Golf roundup: Jon Rahm cruises to victory in the Bahamas

Jon Rahm tees off on the final hole of the Hero World Challenge on Sunday in Nassau, Bahamas. Rahm won by four strokes for his third worldwide victory of 2018. Rahm won the tournament by four strokes over Tony Finau.
Jon Rahm tees off on the final hole of the Hero World Challenge on Sunday in Nassau, Bahamas. Rahm won by four strokes for his third worldwide victory of 2018. Rahm won the tournament by four strokes over Tony Finau.

NASSAU, Bahamas - Jon Rahm broke into tears when he beat Tiger Woods in a singles match at the Ryder Cup three months ago in France, the most meaningful moment of his golf career.

Sunday in the Bahamas wasn't bad either. Tournament host Woods handed Rahm the trophy after the 24-year-old Spaniard turned a potential shootout into a runaway victory on the back nine at Albany Golf Club to end his year by winning the Hero World Challenge.

Rahm has three victories worldwide in each of his first two full years as a professional.

"I hope I keep winning three times every year," Rahm said. "Still wouldn't get to what Tiger's done in 20 years, but it would be pretty impressive."

After starting the final round in a three-way tie with Tony Finau and Henrik Stenson, Rahm took the lead for good on the eighth hole and never trailed again. Rahm's final challenger was Finau - until the 29-year-old American made a double bogey on the par-4 14th hole as Rahm made a birdie for a five-shot lead.

The rest was easy. Rahm closed with a 7-under-par 65 to finish at 20-under 268 and post a four-shot victory over Finau (69), who was trying to win for the first time in 2018.

Rahm took a two-shot lead to the back nine with a 4-hybrid shot to 12 feet from the hole on the par-5 ninth that set up a two-putt birdie, and he held his own until Finau's double bogey.

"Even if I make a 4 there, I'm going to have to do something pretty dang special," Finau said. "Hats off to Jon this week. He played incredible golf, and he deserved to win this week."

Woods was never in the picture at this unofficial event with a high-quality field until it was time to hand out the trophy. The 14-time major champion got off to another rough start, rallied on the back nine and had to settle for a 1-over 73 to place 17th in the 18-man field. He finished 19 shots behind, the biggest gap this year from the winner over 72 holes.

"Overall, it was a long week, but one that I hope the players enjoyed," Woods said in his role as tournament host.

Even so, there were Tiger prints all over this victory. Rahm spoke of an interview he once saw from the British Open in which Woods said that when he took the lead, his goal was to never go back to the field.

"That's the same thing I thought today," Rahm said. "As soon as I got in the lead, my mind was still forward. Keep doing birdies and just keep going on. I didn't know what kind of a lead I had until I got to 16, and I was still rifling at the pin."

He also recalled running into Woods in September before the 2017-18 season-ending Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, where Woods won for his 80th career victory. Rahm grew up on poa annua greens, still isn't entirely comfortable on Bermuda and asked Woods for advice.

"He kind of laughed and told me it's all about feel," Rahm said. "I was like, 'OK, whatever, right.' And today out there with the trophy, he was like, 'That's a pretty good performance for somebody who can't put putt on Bermuda greens.' I think I made one putt outside 10 feet.

"I didn't miss a shot the last three days, it's as simple as that. But I don't think he believed me."

Throughout the tournament, Rahm said the key holes were the five par 5s and two reachable par 4s. He made birdie on all of them Sunday.

Even with a runaway victory, there was a small measure of drama on the final hole. Justin Rose, needing to finish in a three-way tie for second to return to No. 1 in the World Golf Ranking, closed with a 65 and was in position to go back to the top of the list until Finau rolled in a 10-foot birdie putt to finish alone in second. Rose was third at 15 under.

Brooks Koepka, who did not play this past week, remains No. 1. The second-ranked Rose has one more event left in the calendar year, the Indonesia Masters in two weeks. Finau, meanwhile, will crack the top 10 for the first time in his career at ninth.

Stenson was only one shot behind when he made the turn, but the 42-year-old Swede made only one birdie on the back nine and finished alone in fourth at 14 under. Patrick Cantlay was 12 shots better than Saturday, closing with a 64 to tie for fifth at 13 under with Rickie Fowler (69), who came up short in his bid to repeat as tournament champ.

Breakthrough victory

BEAU CHAMP, Mauritius - Kurt Kitayama closed with a 4-under 68 to finish at 20-under 268 and win the Mauritius Open for his first European Tour victory.

The 25-year-old American's breakthrough came in just his third tournament on the circuit in an event also sanctioned by the Asian and South African tours.

India's S. Chikkarangappa and France's Matthieu Pavon each closed with a 67 as they tied for second, two shots behind Kitayama, a Californian who played college golf at UNLV.

Justin Harding (71), who shared the 54-hole lead with Kitayama, finished fourth at 17 under. Dylan Frittelli (65), the tournament's 2017 winner, tied for fifth at 16 under with Masahiro Kawamura (69).

Kitayama had an eagle, four birdies and two bogeys in his final round at Four Seasons Golf Course on this Indian Ocean island, going birdie-eagle-birdie on the third through fifth holes to pull ahead. He had to hold his nerve, though, after his second dropped shot on No. 16 cut his lead to just a shot and gave Chikkarangappa and Pavon a chance.

Kitayama recovered to finish birdie-par for the big win after only coming through qualifying school last month.

"I'm just so proud, really happy," Kitayama said. "It's an unbelievable moment for me. I'm just so happy I was able to pull it off."

Repeat win for Aussie

GOLD COAST, Australia - Cameron Smith shot a final-round 2-under 70, finished at 16-under 272 and repeated as winner of the Australian PGA Championship.

The 25-year-old Smith was two shots ahead of runner-up Marc Leishman, a fellow Australian who closed with a 69. Just a week earlier, the 35-year-old Leishman and Smith had played together while representing their country at the World Cup of Golf team event in Melbourne, tying for second behind champion Belgium.

England's Ross McGowan shot a course-record 63 to finish tied for third with Matthew Millar (68), five strokes behind. He improved on Jordan Zunic's third round of 64 from last year at Royal Pines Resort.

Sean Crocker had the highest finish for an American, closing with a 68 to tie for ninth at 5-under 283.

Smith is the first player since Robert Allenby in 2001 to win consecutive Australian PGA titles. Greg Norman (1984-85) and Ken Nagle (1958-59) are among the few others to have achieved the feat.

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