Golf:Dustin Johnson played a shaky final round but birdied the last hole to defend his Pebble Beach National Pro-am title with a one shot win yesterday.
Joint overnight leader Johnson's wayward two-over 74 was enough to see off late challenges from fellow Americans David Duval and JB Holmes and made him the first back-to-back winner at Pebble Beach since Mark O'Meara in 1989-90.
Johnson, whose 16-under total of 270 gave him his third title, has now won in every year since he joined the PGA Tour in 2008, a feat only matched by Tiger Woods in recent years.
"I certainly try and win every week I am out here. I'm playing well right now," the 25-year-old said after picking up a €823,000 winner's cheque.
Johnson, who won by default last year after leading when the fourth round was washed out, started the day with a shared four-stroke lead with American Paul Goydos, but opened his round with a bogey.
After recovering with an eagle on the sixth to regain the lead, the American slipped again on the ninth with a double-bogey and another dropped shot on the 12th.
Goydos crashed out of contention on the back nine with a horror five-hole stretch of three bogeys and a quadruple-bogey nine on the par-five 14th, but Duval and Holmes made late charges to pressure Johnson.
Former world number one Duval, who started the day six adrift, stormed back into contention with a 12-foot birdie putt on the par-three 17th, after Holmes birdied the 16th.
Under pressure, Johnson bogeyed the 17th to fall back into a three-way tie with Duval and Holmes going into the last hole.
Duval's wedge shot from 105 yards on the par-five 18th spun back to the front of the green and the American was unable to hole the 27-foot birdie putt.
Holmes then missed a 13-foot birdie putt to put the tournament in Johnson's hands.
The big-hitting American, whose tournament campaign had been built on attacking the three courses' par-five greens, threw caution to the wind. After splitting the fairway, he went for the green in two, but instead found a green-side bunker on the right.
Having made only two of seven sand saves in the tournament, Johnson's wedge shot barely cleared the lip, but settled four feet from the pin.
It was relief rather than elation etched upon his face after he drained the four-footer to win his third title.
"It was a long day," Johnson said. "I had a short putt which is what you want to win a tournament."
Pádraig Harrington closed with a level par 72 to finish on nine under.
Collated final round scores and totals in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, Pebble Beach Golf Links, California
(USA unless stated, par 72):
270Dustin Johnson 64 68 64 74
271J.B. Holmes 65 67 68 71, David Duval 67 68 67 69
273Steve Marino 68 67 67 71
274Paul Goydos 67 65 64 78, J.P. Hayes 68 71 63 72, Josh Teater 70 67 68 69
275Phil Mickelson 68 67 69 71, Tom Gillis 69 68 69 69
276Bryce Molder 67 65 68 76, Tim Clark (Rsa) 70 68 68 70, Alex Cejka (Ger) 65 67 69 75, Matthew Jones (Aus) 67 67 66 76, D.J. Trahan 67 67 69 73, Blake Adams 65 74 66 71
277Bob Estes 69 68 72 68, Brian Gay 66 73 69 69, Luke Donald (Eng) 70 65 71 71, Pádraig Harrington (Irl) 69 67 69 72, Steve Elkington (Aus) 68 67 71 71
278Scott McCarron 70 66 71 71, K J Choi (Kor) 65 70 68 75, Jonathan Byrd 70 70 70 68, Tom Pernice Jnr. 67 69 67 75, Greg Owen (Eng) 71 67 66 74, Brandt Snedeker 72 68 66 72
279Nick Watney 71 66 70 72, Rodney Pampling (Aus) 69 70 67 73, John Senden (Aus) 67 71 68 73, Alex Prugh 68 68 69 74, Kevin Streelman 65 69 72 73, Charlie Wi (Kor) 68 74 66 71, Jeff Maggert 65 75 66 73, Matthew Every 73 69 68 69, Rickie Fowler 67 71 71 70
280Pat Perez 68 71 71 70, Charley Hoffman 64 75 68 73, Jeff Quinney 70 71 67 72, Greg Chalmers (Aus) 76 66 65 73, Heath Slocum 71 67 71 71, Nick O'Hern (Aus) 69 72 64 75, Will MacKenzie 70 67 73 70, Vijay Singh (Fij) 65 71 70 74, Jim Furyk 68 69 69 74, Sean O'Hair 70 70 69 71
281Spencer Levin 68 69 69 75, Cameron Percy (Aus) 69 70 69 73, Jason Day (Aus) 71 67 72 71, Webb Simpson 67 68 74 72
282Michael Letzig 67 74 66 75, Robert Garrigus 72 70 66 74
283Adam Scott (Aus) 73 71 64 75, Vaughn Taylor 69 69 68 77, Mike Weir (Can) 67 70 73 73, Sergio Garcia (Spa) 68 71 67 77
284Kevin Na 71 65 74 74, Chris Wilson 72 67 70 75, Kris Blanks 72 72 66 74, Garrett Willis 68 68 71 77, Chez Reavie 75 65 70 74
285Brett Quigley 69 69 71 76, Jay Williamson 70 70 69 76, Jason Gore 69 66 74 76
286Hunter Mahan 70 73 66 77, Martin Flores 69 70 71 76, Kevin Johnson 70 70 70 76, Ted Purdy 70 69 71 76
290Roger Tambellini 73 69 68 80
291John Mallinger 67 72 71 81