Dustin Johnson leads at Kapalua as Jon Rahm surges into contention

By Keith Jackson

SKYSPORTS.COM

Round of the Day: Dustin Johnson

Highlights from Dustin Johnson's seven-under 66 which earned the world No 1 a two-shot lead after the third round of the Sentry Tournament of Champions.

Dustin Johnson will take a two-shot lead into the final round of the Sentry Tournament of Champions after a superb 66 on day three at Kapalua, Hawaii.

Leaderboard

CLICK ON LINE BELOW

Sentry Tournament of Champions

Johnson took over as outright leader from Brian Harman with a thrilling pitch-in for eagle at the 12th, and three birdies over the last five holes added up to a 66 and a 54-hole score of 16 under par.

Dustin Johnson put himself in pole position for a second win at Kapalua

Harman recovered from mistakes at 11 and 12 with three birdies to end the day in outright second, while Jon Rahm raced into contention with a stunning finish to his round as he played the final five holes in five under par to set the clubhouse target at 12 under.
Johnson made a confident start with early birdies at the second and fifth, where he missed a great eagle chance from 10 feet, and he looked set to add another at the next following a remarkable 399-yard drive which almost found the hole for an unlikely albatross ace.

Pitch-in eagle to take lead

Dustin Johnson finds the perfect way to hit the top of the leaderboard at the Sentry Tournament of Champions as he holes a 70-yard pitch for eagle.

But he three-putted from the rear fringe before offsetting a birdie at nine with his only blemish of the day at the tough 11th, although he atoned immediately when his perfect pitch-and-run from over 72 yards rolled into the cup for an eagle-two.

Back-to-back birdies at 14 and 15 extended his advantage, and the 2013 champion completed an excellent day's work with a cool two-putt birdie on the final green.

Co-overnight leader Harman was the man to catch over the front nine after he came agonisingly close to holing a 190-yard five-iron for albatross, and he followed the resulting tap-in eagle with a sublime tee-shot to within three feet at the eight for birdie.

But the left-hander stumbled after the turn as he bogeyed the 11th and blocked his drive way left into deep trouble at the next and did well to limit the damage to one dropped shot, and he hauled himself back to 13 under with birdies at 14 and 15.

Brian Harman held onto outright second despite a stutter after the turn

Harman also closed with a birdie-four to card a 69 and ensure a place in Sunday's final pairing with Johnson, while Rahm will head out in the penultimate group after his grandstand finish to his 66.

The exciting Spaniard looked too far back to mount a serious challenge as he was just two under for the day after 13 holes, but he birdied 14 and 16 either side of an eagle at the 15th when he converted a delightful second to eight feet.

Jon Rahm produced a stunning finish to his 66

Rahm found the final green in two but left his eagle putt 10 feet short, although he rattled in the second to cap a flawless round and move one ahead of Rickie Fowler and Jason Dufner.

Fowler also kept a bogey off his card and reeled off three straight birdies from the 14th before parring in to return a 68, while Dufner mixed six birdies with a pair of dropped shots in his 69.

Live PGA Tour Golf

January 7, 2018, 11:00pm

Live on 

Get Sky Sports Get a Sky Sports pass

Jordan Spieth had a frustrating day on the greens as a 70 left him eight behind Johnson, while Leishman went from joint-leader to mid-table after tumbling to seven under with an erratic 76.

Each year the Plantation Course produces some of the longest drives on the US PGA Tour, so it was no surprise Hudson Swafford launched a shot on Saturday at the Sentry Tournament of Champions that may end up being the season’s longest.

At the par-4 seventh hole, Swafford’s drive sailed 430 yards down the bouncy fairway, leaving just an 88-yard pitch for his second shot at the 516-yard hole.

“Great par,” smiled Swafford, who made par at the seventh after hitting his approach long. “I got lucky, I got a downwind gust and just hit down the correct side of the fairway, the fast side, and it just kept going and going.”


Although impressive, Saturday’s shot isn’t even the longest of Swafford’s career on the US PGA Tour. During Round 1 of last year’s WGC-Bridgestone Invitational his drive traveled 433 yards on the 16th hole at Firestone Country Club, which ranked as the third-longest drive last season.