VIRGINIA WATER, England – Rory McIlroy put aside the anguish in his private life to win the European Tour’s flagship BMW PGA Championship on Sunday.

The double major winner came from seven shots back at the start of the final round to shoot a 6-under 66 and win by 1 stroke with an overall 14-under 274 on the Wentworth course.

It was McIlroy’s first European Tour success since December 2012 and ends a run of eight second-place finishes in 11 events this season.

Shane Lowry of Ireland came second with a round of 68 for a 13-under 275. Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn (75) shared third place on 12 under with England’s two-time BMW PGA winner Luke Donald (70).

McIlroy’s 12th victory worldwide comes four days after the 25-year old Northern Irishman confirmed the breakdown in his relationship with Danish tennis star Caroline Wozniacki.

McIlroy had been close to tears on Wednesday when talking to the media. He was still subdued Sunday despite his victory though he hugged his father Gerry and long-time coach Michael Bannon.

“I guess when I got inside the ropes this week, it was a little bit of a release, and I was on my own and doing what I do best, which is playing golf, and that sort of gave me four or five hours of serenity or sanctuary or whatever you want to call it,” McIlroy said.

“I was just focusing on the job at hand which was to play golf and get the ball in the hole in the lowest number of shots possible … It’s obviously been a week of very mixed emotions, but I’m sitting here looking at this trophy going, `How the hell, how did it happen this week?’ But it did.”

It was McIlroy’s first success since coming from behind to win December’s Australian Open in Sydney. He heads into next month’s U.S. Open as a strong contender to win the event for a second time in four years.

“The win at the end of last year in Australia sort of stopped all the questions about equipment and about struggling and slump and all this stuff,” McIlroy said.

“But to win here, against a great field, one of the best fields of the year, especially in Europe sort of cements that, and shows where my game is and I’m on the right track again. Hopefully, it won’t be long before I’m contending in majors and having a chance to win those again.”

Lowry went into the last day some five shots behind third round leader Bjorn but found himself in front when Bjorn took a triple bogey 7 at the par four No. 6.

After three birdies in a row from the 10th, Lowry had his own troubles in taking a double bogey at the par four 13th. However, the former Irish Open and Portugal Masters winner regrouped to birdie the 14th and, while he dropped a shot at the next, the 26-year-old Lowry holed a 30-foot birdie at the last to secure second place on his own.

“I’m happy but I know I am going to be sitting in my hotel room tonight and the 13th hole is going to be going through my head,” Lowry said.

The 43-year-old Bjorn went into the last day with history on his side as no player had lost at this European Tour event after leading by five shots.

By the ninth hole Bjorn had forfeited his advantage – taking a bogey at No. 5, triple bogey at the sixth where he failed to get out of a greenside bunker in regulation, and dropping a further shot at the ninth.

The Dane birdied the 12th but was in trouble again with bogeys at Nos. 14 and 15 before birdies at the next two holes in an eventual round of 75.

“It’s a disappointment when you come off the golf course like this,” Bjorn said. “I just didn’t get it right today and I made that massive judgment error on six and that kind of let everybody back into the frame.”

VIRGINIA WATER, England – Thomas Bjorn birdied seven of his last eight holes Saturday to grab a five-shot lead after the third round of the BMW PGA Championship.

The 43-year old Dane fought back from a double bogey on the first hole by making six straight birdies from the 11th and then adding another one at the last for a 5-under 67. His 15-under total of 201 put him five shots clear of Luke Donald at the European Tour’s flagship event at Wentworth.

Donald, a two-time former BMW PGA winner, birdied his closing two holes for a 68. Ireland’s Shane Lowry shared the overnight lead with Bjorn but shot a 73 to sit another shot back in third.

Rory McIlroy was in a tie for fourth after a 69, seven shots behind Bjorn.

Bjorn is competing in the event for the 17th time, but publicly disagreed with changes to the famed Surrey course in 2010 and skipped the event the following year. He returned in in 2012 to finish 37th and then further down the board in 40th place last year.

“I’m starting to warm to this place,” Bjorn said. “But after the double at the first it was just a question of trying to hang in and trying to get the best out of it and just see if you can roll in a few putts here and there. That happened, and probably a bit in excess on the back nine.”

A win would earn Bjorn one of the biggest prize checks of his career $1.059 million, and would also cement his place in September’s European Ryder Cup team and a first appearance in 12 years since being a member of the victorious 2002 team.

The start of play was delayed by three hours because of a rain-soaked course that saw a lot of players struggle early.

McIlroy also had a double bogey on the first hole, before recovering with five birdies the rest of the way. And the double major winner hasn’t given up hope of catching Bjorn.

“I’ve had big leads and let them slip, and come from behind and won, so there’s a lot of ways to win,” McIlroy said. “There is still 18 holes of golf to go, but I’m going to need something very special.”

VIRGINIA WATER, England  – Shane Lowry birdied his closing two holes for a 2-under 70 Friday to join Thomas Bjorn in the lead after the second round of the BMW PGA Championship.

Lowry overcame a double bogey on the ninth hole by making four birdies on his back nine to erase a two-shot deficit to Bjorn, who carded a 72 on a day of intermittent rain showers. The duo was four shots clear of the field with 10-under totals of 134.

Spain’s Rafa Cabrera-Bello (73) and former BMW PGA winner Luke Donald (67) were tied for third. Rory McIlroy was another shot back along with Swedish duo Jonas Blixt and Henrik Stenson after all three carded 71.

The 27-year old Lowry won the 2009 Irish Open in a playoff as an amateur, and then added the 2012 Portugal Masters title after turning professional. This, though, would be by far the biggest win of his career.

“I just have to go out and keep doing what I have been doing,” the 142nd-ranked Irishman said. “I’ve got my coach with me this week, so he’s quite good at getting me ready to play no matter what situation I’m in. And it will be good to go out with Thomas tomorrow and see how I get on.”

Bjorn led by two shots after the first round of the European Tour’s flagship event, but found that advantage gone with bogeys at the first and seventh holes.

But Bjorn birdied his 15th and final holes minutes before Lowry birdied 17 and the last to finish tied for the lead with the Dane.

“We’ll go out and work hard on the weekend and see what the conditions are like and try and play the golf course and not the opponents,” Bjorn said. “There’s two very hard days ahead of us, so we know what this championship is all about. “

Defending champion Matteo Manassero missed the cut after following up an 80 with a 71.

McIlroy fought back from double bogey on the seventh hole, which he eagled the day before, to stay in contention.

McIlroy finished much better than he started, as he eagled the par-five 12th for a second straight day, and birdied three of his last four holes.

“The way the conditions were this morning, being 3-over par after seven wasn’t all that bad, and it wasn’t disastrous,” he said.

Blixt, the Masters runner-up, is eyeing his maiden European Tour victory.

“My golf hasn’t been too great but I kind of saved myself a couple of times, hitting some really good shots,” Blixt said. “I don’t think now with the rain settling in that anyone is going to run away with it.

“But I can’t remember the last time I played wearing so much clothing. It became really cold out there.”

VIRGINIA WATER, England – Sweden’s Henrik Stenson heads into this week’s BMW PGA Championship knowing a few good rounds could take him all the way to the world No. 1 spot.

Stenson should manage the feat if he finishes higher at the European Tour’s flagship tournament than Australia’s Adam Scott does at the PGA Tour’s Crown Plaza Invitational Colonial event at Fort Worth, Texas.

But Stenson, currently the No. 3 in the world, is playing down his chances – having managed just one top-10 result in 10 straight appearances at Wentworth to 2010, the last time he played the course.

“It’s definitely on, but I haven’t given it too much thought in that sense,” Stenson said Wednesday. “I’ve been more trying to work on my game and try to get back in good shape because I know, if I get my game to where I want to have it, then that’s definitely an achievable thing in the near future.”

The permutations are also complicated by the fact that No. 4 Matt Kuchar could also become No. 1 should he win at Colonial.

Stenson knows that he may need to be patient.

“I’m more into trying to focus on the processes of playing good golf and giving myself the best chance to become world No. 1,” he said. “And if I can win some tournaments this year, I will have a good shot at getting there.”

Others in the field at Wentworth include US Open champion Justin Rose, Rory McIlroy and England’s Ian Poulter – though Poulter indicated he was only 70 percent certain of teeing up on Thursday after injuring his lower back last week in the gym.

“It’s just disappointing, and it’s not the best prep for this week,” Poulter said.

Rose, who will return the gleaming trophy to the United States Golf Association next week, shared a family moment involving the symbol of his Merion success over Phil Mickelson and his four-year old son.

“Leo ate some ice cream out of it – so he was the first to christen the trophy,” said Rose with a smile. “I had not even had a drink, but he had some ice cream out of it and we got some great video, I think will last a lifetime, and some great memories.”

The trophy will be displayed on the opening tee throughout the BMW PGA Championship.

GIRONA, Spain – Miguel Angel Jimenez won the Spanish Open on Sunday after a three-way playoff to become the European Tour’s first winner over the age of 50.

Jimenez extended his own record as the oldest European Tour winner at 50 years and 133 days old.

“There is no secret,” Jimenez said. “Good food, good wine, good cigars and some exercise.”

Jimenez beat Thomas Pieters of Belgium and Australia’s Richard Green in a playoff after he was the only one to make par on the first extra hole. All three players finished on 4-under 284.

It was the Spaniard’s 21st European Tour win and his second of the season after he won at Hong Kong in December, also following a playoff, at the age of 49 years, 337 days.

Pieters led by two shots going into the final round at the PGA Catalunya Resort but only managed a 3-over 75 despite an eagle on No. 15. Jimenez shot a 73, while Green carded 72.

It was the first win for Jimenez at the tournament in 27 appearances.

“There’s no words to describe what it means to me, you need to be into my skin but I’m not going to let you,” joked Jimenez. “It’s amazing. I have been close a couple of times. Today it was very tough out there but I got it in the end.”

GIRONA, Spain — Belgium’s Thomas Pieters shot a 1-under 71 to extend his Spanish Open lead to two strokes over 50-year-old Spanish star Miguel Angel Jimenez.

Pieters had 7-under 209 total on PGA Catalunya Resort’s Stadium Course.

Jimenez shot 69. He finished fourth in the Masters and won the Greater Gwinnett Championship the following week in his Champions Tour debut

GIRONA, Spain – Thomas Pieters overcame three early bogeys to shoot a second consecutive 3-under 69 Friday and take a one-shot lead after the second round of the Spanish Open.

The Belgian rookie, who earned his European Tour card here at the PGA Catalunya Resort in November, had a 6-under 138 total to sit one shot ahead of first-round leader Eddie Pepperell of England (71) and Joost Luiten of the Netherlands (69).

Italy’s Francesco Molinari had six birdies to sit two shots back after a 67.

The 22-year-old Pieters “I just hung in there and made some late birdies. The wind died out on the last nine and I took advantage of that.”

Sergio Garcia had six bogeys in his 74 to slip five behind Pieters.

VIRGINIA WATER, England – Graeme McDowell is skipping next week’s BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth to spend time at home in Florida with his pregnant wife, Kristin.

George O’Grady, chief executive of the European Tour, says the 2010 U.S. Open champion is choosing not to fly to England so that he can be with Kristin, who is expecting their first child and will not be able to travel for the next three months.

The rest of Europe’s Ryder Cup-winning team from Medinah in 2012 will be playing at the tour’s flagship event, with Luke Donald seeking his third victory in four years at the tournament.

The event starts May 22.

GIRONA, Spain – Eddie Pepperell of England shot a 4-under 68 for a one-shot lead after the first round of the Spanish Open on Thursday.

Spanish players Sergio Garcia and Miguel Angel Jimenez were among eight chasing Pepperell at the PGA Catalunya Resort golf course.

Garcia, coming off a third-place finish at the Players Championship at Sawgrass, shrugged off jet lag to put himself in contention for his second Spanish Open title – 12 years after his first.

Garcia says, “The course is tough and the fairways are some of the tightest we have played all year.”

A further eight players trailed Pepperell by two strokes, including former British Open champion Paul Lawrie, who was playing for the first time since January because of back and neck problems.

SANTO DA SERRA, Madeira Islands – Daniel Brooks made par on the first playoff hole Sunday to win the fog-shortened Madeira Islands Open, which was overshadowed by the death of a caddie earlier in the day.

Scott Henry, who had birdied the last three holes to force a playoff, three-putted for bogey on the first extra hole to finish second.

However, some European Tour members said the tournament should have been stopped after Ian MacGregor, the 52-year-old Zimbabwe-born caddy to Scotland’s Alastair Forsyth, collapsed and died of an apparent heart attack on the ninth fairway – Forsyth’s final hole.

The event, which had already been shortened to 36 holes because of a series of fog delays, was halted again after the delay but restarted following a minute’s silence.

“Can’t believe they are going to keep playing in Madeira,” Pablo Larrazabal, who was not in the tournament, wrote on Twitter. “Life is more important than golf.”

France’s Jean-Baptiste Gonnet, who missed the first-round cut, also wrote: “There is no respect anymore. How you can even walk on the 9th fairway.”

However, European Tour officials said they had consulted with players and caddies before deciding to play on. Forsyth said it was the right decision.

“I felt that was what Mac would have wanted,” Forsyth said. “He was a guy I’ve known for 15 years and he was very popular amongst the caddies. Obviously my thoughts go out to his family. For something like that to happen so suddenly is so sad. He’s far too young and he had no problem carrying bags around a golf course so I didn’t see an awful lot wrong with him.

“He was the life and soul of the caddies’ lounge, a good laugh and nice guy. I’m absolutely numb.”

Brooks shot a 5-under 67 to sit tied with Henry (68) at 9-under 135 after the second and final round.

It was Brooks’ first European Tour victory in his 33rd event. His previous best was 11th place at last December’s Nelson Mandela Championship in South Africa.

“It’s great to get a win, but it’s not nice to do it in these circumstances,” Brooks said. “It’s horrible what happened out there so my condolences go out to all of his family.”

Four players, including Spanish duo Jordi Garcia Pinto and Antonio Hortal, were three shots back in a tie for third.