Updated Sept. 20, 2026, 9:11 p.m. ET
J.J. Spaun made an emphatic point that he would have been healthy enough to play for the U.S. side at next week’s Presidents Cup.
Spaun shot a final-round 5-under 67 at Wentworth Club to win the BMW PGA Championship on Sunday by two strokes over Spain’s Manuel Elvira (70), who doubled the last, and this year’s majors winners Rory McIlroy (68), Aaron Rai (66) and past Masters winner Adam Scott (68).
Spaun, 36, birdied four of the final five holes to be the first player to reach 17-under 271 at the DP World Tour’s flagship event in Virginia Water, England. Elvira still had the par-5 18th hole to play and appeared to be in the driver’s seat after ripping a fairway wood from 282 yards to setup a 9-foot eagle. But he hit a brutal bunker shot from 111 yards at 18 that resulted in a double bogey.
Elvira, who entered the week at No. 294 in the world and was seeking his first DP World Tour victory, held the 54-hole lead. He bogeyed the first hole but reclaimed the lead with a birdie at No. 10, his third of the day. He tacked on another at No. 12 but gave the stroke back with a bogey at the par-3 14th. Moments after Spaun stretched the lead to two strokes with a two-putt birdie at 18, Elvira canned a 9-foot eagle putt at the par-5 17th to tie Spaun. But he airmailed the 18th green with his third shot from a fairway bunker and chipped into a greenside bunker with his fourth en route to making double bogey. His older brother, Nacho, a veteran tour winner, was there to console him, but that first victory for younger brother will have to wait for another day.
“Devastating that I hit the wrong shot at the right time on the lay up and left myself the toughest shot in the fairway bunker, and wasn’t able to pull it off,” Elvira said. “I’ve played some of the best golf probably of my life…It’s been a great week and I’m really glad for it.”
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Spaun, No. 17 in the world, finished 10th in the Presidents Cup points standings to miss out on an automatic berth on the team. He injured his shoulder at the Tour Championship and withdrew from the FedEx Cup final last month. U.S. Captain Brandt Snedeker opted to go with the likes of promising 21-year-old pro Jackson Koivun, Jacob Bridgeman, a first-time winner this season, and U.S. team mainstay Justin Thomas. On Saturday, Spaun called it “a bummer” to be left off the team and doubled down when asked about it after the win.
“I played with a huge chip on my shoulder. I definitely had something to prove this week. But everything happens for a reason,” Spaun said. “The extra motivation, I think that is the willpower that you kind of have. And being left off the Presidents Cup team a couple weeks ago was very disappointing, and you know, I wanted to prove that I deserve to be on that team. I took care of my business this week. So all the best to the team next week at Medinah and I’ll be watching.”
Spaun opened his final round with a bogey, but it proved to be his only dropped shot of the day. He added birdies at Nos. 4 and 5 but then endured a birdie drought until dropping his tee shot at the par-3 14th to 2 feet. Then he caught fire down the stretch.
“I knew the whole day I had to stay patient because of the closing stretch at Wentworth because you could go eagle, eagle and you could also go bogey, bogey,” he said.
Spaun followed in the footsteps of Billy Horschel and Arnold Palmer as Americans to win the DP World Tour’s flagship event.
“It means so much,” Spaun said. “You know, I’ve kind of blossomed into this player I never thought I could be, and to take my game across the world, and more specifically here in England, a place that’s dear to my family’s heart, we vacation here quite a bit. The stars kind of aligned this week for me to come out on top, and I’m just grateful to have the opportunity and play and play well and give myself a chance and came out with a W.”