The unheralded Simon Khan was the last man left standing in the BMW PGA Championship on a painful afternoon at Wentworth as all around him were floored by the new West Course.
Khan’s 66 in the final round brought him from seven shots back to take the prestigious title and the £640,000 prize cheque by a stroke from Sweden’s Fredrik Andersson Hed and fellow Englishman Luke Donald, finishing with a six-under-par total of 278.
Donald, who had a chance to beat Khan coming down the stretch but blew it spectacularly with an untypically wild drive at the 17th, birdied the last to leave Scotland’s Stephen Gallacher who like Khan only got into the championship by way of a sponsor’s invitation confirmed last Monday afternoon alone in fourth.
For Gallacher, it was a massive boost as it means the former Alfred Dunhill Links champion will regain his full playing rights after a battle with the bone illness sarcoidosis knocked him out of the second half of last season and left him wondering whether he would play again.
The Bathgate man shot a one-under 70 in the final round for a four-under aggregate of 280 and his best European Tour finish since he was runner-up at the 2006 British Masters.
For Khan, it was another strong showing around a favourite course and a victory to savour.Unbelievable”It just means everything this tournament is the reason I started playing golf and just to be here has been unbelievable,” he said.
“I’ve always felt confident around here and the shots set up so clearly for me. Even the new set-up makes a premium on accuracy, which is really my strength when I’m playing well.
“When I birdied 10 (to get within one of the lead) I just reminded myself, this is what you dreamed of doing, this place inspires you. I’ve been coming here since 1984 and it always gets me going.”
The final day’s play, with the wilting away of youngsters Danny Willett and Chris Wood, the succession of players inheriting rather than claiming the lead before promptly losing it shortly afterwards, was the definitive statement on the “new” Wentworth.
Owner Richard Caring wanted drama, “oohs and aahs,” but there can have been few more appalling miscalculations in the game in the last decade than this, as his meddling in the redesign ensured birdies were rare, record crowds were eerily subdued and the exciting traditions of a Wentworth PGA Sunday lost.
It’s not to denigrate Khan’s victory as he shot a 66 in the final round, the equal best of the day, and he holed a 20-foot putt on the final green to lift himself to six-under, but if Caring’s idea that toughening the course would prevent the occasional surprise winner the PGA produced in the past, the 37-year-old’s win surely disabuses that notion.
Gallacher put together a classy, contained round that left him in fourth on his own at four-under.
The former Dunhill Links champion had played on a medical exemption for the first few months of this season but that expired two weeks ago and he was reduced to a lesser qualifying school exemption which would limit his playing opportunities.
In one sweep, however, he claimed a cheque for £191,000 that ensures he regains full playing rights in 2011.Decisions”It’s much better than I could have hoped, and it makes up for a few silly decisions last year,” he said.
“I played on with the illness for three events when I shouldn’t have, not least because I would have had a full year’s medical exemption, but it was the Scottish Open and I badly wanted to play.
“That’s a lesson learned, you can’t survive out here unless you are 100%.”
Gallacher reckoned he had a chance for the title but was unable to birdie either of the final two holes, but didn’t feel like complaining.
“After everything that’s happened this is a huge boost and to know that next year is sorted is a great weight, because late last year I was wondering whether I would ever get to play.
“My ranking now gets me in the next few tournaments and I can concentrate on getting my game honed without worrying about cards.”
Paul Lawrie also made a top ten with a 71 for two-under, but typically had words for his compatriot.
“That’s great for Stevie. He’s had his problems with illness and he’s played really nicely all week I’m happy for him,” said the Aberdonian.
“My problem was leaving putts short. You forget the greens are new and a little slow and I was short on the last four holes, but it was a good and solid performance over the whole week.”