Jhonattan Vegas gives friend Joseph Naffah a chance he never got at World Cup of Golf

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Dustin Johnson fires a final-round 65, the best of the week, to lap the field at the Sentry Tournament of Champions at Kapalua, moving from 25th to second in the FedExCup. Welcome to the Monday Finish, where we are still struggling to blink as we stare at Johnson’s incredible near albatross in Maui. Here are some observations after Johnson solidified his place at the top of the world with a commanding eight-shot win at the Sentry TOC. FIVE OBSERVATIONS 1. Johnson’s power has always been scary, but scarier still is how he has developed finesse and precision, drilling down on his wedge game and tidying up around the greens. We’re seeing the results. His putting, greatly improved, still comes and goes, but he didn’t have a single three-putt at the Sentry, and his pair of eagles on the 430-yard, par-4 12th on the weekend further illustrate his greatness. The first came with a wedge from 72 yards, the second with a nuked driver that bounded onto the green and stopped just inches from going in. He says he feels unbeatable at his best. He might be right. 2. One of the oft-used superlatives for Johnson has been consistent. At Kapalua, he ran his win streak to 11 seasons with at least one victory since his rookie year in 2008. Only Tiger Woods with 18 victories has won more than Johnson (17) in that time span. But lately the better term for D.J. is dominant. His romp at Kapalua, the biggest blowout on TOUR since Jordan Spieth also won by eight at the 2016 Sentry TOC, was Johnson’s eighth win since the start of 2016. He said before the tournament that he could envision a monster season with seven, eight or even nine victories. Given what happened at the Plantation Course, Johnson could indeed be on the verge of that kind of year.    3. Jon Rahm (69, 16-under) was trying to become the third first-timer, after Daniel Chopra (2008) and Sergio Garcia (2002), to win the Sentry TOC since it moved to Kapalua in ’99. As it was, Rahm’s solo second-place finish marked his fourth runner-up on TOUR (and second to Johnson), further suggesting Rahm is on the fast track to greatness. It took Johnson a few years to learn to harness his talents; might Rahm be on a similar trajectory? If so, who will have the better career, Rahm, 23, who has one win, or Johnson, 33, who has 17? 4. Pat Perez’s T4 finish puts him in pole position in the FedExCup. His performance at the Sentry marked his third top-five finish in five starts this season, and suggests still feels like he’s playing with the house money after surviving 2016 shoulder surgery. “I definitely know my game better,� Perez, 41, said for an upcoming feature on PGATOUR.com. “But the short game has definitely gotten a lot better. I don’t know how many shots I’ve picked up over the last year and a half.� At Kapalua, Perez hit 80 percent of the fairways (T1) and was +1.283 in strokes gained putting, third best. 5. At a career-high 12th in the Official World Golf Ranking, Marc Leishman continues to impress as he builds towards becoming one of the top 10. The Australian led the tournament through the first two rounds only to struggle mightily in round three to a 76. It was an ugly Saturday, particularly on the greens, but to his credit he shot a 6-under 67 on Sunday, one of only two bogey-free rounds on the day (Hideki Matsuyama, 66) to finish T7. Don’t be surprised if Leishman adds a fourth PGA TOUR title soon – the Farmers Insurance Open is one event to pencil for this guy. FIVE INSIGHTS 1. Johnson tied Ernie Els for the most eagles in a career at Kapalua (eight), but missed tying another record. After making his only bogey of the final round at the par-3 11th hole, Johnson’s 430-yard drive at the 12th stopped inches from the cup, leading to a tap-in eagle. Andrew Magee is the only player to ace a par-4 in TOUR history, doing so at the 332-yard 17th hole at the 2001 Waste Management Phoenix Open. 2. Johnson’s statistical line makes for pretty impressive reading. Strokes gained: off the tee: +8.902 (1st); strokes gained: tee to green: +13.989 (1st); strokes gained: approach the green: +2.777 (1st); strokes gained: around the green: +2.310 (4th); strokes gained: putting: +2.894 (6th). In other words, your basic demolition derby. 3. Brian Harman (72, solo third) now has four top-10 finishes in four starts this season. And as if that weren’t reason enough for good cheer, Harman’s alma mater, Georgia, made it to college football’s National Championship game against Alabama. 4. Rickie Fowler (70, T4) finished 10 behind the winner, but he has finished in the top four of both his starts this season, after a runner-up at the OHL Classic at Mayakoba in early November. And his line at the Sentry TOC (T6 in 2013, 5th 2016, T4 2018) also seems to suggest he’s heading in the right direction. 5. Strange but true: In registering yet another top-10 finish, Jordan Spieth (69, -12, solo ninth) put together his worst result at Kaplua. In three previous starts at the Sentry TOC, the 2016 champion hadn’t finished out of the top three.   TOP THREE VIDEOS

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Despite published reports that indicate he is leaving the PGA Tour for the rival LIV Golf circuit, Australia’s Cameron Smith said Tuesday that he’s preparing to win the FedEx Cup playoffs and is a “man of my word.”

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