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Ryan Fox carded a 5-under 67 on Sunday, September 17, in the final round of the BMW PGA Championship to claim the biggest win of his career.
Fox aggregated at 18-under after the four days at Wentworth Club to edge out Aaron Rai and Tyrrell Hatton by one stroke. This is his fifth win on the DP World Tour.
The BMW PGA Championship witnessed a lot of ups and downs in the leaderboard on the final day. While Fox made a three-spot jump with the help of his final round score, 54-hole leader Ludvig Aberg slipped nine spots after shooting a 4-over 76 on Sunday.
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In this article, we will delve into the five biggest surprise results at the 2023 BMW PGA Championship.
Top 5 surprise finishes at the 2023 BMW PGA Championship
#1 Ryan Fox
Prior to the BMW PGA Championship, Ryan Fox's most recent win came at the 2022 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. He had a stellar 2022 season with two wins, four runner-up finishes, and four other top-10 placements.
However, this year, he struggled with his performance, managing just one top-10 finish leading up to the Wentworth Club event. Amid the heavyweights like Viktor Hovland, Jon Rahm, and Rory McIlroy who featured at the event, Fox wasn't even among the top 10 favorites, but consistent form over four days earned him his biggest title so far.
#2 Aaron Rai
Similarly to Fox, Aaron Rai wasn't among the oddsmakers' choices to win the BMW PGA Championship. He had never secured a top-10 finish at the event before this year. Last year, he failed to make the cut, and a T39 finish at the Horizon Irish Open last week didn't raise hopes either.
However, the Englishman surprised many with his consistent performances over the week, posting scores of 69, 67, and 67 to secure a joint runner-up finish.
#3 Callum Shinkwin
Shinkwin was one of the biggest surprises of the week, achieving his best finish of the year since a fourth-place result at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic in January.
Since the 2023 US PGA Championship, Shinkwin hadn't made a cut until the Horizon Irish Open. The BMW PGA Championship brought even better results for the golfer, as he aggregated at 13-under for a seventh-place finish.
#4 Rory McIlroy
McIlroy was predicted as the tournament favorite with odds of +700, but he didn't have a great start. He shot 72 and 71 in the first two rounds and barely made it to the weekend.
The 34-year-old Northern Irishman made a strong recovery over the weekend, shooting 12-under in the final 36 holes to secure a spot in the top 10 of the BMW PGA Championship.
#5 Hennie Du Plessis
Hennie Du Plessis is another golfer who emerged as a surprise performer at Wentworth this week. Despite not being among the top 50 favorites for the tournament, he stunned everyone with his consistent performance.
The 26-year-old South African was just under par halfway through the event, but an 8-under 64 on Saturday helped him jump several spots. In the final round, he carded a 3-under 69 to aggregate at 12-under after 72 holes, securing a T10 finish, his best result since March.
