Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday Spokesman Dustin Johnson Wins HSBC Champions Event

Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday spokesman Dustin Johnson was overpowering en route to a three-shot victory against a star-studded field at the WGC-HSBC Champions event in Shanghai last weekend.

Johnson’s three-shot lead entering the final round evaporated and he arrived at the 13th tee trailing Ian Poulter by a stroke, at which point he found another gear.

Johnson, who drove the ball superbly most of the week, hammered his tee shot on 13, helping set up a five-foot birdie that jump started a stretch that saw him play five holes in five-under par.

Johnson, who had a one-shot lead at the time, sealed his eighth career PGA Tour win with a chip-in for eagle on the 16th hole and a birdie on 17.

The victory gives Johnson a win in each of his first seven seasons on Tour, the most since Tiger Woods won in his first 14 seasons. It was Johnson’s first win in a World Golf Championship event and came against a leaderboard that included Graeme McDowell, Sergio Garcia, Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose and Bubba Watson.

“It's the biggest win I've had in my career so far,” he said. “Those guys put a lot of pressure on me. I'm really proud of the way I handled myself.”

Johnson, who cut his teeth in Myrtle Beach as a collegiate player at Coastal Carolina, seized control of the tournament with a sizzling 63 in the second round. He had to withstand runs by Poulter and McDowell, but ultimately overwhelmed the field, shooting a pair of 66s on the weekend.

Johnson’s 24-under score of 264 set a new tournament record.

“He trenches one 350 down the middle and has the hands to that 70-yard shot to the front pin and make the putt,” McDowell said. “He's just a quality, talented, very athletic, classy player. Yeah, he makes mistakes. But when you've got a game as good as him, you can get away with a few mistakes. He's just got a great wedge game to go with just an outrageously good driving game.”

Johnson, who lived along the Grand Strand for nearly a decade, became the official spokesman for Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday in the spring of 2011. Even before becoming Golf Holiday’s spokesman, Johnson was an unofficial ambassador for the community, sporting a TPC Myrtle Beach logo on his golf back.

Further cementing his ties to the area, the 29-year-old star recently opened the Dustin Johnson Golf School at TPC.