A look at some of the quotes from the top players after the final round of the Sentry Tournament of Champions at Kapalua, where Dustin Johnson lapped the field by eights shots..
DUSTIN JOHNSON
I know you’re not probably not a guy who is into big statements or anything, but it must feel good to come into a year at No. 1 where your lead’s kind of shrinking at No. 1 and so much talk about the depth on TOUR and to win like this. It almost seems like a reminder that you’re still kind of the guy to beat. Do you see it that way at all?
JOHNSON: Yeah, especially, I think I go back again to the WGC in Shanghai. I had a six-shot lead and just — that was a really difficult day and I just didn’t really putt well, didn’t really do anything — didn’t do anything terrible, I just didn’t do anything very good and I ended up losing.
So for me to come out this week, and I’ve got a two-shot lead going into Sunday, instead of just barely winning. I won by eight.
So I definitely came out today with a lot of focus and that I knew I wanted to play really well and not even — I didn’t want it to have to come down to the last couple holes.
Especially just for — more for myself and confidence and just to — after what happened in Shanghai, I wanted to prove to myself that I still — that ain’t going to happen again.
1st (-24, 69-68-66-65)
JON RAHM
I know that you’re going to take a week off and then we’ll see you for the West Coast Swing coming up. You’re going to defend at Torrey and all the things that come with it. Year two, having the experience in those sort of places that you’ve been, how does that help prepare you for this stretch of golf coming up to kind of get 2018 going?
RAHM: Well, I’m kind of hoping to have a stretch like last year. I’m playing those because three of them I absolutely love playing.
Palm Springs, I didn’t play good last year, so hopefully I play good this year, too. I do have Big Horn on the bag, so make a little appearance there. I don’t have to but, obviously, I want to keep them happy. They have been helping me out a lot.
And then the rest, obviously, defending champion, Phoenix, and Pebble, which I just love. So, hopefully, I can have — I’m confident I’m going to play good.
All those golf courses set up for my game pretty good, so, hopefully, I can keep it going and get the year started.
2nd (-16, 71-70-66-69)
RICKIE FOWLER
When Dustin does plays like this, and he has his game on like he did this weekend, especially today, how difficult is he to kind of keep pace with, or do you need like your A game to keep up with him?
FOWLER: I wouldn’t necessarily say A game. I know I can go and play with anyone in the world. You see guys win usually when they’re just playing better than other guys.
Obviously Dustin’s very talented, he’s No. 1 player in the world, but I wouldn’t say that I doubt myself against him. I know we can go play and have a good time. We play a bit at home, we have some good matches.
But, no, just obviously just didn’t play as well as he did this week, and he took care of business being out front.
T4 (-14, 69-71-68-70)
JORDAN SPIETH
Thoughts of the 59 from last year (Sony Open) with Justin… Given you guys talk a lot during the round, did you have to not sort of mention it?
SPIETH: Yeah. It was kind of like a pitcher throwing a no-hitter or a perfect game. You just kind of talk about anything else other than the round.
I’m not out there going, hey, JT you’re on 59 watch with five holes left. So, yeah, it was really cool.
It was interesting getting done and I was like I think at least a stroke better tee to green in strokes gained that day than JT, and he just — I mean he ran everything in. So for me, I think I shot like 65 and it was really frustrating, because I was inside him all day and I’m getting smoked.
But it was one of those, when that happens, you go straight to the putting green and say, this is obviously what can be if I get this dialed in.
9th (-12, 75-66-70-69)
Credits: ASAP Sports, Getty Images
