Shaky Johnson defends Pebble Beach title
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By John Reger
Joint overnight leader Johnson's wayward two-over 74 was enough to see off late challenges from fellow Americans David Duval and J.B. Holmes and made him the first back-to-back winner at Pebble Beach since Mark O'Meara in 1989-90.
"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 $1.12 million winner's cheque.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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"It was a long day," Johnson said. "I had a short putt which is what you want to win a tournament."
(Editing by Ian Ransom)