2012 Sony Open: Johnson Wagner grabs his third PGA Tour trophy – Golf News
Johnson Wagner shot a three-under 67 on the final day of the 2012 Sony Open at the Waialae Country Club in Hawaii to surge past his contenders and clinch his third PGA Tour victory.
Starting the final round with a bogey, he managed to drain five birdies to gain a two-stroke lead over Carl Pettersson, Sean O'Hair, Harrison Frazar and Charles Howell III.
Apart from his initial bogey, he repeated the same performance on the sixth hole. However, difficult courses at Waialae did not let any player to get close to Wagner on the leaderboard.
Prior to entering the 2012 season, Wagner practiced heavily and told his friends that he would register a win early in the season. Consequently, he did it without wasting any time.
In his season opening tournament at the Plantation Course in Kapalua, he tied for the ninth place and came to Hawaii with enough confidence to record a victory.
"I was definitely telling people to expect something early this year, which is a nice feeling," Wagner said.
He continued, "Usually, my confidence is low. I'm kind of shy in a little shell. And for some reason, I just had way more energy and confidence going into this year".
There came a stage in the final round when he was tied for the first position with four players, who stood second in the end.
However, he was the only one to remain on that position. His nearest rival faced a two-stroke deficit that landed the trophy in Wagner’s bag.
It was interesting to watch Wagner with a moustache, he stopped shaving since Thanksgiving last year.
"Kind of made a deal with myself in December that if I was to get into the Masters, then I was going to keep the mustache for at least this year," he said.
"Everybody said, 'Oh, is it a Movember moustache? Well, it is December, time to shave it.' I said, 'Look, this is not a one-month mustache. This is potentially a 10-year mustache”.
Proud of his new looks, Wagner said his moustache will remain there for a few more months.
With this win, he has qualified for the Masters Tournament and is happy to make a run at the Augusta National Golf Club in April.
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