"I worked really hard this off-season and had set a lot of goals: Getting back into the Masters, getting back into the majors, get my World Ranking up to the Top-50 where I think I belong and hopefully having a chance to qualify for The Ryder Cup Team." "I've won twice and learned from both of these experiences that you think they just come so easy after that. So hopefully I can settle down a bit and then not think that winning is easy, because it is not, and it's hard. I've worked very hard this off-season, like I said, and it's just really nice to see it pay off so early." ~Johnson Wagner
PGA Results: 2012 Sony Open
After 54 holes at the Sony Open in Hawaii, Jeff Maggert and Matt Every had the lead. But they would fade early on their Sunday front nine, leading to high scores (Maggert 74, Every 72) which would be lapped by the field. By the back nine, there were easily 5-10 players who had a chance at the win. Keep in mind, Waialae Country Club, the host course, is a par-70.
Lets see how the rookies we talked about last week fared. The only player of the three rookies we covered who missed the cut was Danny Lee, with rounds of 72, 71. Nationwide Tour Player of the Year J.J. Killeen made the cut, and recorded a respectable T38 with rounds of 68, 69, 69, 70. Bud Cauley fared even better with rounds of 66, 68, 70, 71 for a T29 finish.
2011 Rookie of the Year Keegan Bradley was a factor coming down the stretch, especially after his eagle on #9 coming as a result of a 340 yard drive and 9-iron to the par-5. His hopes faded as he couldn't keep the momentum going on the back nine.
Must be the 'stache
Down the stretch any of a number of players like Carl Pettersson, Sean O'Hair, Harrison Frazar, Charles Howell III had a chance but in the end the mustache must have made the difference. Johnson Wagner and his new mustache, grown over the Thanksgiving holiday, fired rounds of 68, 66, 66, 67 to win by two shots at -13.
