Champ Molinari dreams of Ryder Cup spot
LONDON: Italian Francesco Molinari won the PGA Championship title at Wentworth on Sunday as Rory McIlroy faded in the final round to miss out on the chance of victory in the European Tour’s flagship tournament for the second time.
The pair started the day l evel on 13-under-par and while Molinari carded a flawless 68 to finish at 17 under, McIlroy’s 70 left him two shots adrift in second place despite birdies at the last two holes.
Molinari, 35, continued his fine record at Wentworth, having finished in the top 10 in five of the last six years, and boosted his chances of earning a place in Europe’s Ryder Cup team after being on the winning side in 2010 and 2012.
“If I could pick one tournament to win in my career it would be this one,” Molinari said.
“The Ryder Cup is very special. It hurts to watch it on TV. You really want to be there. I’ve been lucky to be on two winning teams and I hope to be able to win a third time.”
Northern Ireland’s McIlroy, who won the Wentworth tournament in 2014, said: “It is disappointing. He [Molinari] was like a robot, he doesn’t hit it off line. I would have needed a great round to beat him.
“Today I played similar to Saturday, I could not get going and gave Molinari a lead early on. It was a little too late for me in the end.”
Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat shot a 67 to finish tied for fifth with Branden Grace of South Africa.
LEADING FINAL ROUND SCORES
(Par-72, GBR & IRL unless stated)
271 — Francesco Molinari (ITA) 70-67-66-68 273 — Rory McIlroy 67-65-71-70
274 — Lucas Bjerregaard (DEN) 65-73-71-65, Alex Noren (SWE) 69-68-70-67
275 — Kiradech Aphibarnrat (THA) 68-69-71-67, Branden Grace (RSA) 69-69-69-68