Johnson withdraws

World golf No 1 Dustin Johnson, fresh off his third consecutive victory and content that his form is ready for the Masters, has withdrawn from this week’s Shell Houston Open, according to a Golf Channel report yesterday. Johnson, whose win at the WGCDell Matchplay in Austin on Monday marked his third victory in as many events, was expected to headline the final tuneup ahead of the Masters on April 6-9. His decision to withdraw from Houston, where he finished third in 2016, means he will arrive at the year’s first major as the clear favourite. Johnson never trailed in any of his seven matches at the Austin Country Club where he capped a dominant week with a 1-up victory over Spain’s Jon Rahm. At Augusta National, reigning US Open champion Johnson will be seeking the second major title of his career.