Twenty-four-year-old Patrick Reed began 2015 by continuing to build one of the game’s elite early career résumés, defeating Jimmy Walker on the first hole of sudden death to claim his fourth career victory at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions.  Though there would be spectacular moments during the annually scheduled Monday finale, the first three days were all about steady golf for Reed, who carded bogey-free first and third rounds of 67 and 68, with a two-bogey 69 sandwiched in between.  That left him two off the 54-hole lead held by Walker and 22-year-old Japanese star Hideki Matsuyama, the former having carded but a single bogey over his rounds of 67-68-67, the latter making up for a sluggish opening 70 with a pair eight-birdie 66s in rounds two and three.  Matsuyama would stick around early on Sunday (via birdies at the 6th and 7th) but couldn’t quite keep the pace thereafter, while Walker looked very much like a winner after playing Monday’s first 13 holes in five under par.  But he made a crucial bogey after laying up with a 4 iron at the short par-4 14th, and it was about this time that Reed caught fire.  Standing three under on the day through 14, he birdied the par-5 15th before holing an 83-yard wedge for eagle at the 365-yard 16th.  A long three-putt bogey at the 17th slowed his momentum briefly but he carded the obligatory four at the downhill 663-yard 18th – that last key birdie that Walker could not find down the homestretch.  Unfortunately the 35-year-old Texan couldn’t find it on the first extra hole (the 18th) either, and when Reed holed an 18-footer for one final four, the title was his...................In an outcome that would have seemed inconceivable just an hour earlier, England’s Andy Sullivan landed his first European Tour victory at the South African Open by defeating homestanding Charl Schwartzel on the first hole of sudden death.  Sullivan had actually looked like a potential winner early in the week, tying for the first round lead with a Thursday 66, then leading Schwartzel by one after a Friday 70.  But fortune (not mention Schwartzel’s considerable talent) turned against him abruptly on Saturday as Sullivan opened with four straight bogeys while Schwartzel birdied the same four – and in barely an hour, Sullivan had gone from one up to seven down.  Schwartzel, for his part, went on to post a fine third round 66 and stake himself to a five-shot lead through 54 holes, then played the first 13 holes on Sunday in two under par to remain four shots ahead.  But with his nation's championship firmly within reach, the 2011 Masters champion abruptly fell apart, bogeying the 14th from a bunker, three-putting for double-bogey at the 441-yard 16th, then adding one more critical bogey at the 222-yard 17th to finish on 277.  Sullivan, meanwhile, had begun the day seven back and stood two under after 10 holes before pitching in for eagle at the par-4 12th, then adding a birdie at the 441-yard 16th en route to a 67 that matched Schwartzel's aggregate.  The playoff was contested over the par-4 18th where Sullivan drove into the trees, then produced a stunning recovery to set up the winning 12-foot birdie putt.