HONOLULU —Johnson Wagner worked so hard in the offseason that he told friends he was going to win early in the season, and he hardly wasted any time.
Wagner played bogey-free over the last 12 holes, a winning recipe on a tough day, and closed with a 3-under-par 67 to pull away from a half-dozen contenders and win the Sony Open on Sunday.
Wagner was among six players who had a share of the lead at some point in the final round. He was the only one to stay there, and wound up with a two-shot win over Carl Pettersson, Sean O’Hair, Harrison Frazar and Charles Howell III.
Coming into the year, Wagner had only seven top-10 finishes in 139 starts on tour, including two wins. He opened the year at Kapalua with a tie for ninth, and then rallied from a two-shot deficit to win the Sony Open.
Frazar had the best chance. He had the outright lead briefly after a birdie at No. 10, then made pars the rest of the way for a 67. Pettersson overcame a double bogey on the second hole and finished with four birdies on the last six holes, also for a 67.
“My first top 10 as an American,” said Pettersson, a Swede who became an American citizen in the offseason.
O’Hair shot a 67, and Howell birdied the last hole for 69 to join the group tied for second.
