J.J. Spaun believed the stars aligned during his dramatic BMW PGA Championship victory after Manuel Elvira missed the chance to go top of the leaderboard late on. 

Spaun was already in the clubhouse on 17-under after shooting a final-round score of 67 before Elvira eagled the 17th hole to go level with the 2025 U.S. Open champion. 

However, after finding a fairway bunker with his tee shot, Elvira was unable to recover as he finished his round with a double bogey, confirming Spaun's two-shot triumph. 

Elvira would tie Rory McIlroy, Aaron Rai, and Adam Scott at 15-under par for second place, as 13 players finished within three shots of the lead, including Matthew Fitzpatrick. 

Spaun's victory saw him become the second American to win around Wentworth in the last six years, with Billy Horschel emerging victorious in 2021 and again in 2024. 

"It means so much – I've kind of blossomed into this player I never thought I could be," Spaun said. 

"To take my game across the world – more specifically here in England, a place that's dear to my family's heart – the stars kind of aligned for me to come out on top."

J.J. SPAUN WINS AT WENTWORTH!

He becomes the second American to win the BMW PGA Championship in three years #BMWPGA | #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/9FsuaKEaXj

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) September 20, 2026

Spaun's victory comes after he was omitted from Brandt Snedeker's Team USA Presidents Cup squad, but he responded emphatically here. 

He showed patience to bounce back from an early bogey on the first to card six birdies in his final round, adding he was "playing with a chip on his shoulder" this week. 

"I definitely had something to prove this week [after being left out of the Presidents Cup], but everything happens for a reason," Spaun added. 

"I played with a huge chip on my shoulder. I definitely had something to prove this week. 

"I'm so delighted to be here and just to even play this event. I've always wanted to play for the longest time. The extra motivation, I think that is the willpower that you kind of have.

"Being left off the Presidents Cup team a couple of weeks ago was very disappointing, and, you know, I wanted to prove that I deserve to be on that team.

"I took care of my business this week. So all the best to the team next week at Medinah, and I'll be watching."

But it was heartbreak for Elvira, who crouched down in frustration after missing his first putt on the 18th before walking off the green in tears. 

Despite coming up short, the Spaniard, who is ranked 294th in the Official World Golf Rankings, was able to take the positives from his display. 

"Devastating that I hit the wrong shot at the right time on the layup and left myself the toughest shot in the fairway bunker, and wasn't able to pull it off," Elvira said. 

"I've played some of the best golf probably of my life. I was in contention, and I wasn't really that nervous.

"Maybe coming on the 72nd hole, but I managed to hit a good tee shot and unfortunately hit a bad second shot. It's been a great week, and I'm really glad for it."