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Tyrrell Hatton went through a thrilling final brawl with Victor Perez to secure a four-stroke victory in the BMW PGA Championship
The world No.20 posted a five-under 67 score on an exciting Sunday at Wentworth to finish with 19 under and clear Perez, who held a share of the lead several times in the last day
Hatton’s victory is his third Rolex Series title and fifth success on the European Tour, the triumph being to put the 28-year-old on the edge of the world top 10 for the first time in his career
Perez bugged two of his last six holes to settle for a 68th final round and finish the week in second, while Andy Sullivan shot a 65 round lap to move up to third alongside Patrick Reed
Hatton saw his lead of the day quickly disappear as Perez – playing in the squad ahead – birdie-two-to-second piercing a 20-foot eagle par five-fourth, only for the Englishman to get ahead again by completing a series of starts converting from 12 feet to fifth
Perez responded by pulling his tap-in range approach in the seventh and reached the turn with a share of the lead, as Sullivan closed in a beat after following a 9th before 30 with birdies on the 12th and 14th
Hatton drained a 25-footer in the ninth, drilled another nearly 40-footer in the next, then tied Perez’s birdie tap-in in the 11th, only for the Frenchman to move up and down the sand to choose another move to the next
Both players bogeyed the 13th, with Hatton missing a five-footer to save par, then also squandering a 10-foot inside birdie opportunity on the next, but the night’s leader rolled in a birdie of 12 feet to 15 to move into a two-stroke lead with three to go
Perez saw his hopes come to an end when a mad run to the 17th saw him having to come back into play from the trees and bogey, as Hatton narrowly avoided finding water with his approach into the last by five before going up and down for a closing birdie
Ian Poulter signed a bogey-less 68 to take fifth place ahead of Eddie Pepperell, while Joachim B Hansen – who played alongside Hatton in the final group – ended in a seventh share with Matt Fitzpatrick and Renato Paratore
Shane Lowry and Tommy Fleetwood both scored Round of 32 to enter the squad with nine under, while last year’s champion Danny Willett ended his title defense with a four under 68 to finish tied for 32nd
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BMW PGA Championship, PGA European Tour, Shane Lowry, Tyrrell Hatton, Wentworth Club, Matthew Fitzpatrick
News from around the world – UK – Tyrrell Hatton takes four-stroke victory in BMW Championship PGA
