HONOLULU — Zach Johnson had a lei around his neck and a glass of champagne in his hand Sunday night as he toasted the members of Waialae Country Club after a two-shot victory in the Sony Open.
“The worst part of Hawaii is leaving,” he said to laughter and applause.
The best part of winning is he gets to come back.
Johnson closed with a 5-under-par 65 on Sunday to outlast David Toms in a well-played duel on the back nine, finishing with a two-putt birdie for a two-shot victory over Toms and Adam Scott.
“I get to go back to Maui again,” he said, referring to the season opener at Kapalua for PGA Tour winners. “And Oahu. Starting your year in these two destinations is pretty awesome.”
His fifth career victory — and second in his last six starts — can be traced to last week and his tie for sixth. He went 64-67 on the weekend at Kapalua, and made it 30-under for his last six rounds with his thorough victory Sunday.
Johnson began the final round with a one-shot lead and never lost it.
“I was hoping to get a victory today, but Zach played awfully well,” said Toms, who made three big putts down the stretch to keep himself in contention. “He’s a good player and tough to beat.”
Tadd Fujikawa, the 18-year-old from Honolulu trying to become the youngest winner in PGA Tour history, started the final round two shots out of the lead but never got any closer as he struggled to a 73 and tied for 32nd.
“I just couldn’t get anything going,” said Fujikawa, who resumes his senior year in high school today.
Johnson finished at 15-under 265, the final birdie eliminating any drama.
Toms, who made a 4-foot birdie putt on the 15th and par putts from 5 feet and 12 feet on the next two holes, was one shot behind playing the par-5 18th when he tried to cut too much off the corner of the dogleg and wound up in the bunker. There was some question who was away, and it turned out to be Johnson, who hit a 5-wood to the back of the green, 35 feet above the hole.
Toms hit a hybrid, but it either caught the lip or came out heavy. Either way, it traveled only about 70 yards and left him in such a tough lie in the rough that he couldn’t get close for a good look at birdie.
Toms closed with a 66 and tied for second with Scott, who shot 64. Scott left a 10-foot birdie putt short on the 17th, and he knew his birdie on the 18th to finish at 13-under 267 would not be enough.
Footnotes.
Fuzzy Zoeller defended his Champions Skins Game title with new partner Ben Crenshaw by taking a dozen skins and $500,000 on the back nine in Kaanapali, Hawaii, to beat first-day leaders Greg Norman and Jay Haas.
Zoeller and Crenshaw finished the alternate-shot event with 13 skins worth a record $530,000.
• Paul Casey shot a 2-under 70 to win the Abu Dhabi Championship in the United Arab Emirates by one stroke over Louis Oosthuizen and defending champion Martin Kaymer.
