Dustin Johnson wins big in Shanghai
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American Dustin Johnson brushed off a European assault to win the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai thanks to an emphatic finish.
The TaylorMade-adidas staffer entered the final round three shots clear of Ian Poulter and despite an early wobble, three-putting the opening hole, Johnson rallied on the back nine to post 66 and win by three shots at 24-under par.
Johnson’s eighth tournament victory was sealed with a chip-in eagle on the 16th, having laid up ten yards short of the green with an iron of the tee of the driveable par four.
Poulter also shot 66 to finish alone in second place, three shots behind the winning score. Graeme McDowell finished solo third a further shot back while Spain’s Sergio Garcia finished alone in fourth after firing the best round of the day, a nine-under par 63.
Speaking at the trophy presentation, Johnson said: “I didn’t get off to the best start and Poulter and McDowell got off to great starts and put a lot of pressure on me, but I am swinging well and putting well so I thought just stick to my game plan and play the golf course how I want to play it and it’s going to come.
“I played really well the last few holes on the front nine and then had a great back nine. The guys made it really interesting but I just played really well coming down the stretch.
“The last few holes here you can make some birdies. It was a lot of fun out there, it was a good match from both of them. They put a lot of pressure on me but I am really proud of myself and the way I handled it.”
One of the longest hitters on the PGA TOUR, Johnson used the new SLDR Driver lofted up to 10.5° to attack the shorter par-4s and 5s on a course set up for low scoring.
More than 25 per cent of the field carried the SLDR driver during the tournament, again making it the #1 Driver on Tour, with 20 in play. Additionally, five of the top 10 finishing players used the SLDR driver.
Dustin Johnson’s WGC-HSBC Champions winning in the bag:
Driver: TaylorMade SLDR, 10.5°. Fujikura Fuel 2.0 X-Flex shaft
3 Wood: TaylorMade R9, 15.5°. Aldila RIP Alpha 80 X-Stiff shaft
5 Wood: TaylorMade R9, 19°. Aldila RIP Alpha 90 X-Stiff shaft
Irons: TaylorMade Tour Preferred MB Forged (3-PW), True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 Tour Issue shafts.
Wedges: TaylorMade TP xFT (54° and 60°, KBS Black Nickel shaft.
Putter: Scotty Cameron for Titleist Newport 2 Prototype
Ball: TaylorMade Lethal