By Greg Midland

ELMSFORD, N.Y. (January 22, 2012) - In what serves as a testament to the amount of work Johnson Wagner and coach Bobby Heins have put in this winter, the Met Area standout is now the hottest player on the PGA Tour through three events. After winning last week at the Sony Open in Oahu, Wagner followed it up with another clutch performance at the Humana Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation at the PGA West course in La Quinta, California.

In the final round, Wagner fired an impressive seven-under-par 65, vaulting him into a tie for second with John Mallinger and Robert Garrigus. With this week's finish, Wagner earned another $418,133.34 and built upon his lead in the FedEx Cup standings.

For more information on Johnson Wagner and to review his stats on the PGA Tour so far this season, click here.

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ELMSFORD, N.Y. (January 16, 2012) - It's been 10 years since Johnson Wagner was dominating Met Area golf with victories in five consecutive MGA major championships in 2001 and 2002. While he no longer lives in Westchester County, Wagner, 31, who just won the 2012 Sony Open in Hawaii for his third career PGA Tour victory, retains one very important local connection: swing coach Bobby Heins of Old Oaks.

Heins, a two-time Met Open (1988 & '89) and two-time MGA Senior Open (2008 & '09) champion, spends the winter in Florida, where his star pupil visited him three times in November and December. The most recent visit was December 27-30, just before Wagner flew to Maui for the season-opening Hyundai Tournament of Champions, where he finished tied for 9th. He then island-hopped to Oahu for the Sony Open, where he earned a two-stroke victory that vaulted him into the FedEx Cup points lead and earned him an invitiation to his second Masters Tournament.

"Johnson really worked hard this winter, and the harder you work, the more you feel you earn the right to play well when the pressure is on," said Heins, who reports he's received a steady stream of text messages and calls since Wagner's win on Sunday.  "I don't try to change his swing. It's his swing, and that's why when he gets into contention he can just concentrate on executing the shots."

Heins has coached Wagner since his amateur days, and the two have formed a close bond that has obviously helped Wagner, who turned professional just prior to winning the 2002 Met Open at Winged Foot Golf Club, raise his game to a new level.

"I try to share with him things that will help him in tournament situations, because he's going to be one that has to live with the results," said Heins. "Almost the way a father would pass along things to his son or a boss tries to mentor a junior co-worker, that's the way Johnson and I work. He worked really hard to get out on Tour, and this off-season he put in a lot of time."

It seems to be paying early dividends. Wagner arrived in Hawaii for the winners-only Tournament of Champions (he won the 2011 Mayakoba Golf Classic in Mexico) and promptly got himself into contention. Though he didn't win, his confidence only grew, and he arrived at Honolulu's Waialae Country Club feeling he was close to putting four good rounds together. He did just that, shooting 68-66-66-67 for a total of 13-under-par 267. His next goal? Playing his way into the Top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking, which will get him into select World Golf Championship events as well as the other major championships.

Wagner is in the field in this week's Humana Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation in La Quinta, California, and he'll arrive with his new mustache as well as a boatload of confidence from his latest Tour triumph. A big assist goes to Heins, who has helped Wagner grow from MGA standout to PGA Tour star.