It was a wild finish in the Bahamas, but in the end the trophy went to one of the few players who is not about to board a charter flight to Australia. Here’s how things ended up at the Hero World Challenge, where Henrik Stenson held on for his first win in more than two years:
Leaderboard: Henrik Stenson (-18), Jon Rahm (-17), Patrick Reed (-16), Tiger Woods (-14), Justin Thomas (-13), Justin Rose (-13)
What it means: Stenson started the day one shot off the lead, but after Gary Woodland’s early struggles he quickly moved to the top on a day when six players held at least a share of the lead, including the tournament host. The Swede made five birdies in his first 13 holes but was still trailing Rahm until hitting the shot of the tournament en route to an eagle on No. 15 that turned the event on its head. Stenson needed one of two special invites to land a spot in the field, but he’s leaving the Bahamas with his first worldwide win since the 2017 Wyndham Championship.
Round of the day: Rahm made it clear he was not going to relinquish the trophy easily. The defending champ’s bogey-free 66 was highlighted by a stretch from Nos. 14-16 where he made two birdies and an eagle to briefly take sole possession of the lead. Rahm was looking to win his third straight worldwide start, but instead he came up one short behind his former Ryder Cup teammate.
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The tap in for victory.@HenrikStenson seals his first Hero World Challenge win. pic.twitter.com/PafeSBQO0B
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) December 7, 2019
Round of the day: Stenson got off to a quick start with three birdies over his first eight holes, but his title chances were nearly derailed by par-5 struggles on Nos. 9 and 11. A lengthy par save on 11 kept him in it, and he holed a similar par putt on No. 14 as the noted ball-striker got hot late on the greens. It added up to a 6-under 66, matching the final-round effort of both Rahm and Patrick Reed, who would have been tied for the lead if not for a two-shot penalty he incurred Friday for moving sand with a practice swing.
Biggest disappointment: Woodland’s chances for a title faded quickly as he played his first four holes in 4 over including a sloppy double bogey on the par-5 third hole. While he bounced back with five back-nine birdies to salvage a 1-over 73, the overnight leader faded to a T-7 finish and never really factored down the stretch.
Shot of the day: Moments after Rahm rolled in yet another lengthy putt one hole ahead of him, Stenson stepped up to a 259-yard 5-wood on No. 15 and flipped the script. His approach to the par-5 hit in front of the green and rolled up to inside of 6 inches, nearly going in for an albatross and setting up a tap-in eagle.
Quote of the day: “I guess I went one better.” - Stenson, who was a runner-up at this event in both 2014 and 2016.