Hyundai Tournament Of Champions 2012: Steve Stricker Wins With 4-Under Final Day

“So I just kept telling myself, you know, I still I’m all right. Don’t worry about them. Make two or three or four birdies, and we’re fine. But it’s hard to do. You feel like you just want it to end and be done. But it can’t.”

Laird, who entered Monday in a three-way tie for second place with Webb Simpson and Jonathan Byrd, moved ahead by one stroke by shooting 6-under. His birdie on the final hole proved to be the difference -- and quite lucrative: he took home $650,000, while Byrd and Simpson tied for third place and took home $369,000. Stricker earned $1.12 million of the $5.6 million total purse.

The final round of the 2012 Hyundai Tournament of Champions gets underway on Monday and Steve Stricker holds a huge advantage over the rest of the field. At 19-under for the tournament, Stricker built himself a five-shot advantage over the first two rounds, then held that advantage during Sunday’s third round. He’ll be paired with Johnathan Byrd who, along with two others, trails by five shots.

Coverage of the final round gets underway at 4 p.m. Eastern, running until 8 p.m. or the conclusion of the tournament. The Golf Channel will carry the action as Stricker tries to win the first tournament of 2012.

Steve Stricker had an up-and-down day at the 2012 Hyundai Tournament of Champions, but you wouldn’t know it from looking at the final third-round leaderboard. Stricker nearly coughed up a five-shot lead during his round as the field gained ground, but finished strong to maintain his lead heading into Monday. When all was said and done, Stricker, at 19-under for the tournament, still five shots clear of the field.

Stricker is being chased by a trio of players, with Johnathan Bryd, Webb Simpson and Martin Laird all at 14-under for the tournament. Bryce Molder and Kevin Na are at 11-under, a whopping eight shots back of Stricker heading into the final round.

The 2012 Hyundai Tournament of Champions tees off Sunday at 10:55 a.m. ET with Brandon Steele right out of the gate. Steve Stricker is atop the leader board, shooting a 63 in the second round and heading into Sunday shooting 15 under. Sticker currently holds a 5 stoke lead over Webb Simpson, who is in second place shooting 10 under heading into round three.

Some other notable golfers aren’t having the best of tournaments, as K.J. Choi finished off Round 2 shooting a 73 and sitting at just three under going into Sunday. Bubba Watson rebounded, following up his 74 in Round 1 shooting a 69 in Round 2 and currently sitting at three under.

After two rounds of the 2012 Hyundai Tournament of Champions, Steve Stricker holds a significant advantage over the field in what’s shaping up to be a battle for second-place. Stricker finds himself at 15-under for the tournament after a second-round 63 and leads his closest competitor by five strokes. After carding a 5-under 68 on Friday, he came roaring back with a 10-under round on Saturday, leaving the field in his wake.

Webb Simpson is in second-place after two rounds, sitting at 10-under for the tournament after back-to-back 68s. Kevin Na is alone in third at 9-under, six shots off Strickers pace. Martin Laird and Jonathan Byrd are one-shot back of Na at 8-under, trailing Stricker by seven shots.

Jonathan Byrd fired a six-under 67 to take sole possession of the first round lead in the 2012 Hyundai Tournament of Champions, the first PGA event of the 2012 season.

Byrd caught fire early, posting birdies on six consecutive holes on the front nine before bogeying the Par 5 ninth hole. Byrd had another bogey on No. 11 before getting those strokes back on No. 12 and No. 16. The 33-year-old South Carolina native has a one-stroke lead on Michael Bradley, Steve Stricker, Webb Simpson and Scotland’s Martin Laird, who finished his opening round by birdying five of the final seven holes.

The PGA Tour begins its new season with the 2012 Hyundai Tournament of Champions, which is on the TV schedule for 5:30 p.m. on The Golf Channel. The event, hosted in Maui at the Plantation Golf Course in Kapalua, carries a $5.6 million purse.

The event features winners from the 2011 tour, including big names like Bubba Watson, Nick Watney, Webb Simpson Keegan Bradley and tournament favorite Gary Woodland.

The 2012 Hyundai Tournament of Champions tees off this weekend as the PGA Tour begins its new season in Maui at the Plantation Golf Course in Kapalua. The Hyundai-sponsored event is worth 500 points in the FedEx Cup and has a $5.6 million purse with the winner being able to take home $1,120,000 if he’s able to perform well in Hawaii.

Jonathan Byrd -- last season’s champion -- is in the field, but the experts have seemingly decided that the first event of the season will belong to Gary Woodland. Rob Bolton, PGATour.com’s fantasy expert, put Woodland at the top of his power rankings simply because the course seems to fit Woodland’s style: