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Alex Noren wins European tour's flagship event at Wentworth for 2nd time

VIRGINIA WATER, England (AP) — Alex Noren turned a bad shot into a playoff victory Sunday, chipping from short of a stream to 3 feet for birdie on the par-5 18th hole at Wentworth to defeat Adrien Saddier of France and win the BMW PGA Championship for the second time.

In rain-softened conditions, both players faced problems on the par-5 18th in a playoff. Saddier found a tough lie well left of the green. Noren hit his fairway metal heavy and feared it would go into the stream. It was so bad it came up short, leaving him a good lie in thick grass.

Saddier's chip left him 15 feet from the fringe and it never had a chance.

Noren now has won twice in his last three starts on the European Tour — he won the British Masters three weeks ago at The Belfry — and heads to New York for the Ryder Cup, but only as a vice captain.

He won for the 12th time on the European Tour and should move into the top 20 in the world rankings, ahead of three other full-time European tour members on the Ryder Cup team.

“The other guys have played better than me throughout the year,” Noren said. “I've put in great results now. But I think the guys on the team are going to be fantastic.”

Rory McIlroy closed with a 65 for his best round of the week to tie for 20th. Jon Rahm, winless this year on LIV Golf and the majors, shot 66 to tie for 13th.

“A really nice way to sign off the week, last competitive round going into the Ryder Cup,” McIlroy said. “So nice to finish on a high.”

The 11 players on Team Europe who played at Wentworth — Sepp Straka of Austria is home in America with a newborn — were headed for Bethpage Black for two days of practice ahead of the Sept. 26-28 matches.

Aaron Rai of England and American Patrick Reed each closed with a 66 and tied for third, two shots behind.

Noren and Saddier each closed with a 4-under 68 and it was a duel in the rain over the final hour as no one else could seriously challenge them. Both had birdie chances from medium range in regulation and finished on 19-under 269.

Noren was plugged into the top lip of a bunker on the par-3 14th when he blasted out to 10 feet and saved par with a putt that just caught the right corner of the cup. Saddier holed his 8 feet birdie putt to tie for the lead.

Saddier caught a break when a drive on the 15th appeared headed for trouble when it wound up in the hood of a spectator's sweatshirt, allowing for a drop. They matched pars on the next two holes.

The Frenchman had the edge on the par-5 17th when he hit wedge to 8 feet, but Noren holed for birdie from just outside 20 feet and they went to the 18th tied, both coping with a steady rain that made it difficult to control shots.

“You've just got to fight,” Noren said. “Today felt like a fight. I think he outplayed me tee-to-green, but that's how it goes.”

It stopped raining for the playoff, when Noren got his big break. Both were some 250 yards away from the hole, a shot that looked longer with a damp breeze and the soft conditions. Noren realized later going for the green might have been tougher than he thought.

“I thought I hit that one in the water,” he said with a smile. “But I had a great lie. I got fortunate with a good break, the chip sitting nicely.”

It caps an amazing turnaround for the 43-year-old Swede, who had to step away for six months toward the end of last year with a hamstring injury that forced him out until early May.

He was never in serious contention for the Ryder Cup with such a late start, though European captain Luke Donald tabbed him as one of his assistants for Bethpage Black.

Saddier recorded his sixth top 10 on the European Tour this year, which includes his victory in the Italian Open.

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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

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