England’s Luke Donald produced a commanding performance on the biggest stage on the European Tour to successfully defend the BMW PGA Championship title he won in 2011. Against the backdrop of the majestic greens and fairways of the Wentworth Club, Donald closed out the win with a score of –15, 4 shots ahead of runners-up Justin Rose (ENG, -11) and Scotland’s Paul Lawrie (-11).
In 2011, Luke Donald emerged triumphant from one of the most dramatic finishes ever witnessed at the BMW PGA Championship. The tournament, which featured one of the strongest fields ever assembled at Wentworth, ultimately came down to a shoot-out between the top two golfers in the world: Donald and Lee Westwood. Having seen Donald land his third shot within 10 feet of the hole, Westwood played an almost identical approach shot, only to see his ball spin back past Donald's and into the water guarding the green. Donald ultimately holed his putt to leave the Wentworth Club with the BMW PGA Championship trophyand the title of world number one.
Incredible drama played out in front of a record crowd of 25,117 on a sunny day four of the 2010 BMW PGA Championship. England's Simon Khan started the final round seven shots behind his compatriot Chris Wood, but while others were dropping shots on a regular basis, the 37-year-old set about putting together a virtually flawless round to sneak in under the radar and clinch by far the biggest title of his career so far.
Victory at the 2009 BMW PGA Championship was a dream came true for Paul Casey. The Englishman ended the tournament on 17 under par (271 shots) to finish ahead of compatriot Ross Fisher (-16) and Denmark’s Søren Kjeldsen (-13). This was Casey’s tenth title on the European Tour – and the long-awaited first victory at a BMW tournament. “This feels great. I really wanted to win a BMW tournament,” said the 31-year old at the presentation ceremony.
By winning at Wentworth in 2008, Miguel Ángel Jiménez completed his BMW title hat-trick. In 2004, the most successful year of his career to date, “The Mechanic” won both the BMW Asian Open and the BMW International Open. Following two nerve-wracking extra holes in the playoff against Englishman Oliver Wilson, the Spaniard prevailed on the Wentworth Golf Club’s 18th green: with his final birdie putt, the Spaniard secured the win in the 2008 BMW PGA Championship.
By winning the title, Jiménez dethroned Anders Hansen, who had won the prestigious "The Players’ Flagship" for the second time, in 2007. Englishman David Howell clinched the title in 2006, while Argentina’s Angel Cabrera won the premiere of the BMW PGA Championship back in 2005.
