When Johnson Wagner got to Hawaii this month, fellow PGA Tour pros took one look at the bushy new mustache flourishing on his upper lip and dubbed him "Tom Selleck."

"I probably got Magnum P.I. in Maui (at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions) a hundred times," Wagner said.

But when he departed the 18th hole at Waialae Country Club on Sunday to the applause of the gallery for a final-round 3-under-par 67, they called him something else: the champion of the Sony Open in Hawaii.

At times it was almost hard to tell which Wagner savored most, the 13-under-par 267 and two-stroke victory or the comparison with Selleck; the $990,000 check and trip to the Masters that comes with it or the opportunity to stroke his mustache in triumph at those who needled him.

"I had never really watched the show (‘Magnum P.I.’), so I Googled images of Tom Selleck and I took (comparisons) as a compliment," Wagner said. "Tom Selleck is a stud, so if I can look anything like him, I’m very excited."

For the 31-year-old Wagner, who had never before dared to showcase facial hair, the mustache has become a symbol of sorts. It reflects, for him, a firmer commitment to preparedness and a bolder confidence in his abilities.

Despite a tie for ninth place at Kapalua last week, Wagner seemed a sure bet to leave here discussed more for his grooming than his play. Only the remarkably prescient or exceedingly lucky had him as a pick in their winners pool or fantasy league. And there couldn’t have been many of those, given his shaky history here.

Sony on Sunday was something he mostly took in from in front of a TV set. In five previous visits to Sony, Wagner missed the last four cuts at Waialae and had only a tie for 34th (2007) to show for the experiences. Some of them, he acknowledged, missing "by a mile." Said Wagner: "I can honestly say I don’t think I’ve ever hit the first fairway (here)."

But "you know this is my sixth year on tour now and I feel like I’ve grown up," Wagner said. "I feel a different level, a different level of maturity and knowledge."

When he landed on Oahu late Monday and caddies told him how firm and fast the greens were playing, "from that moment on I was just real excited to play this week."

In his 2007 rookie year, when Wagner made his only money here — $26,325 — the greens were firm and he took it as a welcoming sign.

But on a day when it seemed half of the remnants of the first full-field event of the PGA Tour season had a shot at the title — 16 players started the day within four strokes of the lead — Wagner had the winning formula. He owned the back nine, playing without a bogey there all week and at 14 under for the week.

Sunday, he played a bogey-free final 12 holes as the other contenders, one by one, became pretenders. By the 15th hole, when he knocked in a 15-foot birdie putt, he had assumed a two-shot lead and nursed it home.

All testament, he will tell you, to a new energy and perspective gained by embracing a more intense physical and practice regimen. And, of course, the addition of the mustache that has, in many ways, come to symbolize the new outlook.

Johnson said, "I think that’s what the mustache has done, too, just given me this confidence level that I’ve never had before."

Who knows, if Wagner keeps this up, maybe someday someone will even tell Selleck he looks like a certain golfer.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.