KAPALUA, Hawaii — Jon Rahm started a daring new 12 months on the PGA Tour by coming from 7 photographs behind to win the Sentry Event of Champions on Sunday with loads of assist from Collin Morikawa, who had a spectacular wipeout even by Maui requirements.
Rahm was 6 photographs behind on the thirteenth gap at Kapalua when he ran off three straight birdies and a 12-foot eagle putt, and his remaining birdie gave him a 10-under 63.
Morikawa had gone 67 holes with no bogey on the Plantation Course when all of it fell aside along with his wedges and his putter, the 2 areas that had carried him to a 6-shot lead at first of the day.
From 25 yards in need of the 14th inexperienced, he blasted out of a bunker and over the inexperienced. He muffed a wedge from a decent lie with the grain of grass into him on the par-5 fifteenth. His wedge to the sixteenth did not go far sufficient and rolled some 60 ft again into the golf green.
Morikawa appeared to be in a state of shock as he walked down the seventeenth fairway, having led by as many as 7 photographs throughout the remaining spherical and abruptly discovering himself 2 photographs behind and operating out of hope.
He wound up tying a PGA Tour report for shedding the most important 54-hole lead at 6 photographs. Seven different gamers have executed that, most lately Dustin Johnson within the fall of 2017 on the HSBC Champions in Shanghai.
He additionally turned the primary participant in tour historical past to enter the ultimate spherical with a lead of 6 or extra strokes, shoot underneath par within the remaining spherical, and fail to win the occasion, per ESPN Stats & Data analysis.
Rahm completed at 27-under 265 to win by 2 photographs over Morikawa, who birdied the 18th gap — his first birdie since No. 6 — to shut with a 72.
“It is going to damage, however I’ve acquired to recover from it as a result of we’re nonetheless within the very early components of the season,” Morikawa mentioned.
It was the second such collapse by Morikawa in just a little greater than a 12 months. He closed out 2021 on the Hero World Problem and had a 5-shot lead with an opportunity to achieve No. 1 on the earth with a victory. He shot 76 and completed fifth.
Masters champion Scottie Scheffler had an opportunity to return to No. 1 this week if he completed in a two-way tie for third or higher. He needed to accept a 70 and tied for seventh.
It was a small measure of redemption for Rahm, who final 12 months completed at 33 underneath par at Kapalua, which was a PGA Tour report that lasted just a few seconds. Cameron Smith completed at 34-under to win by 1 shot.
Rahm now’s 60-under in his previous two appearances at Kapalua. The victory was his ninth on the PGA Tour and seventeenth worldwide, and assures he will probably be again on Maui to start out 2024.
Rahm now has received thrice in his previous six begins worldwide — he received in Spain and Dubai late final 12 months — and he goes residence with $4.2 million.
Rahm received $2.7 million from the $15 million purse at Kapalua, the primary of the “elevated” occasions on the PGA Tour schedule. He additionally will get 25% of his Participant Influence Program bonus cash — he completed No. 5 within the PIP for $6 million.
Rahm now has received in every of his seven full years on the PGA.
Tom Hoge had a 64 and tied for third with Max Homa (66). Hoge headed for the airport to go to Los Angeles to look at his faculty, TCU, play for the nationwide championship towards Georgia. Hoge then will return to Hawaii for the Sony Open.
Data from The Related Press was used on this report.