Rahm runs away to win Hero World Challenge

[December 03, 2018]  Spain's Jon Rahm shot a 7-under par 65, outpacing fellow third-round co-leaders Tony Finau and Henrik Stenson to win the Hero World Challenge at Nassau, Bahamas, on Sunday.

Rahm shot a bogey-free round, collecting seven birdies along the way.

Finau had seven birdies, as well, but was all over the place at the Albany course. The American twice followed up back-to-back birdies with a bogey on the front nine, then took a double-bogey six on the par-4 14th.

Rahm birdied No. 14 to turn what head been a two-stroke lead into a five-stroke margin.

Finau finished with a 3-under 69 on the day. Stenson was 2 under on the day after the front nine, but the Swede had bookend bogeys on the back nine and finished with a 1-under 71.

Rahm finished the tournament at 20-under 268, while Finau totaled 16 under to finish second.

"(My ball-striking) was about as perfect as it could have been today," Rahm told PGATour.com following his round. "I played so solid to the green, didn't make any mistakes. Like I said every day after the round, if you can capitalize on the five par-5s and the two drivable par-4s -- which I did on all of them today -- you're going to have a chance, and that's what happened."

It is Rahm's third victory of 2018, the second straight year in which the 24-year-old has won three events worldwide.

American Patrick Cantlay, who shared the first-round lead before back-to-back rounds in the 70s, had the round of the day on Sunday with an 8-under 64. It was the second-best round of the tournament, bettered only by Rahm's second-round 63.

England's Justin Rose shot a 65 on Sunday to finish third, one stroke behind Finau. Stenson finished fourth at 14 under while Cantlay and fellow American Rickie Fowler tied for fifth at 13 under.

Tournament host Tiger Woods shot a final-round 73 to avoid a last-place finish. His 1-under 287 left him one stroke better than Japan's Hideki Matsuyama, who shot a 3-over 75 to close out the tournament.

Woods made four bogeys and no birdies on the front nine Sunday, then rallied with four birdies in a five-hole span from No. 11 to No. 15 before making another bogey at No. 17.

"The round wasn't very good starting out. It was quite awful," Woods said. "Somehow turned it around and got rolling a little bit, got to even par for the day somehow. Made a mistake there on 17, but overall it was a long week."

--Field Level Media

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