BMW PGA Championship: Alex Noren wins with 62

Final leaderboard

-11 Alex Noren
-9 Francesco Molinari
-8 Nicolas Colsaerts, Hideto Tanihara, Henrik Stenson
-7 Graeme Storm, Shane Lowry, Andrew Dodt

Day four report

Sweden's Alex Noren overturned a seven-shot deficit with a stunning final round of 62 to win his fifth European Tour title in 11 months in the BMW PGA Championship.

Noren fired eight birdies and an eagle on the 18th to establish a new course record on the revamped West Course, which underwent a £5million renovation programme immediately after last year's event.

That took the 34-year-old to 11 under par and a clubhouse target none of the later starters were able to match, Noren having teed off almost two hours before the final group.

Open champion Henrik Stenson, Shane Lowry, Hideto Tanihara, Andrew Dodt and Branden Grace were in a five-way tie on nine under early on the back nine, but faded down the closing stretch to leave Noren to collect the first prize of £894,000.

Italy's Francesco Molinari birdied the final two holes to finish second on nine under, a shot ahead of Stenson, Tanihara and Nicolas Colsaerts, who also eagled the 18th in his 65.

Noren, who won four times in 11 events last season, began the day seven shots off the lead after a double-bogey on the 18th on Saturday, but raced to the turn in 31 and picked up further birdies on the 12th, 13th, 14th and 16th.

He had saved the best till last, however, rifling a five-iron approach from 204 yards which finished just four feet from the pin to set up a decisive eagle.

Playing partner Peter Uihlein labelled it "the best round of golf I've ever seen" and Noren conceded it "probably" was, adding: "And I putted probably the best I've ever putted.

"It's a tough course mentally coming down the stretch. It's not super narrow, but it's just if you hit it a little bit wayward it can cost you.

"I wasn't thinking much of the deficit. I was just trying to play a good round of golf and get into next week (the Nordea Masters in Sweden) on a high.

"I was pretty angry after the third round and then took a long rest and tried to just have a good day. I came out holing putts on one and two, so anything can happen from there."

Golf tipster Ben Coley advised backing Noren in his pre-tournament preview at 20/1.

Collated final round scores & totals

(Gbr & Irl unless stated, par 72):

277 Alex Noren (Swe) 68 75 72 62

279 Francesco Molinari (Ita) 67 70 74 68

280 Nicolas Colsaerts (Bel) 71 75 69 65, Hideto Tanihara (Jpn) 76 69 67 68, Henrik Stenson (Swe) 68 71 73 68

281 Shane Lowry 68 74 70 69, Andrew Dodt (Aus) 70 70 68 73, Graeme Storm 68 72 73 68

282 Dean Burmester (Rsa) 69 76 72 65, Ross Fisher 68 73 72 69, Branden Grace (Rsa) 68 71 70 73

283 Justin Rose 72 74 70 67, Matthew Fitzpatrick 73 73 71 66

284 Kiradech Aphibarnrat (Tha) 67 75 71 71, Alexander Bjork (Swe) 70 75 73 66, Jaco Van Zyl (Rsa) 71 69 77 67, Lee Westwood 70 69 72 73, Scott Jamieson 67 70 76 71, Nino Bertasio (Ita) 68 73 73 70, Thomas Pieters (Bel) 68 69 78 69

285 Andrew Johnston 73 68 72 72, Peter Hanson (Swe) 70 73 74 68, Stephen Gallacher 73 73 70 69

286 Victor Dubuisson (Fra) 73 70 73 70, Scott Hend (Aus) 71 75 71 69, Maximilian Kieffer (Ger) 70 68 75 73, Joost Luiten (Ned) 71 71 72 72, Byeong-Hun An (Kor) 70 69 75 72, Pablo Larrazabal (Spa) 71 74 75 66

287 Soren Kjeldsen (Den) 71 71 74 71, Richie Ramsay 69 74 71 73, Matteo Manassero (Ita) 73 71 75 68, Florian Fritsch (Ger) 70 75 71 71, Haotong Li (Chn) 69 76 75 67, Peter Uihlein (USA) 74 69 72 72, Andrew Sullivan 71 75 71 70, Paul Dunne 71 75 72 69, Tyrrell Hatton 69 72 72 74, Bernd Wiesberger (Aut) 71 70 74 72

288 Jorge Campillo (Spa) 72 73 71 72, Oliver Fisher 70 70 75 73, Paul Peterson (USA) 74 72 72 70, Anthony Wall 73 72 73 70, Ian Poulter 76 69 73 70, Jordan Smith 72 71 71 74, Bernd Ritthammer (Ger) 71 74 74 69, Bradley Dredge 68 76 69 75

289 David Howell 71 73 75 70

290 David Drysdale 75 71 72 72, Chris Wood 72 74 73 71

291 Alexander Levy (Fra) 71 75 73 72, Ernie Els (Rsa) 71 73 75 72, David Horsey 71 74 75 71

292 Niclas Fasth (Swe) 71 73 71 77, Daniel Brooks 70 75 74 73, Thongchai Jaidee (Tha) 72 72 76 72

293 Thomas Bjorn (Den) 75 71 76 71

294 S.S.P Chawrasia (Ind) 73 72 74 75, Benjamin Herbert (Fra) 71 72 75 76, Danny Willett 72 73 76 73, Johan Carlsson (Swe) 66 73 81 74

296 Mikko Ilonen (Fin) 70 76 75 75, Gregory Bourdy (Fra) 72 73 74 77

299 Sebastien Gros (Fra) 71 75 78 75

300 Luke Donald 75 68 81 76

301 Romain Wattel (Fra) 73 73 80 75 

Day three report

Lee Westwood produced golf reminiscent of the late Seve Ballesteros to remain in contention to win the BMW PGA Championship at the 24th attempt.

Westwood carded a third round of 72 to lie three shots off the lead held by Australia's Andrew Dodt, but the bare figures did not tell the whole story of a remarkable score.

After 14 holes at a windswept Wentworth, Westwood had hit just one green in regulation and was three over par, but the former world number one then parred the difficult 15th and birdied the last three holes.

The 44-year-old, who has twice finished runner-up in the European Tour's £5.4million flagship event, needed just 23 putts and had a scrambling percentage of 95, prompting some high praise from caddie Billy Foster.

"He said he had not seen an exhibition of short game and putting like that since he worked for Seve 25 years ago," Westwood said. "After 14 holes I hadn't had a birdie putt and I was just grinding, trying to get up and down when I missed the green, which was pretty often.

"It felt odd and nice in a way. I had gone through the confused and slightly angry stage and was just laughing, wondering who this was chipping and putting.

"I've worked hard on my short game and maybe it has finally clicked. I feel like I have all the shots. I'm just enjoying playing golf at the moment and, as one of the oldest guys out here, being able to compete."

A combination of swirling winds and firm greens made scoring difficult, with the last four groups a combined 17 over par and halfway leaders Thomas Pieters, Scott Jamieson and Francesco Molinari shooting 78, 76 and 74 respectively.

Dodt defied the conditions with a 68 to finish at the head of affairs on eight under par, a shot ahead of South African Branden Grace.

Westwood and Molinari were two strokes further back, with Open champion Henrik Stenson, Ireland's Shane Lowry and Japan's Hideto Tanihara on four under. Tanihara's 67 was the lowest score of the day and lifted him 32 places up the leaderboard.

Dodt credited his good form at the end of last season and current performance to improving his mental approach with sports psychologist Andrea Furst, who worked with Team GB's gold medal-winning hockey team before last year's Rio Olympics.

"I reconnected with Andrea in September last year," the two-time European Tour winner said. "She's an Aussie based in London. I saw her when I was 20, 21 and then like any golfer I was trying to get better with someone else, but I came back to her.

"I've concentrated on my breathing and calmness. I got very technical so pushed that to one side and concentrated on playing the game. I didn't even know my score today because I was so into every shot. I just added them up at the end and it was a 68."

A victory for Grace on Sunday would be his eighth on the European Tour since 2012, but would also rekindle the debate over his controversial free drop in the first round, when his approach to the 13th plugged in the bank of a bunker, leaving him with an awkward lie on the upslope.

However, after taking his stance in the sand, the 29-year-old called in a rules official and said his feet were touching the rubber sheeting at the base of the bunker, thereby entitling him to a free drop.

The decision prompted Danny Willett, whose former caddie Jonathan Smart is now working for Grace, to use Twitter to ask the Tour for an explanation, while former Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley labelled the ruling ''ridiculous''.

"To be quite honest, I don't think I did anything wrong," Grace reiterated after a 70 which featured four birdies in five holes from the 10th. "The rules official is there for a reason and it was a valid question and he gave me the drop.

"I actually heard that (Padraig) Harrington was in the same scenario yesterday and he got relief as well. I think it is something that brought the attention to a lot of guys out there that maybe didn't know about that rule, but now they know.

"Some guys are going to love it and some guys are going to hate it. That's always the game."

Day two report

Scott Jamieson recovered from a nightmare start to his second round to claim a share of the halfway lead in the BMW PGA Championship, an event he labelled the "pinnacle" of his season.

Jamieson followed a bogey on the first with a double bogey on the third, but birdied seven of the next nine holes - including four in a row from the ninth - to add a 70 to his opening 67.

That left the 33-year-old from Glasgow on seven under par alongside Belgium's Thomas Pieters and Italy's Francesco Molinari on top of a crowded leaderboard, with Germany's Max Kieffer a shot behind.

Open champion Henrik Stenson, Lee Westwood, Branden Grace and 2015 winner Byeong Hun An were a shot further back on five under, while Masters runner-up Justin Rose eagled the last to make the cut.

Jamieson narrowly retained his card in each of the last two seasons by finishing 106th and 107th on the Race to Dubai, but can afford to focus on securing a second European Tour title after two top-four finishes in 2017.

"This would be up there with the Scottish Open," Jamieson said. "I'm not in any of the majors this year so this is as big as it gets. This is the pinnacle of my season.

"It's huge, it's our flagship event. It would start opening up doors that have been closed for a few years. You want to challenge yourself against the world's best and we don't get to do that every week, but we do this week. Hopefully I can take a few of them down."

Speaking about his round, Jamieson added: "I'm delighted, especially with the way it started.

"My ball was plugged in a bunker on the third and I thought it would take a good shot to get it on the green. Then I didn't get up and down and at that point I would have bitten someone's hand off for around level par.

"The last thing you need to do is panic. There are birdies out there if you hit some good shots and I've been playing well. Making birdies is something I've always thrived on. That's where you get the buzz."

The £5million renovation of the West Course has helped persuade Stenson to make just his second appearance in the event since 2010, a stark contrast to Westwood's 24th visit in succession.

"It's nice to play a golf course where you've got to use your brain," said Westwood, who was second in 2000 and 2011. "I've played patient and sensible golf and approached it a bit like a major - playing away from certain pins, taking irons off some tees.

"It's hurting golf going to courses that are 7,600 yards, where the caddies can just hand you the driver on every hole and walk forward.

"I like the way the course is set up this week, nobody can have any excuses. The course is really fair and consistent, you don't get too many bad lies or bounces. For a few years it drove people mad.

"I've played well here in the past and had a couple of chances and just need to finish it off."

Ian Poulter labelled his putting "pathetic" despite a 69 which was a seven-shot improvement on his opening round, the 41-year-old carding 16 pars, one birdie and an eagle on the 12th to finish one over par.

That was a total matched by former Masters champion Danny Willett after a 73, while Rose and defending champion Chris Wood finished a shot further back.

Rose looked set to miss the cut after shanking a fairway bunker shot out of bounds on the sixth to run up a quadruple-bogey, but produced a grandstand finish with an eagle from 10 feet on the par-five 18th.

Day one report

Ernie Els believes he got two major decisions right after calling a penalty on himself in the first round of the BMW PGA Championship.

Els appeared to have chipped in for an eagle on the par-five 12th at Wentworth, but instantly realised he had not replaced his ball in the right place after checking to see if it was plugged.

The four-time major winner was therefore assessed a two-shot penalty (under Rule 20-7) and eventually signed for a one-under-par 71 to lie five shots off the pace set by Sweden's Johan Carlsson.

"I pulled my second shot a bit left and hit it into the bank of the bunker," Els explained. "I thought it was plugged, so I asked my guys (playing partners) if I could check it and they said, 'Yeah'.

"I put it back and I hit my chip shot and I just felt uncomfortable by the way the ball came out. The ball came out way too good so I felt I didn't quite probably put it exactly where I should have.

"Under the rules you try and put it back the way you think it should be, but I still felt uncomfortable with it, so we took a two-shot penalty. I know deep down the ball wasn't quite where it should be and I wouldn't be able to live with myself."

Els at least had reason to celebrate the verdict on his latest redesign of the West Course, which has met with universal approval from his fellow competitors.

"The greens are absolutely as pure as you can find," said the 47-year-old, who was visibly upset by criticism of his original redesign in 2010. "Next week we'll be playing the Memorial (at Muirfield Village) and I think these greens are running just as good or better than the Memorial, or Augusta for that matter.

"We listened to some of the players' comments through the years since we started first changing and I think I feel we've got it right this time."

The £5million renovation programme started just eight days after last year's event, with all 18 greens stripped of their old turf and reseeded with a new type of grass.

Four greens were completely reconstructed and another five partially rebuilt, with 29 bunkers removed and a sub-air system as used at Augusta National was installed.

"We had the best of the conditions, not a breath of air, and the greens are so good this year," said Scotland's Scott Jamieson, who was in the first group out at 7am and carded a flawless 67. "To be the first people on all 18 greens, they are just a great surface to putt on."

Jamieson's score was matched by Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Francesco Molinari, with Open champion Henrik Stenson and Ryder Cup star Thomas Pieters part of a nine-strong group on four under.

Pieters, who bogeyed the last after finding the water with his approach, was making his first start since finishing in a tie for fourth at the Masters, having opted to miss the Players Championship in favour of a family holiday.

"There's been some criticism on social media but that's my decision and if you're not happy with it that's your problem," said the Belgian, who won a record four points on his Ryder Cup debut at Hazeltine last year.

Asked if it would mean more to win this week than at Sawgrass, the 25-year-old added: "Yes, because it's my Tour and all the history of Seve (Ballesteros) and all those guys winning this trophy.

"After all the majors it's the one I want to win."

Stenson birdied four of his last eight holes after starting with 11 straight pars on just his second appearance in the event in the last seven years, while Lee Westwood carded a 70 on his 24th consecutive appearance.

Danny Willett, Justin Rose and defending champion Chris Wood all finished on level par, with Wood throwing his ball into the water on the 18th after a bogey six.

Players and caddies wore black ribbons as a mark of respect to the victims of the terrorist attack in Manchester on Monday, with a minute's silence held at 11am.