Monday 9 March 2015 07:46, UK
Dustin Johnson displayed tremendous composure down the notoriously tough finishing stretch at Doral to snatch a thrilling victory at the WGC-Cadillac Championship.
The American, playing in only his fifth event since returning to action following six months out of the game, fired a three-under 69 to clinch a one-shot win over long-time leader JB Holmes with a winning score of nine under par.
Holmes frittered away his overnight five-stroke lead with three bogeys in four holes on the front nine, while Bubba Watson failed to build on a flawless, outward 32 as he also dropped three shots in a torrid four-hole stretch from the 11th and finished two behind.
Rory McIlroy made an appearance in the top six with four birdies in five holes around the turn, but he three-putted the 15th and put two balls in the water at the last before chipping in for a six and a round of 72 - good enough for a share of ninth place on one under.
Watson had made the most significant early move, racing into the lead with three birdies over the first four holes before adding another at the seventh after Holmes had bogeyed the third, fifth and sixth.
Johnson stayed in the hunt with a birdie at the fourth, and he responded to a bogey at seven with a cast-iron birdie-four at the long eighth before rolling in a 10-foot putt for another at the 10th.
Bubba slips
Watson's form then deserted him as he hacked his way to bogeys at 11 and 12, and Johnson suddenly found himself two clear at the top when he saved par from off the green at 14 and drained a 15-footer for a two at the 15th after both Watson and Holmes had got into further trouble at the 14th.
The Masters champion was unable to better par over the remaining four holes as he closed on seven under, while Holmes finally managed to bag his first birdie of the day at the 16th after a sublime pitch to within a foot of the cup.
After the final pair traded pars at the penultimate hole, Johnson's approach to the 18th trickled off the back of the green to leave him a tricky two-putt for par, while Holmes' second pulled up 40 feet short of the pin.
Holmes, who had led the tournament since his stunning opening 62 on Thursday, saw his lengthy birdie effort slide narrowly right of the target and he tapped in to complete a disappointing three-over 75.
Johnson then had the stage to himself, and he held his nerve to lag his difficult putt from the fringe to a few inches from the hole, setting up the easiest of pars that wrapped up his second WGC title following his 2013 victory at the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai.
"It means everything," Johnson said. "It's been a tough road but a really good one. A lot of really great things came out of it, my son, me and Paulina (his wife) are doing great....it just feels awesome to get that 'W'. I played great today.
"I knew I was really good. I just knew there was something that I was missing that could make myself great. I have really been working hard on that and I think it's working right now.
"I'm so excited right now I can hardly talk. It feels great and it's definitely by far the best win for me."
Adam Scott finished off an encouraging first outing of 2015 with a one-under 71 that earned the Australian a share of fourth place on four under alongside Henrik Stenson, who salvaged a 72 with two back-nine birdies.
Louis Oosthuizen got to six under when he converted a delightful approach to 10 feet for an eagle at the eighth, but the South African dropped shots at the ninth, 12th and 14th as he returned a 73 to close on three under.
McIlroy appeared set to endure another tough day when he bogeyed the fifth, but birdies at eight, nine, 11 and 12 lifted his mood and he even feigned a repeat of his second-day club toss into the water after finding the lake to the left of the 18th fairway for the second time.
The world No 1 managed a wry smile after limiting the damage to a double-bogey as he finished on one under - one of only 11 players in the 73-man field to break par for the tournament.
