‘DJ’ finally sizzles in summer
NEW YORK: Dustin Johnson is back, and he offered a reminder of why he is world number one when he beat Jordan Spieth in a playoff to win the Northern Trust in Old Westbury, New York on Sunday.
Johnson sank a three-foot birdie putt at the first extra hole to edge out Spieth after a compelling head-to-head finalround duel between the two Americans at the Glen Oaks Club.
Johnson forced the playoff by sinking a sharply-breaking downhill 17-foot par putt at the final regulation hole, his ball catching the right edge of the cup and toppling in at the parfour 18th.
He overcame a five-stroke deficit over the final 13 holes for his first win since he injured his back falling down stairs on the eve of the US Masters in April.
After a quiet summer, Johnson stamped his authority with a closing 66 for 13-under-par 267 in the first of the PGA Tour’s four FedExCup playoff events.
“I feel the game’s finally back in form like it was leading into the Masters,” Johnson said in a greenside interview. “I’m swinging everything really well, got a lot of control over the golf ball and I’m feeling really good.
“Getting a win here today gives me a lot of confidence going into next week and the rest of the playoffs.”
Johnson, who won three consecutive starts before hurting his back, joins Justin Thomas as a four-times winner on the PGA Tour this season.
He has 16 career victories, and this was his first in a playoff.
But he seemed destined for second place after leaving himself with a difficult par putt at the 72nd hole.
With Spieth sitting within tap-in range for a certain par, Johnson had to hole the putt, and he read the break and the speed to near perfection to dish out a blow to Spieth.
“I felt I played really good today,” Johnson said.
“The front nine I couldn’t hole a putt, burning the edges. Finally rolled in a couple of putts on nine and 10.”
Spieth carded 69. He and Johnson finished four shots clear of Jon Rahm and Jhonattan Vegas.
Spieth, who had earned a reputation as a closer having converted nine of his previous 10 54-hole leads into victories, appeared on the verge of a runaway win after making two birdies in the first five holes to jump five clear of Johnson.
But Spieth’s eight-iron at the par-three sixth failed to clear the water hazard guarding the green, and the subsequent double-bogey left him only three shots clear of Johnson.
Four holes later they were tied, and there was never more than a shot separating them from that point.
Spieth was not going to let the defeat sour his mood after a stellar season in which he has won three times, including the British Open. He needs only to win the PGA Championship to complete the career grand slam.
“Mistake on six kind of flustered me for a couple holes. Fought back nicely on the back nine,” Spieth told reporters.
“I didn’t lose this tournament,” Spieth said. “He (Johnson) won it, you know.
“I feel great about my game. It’s very difficult holding a lead on a difficult golf course when the guy you’re playing with goes bogey-free and doesn’t even really sniff a bogey and shoots four-under.
“My hat’s off to D.J. but no surprise, either.”
Meanwhile, Park Sunghyun claimed the second victory during her rookie year on the LPGA Tour, winning the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open on Sunday in Ottawa.
The US. Women’s Open winner closed with a birdie on the 18th hole to cap a sevenunder-par 64 that left her with a two-stroke victory over South Korean compatriot Lee Mi-rim.
Park entered the final round at Ottawa Hunt & Golf Club trailing leaders Nicole Broch Larsen of Denmark and Mo Martin of the United States by four shots but erased the deficit to finish at 13-under 271.
“I just stayed really patient because I’ve been hitting the ball really well all week but not many putts were falling,” Park said.
Broch Larsen closed with a 70 to fall into a tie for third at 274 with Shanshan Feng of China (68), Marina Alex (68), Cristie Kerr (69) and Chun In-gee of South Korea (70).
Chun posted her sixth topthree finish of the season.
Martin (72) finished a shot further back.
The US Women’s Open title last month was Park’s first win on the LPGA Tour.
“I think it was a perfect game today,” Park said. “There were no mistakes.”
South Korean Ryu So-yeon, the world number one, finished at 277, tied for 12th with a group including Canadian Brooke Henderson, a big crowd favourite this week. “Today didn’t go quite as well as I would have liked, but still having that support around me was amazing,” Henderson said after a 71. Reuters