| DATES: Jan 04-07 | ||
| SITE: Kapalua Golf Resort | ||
| PRIZE MONEY: $6,300,000 | ||
| Field is restrictee to golfers who won a tournament in the previous calendar year. | ||
Round 4 – Dustin Johnson wins Tournament of Champions
January 08, 2018
World number one Dustin Johnson powered to an eight-shot triumph at the US PGA Tour Tournament of Champions in Hawaii on Sunday.
Johnson’s masterful display off the tee at the par-73 Plantation Course at Kapalua included a near hole-in-one at the par-four 12th hole — where his drive left him a six-inch tap-in for eagle.
He carded an eight-under par 65 for 24-under 268 and his 17th US PGA Tour triumph, seemingly impervious to the wind and intermittent rain throughout the round.
“I knew I was playing well and it’s a golf course that I’m really confident on,” Johnson said.
“I’ve really been driving the ball (well) this week,” added the American, who has a new driver in his bag. “I knew as long as I could keep doing that I was going to play well.”
Spain’s Jon Rahm was second after a 69 for 276 and is projected to rise from number four to number three in the world thanks to his runner-up finish.
Brian Harman, who started the day two shots behind Johnson atop the leaderboard, closed with a one-under 72 for sole possession of third place on 277.
It was a further stroke back to Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama (66) and Americans Pat Perez (69) and Rickie Fowler (70).
Matsuyama played his last seven holes in five-under par with the aid of an eagle on the par-five 15th, where he landed his approach shot 10 feet from the pin.
But Johnson had put himself out of reach of all pursuers in the elite 34-player event for 2017 tournament winners.
He raced away from the field with four birdies on the front nine.
His only miscue of the day was at the par-three 11th, where he was in a bunker off the tee en route to a bogey.
He responded in magnificent style with his monster drive setting up his eagle at the 12th, and he padded his lead with three straight birdies at 14, 15, and 16.
His eight-shot margin of victory was the biggest of his career.
The win was especially satisfying after his final-round collapse at the HSBC Champions in Shanghai in October, when Johnson led by six through three rounds but stumbled to a closing 77 to finish tied for second behind Justin Rose.
“After China, where I struggled a little bit on Sunday, I didn’t want to back down,” Johnson said. “Even when I made the turn, I think I was 20-under I told myself to get it to 25. I kind of just kept the pedal down.”
Johnson, who seized the world number one ranking last February, has now won at least one US tour title for 11 straight years.
“Obviously I got off to a great start and I want to keep it going,” Johnson said of his 2018 opener. “Things are going in the right direction.”
|
Pos.
|
Player |
To Par
|
R1
|
R2
|
R3
|
R4
|
Total
|
|
1
|
Dustin Johnson |
-24
|
69
|
68
|
66
|
65
|
268
|
|
2
|
Jon Rahm |
-16
|
71
|
70
|
66
|
69
|
276
|
|
3
|
Brian Harman |
-15
|
68
|
68
|
69
|
72
|
277
|
|
T4
|
Hideki Matsuyama |
-14
|
70
|
70
|
72
|
66
|
278
|
|
T4
|
Pat Perez |
-14
|
72
|
66
|
71
|
69
|
278
|
|
T4
|
Rickie Fowler |
-14
|
69
|
71
|
68
|
70
|
278
|
Round 3 – Dustin Johnson takes 2-hole lead with 66
January 07, 2018
Dustin Johnson holed out for an eagle to highlight a seven-under par 66 that gave him a two-shot lead Saturday at the PGA Tour Tournament of Champions in Hawaii.
The world number one added six birdies, including a six-footer at the 18th, to give himself a 54-hole total of 16-under 203 on the Plantation Course at Kapalua on Maui.
He was two strokes ahead of fellow American Brian Harman, the overnight co-leader who carded a four-under 69 for 205.
Spain’s Jon Rahm was alone in third, matching the best round of the day with a 66 for 207. It was a further stroke back to Americans Rickie Fowler and Jason Dufner on 208.
Johnson, who started the day one stroke behind Harman and Australian Marc Leishman, had three birdies on the front nine before his only bogey of the day at 11.
He responded with an eagle at the par-four 12th, where he holed out from 72 yards out, his second shot landing on the green and rolling in.
“I drove it kind of the left side, I thought I hit a pretty good drive and it was just in the left rough,” Johnson said. “I had not very far to the hole. I just landed my shot perfect. It got on the green and it was tracking right towards the hole.”
It was part of a solid performance off the tee for Johnson.
“I hit a lot of great iron shots,” he said, “but the big key for me is the driver.”
Johnson holds the 54-hole lead for the first time since the HSBC Champions in Shanghai in October. There he led by six through three rounds, but stumbled to a closing round 77 to finish tied for second behind Justin Rose.
Johnson said he had moved on from that “fluke day” when he was still getting comfortable with new irons.
Now he’s had more time to practice with them, and said he was looking forward to doing battle on Sunday.
“I’ve got a good game plan around here,” he said. “I’m not going to change anything — just stick to the game plan and try to execute my shots.”
Australia’s Leishman, who led or shared the lead after each of the first two rounds, couldn’t maintain his momentum on Saturday.
He had four bogeys before his only birdie of the day to fall nine off the pace in the elite 34-player tournament for last season’s tournament winners.
|
Pos.
|
Player |
To Par
|
R1
|
R2
|
R3
|
Total
|
|
1
|
Dustin Johnson |
-16
|
69
|
68
|
66
|
203
|
|
2
|
Brian Harman |
-14
|
68
|
68
|
69
|
205
|
|
3
|
Jon Rahm |
-12
|
71
|
70
|
66
|
207
|
|
T4
|
Rickie Fowler |
-11
|
69
|
71
|
68
|
208
|
|
T4
|
Jason Dufner |
-11
|
71
|
68
|
69
|
208
|
|
T6
|
Jhonattan Vegas |
-10
|
68
|
70
|
71
|
209
|
|
T6
|
Pat Perez |
-10
|
72
|
66
|
71
|
209
|
|
8
|
Chris Stroud |
-9
|
72
|
66
|
72
|
210
|
|
T9
|
Daniel Berger |
-8
|
73
|
70
|
68
|
211
|
|
T9
|
Billy Horschel |
-8
|
70
|
71
|
70
|
211
|
|
T9
|
Jordan Spieth |
-8
|
75
|
66
|
70
|
211
|
Round 2 – Harman joins Leishman in the lead, Johnson one behind
January 06, 2018
Marc Leishman played bogey-free and was tied for the lead in the Sentry Tournament of Champions.
Leishman two-putted for birdie on the par-5 18th for a 4-under 69, giving him a share of the lead with Brian Harman (68) going into the weekend on the windy Plantation Course with 15 players separated by five shots.
Stuart Appleby once won three straight years at Kapalua. Geoff Ogilvy is the last player to win back-to-back. Both arrived in Maui having competed in either the Australian Masters, Australian Open or Australian PGA. Appleby did all three one year.
Leishman?
He’s played one time in the last 10 weeks. Well, one tournament, anyway.
”I went to Topgolf a couple of weeks ago,” Leishman said.
It was too cold to practice at his home in Virginia Beach, so he headed to the multi-tiered golf complex where points are scored for hitting at various targets, all while having a few beers and listening to live entertainment. Thankfully, he didn’t take his tour bag, just a half-dozen clubs in a tiny carry bag.
”I scored all right,” he said. ”I remember the first time I went there, I didn’t realize there was a leaderboard at the front desk. I scored really high, and then all of a sudden all the people turn around and I’m having a couple of beers, just having fun.”
One patron said to him, ”You’re pretty good with the tools.”
He has been pretty good in windy conditions at Kapalua. Leishman didn’t make as many birdies as he would have liked. His only one on the par 5s was the final hole. Even so, he joined Harman at 10-under 136 going into the weekend of this winners-only event.
Harman came on strong on the back nine, and picked up his third birdie in unlikely fashion. He was down the steep slope right of the green on the par-5 15th, and his first chip barely reached the green and rolled back down the hill. He chipped that one in for birdie, and then picked up his fifth birdie of the back nine on the 18th.
Dustin Johnson, with more experience than anyone at Kapalua, overcame a sluggish start for a 68 and was one shot behind, making him perhaps the strongest threat going into the final two rounds.
Johnson is making his eighth appearance at the Tournament of Champions. No one else in the 34-man field has played more three times. His 68 was the 19th time in 29 rounds that the world’s No. 1 player has shot in the 60s, and he has yet to have a round over par.
This was a challenge, at least early.
The wind laid down on his shot into No. 3, and it went long into fluffy rough, leaving him a downhill, downwind putt with the grain. He chipped that 30 feet by and made bogey. On the next hole, he caught a gust and made another bogey. On the par-5 fifth, he had a 7-iron for his second shot and made par.
And then he made seven birdies over the last 14 holes to get within one shot of the lead.
Pat Perez and Chris Stroud each shot 66, while Jhonattan Vegas had a 70. They were two shots behind.
Back in the mix was Jordan Spieth, who opened with a 75. Spieth didn’t have a lot going his way early with a poor club selection on the par-3 second hole and one that was even worse on the par-5 fifth. Spieth went into the hazard with this second shot and took bogey on the second-easiest scoring hole at Kapalua.
And then he couldn’t miss.
He has been working on his putting, trying to get it back to 2015 standards, and he walked in an 18-footer at No. 6 and knew his 12-footer at No. 8 was going to fall even before he stroked the putt.
”That’s a feeling I haven’t had in quite a while with the putter,” he said. ”So a big step forward. A lot of progress today.”
Spieth chipped in for eagle from 70 feet on No. 9 and shot 66 to get within five shots of the lead.
Defending champion Justin Thomas took a step back. He hit one too many wayward shots and had a 41 on the back nine for a 75, dropping him 10 shots out of the lead.
The biggest challenge was putting in the gusts, especially on the greens high on the hill that are exposed.
”You’ve got grain, break, speed, wind. Very difficult,” Perez said. ”I had trouble with all of them yesterday. Today, I was able to see more of the break. I was able to get the speed and the wind all together. It took me a full day. But it was good.”
|
Pos.
|
Player |
To Par
|
R1
|
R3
|
Total
|
|
T1
|
Marc Leishman |
-10
|
67
|
69
|
136
|
|
T1
|
Brian Harman |
-10
|
68
|
68
|
136
|
|
3
|
Dustin Johnson |
-9
|
69
|
68
|
137
|
|
T4
|
Pat Perez |
-8
|
72
|
66
|
138
|
|
T4
|
Chris Stroud |
-8
|
72
|
66
|
138
|
|
T4
|
Jhonattan Vegas |
-8
|
68
|
70
|
138
|
|
7
|
Jason Dufner |
-7
|
71
|
68
|
139
|
|
T8
|
Hideki Matsuyama |
-6
|
70
|
70
|
140
|
|
T8
|
Kevin Kisner |
-6
|
70
|
70
|
140
|
|
T8
|
Patrick Cantlay |
-6
|
70
|
70
|
140
|
|
T8
|
Rickie Fowler |
-6
|
69
|
71
|
140
|
|
T8
|
Si Woo Kim |
-6
|
69
|
71
|
140
|
Round 1 – Marc Leishman takes Tournament of Champions lead
January 05, 2018
Australia’s Marc Leishman seized a one-stroke lead firing eight birdies in a six-under par 67 on Thursday in the US PGA Tour’s Tournament of Champions in Hawaii.
Leishman played four birdies in a row from the seventh through the 10th holes on the par-73 Plantation Course at Kapalua on Maui.
He took sole possession of the lead with a 19-foot birdie putt at the 17th, American Brian Harman and Venezuela’s Jhonattan Vegas lie in second place on 68.
World number one Dustin Johnson, Rickie Fowler and South Korean Kim Si-Woo played a 69.
“Pretty solid,” Leishman said of his round in the first USPGA Tour event of the calendar year, which features a 34-player field made up of last season’s tournament winners.
“I played well, drove the ball pretty well — with the exception of a couple of drives — and the putter was really, really solid.
“So, happy with eight birdies,” added Leishman after a day that saw strong winds buffet some of the bigger names in the field.
Defending champion Justin Thomas, whose victory here last year marked the start of a five-win season that included his first major title and the FedEx Cup playoff crown, carded a one-under par 71.
British Open champion Jordan Spieth struggled to a two-over par 75.
Fowler eagled the final hole as he bounced back from a double-bogey at the 13th, and Johnson birdied the par-five 18th to seize his share of fourth place.
Leishman got off to a crisp start, rolling in a five-foot birdie putt at the first hole.
He hit nine of 15 fairways on the day and 15 of 18 greens in regulation.
The 34-year-old Australian enjoyed his best PGA Tour season of his career last season, winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the BMW Championship.
In October, he was runner-up in a playoff to Thomas at the CJ Cup @ Nine Bridges in South Korea.
While Leishman said his recent strong results didn’t mean he was “owed anything” in 2018, he said he was looking forward to the year with confidence.
“It’s not a given I’m going to play well,” he said. I’ve got to keep working, but confidence certainly makes it easier to play well.”
|
Pos.
|
Player |
To Par
|
R1
|
|
1
|
Marc Leishman |
-6
|
67
|
|
T2
|
Brian Harman |
-5
|
68
|
|
T2
|
Jhonattan Vegas |
-5
|
68
|
|
T4
|
Si Woo Kim |
-4
|
69
|
|
T4
|
Rickie Fowler |
-4
|
69
|
|
T4
|
Dustin Johnson |
-4
|
69
|
|
T7
|
Billy Horschel |
-3
|
70
|
|
T7
|
Patrick Cantlay |
-3
|
70
|
|
T7
|
Kyle Stanley |
-3
|
70
|
|
T7
|
Kevin Kisner |
-3
|
70
|
|
T7
|
Hideki Matsuyama |
-3
|
70
|
Scores
| Pos. | Player | To Par | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | Total |
| 1 | Dustin Johnson | -24 | 69 | 68 | 66 | 65 | 268 |
| 2 | Jon Rahm | -16 | 71 | 70 | 66 | 69 | 276 |
| 3 | Brian Harman | -15 | 68 | 68 | 69 | 72 | 277 |
| T4 | Hideki Matsuyama | -14 | 70 | 70 | 72 | 66 | 278 |
| T4 | Pat Perez | -14 | 72 | 66 | 71 | 69 | 278 |
| T4 | Rickie Fowler | -14 | 69 | 71 | 68 | 70 | 278 |
| T7 | Marc Leishman | -13 | 67 | 69 | 76 | 67 | 279 |
| T7 | Jhonattan Vegas | -13 | 68 | 70 | 71 | 70 | 279 |
| 9 | Jordan Spieth | -12 | 75 | 66 | 70 | 69 | 280 |
| 10 | Si Woo Kim | -11 | 69 | 71 | 72 | 69 | 281 |
| T11 | Daniel Berger | -10 | 73 | 70 | 68 | 71 | 282 |
| T11 | Billy Horschel | -10 | 70 | 71 | 70 | 71 | 282 |
| T11 | Chris Stroud | -10 | 72 | 66 | 72 | 72 | 282 |
| T11 | Jason Dufner | -10 | 71 | 68 | 69 | 74 | 282 |
| T15 | Patton Kizzire | -9 | 72 | 72 | 69 | 70 | 283 |
| T15 | Patrick Cantlay | -9 | 70 | 70 | 72 | 71 | 283 |
| T17 | Russell Henley | -8 | 74 | 69 | 72 | 69 | 284 |
| T17 | Cameron Smith | -8 | 75 | 70 | 68 | 71 | 284 |
| T17 | Kevin Kisner | -8 | 70 | 70 | 72 | 72 | 284 |
| 20 | Ryan Armour | -7 | 71 | 73 | 70 | 71 | 285 |
| 21 | Kevin Chappell | -6 | 74 | 70 | 70 | 72 | 286 |
| T22 | Justin Thomas | -4 | 71 | 75 | 75 | 67 | 288 |
| T22 | Austin Cook | -4 | 74 | 74 | 70 | 70 | 288 |
| T22 | Grayson Murray | -4 | 74 | 74 | 69 | 71 | 288 |
| T22 | Xander Schauffele | -4 | 72 | 72 | 70 | 74 | 288 |
| 26 | Bryson DeChambeau | -3 | 73 | 73 | 71 | 72 | 289 |
| T27 | Wesley Bryan | -2 | 74 | 70 | 76 | 70 | 290 |
| T27 | Hudson Swafford | -2 | 72 | 72 | 76 | 70 | 290 |
| 29 | Brendan Steele | -1 | 71 | 74 | 74 | 72 | 291 |
| 30 | Kyle Stanley | E | 70 | 75 | 73 | 74 | 292 |
| 31 | Jonas Blixt | 1 | 77 | 71 | 75 | 70 | 293 |
| 32 | Adam Hadwin | 2 | 73 | 75 | 74 | 72 | 294 |
| 33 | D.A. Points | 7 | 76 | 76 | 74 | 73 | 299 |
| 34 | Brooks Koepka | 13 | 78 | 74 | 78 | 75 | 305 |
