Spaun Wins BMW PGA as Elvira Doubles the Last at Wentworth

J.J. Spaun won the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Club on Sunday, closing with a 5-under 67 to finish at 17-under 271 in his first appearance at the DP World Tour's flagship event.

How did Spaun close out the win?

Spaun birdied four of his final five holes to become the first player to reach 17 under at Wentworth. He finished two strokes clear of a four-way tie for second that included Rory McIlroy (68), Aaron Rai (66), Adam Scott (68) and 54-hole leader Manuel Elvira, who shot 70. Spaun is only the third American to win the tournament, following Arnold Palmer and Billy Horschel.

What happened to Manuel Elvira on the 18th hole?

Elvira, a 30-year-old Spaniard ranked outside the world's top 250, had led since the third round and was chasing his first DP World Tour title. He holed a 9-foot eagle putt at the par-5 17th to draw level with Spaun at 17 under, leaving himself a birdie at the last to win outright or a par to force a playoff.

His tee shot found the fairway, but he laid up into a fairway bunker down the left, leaving an awkward approach over water from 111 yards. The bunker shot flew over the green, and after a free drop he pitched into a greenside bunker. He splashed out to 6 feet but missed the par putt, carding a double bogey that dropped him into a tie for second alongside McIlroy, Rai and Scott. His brother, veteran DP World Tour winner Nacho Elvira, watched from behind the green.

A share of the lead turned into a two-stroke deficit in the length of one hole.

Why does the win matter for Spaun's Presidents Cup snub?

Spaun arrived at Wentworth having been left off the U.S. Presidents Cup team by captain Brandt Snedeker, who chose other players after Spaun withdrew from the Tour Championship with a shoulder injury. Spaun said the decision motivated him throughout the week at Wentworth, a course he had wanted to play for years and a country his family visits regularly outside of tournament golf.

"I played with a huge chip on my shoulder," Spaun said. He added that he had not spoken with Snedeker since the Presidents Cup snub but wished the U.S. team well "next week at Medinah."

Spaun's win extends a recent trend at Wentworth: for the third straight year, the BMW PGA Championship champion had missed out on a marquee team assignment. Alex Noren won in 2025 while on the fringe of Europe's Ryder Cup team, and Horschel won in 2024 the week before a Presidents Cup he did not play in.