Jon Rahm retained his Open de Espana title on home soil with a commanding five-stroke victory to take top spot in the Race to Dubai rankings.
Rahm began his final round with a five-shot advantage and finished it with the same cushion after carding a closing 66 at Club de Campo Villa de Madrid.
The Ryder Cup star was never in danger of relinquishing his lead after taking command on day three, going out in 32 on Sunday courtesy of an eagle at the fourth and two birdies.
Rahm picked up further shots at the 10th and 14th holes and made just one bogey, finishing well clear on 22 under to remain champion.
The 24-year-old replaces Shane Lowry at the summit in the Race to Dubai standings and is the fastest Spaniard to five European Tour wins, breaking the late Seve Ballesteros' record.
Rahm's compatriot Rafa Cabrera Bello also shot a 66 to finish on his own in second place on 17 under.
Cabrera Bello was in need of a blistering start to try and put pressure on Rahm but hit the turn in 36 and although he birdied five of the last six holes in a bogey-free round, it was too late to catch his countryman.
World number 1,413 Samuel Del Val secured an impressive third spot in his homeland on 15 under in only his fifth European Tour event.
Jeff Winther finished with a magnificent eight-under 63 to share fourth place with Adri Arnaus and Joachim B. Hansen.
Defending champion Jon Rahm will take a five-shot lead into the final round of the Open de Espana after lighting up the back nine on Saturday.
Rahm started moving day two shots adrift of fellow Spaniards Rafa Cabrera Bello and Adri Arnaus, but took command with a magnificent eight-under 63 in his homeland.
The world number five produced a masterclass after hitting the turn in 35, picking up a further seven shots on the way home at Club de Campo Villa de Madrid to sit pretty on 17 under.
Rahm carded an astonishing back-nine 28 to put himself well on course for a fifth European Tour title and top spot in the Race to Dubai rankings.
The Ryder Cup star dropped shots at back-to-back holes before the turn but got on a roll to move away from his compatriots, gaining a stroke at the 10th to stand just a shot off the lead before reeling off four birdies in a row and an eagle two at 16.
Cabrera Bello and Samuel Del Val share second place on 12 under following third rounds of 70 and 69 respectively.
Three-time European Tour winner Cabrera Bello was bogey-free through his first two rounds, but he dropped a shot on the first and made another two bogeys as Rahm shifted through the gears.
The 1,413-ranked Del Val, who does not have international playing privileges, gathered momentum with three birdies in the space of four holes on the back nine, but dropped one shot on the front nine and another at the 18th.
Arnaus' challenge faded as he signed for a 72, dropping back to a share of fifth place with Jason Scrivener and Zander Lombard, with seven shots to make up on Rahm, while Jens Dantorp is fourth on 11 under.
Rafa Cabrera Bello and Adri Arnaus led the way as home talent dominated the top of the Open de Espana leaderboard at the end of day two in Madrid.
None of the early starters caused overnight leader Kristian Krogh Johannessen to worry, but the Norwegian proved to be his own worst enemy in the afternoon when shooting a two-over-par 73, a hefty 10 strokes worse than his Thursday score at the Club de Campo Villa.
Taking full advantage was Cabrera Bello, whose six-under-par 65 took him to 11 under overall and ensured he completed the opening 36 holes of a European Tour event without a bogey for the first time. A long-range putt on the par-three ninth after missing the green proved vital in that respect.
Defending champion Jon Rahm remained very much in the hunt, recovering well after a double bogey on the second to card a 67 and sit just two shots off the pace in fourth.
Arnaus – a European Tour rookie – had looked destined to lead at the end of the day, only for a bogey at the last hole to force him to settle for a 66 and a share of first place with Cabrera Bello.
Another Spaniard, Samuel Del Val, had a 65 to reach 10 under and hold down third place going into the weekend.
With Rahm, Arnaus and Cabrera Bello all in the running near the top, the latter said he relished such domination on home soil.
"Yesterday [Thursday] was like a dream day and it was the same again," Cabrera Bello said. "I think we are 31 under for the three of us, which is remarkable.
"We've been feeding off each other, and with thousands of people cheering us on, it's been amazing."
Arnaus added: "I'm really proud of how I played these first two rounds, I enjoyed it so much with this home support and also playing alongside Rahm and Rafa – it's been two fantastic days."
One of the most prominent Spaniards in action, Sergio Garcia, was way off the lead on four under for the tournament, matching Italy's Edoardo Molinari, with both players having carded consecutive rounds of 69.
Kristian Krogh Johannessen made a storming start at the Open de Espana, where defending champion Jon Rahm was among the home favourites to begin strongly.
Norwegian Johannessen, starting at the 10th hole, birdied four of his last six holes at the Club de Campo Villa de Madrid to sign for an outstanding eight-under-par 63.
Had preferred lies not been in play, Johannessen's score would have entered the history books as the lowest opening round in tournament history and matched the course record.
Still, Johannessen – who made an eagle two at the 15th and had just one bogey at the following hole – will a take a two-shot lead into round two.
"It was a good round," Johannessen, who missed the first nine cuts of his rookie year after graduating from qualifying school last season, told the European Tour's website.
"I didn't hit it perfectly but hit it in the right spots, even when I missed and I holed some good putts.
"I'm out there having fun and playing smart. It's a tricky course but I've got a friend on the bag this week and we're having fun out there.
"If you get stressed you start easily making mistakes. I just need to keep cool and play my own game."
Spain's Adri Arnaus is the highest-placed home player. Also starting at the 10th, he was six under by the turn before a bogey at the second hole slightly derailed his progress.
A birdie at his last hole meant Arnaus was six under and one shot ahead of a cluster of six players, which included playing partner and compatriot Rafa Cabrera Bello.
Rahm was also among that group, the 2018 victor's card showing six birdies and just a solitary dropped shot.
Former Masters champion Danny Willett held off Jon Rahm to win the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.
The Sheffield-born 31-year-old completed a stunning week in Surrey with a closing five-under-par 67 to reach 20 under through 72 holes.
It meant he finished three clear of Spaniard Rahm, with whom he had been level-pegging at the start of the day.
Rahm made 70 - his worst score of the week - to finish one in front of South African Christiaan Bezuidenhout, who carded a 68.
Americans Billy Horschel and Patrick Reed had stirring final rounds of 65 and 66 respectively to tie for fourth on 15 under.
Further down the field, Justin Rose tied for eighth after back-to-back double bogeys at 12 and 13 scuppered his hopes of a late charge.
And Rory McIlroy left it too late to challenge, with the Northern Irishman's opening 76 on Thursday having given him too much ground to make up.
He followed Saturday's 65 with 6, but McIlroy could only tie for ninth with Englishman Andrew 'Beef' Johnston. Open champion Shane Lowry closed with a 66 to tie for 11th with Paul Casey and Viktor Hovland.
If the crowds continued to lap up some McIlroy magic, the glory belonged exclusively to Willett, who has pulled his game together in the last 18 months after experiencing a miserable slump in form since his 2016 Augusta triumph.
At one stage he slipped outside the world's top 450. However, winning the World Tour Championship in Dubai at the end of 2018 proved to Willett he could be a champion again.
And after finishing joint-sixth at The Open in July, he has landed another significant trophy - the first European Tour title he has won in the United Kingdom.
Willett produced six birdies in his closing round, but it was arguably the putt he made for bogey at the 11th that made all the difference, after going a long way right off the tee and then being bunkered.
At that stage a double would have allowed Rahm to draw level on 17 under, but Willett rolled in a 40-footer to give away only one shot, to his obvious relief, and birdies at 17 and 18 completed the job in style.
"It doesn't get much better does it?" Willett told Sky Sports. "An emotional week. It was a good battle out there - with myself more than anyone else - and it’s nice to come through.
"[I've had] an undying want to get back there. I was willing to change whatever had to be changed and I think that's pretty hard to do, it's hard to jump full throttle into something that you're not quite sure if it's going to work out or not.
He added: "Dubai was a special week but to be able to come here at the BMW PGA Championship in front of home crowds at Wentworth and come away winning is special."
Jon Rahm made a remarkable recovery at Wentworth's 18th hole on Saturday to retain a share of the BMW PGA Championship lead alongside Danny Willett.
An eagle at the last on Friday had seen Rahm join Willett at the top of the leaderboard through two rounds, but it appeared the same hole would prove his undoing 24 hours later.
Rahm, leading by a single stroke heading to the par-five 18th, sent an awful drive towards the bushes and looked to be facing a first double-bogey of the week.
The Spaniard's problems were compounded by Englishman Willett's proficiency at the same hole, lining up a birdie putt from four feet.
Willett executed the putt to move to 15 under for the week, but Rahm, having made the green with his fourth shot, sank a stunning effort to save par.
The duo held a three-shot joint-lead, with Indian Shubhankar Sharma having surged into contention with nine birdies before a bogey at the last left him on 12 under with a 66.
Justin Rose also dropped a shot at the last to join Sharma, having made an eagle at the 17th, with Christiaan Bezuidenhout the third man at the same score.
Elsewhere, Rory McIlroy had been made to work hard to make the cut on Friday following a dismal opening-round 76, but he was back on form as the weekend began.
A fine 65 left the world number two on six under for the week, low enough to provoke a sliver of optimism that an unlikely title challenge might still be on the cards.
McIlroy, who was hoping for Rahm and Willett to slump, told Sky Sports: "I've done what I can and shot a good score.
"If I go out [on Sunday] and shoot something similar, I don't know if it's going to be quite good enough but at least I've given myself something to hope for. That's a nice thing."
American Patrick Reed appeared to be in contention after signing for a 67 to reach nine under, while Italian Francesco Molinari was a shot further back.
The 18th did not cause Englishman Ross Fisher as much trouble as it had others, as he achieved a brilliant albatross to finish his third round - earning a new BMW for the feat.
Rory McIlroy scraped into the weekend at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, where Jon Rahm and Danny Willett claimed a share of the lead through 36 holes.
McIlroy's first round had unravelled in spectacular fashion as he carded a four-over-par 76, leaving him with plenty of work to do when he headed back out onto the course on Friday.
The world number two needed to get back to one over to make the cut but saw his early progress, with two birdies in four holes, checked by a bogey at the fifth.
McIlroy was still two strokes shy of his target with five holes remaining but picked up shots at the par-three 14th and par-four 16th to get the job done.
"I guess I played a bit better today - while still not quite feeling in sync with everything," McIlroy told Sky Sports.
"I battled well, the conditions were a lot trickier out there today than they were yesterday [Thursday]. I definitely didn't think I was going to get into a position where I didn't need to birdie either of the [last two] holes coming in."
McIlroy will still require a remarkable turnaround to have any hope of challenging leaders Rahm and Willett over the next two days, though.
Rahm had already been in contention with a 66 on Thursday but started poorly with bogeys at the first and second.
A fine recovery followed, with four birdies on the bounce, yet he was still two shots shy of Willett's clubhouse target of 11 under for the week until a superb eagle at the last.
Willett might have been in an even stronger position, having been five under for the day through five and eight under through 12, signing for seven under as his form faltered on the way back.
He acknowledged: "I'm probably not back to my best, and I'm still working on the moves and there's still shots in there that I don't like."
Home hopeful Justin Rose is two shots back and is joined in a tie for third by Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Henrik Stenson, while Francesco Molinari and Patrick Reed are both in the top 20.
Matt Wallace had led overnight but collapsed completely with seven bogeys in a four-over round.
Tommy Fleetwood, like McIlroy, came close to missing the cut, albeit in different fashion - carding a three-over 75 on a disappointing day.
Rory McIlroy endured an opening round to forget at the BMW PGA Championship as Matt Wallace set the early pace at Wentworth.
Englishman Wallace carded a blemish-free 65 to sit on seven under par at the top of a star-studded leaderboard, one clear of Henrik Stenson and Jon Rahm.
Justin Rose sits alone on five under, while Ernie Els and Paul Casey are among a nine-man group a further shot back after Thursday's play.
McIlroy, however, faces an uphill battle just to make the cut after a promising start unravelled in spectacular fashion, forcing him to sign for a score of 76.
He was three under through five holes, but his day began to go awry around the turn with three successive bogeys from the eighth onwards.
A birdie at the 12th suggested it was merely a temporary blip, only for this year's FedEx Cup winner to endure a nightmare finish. There were three bogeys and a double in his closing six holes, with a frustrated McIlroy then declining to speak to the media after his four-over round.
Wallace, who lives nearby and plays the course on a regular basis, was understandably happy to discuss his performance after shooting five birdies and an eagle.
"I've played the course plenty of times before coming into this week and feel comfortable and it always helps when your game's in shape as well," he told the European Tour website.
"I just want to play better and I want to keep getting better and put myself in positions to win tournaments. It's a good start. We've got a long way to go, though."
Rahm produced an impressive finish to charge towards the summit, the Spaniard posting four birdies in his final five holes. As for Swede Stenson, he joined his 2018 Ryder Cup team-mate on six under courtesy of a successful yet somewhat bizarre eagle putt from off the green at the 18th. Stenson's ball bobbled up as soon as it was struck but nevertheless found its target from distance.
Rose bloomed late too, a birdie at his final hole taking him to five under. The Englishman has twice finished second at the tournament, including losing in a play-off to Anders Hansen in 2007.
Meanwhile, defending champion Francesco Molinari started his title defence with an opening 69, leaving him in a logjam at three under.
Justin Thomas will take a two-stroke lead into the Tour Championship at East Lake after the format change for the season-ending tournament.
Thomas claimed a three-shot win at the BMW Championship on Sunday, moving top of the FedEx Cup standings.
Instead of a points reset for the Tour Championship, players will start on different scores – with Thomas top of the leaderboard before the event begins on Thursday.
Here is what the leaderboard looks like after the BMW Championship, featuring all 30 players who qualified.
-10: Justin Thomas
-8: Patrick Cantlay
-7: Brooks Koepka
-6: Patrick Reed
-5: Rory McIlroy
Top 5 in the #FedExCup heading into @EastLakeGC:
1. @JustinThomas34
2. Patrick Cantlay
3. @BKoepka
4. @PReedGolf
5. @McIlroyRory pic.twitter.com/8SjEvALxfh
Justin Thomas closed out his first win of the year with a three-stroke victory at the BMW Championship on Sunday.
Thomas made waves at Medinah with his record-breaking round – a 61 – on Saturday and the American backed it up.
The 2017 US PGA Championship winner carded a four-under 68 in the final round to get to 25 under, winning the tournament and moving top of the FedEx Cup standings heading into the Tour Championship.
The win was Thomas' 10th career PGA Tour title and it came with some impressive shots.
He had a string of birdies through his back nine, four through his last eight holes, to help keep the rest of the field at bay.
Thomas held off a red-hot Patrick Cantlay and Hideki Matsuyama, who both matched or shot their lowest rounds of the week.
Cantlay finished solo second (22 under) after nine birdies helped him to a seven-under 65. He was mere inches away from putting even more pressure on Thomas but just missed an eagle putt after driving the 15th green.
Matsuyama had the lowest round of the day with a 63 to jump into third place at 20 under. The 36-hole leader had set the previous record at Medinah before Thomas broke it on Saturday, and got back to form on Sunday.
He was mistake-free through the front nine with five birdies and matched that after the turn. However, a bogey on the par-four 16th stopped Matsuyama from besting his low round of the week.
Tony Finau finished in fourth place at 18 under while Jon Rahm and Brandt Snedeker tied for fifth at 16 under.
Corey Conners and Lucas Glover both placed seventh at 15 under and Adam Scott and Kevin Kisner rounded out the top finishers in a tie for ninth at 14 under.
Justin Thomas set a new course record in the third round as he stormed to the top of the BMW Championship leaderboard.
Thomas carded an 11-under-par 61 to shatter the record at Medinah Country Club for a commanding six-stroke lead on Saturday.
Hideki Matsuyama had set the record on Friday, but his feat was eclipsed by 2017 FedEx Cup champion Thomas – who stole the show with two eagles and eight birdies.
Thomas birdied his opening five holes and had six through his first eight, before adding another two and a pair of eagles on the back nine.
The American is set to move top of the FedEx Cup standings as things stand, with Thomas 21 under after three rounds – ahead of Tony Finau (68) and Patrick Cantlay (68).
"I just hope the trend doesn't [continue] and someone else breaks [the course record] tomorrow," he said after his stellar round.
"It's just one of those freaky days where you get in the zone. I hit the ball pretty unbelievable. I didn't really — it's not like I made any long putts, I just hit it close to the hole and took advantage of some opportunities when I had them and got a couple good breaks."
Rory Sabbatini posted a five-under-par 67 to be fourth and seven shots adrift, while Jon Rahm (66) is a stroke further back heading into Sunday's decider.
Brandt Snedeker (67) highlights a trio of golfers tied for sixth (12 under) and Rickie Fowler (68), Kevin Kisner (69), Xander Schauffele (70) and Matsuyama (73) all sit ninth.
Former world number one and 2012 champion Rory McIlroy is 11 shots behind Thomas following his third-round 70, while Tiger Woods is three shots back.
Two-time FedEx Cup champion Woods climbed the leaderboard thanks a to a bogey-free 67, which left him in a tie for 31st.
Only the top 30 players in the FedEx Cup standings will advance to the Tour Championship and Woods – who is the defending champion – is projected to finish 40th.
Brooks Koepka saw off Rory McIlroy to claim his maiden World Golf Championship at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational.
World number one Koepka celebrated a three-stroke victory after carding a five-under-par 65 in Memphis on Sunday.
Koepka – a four-time major champion – enjoyed a flawless final round with five birdies, including three in a four-hole stretch at TPC Southwind.
The American star and FedEx Cup leader finished 16 under overall for his third win of the season and seventh of his career, ahead of countryman Webb Simpson (64).
Simpson's round was highlighted with an eagle on the par-five third hole but a bogey just before making the turn sullied his scorecard.
Australian Marc Leishman, who also climbed up the leaderboard, rounded out the top three at 12 under after his final-round 67.
Overnight leader and former world number one McIlroy ended the tournament five shots off the pace following his one-over-par 71.
McIlroy – who won the tournament in 2014 – was the man to beat following the third round after he posted an eight-under-par 62 for a one-shot lead ahead of Koepka.
But the 54-hole leader was unable to maintain his charge after missing the cut at The Open last week – McIlroy falling victim to two bogeys on his back nine as he finished alongside Tommy Fleetwood (66) and Matthew Fitzpatrick (69).
Spanish star Jon Rahm (69) was a stroke further back at 10 under, ahead of Ian Poulter (69).
Defending champion Justin Thomas had to settle for a share of 12th position at six under following his final-round 71.
Thomas finished alongside Jordan Spieth (68), Alex Noren (73), Patrick Reed (68), Rafa Cabrera Bello (66), Aaron Rai (67), Patrick Cantlay (68) and Cameron Smith (68).
Meanwhile, Dustin Johnson – the 2016 champion – ended the event a stroke further back after shooting a two-under-par 68.
Matthew Fitzpatrick claimed a two-stroke lead after the second round of the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational.
Fitzpatrick climbed 12 spots to the top of the leaderboard with a six-under-par 64 in Memphis on Friday.
His round was highlighted by four consecutive birdies at the start, and he had just one hiccup with a bogey on the par-three 8th hole.
Fitzpatrick finished with seven total birdies as he heads into the weekend at nine under through 36 holes.
Close behind Fitzpatrick in second place is Jon Rahm (71), who is in a four-way tie alongside Patrick Cantlay (68), Cameron Smith (68) and Billy Horschel at seven under following day two.
After a mistake-free first round (62), Rahm had four bogeys on Friday. He did finish with back-to-back birdies on the 16th and 17th holes to stay close to the front.
Horschel (66) had the best round of the bunch in contention and used an eagle on the par-five third hole to jump up the standings.
Justin Rose, Brooks Koepka and Bubba Watson are four shots off the pace ahead of Saturday's third round.
Koepka had four birdies and a bogey for a second-round 67, while Rose posted a 68 and Watson recorded a 70.
Former world number one Rory McIlroy shot a three-under-par 67 to be four under overall, a shot ahead of defending champion Justin Thomas (69).
Dustin Johnson – the 2016 winner – recorded back-to-back 69s to be seven strokes behind Fitzpatrick, while Jordan Spieth's consecutive 70s left him even par at the halfway stage.
Jon Rahm revealed he felt "dead" in the lead up to the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational before opening with an impressive eight-under 62.
The Spaniard opened up a three-stroke lead after the first round at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee on Thursday.
But Rahm, searching for his first WGC win, said he was exhausted ahead of the tournament, leaving him playing the front nine at the course for the first time during the opening round.
"I can tell you getting to the first tee today [Thursday] was the first time I stepped on that nine," he said.
"I didn't see my back nine today at all before today. I didn't do anything Monday or Tuesday, I just rested and stretched at the hotel.
"Yesterday I came with the plan of playing 18 holes. I putted and warmed up, and after four holes, I teed off on 10, I think that was when I got to 14 or 15, I was dead. I couldn't swing properly. I was really tired, so I just decided to finish the round of nine holes, eat and just putt a little bit and go."
Despite the unusual preparation, Rahm holed eight birdies in his first round, including five from holes one to eight – his back nine.
The 24-year-old said the way he set himself up led to his superb start as he took a three-shot lead over Patrick Cantlay, Bubba Watson, Cameron Smith, Hideki Matsuyama and Shugo Imahira.
"The key to all those birdies, my position on the greens was really good," Rahm said.
"I was able to not really go at the pins every single time, but I was able to make myself putts that for the most part I felt with very little break ... if I could do that every day of the year, that would be amazing."
Jon Rahm used a brilliant opening round to grab a three-stroke lead at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational on Thursday.
Rahm, who is fresh off a tied for 11th finish at The Open, shot an eight-under 62 with five of his eight birdies coming on his back nine at TPC Southwind.
What was more impressive was his putting as Rahm missed just one putt inside 25 feet during the first round in Memphis, Tennessee. He was a perfect five for five from 15-20 feet.
The Spaniard, still looking for his first WGC win, tied the low round of his PGA Tour career.
But, he has a star-studded field behind him.
There is a five-way tie for second place at five under, with Hideki Matsuyama and Bubba Watson joined by Patrick Cantlay, Cameron Smith and Shugo Imahira.
Watson's round featured a birdie on his final hole after bogeys on the par-four 10th and 13th holes.
Behind them is a sizable group of Ian Poulter, Thorbjorn Olesen and Tyrrell Hatton, among others, a shot further back.
Justin Rose, Bryson DeChambeau and Billy Horschel are in a five-way tie for 13th at three under and in good position to move up the leaderboard on Friday.
Jordan Spieth nearly joined the top of the leaderboard after five birdies and just one bogey through 11 holes.
But the American then carded two triple bogeys, making seven at the 12th and 15th holes before finishing with an even-par 70.
World number one Brooks Koepka made a fine start with a 68, while Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson opened with 69s.
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