The year gone by was a success in almost all measures for World’s number 1 Dustin Johnson. And the New Year kicked off in style for Johnson as he added yet another feather to his cap by powering his way to an 8-under 65 and an eight-shot victory in the Sentry Tournament of Champions in Hawaii.

 

 

                                         The way Johnson was playing, everyone was playing for second

 

 

In a PGA Tour field that featured the top five players in the world, Johnson made a strong opening statement that a No 1 ranking he has held for nearly a year might be difficult to take away.

 

Johnson stretched a two-shot lead to six shots at the turn, then delivered the biggest moment of the week with a drive on the par-4 12th hole that stopped 6 inches from the cup for a tap-in eagle.

 

He finished at 24-under 268. The eight-shot margin of victory was his largest ever, and it was one short of the tournament record set by David Duval since this event moved to Kapalua in 1999. Jordan Spieth also won by eight shots in 2016.

 

 

"I knew I was playing well, and it's a golf course I'm really comfortable on," Johnson said. "I was really driving it well this week. I knew as long as I could keep doing that, I was going to do well."

 

Jon Rahm made his Kapalua debut by closing with a 69 to finish second. The 23-year-old from Spain moved to No 3 in the world.

 

 

                                       Jon Rahm finished second at the Sentry Tournament of Champions

 

 

The way Johnson was playing, everyone was playing for second. "It's no easy task," said Rahm, who lost to Johnson in the final of Match Play a year ago.

 

Johnson won for the 17th time on the PGA Tour, and the fifth time dating to the Genesis Open at Riviera last February. He has 11 straight seasons winning at least one tournament, the longest current streak on the PGA Tour.

 

Johnson joins Tiger Woods (2000) and Jordan Spieth (2016) as players who have won in Kapalua while ranked No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking.

 

David Duval holds the record for largest winning margin at the Sentry Tournament of Champions, winning by nine strokes over Billy Mayfair and Mark O’Meara 1999. Jordan Spieth (2016) and Dustin Johnson (2018) won by eight shots.

 

Johnson’s eight-stroke win is the largest on the PGA TOUR since Jordan Spieth won the 2016 Sentry Tournament of Champions by the same margin.

 

Johnson’s week included an eagle on the par-5 fifth hole and two eagles on the par-4 12th hole, tying him with Ernie Els for the most eagles in a career at The Plantation Course at Kapalua (eight). He holed out for eagle from 72 yards on the par-4 12th during the third round. During the final round, Johnson’s 430-yard drive landed just six inches from the cup, leading to a tap in for eagle. Andrew Magee remains the only player to have a hole-in-one on a par-4 in PGA TOUR history, doing so at the 332-yard 17th hole at the 2001 Waste Management Phoenix Open.

 

Day 3: Dustin Johnson powers his way to lead at the Sentry Tournament Of Champions

Day 2: Jordan Spieth makes an impressive comeback in a thrilling round 2 at the Sentry Tournament of Champions 

Day 1:Wind Warrior Marc Leishman stays on the top at the Sentry Tournament of Champions