GOLF NEWS - World No 1 Dustin Johnson imploded and Justin Rose stormed back from eight shots behind overnight to win the $9.75 million WGC-HSBC Champions by two strokes in a thrilling finale in Shanghai on Sunday.
The Englishman Rose, who started the concluding day joint fourth, fired a 67 to finish 14-under-par 274 and somehow emerge victorious from a nail-biting four-way fight that also included Henrik Stenson and Brooks Koepka.
A demoralised Johnson finished tied second with Stenson and Koepka.
"It's been a long time since I've won, or at least it feels like that," said Rose, 37, whose stunning five under in the back nine propelled him to victory.
Rose has won every year since 2010, including at the Olympics last year.
"This is my only win in 2017. Left it late this year, but it feels amazing."
Johnson was chasing a sixth prestigious World Golf Championship (WGC) title and looked to have put himself out of sight on Saturday evening with a handsome six-shot lead on fellow American Koepka, who was second overnight.
But on another blustery day, this time accompanied by smog and cooler temperatures, Johnson started with two bogeys to immediately give the chasing pack hope on the par-72 course.
Johnson, who triumphed at the Sheshan Golf Club in 2013, failed to get his putter going all day and was meticulously pegged back by a combination of Rose, Stenson and Koepka.
The 33-year-old, who hit a 77, said the wind made for tough conditions but he did not use that as an excuse.
"I didn't make any putts. I felt like I rolled it good, just nothing was going in the hole," he said.
"I felt fine all day, I just could never get anything going and didn't hole any putts. It was pretty simple."
