New Delhi: Andrew Johnston sparkled under lights at Canary Wharf, winning his second Hero Challenge of 2018 in London.
The crowd favourite overcame a strong challenge from world No. 2 and tournament host, Justin Rose, defending British Masters champion Paul Dunne, Hero Indian Open winner Matt Wallace and Danish Ryder Cup heroes skipper Thomas Bjorn and Thorbjorn Olesen.
The players had to find “floating pontoon green” off a custom built target platform being used as a tee-box. They were split into two groups, with each player having six shots to score as many points as they could. The top two players from each group advanced to the semifinals.
In Group One, Johnston made a splash of his first shot, putting it into the water before he scored the first points of the evening as he spun the ball back for 20 points. He failed to score with his final four shots and totalled 20.
Reigning Hero Indian Open champion Wallace put the first two shots in water but scored five with the third for his only points. That left Rose an easy target to beat.
Rose hit what was probably the most spectacular shot of the evening, pitching almost straight into the hole to secure 50 points. He followed that up with a 15 and a 20 and landed yet another shot on the last hit for a whopping total of 90 points.
In Group Two, Ryder Cup Captain Bjorn got a massive ovation even though he missed with his first five shots but the last shot fetched him 20.
