Donald defends at Wentworth to regain world number one

Luke Donald delivered a masterclass in how to finish off a tournament as he shot a closing 68 to win the BMW PGA Championship by four shots from Justin Rose and Paul Lawrie.

Rose had got level with with the eventual winner on -10 after four holes, but Donald made birdies at 6, 7, 10, 12 and 16 to pull away and retain the tournament that first took him to world number one 12 months ago and regain the coveted sport from Rory McIlroy, who missed the cut.

While Rose was clearly disappointed after the round, he can take some solace from his earnings pushing him to the top of the Race to Dubai standings.

1999 Open champion Lawrie boosted his Ryder Cup hopes with a birdie-birdie finish and now sits fourth in the European points list.

“To come and defend and get back to number one is very sweet indeed,” said Donald. “I was just trying to keep my head down and plug away. I was swinging well and I’ve putted well all week.

“I just needed to settle down a bit. This is a big week and I felt some of the pressure. After the fourth I didn’t give him (Rose) another hole where he was teeing off first other than the 18th. I got the job done.

“I take a great amount of satisfaction. It means I am doing the right things; the hard work is paying off and I have a great team around me.”

When asked about his future goals, Donald added: “Obviously win Majors. I feel I am getting closer. Every time I win it adds to my confidence. These victories are key to bringing that confidence into the Majors.”

On the PGA Tour, Zach Johnson survived a two-stroke penalty and double bogey at the final hole to win the Crowne Plaza Invitational by a single stroke from overnight leader Jason Dufner.

> This week’s Today’s Golfer Fantasy Golf tournament, in association with Your Golf Travel, is the PGA Tour’s Memorial Tournament. You can see a full entry list here.