BMW Championship thriller: Jon Rahm defeats Dustin Johnson with a sensational putt in playoff.

• BMW Championship finishes with a playoff between the two best players in the world rankings.
• Jon Rahm (ESP), world no. 2, wins the BMW Championship with a memorable birdie putt on the first extra hole at Olympia Fields Country Club (Chicago, USA).
• Following on from his victory to open the Playoffs last week, world no. 1 Dustin Johnson (USA) has to be content with second place.
• Just five players remain under par on the challenging North Course.

Chicago/Munich. The 70 best pros in the FedExCup ranking went head to head at the penultimate Playoff tournament on the PGA TOUR. The North Course at the Olympia Fields Country Club (Chicago, USA) required the pros to make the most of all their skills. When it came to the crunch, Jon Rahm (-4) produced an impressive performance on Sunday to record the best round of the entire week. The 2018 Ryder Cup winner rounded off his outstanding performance by sinking a 20-metre putt in a playoff to secure his fifth win on the PGA TOUR.

After the first round, which the 25-year-old Spaniard ended on 5 over par, there was no sign of him heading for his fifth PGA TOUR win. However, Rahm gradually worked his way back up the leaderboard and produced a final-day performance that was more than worthy of a Playoff tournament winner. Rahm not only recorded the best round of the week as he carded 6 under par, but followed that by conjuring up a birdie putt across the width of the 18th green in his playoff against world no. 1 Dustin Johnson to lay claim to the prestigious title. The playoff between the two best players in the world rankings was the most spectacular way to round off the BMW Championship.

“Congratulations to Jon Rahm on capturing the BMW Championship,” said Bernhard Kuhnt, president and CEO, BMW of North America. “On behalf of everyone at BMW, I’d like to thank the Western Golf Association, the PGA TOUR and the volunteers who helped out this week. A special thank you also to the great grounds crew at Olympia Fields who kept the course in exceptional condition, and to the members of the club for their continuing support of the Evans Scholars Foundation. The BMW Championship is so important because of what it gives back to so many young caddies, so we’re especially happy to host the event during this unique time.”

BMW Championship winner from 2010 and 2016 Johnson has his own outstanding putt to thank for forcing a playoff contest. Trailing by one stroke as he approached the 72nd hole, the 36-year-old had to sink a putt from nearly 14 metres to claim the birdie he required. It is rare indeed to see two such outstanding putts under intense pressure in such a short space of time as during those decisive minutes at the BMW Championship 2020.

Behind Rahm and Johnson, Joaquin Niemann from Chile and Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama (both -2) shared third place. Tony Finau (USA, -1) finished fifth. Rory McIlroy (NIR, +3), winner of the BMW Championship 2012, was in the lead after two rounds, but dropped down into tied twelfth place at the weekend. This week, the overall winner of the FedExCup will be revealed at the TOUR Championship at the East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta. Johnson leads the FedExCup standings, Rahm and Justin Thomas (USA) are in second and third.

The BMW Championship 2021 will take place in the greater Baltimore area. The tournament will be held from 23rd to 29th August at the Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills.