Rose triumphs in Shanghai as Johnson tanks

WORLD No 1 Dustin Johnson imploded and Justin Rose stormed back from eight shots behind overnight to win the $9.75-million (R137.37-million) WGC-HSBC Champions by two strokes in a thrilling finale in Shanghai yesterday.

Englishman Rose, who started the concluding day joint fourth, fired a 67 to finish 14-under-par 274 and somehow emerge victorious from a nail-biting four-way fight that also included Henrik Stenson and Brooks Koepka.

A demoralised Johnson finished tied second with Stenson and Koepka.

Rose, 37, whose stunning five-under in the back nine propelled him to victory, said: “It’s been a long time since I’ve won, or at least it feels like that.”

Rose has won every year since 2010, including at the Olympics last year.

“This is my only win in 2017. Left it late this year, but it feels amazing.”

Johnson, 33, was chasing a sixth World Golf Championship (WGC) title and looked to have put himself out of sight on Saturday evening with a handsome six-shot lead on fellow American Koepka, who was second overnight.

But on another blustery day, this time accompanied by smog and cooler temperatures, Johnson started with two bogeys to immediately give the chasing pack hope on the par-72 course.

Johnson, who triumphed at the Sheshan Golf Club in 2013, failed to get his putter going all day and was meticulously pegged back by a combination of Rose, Stenson and Koepka.

Johnson, who hit a 77, said the wind made for tough conditions but he did not use that as an excuse.

“I didn’t make any putts. Just nothing was going in the hole,” he said.

“I felt fine all day. I just could never get anything going and didn’t hole any putts. It was pretty simple.” – AFP