Justin Rose produces brilliant comeback to win the WGC HSCB Champions

Justin Rose overturned an eight-shot defecit to win his second WGC title by two shots as he made the most of a Dustin Johnson collapse. 

With a six shot lead over the rest of the field, Dustin Johnson was the favourite to make history and win three WGC titles in the space of a year –  but an uncharacteristic collapse from the World No.1 opened up the contest for the rest of the field as he tied a record for losing the largest lead in the final round. 

Justin Rose lay eight shots adrift of DJ at the start of the day, and admitted he began the round thinking he was playing for second place. However, the Olympic champion birdied four of his last six holes during his five-under 67 in blustery conditions to claim his first victory of 2017 to win his second WGC title by two shots.

“The beginning of the day, I was playing for second,” Rose said. “It’s the kind of day you certainly don’t expect.”

“It’s the kind of a day you hope for — dream for — but a lot of things need to go your way in order for a day like today to happen, coming from eight shots behind, especially going against a player like DJ.”

“It was the perfect type of weather conditions to make a comeback. This is the type of day when you are playing with a lead, every hole seems difficult. Obviously, someone is still capable of playing a special round of golf. And my back nine was just amazing today.”

Rose’s front nine consisted of three birdies and three bogeys, but had five birdies in his last eight holes. An up and down bunker shot for birdie on the 14th green left him two shots behind, and two more gains on the 16th and 17th put him in with a chance as the leaders still had a few holes to play.

Yet while it was a brilliant day for Rose, the same could not be said for Johnson, who simply couldn’t get anything going in a round littered with mistakes. 

He made a bogey on the first two holes, which included him driving into the water on the par five second – yet still retained a three shot lead until the 14th hole. 

There, he seemed to fall apart. He chunked his second shot and had to get up and down before, but then went on to bogey the 15th from the bunker and hooked an iron into rough on the 16th hole for another dropped shot during his five-over 77. 

The world No 1 finished in a share of second spot on 12 under alongside Henrik Stenson and Brooks Koepka.

Justin Rose: WITB 

Driver: TaylorMade M1 460 2017, 9.5 degrees

3-wood: TaylorMade M2, 15 degrees

5-wood: TaylorMade M1, 19 degrees

Irons (4): TaylorMade P790; (5-PW): TaylorMade P730 Rose prototype

Wedges: TaylorMade Milled Grind (52, 56, 60 degrees)

Putter: TaylorMade TP Ardmore 2 Red

Ball: TaylorMade TP5