Riviera win shoots Johnson to No.1 spot
PACIFIC PALISADES: Dustin Johnson powered to a five-shot victory in the Genesis Open on Sunday, his long-sought first win at Riviera Country Club propelling him to No.1 in the world.
Pulling double duty in the weather-disrupted US PGA Tour event, Johnson used his formidable length off the tee and a sure putting stroke to build a big lead and held on down the stretch.
On a marathon final day he produced a third-round 64 and a final round of even par 71 for a 17-under par total of 267.
He led by as many as nine strokes before a few late miscues, but with the win will end Australian Jason Day’s 47-week reign atop the rankings.
“Growing up as a kid playing golf, the dream is to play on the PGA Tour and I never really thought about being No.1 in the world,” Johnson said.
“But once I got on tour and started winning some and got up in the top 10 in the world, I knew it was definitely do-able, and here I am.
“Made it to No.1. It’s going to just push me to keep working harder and stay there,” added Johnson, who now can boast at least one win in 10 straight seasons.
“It feels good to finally win because I felt like I’ve been so close quite a few times, and it’s one of my favourite courses to play on tour all year.”
Day could have maintained his position by finishing at least tied for third but closed with rounds of 75 and 71 to finish equal 64th on two-over 286.
“He deserves it,” Day said of Johnson’s rise — which also took the American past second-ranked Rory McIlroy, who has been sidelined by a rib injury.
“If he keeps playing the way he’s playing we’ve all got t o pick our games up.”
With No.1 on the line, Johnson made a blistering start on Sunday piling up seven birdies in his third round.
That included three straight birdies to cap the round — a streak he continued when he returned less than 20 minutes later to open his final round with back-toback birdies.
A birdie at the sixth moved him to 20-under for the tournament — on pace to tie or break the 72-hole tournament record of 20-under 264 set by Lanny Wadkins in 1985.
But Johnson’s run of 49 holes without a bogey ended at the ninth, and backto-back bogeys at 15 and 16 saw his lead shrink further, although in the end that meant nothing.
Belgian Thomas Pieters had eight birdies in a final-round 63 that pulled him into a share of second place on 12-under 272. He was tied with Scott Brown, who closed with a 67.
England’s Olympic gold medallist Justin Rose had an eagle and four birdies in a three-under par 68 to head a group sharing third on 11-under 273.