Collin Morikawa produced a brilliant display of front running to win his first World Golf Championships title at the WGC - Workday Championship at The Concession 2021.
The American entered the day with a two shot lead and while he was caught in the early stages, he showed no signs of nerves and regained his advantage at the turn, never looking back as he signed for a 69 and cruised to a three shot victory at 18 under.
Norway's Viktor Hovland and Americans Billy Horschel and Brooks Koepka finished in a share for second.
Many in the field were wearing red and black as a show of support to Tiger Woods after his car accident earlier in the week and Morikawa joined the 15 time Major Championship winner in an exclusive club of two.
The reigning US PGA Championship winner's victory at the age of 24 saw him become just the second player alongside Woods to win a Major and a WGC before the age of 25.
Those two European Tour victories have come in just nine events and the man who finished fifth in last season's Race to Dubai Rankings presented by Rolex now moves up to second in the 2021 standings.
After holing the winning putt, an emotional Morikawa paid his own tribute to Woods, while also giving credit to two more Major champions in Mark O'Meara and Paul Azinger.
"What a week," he said. "I was working on so much the last couple of weeks and tips from Mark O'Meara and Paul Azinger got this week through and my game felt so good.
"Mark O'Meara - I was talking to him about putting, it's been a big change to the saw grip that he calls it, not the claw.
"Then I came over and, actually on this 18th green, talked with Azinger for 10, 15 minutes about chipping and it just saved my life this week."
He added: "Tiger means everything to me. He had the crash and thankfully he's alright and hopefully he has a quick and great recovery.
"I don't think we say thank you enough so I want to say thank you to Tiger because sometimes you lose people too early. I lost my grandpa about a month ago and you don't get to say thank you enough."
Morikawa got a bad break on the second when he saw a decent second shot roll off the green but he then saw his chip roll back to his feet and recorded a bogey.
Horschel holed from seven feet on the par five third to join the lead and hit the front from 12 feet on the fifth before watching playing partner Morikawa follow him in from half the distance.
A nice up-and-down from the sand on the par five seventh put Morikawa back in the lead and he was two ahead at the turn when he holed from 15 feet at the ninth.
Hovland had made a fast start with birdies from inside three feet at the first and second but he was still well back when he dropped a shot on the sixth.
An up-and-down on the par five seventh sparked a hat-trick of birdies to the turn as he holed from ten and 15 feet, and he then made a birdie after driving to just in front of the green on the par four 12th.
His second at the par five 13th found a horrible position resting against long grass over the back of the green but the 23-year-old played a remarkable third to six feet and he made another gain to sit just one back.
A three putt on the next saw Hovland drop a shot, however, and when Morikawa took advantage of the driveable 12th, he led by three and nobody would get any closer as he parred his way home.
Hovland dropped another shot on the 16th and Horschel was the closest challenger after recovering from a dropped shot on the tenth with a birdie on the 12th.
Koepka played his first 12 holes in level par with three birdies and three bogeys but took advantage of the 13th and then hit a stunning slinging hook into the 15th to join Horschel in second.
Hovland birdied the 17th to finish at 15 under after a 67, Koepka parred his way home for a 70 and Horschel bogeyed the 15th and picked the shot back up on the 17th to register the same score.
American Scottie Scheffler finished at 14 under, two shots clear of Major champions Rory McIlroy, Louis Oosthuizen and Webb Simpson, and three ahead of two more Americans in Jason Kokrak and Patrick Reed.
