Wolverhampton's Aaron Rai into world top 20 after superb Wentworth display

The Wolverhampton-born former Shropshire & Herefordshire junior finished three shots off the lead in a tie for fourth at Wentworth.

However, that did not tell the whole story for Rai, who pocketed more than £287,000.

Heading down the last on 18-under, two shots off the summit, Rai went all out for glory, hitting his approach shot straight at the flag in a bid for the eagle he needed to get into the play-off rather than safely lay up.

But the golfing gods were not on his side as his ball found the water around the 18th green, and his eventual bogey left him tied for fourth on 17-under rather than out there on his own. Instead, Billy Horschel, Rory McIlroy and Thriston Lawrence contested the play-off after all finishing on 20-under.

And American winner Horschel sympathised with McIlroy after condemning golf’s self-proclaimed “nearly man” to another heartbreaking defeat.

Horschel eagled the second play-off hole to win the DP World Tour’s flagship event for the second time in four years.

Lawrence was eliminated on the first extra hole after seeing his third shot spin back off the green and into the water, with McIlroy and Horschel both making birdie.

The players returned to the par-five 18th for the second extra hole and both found the green in two, McIlroy narrowly missing his eagle attempt from around 30 feet before Horschel holed from marginally closer.

“My heart was pounding on the last couple of shots, the last couple of holes, and especially in the play-off but it’s always fun being in those situations,” Horschel said. “That’s what I’ve worked so hard for, and that’s what I’ve always wanted to be, in situations like that, going against the best players in the world. I was able to nip Rory and Thriston and come away with the victory.

“I’m thrilled, excited for the way I played and battled out there today but at the same time a little disappointed. Rory’s a really good friend of mine and I think the world of him. I think he’s a generational talent and I know how close he’s been this year so I can feel for him, but at the same time I’m pretty excited to be able to get it done.”

McIlroy labelled himself a “nearly man” after finishing fifth in the Olympics in Paris, blowing his chances of a medal when he hit his approach to the 15th into the water.

The world number three had also bogeyed three of the last four holes in June’s US Open to miss out on a first major title since 2014 and last week narrowly failed to eagle the 72nd hole to force a play-off in the Irish Open after three-putting the 17th.

“The game is testing me a little more than it has done in the past, but that’s fine,” said McIlroy. “All I can do is keep showing up and trying to play the golf that I’ve been playing and sooner or later it’s going to end up in a win.”