|
Horschel was tied for first in a group on -18 as he stood over
his third shot at the par-five 18th at Wentworth but produced a
sensational wedge for a nailed-on birdie to complete a sizzling
round of seven-under 65.
With Horschel in the clubhouse, Englishman Laurie Canter needed
to find a birdie at the last to force a playoff but was unable
to do so and ended in a tie for second alongside Welshman Jamie
Donaldson and Thailand's Kiradech Aphibarnrat who shot a superb
closing 64.
Horschel, whose bag sports the colours and emblem of English
soccer club West Ham United, is only the second American to win
the title, following in the footsteps of Arnold Palmer.
Afterwards he said he would celebrate by going to dinner with
West Ham's England international Declan Rice.
"I am speechless really, and that's rare," Horschel, who has
missed the U.S. Ryder Cup team, said. "To win this event means a
lot, this is like the Players' Championship."
"I knew if I could birdie one of the last three holes I could
win and one was enough."
Apart from the title at stake in the European Tour's flagship
tournament, the race to nail down the four remaining automatic
spots on Europe's team for this month's Ryder Cup offered an
intriguing sub-plot throughout the week.
Austrian Bernd Wiesberger, who required a top-50 finish to book
his Ryder Cup debut, ended with a level-par 72 which was enough
for a share of 20th and a seat on the plane, qualifying after
finishing fourth on the European points list.
"It's unreal you know, it was really tough out there today,"
Wiesberger told Sky Sports. "You try to stay away from all the
noise but it was difficult. I had to grind. But at the end of
the day I'm really proud and relieved to make the team."
England's Matt Fitzpatrick also guaranteed his place after a
closing 68 earned him a top-20 finish while Tyrrell Hatton, who
missed the cut on the defence of his crown, is also in.
Justin Rose did not claim the title which would have elevated
him into the Ryder Cup team on merit despite a sizzling
last-round 65 which included him coming close to holing an
albatros on the 18th hole.
Ireland's Shane Lowry was left sweating on receiving a captain's
pick for the Ryder Cup after failing to secure the top-eight
finish he required to grab an automatic spot.
But he was handed the third captain's pick by captain Padraig
Harrington and will make his Ryder Cup debut later this month at
the expense of Rose who was left out.
Lee Westwood's dismal round of 77 had opened the door for Lowry
to edge above him in the race to grab an automatic place, but
Lowry faltered on the back nine.
After moving into a tie for fifth place Lowry bogeyed the 14th
and followed that with a double bogey, ending on 12 under in
17th place -- a relief for veteran Westwood who will make his
11th appearance in the biennial match.
Five players -- Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, Viktor
Hovland and Paul Casey -- had already qualified on merit for the
Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits from Sept. 24-26.
Harrington's other two picks were Ian Poulter and Sergio Garcia.
(Reporting by Martyn HermanEditing by Toby Davis)
[© 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
 |
|
