Aaron Rai falls just short for tied third in BMW PGA Championship
Aaron Rai fell just four shots short of success as he recorded a tied third finish in the BMW PGA Championship.
It continued the former Shropshire & Herefordshire junior golfer's fine results at the event at Wentworth Club in Surrey, where he finished tied fourth behind a three-player play-off last September.
This effort saw the 30-year-old finish 16 under par after four rounds, tied with Patrick Reed of the United States, and three shots behind winner Alex Noren, of Sweden, and France's Adrien Saddier. It was Noren who claimed the victory with a birdie in the first play-off hole.
Two-time DP Tour winner Rai played some consistent golf in the four-day event in conditions which worsened to finish in a sodden weekend.
But Rai saved his best round for the final one as he carded six-under featuring six birdies.
Back-to-back birdies on the 13th and 14th - the latter secured with a wonderful tee shot - in the final round briefly saw Rai join leaders Noren and Saddier on 16-under.
Rai dropped just three shots over the course of the tournament. He opened up with rounds of four-under and five-under on Thursday and Friday but lost some ground on Saturday with just two birdies and a bogey on the 15th to shoot a one-under round of 71 for the day.
Rai, the two-time European and sole PGA Tour winner, has a current position of 34 in the overall world golf ranking. He finished tied fifth in the Wyndham Championship - which he won last year - in North Carolina in August and had finishes of tied 34 and tied 33 in The Open and US Open Championships respectively this summer.
The next DP Tour event is the Open De France which takes place between September 18 and 21.
