive bogeys on seven and eight set him back. He birdied 10, but bogeyed 11, before making three birdies in a row on 12, 13 and 14.
He played the last round with George Coetzee, who had an eagle three on the last to get a topsy-turvy final round with five birdies and six bogeys into red figures. At nine-under for the tournament, he had a share of 32nd.
Oliver Bekker closed with a three-under 69 to finish in a share of 42nd on eight-under, while Justin Walters had a two-under 70 to move to six-under and a share of 57th. Daniel van Tonder signed for a level-par 72 to finish on four-under in a share of 68th, and Shaun Norris carded a two-over 74 for 74th on two-under.
