Sensational Stenson denies Rahm hat-trick
Hero World Challenge report: What happened at Albany?
Henrik Stenson won his first event since 2017 after a late rally at in the Bahamas saw him leapfrog Jon Rahm and finish on 18-under.
The 43-year-old was one of the final additions to the 18-man field for the event hosted by Tiger Woods and was among the leaders for the majority of the week.
The tap in for victory.@HenrikStenson seals his first Hero World Challenge win. pic.twitter.com/PafeSBQO0B
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) December 7, 2019
For much of the final round, there were several players in with a shot of victory with ties at the top a regular occurrence.
Woods, Stenson, Rahm and Justin Thomas all shared at least a share of the lead at some point on Saturday but the defining point came when the Swede struck his trademark fairway wood into the 16th green leaving a tap in for eagle.
If you’re going to take a lead that will eventually win you a tournament, do it like this.
— NCG (@NCG_com) December 7, 2019
Woods looked to be a strong contender on the back nine until a bogey at the 14th took the wind out of his sails and allowed the likes of Rahm and Stenson to pounce.
Rahm was looking for a third win in three starts and despite carding two birdies and an eagle in his last five holes he was not able to defend the title he won twelve months ago.
Making a late-round move.@JonRahmPGA makes a long eagle putt on the 15th to move to -16 and a tie for the lead. pic.twitter.com/fUyVzVpeTF
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) December 7, 2019
There was little to be said for US Open champion Gary Woodland on Saturday as he quickly saw his 54-hole lead disappear. He endured a torrid final day and fell back into a share of 7th place.
Hero World Challenge report: What the winner said
🎙 @henrikstenson speaks with the media after winning his first Hero World Challenge. 🏆 https://t.co/M07k9KOHB9
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) December 7, 2019
Hero World Challenge report: Talking points
By far the biggest talking point of the week was Patrick Reed’s rule debacle that occurred in Friday’s third round.
To sum up the situation, his ball was sat in a sanded waste area and it was decided that he had improved his lie prior to playing his next shot.
The TV cameras picked up the back of Reed’s club moving the sand on his practice swings, and he was assessed a two-shot penalty. Alex Perry has all the details of the latest controversy.
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All eyes now turn to the Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne, where Tiger Woods will lead the American team as a playing captain.
11 of the 12 players who will represent America teed it up in the Bahamas and there was a good showing from the majority.
Patrick Cantlay finished lowest of those 11 with only Bubba Watson between him and the foot of the leaderboard. Captain Woods, Thomas and Reed were the best of the pack all finishing inside the top 5.
While the US contingent were enjoying the Tiger-hosted tournament several of the International team players have been competing in Sydney at the Australian Open.
Star players Louis Oosthuizen and Marc Leishman are both inside the top 10 heading into the final round at the event which was clouded by smoke in round one.
Joe Hughes
Tour editor covering men's golf, women's golf and anything else that involves the word golf, really. The talk is far better than the game, but the work has begun to change that.
