Golf PGA Championship:The revamped West Course at Wentworth held the upper hand for most on the final day of the €4.5million PGA Championship. As the chief protagonists faltered Simon Khan stuck to his guns, fired a closing 66, and duly won the European Tour's flagship event with the minimum of fuss.
For all his experience Pádraig Harrington was unable to stem the flow and two dropped shots in his opening five holes left him behind the eight-ball from the outset.
The Dubliner eventually reached the turn in two over before a birdie, bogey, bogey combination from the 11th left him on level par. Credit to Harrington though as he played to the end and birdies at 16 and 18 at least left a better taste in the mouth.
It all added up to a closing 72 to finish tied fifth on two under 282. However the three-time major winner will surely look back on this event and think what could have been.
Damien McGrane's 70 moved the Meath pro up to one over, one ahead of Paul McGinley (71) and two ahead of Graeme McDowell and Gareth Maybin, who closed with a solid 69.
The biggest frustration was left for McDowell, who had got himself back into contention with a couple of early birdies at the second and fourth to get to two under.
There was no telling what lay around the corner though as the Portrush golfer spectacularly went into freefall. He ran up four bogeys in a row from the seventh before compounding matters with a trio of bogeys from the 14th to be five over.
A fine eagle at the par five 17th helped the cause but the 30-year-old still signed for a 74 and will have to wait to find out if it's good enough to remain in the world's top 50 to secure automatic invites to the US and British Opens.
There was little to write home about for Rory McIlroy either as the 21-year-old looked frustrated with himself after signing for a 73 to be five over, one better than Peter Lawrie (72). Shane Lowry's 75 left him eight over.
At the top of the leaderboard there was no telling who would grab the event by the scruff of the neck. In the end it was Khan, whose 66 for a six under 278 aggregate was good enough to win by one from Luke Donald (71) and Sweden's Fredrik Andersson Hed (67).
Khan, who won Tour School, lifted the €750,000 winner's cheque. The win was all the more remarkable as he teed it up this week on a sponsor's invite. The rolling birdie putt across the slope for birdie at the 18th was telling.
"It's all a bit surreal," said Khan after waiting around thinking he might have to compete in a play-off. "If there's an event to pick and win, this would be it. I've always dreamed of winning it and sometimes dreams come true."
Overnight leader Chris Wood struggled badly and eventually signed for a closing 77 to join Harrington in tied fifth. Robert Karlsson, playing alongside Wood in the final group, also slumped to a 77 to finish level par. A far cry from yesterday's course record 62.
Lee Westwood climbed over 30 placed into a tie for 10th after his 66.