Rose wins Shanghai thriller
WORLD NO. 1 Dustin Johnson imploded and Justin Rose stormed back from eight shots behind overnight to win the WGC-HSBC Champions by two strokes in a thrilling finale in Shanghai yesterday.
The Englishman Rose, who started the concluding day joint fourth, fired a 67 to finish 14-under 274 and somehow emerge victorious from a nail-biting fourway fight that also included Henrik Stenson and Brooks Koepka.
A demoralised Johnson finished tied second with Stenson and Koepka.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve won, or at least it feels like that,” said Rose, 37, whose stunning five under in the back nine propelled him to victory.
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.
“It’s unbelievable. Obviously we all know the position DJ (Johnson) was in and I think today was the kind of day that the leader probably didn’t want,” said Rose.
“It was really tricky out there and obviously I played one of the best back nines I’ve played in forever.
“To shoot 31 on the back to come through – saved my best till last.”
Johnson failed to get his putter going all day and was meticulously pegged back by a combination of Rose, Stenson and Koepka.
The 33-year-old, 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. I felt like I rolled it good, 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