Johnson reaches top spot

DUSTIN Johnson is the world No 1 for the first time after winning the Genesis Open.

The US Open champion took the lead i n the second round and never relinquished it, ending the weekend 17-under-par and winning by five shots at Riviera Country Club.

Johnson needed to win and hope Jason Day finished l ower t han a three-way tie for third to top the rankings — and the outgoing No 1 could only manage a tie for 64th after finishing two-over-par.

The leaders had to complete t wo rounds y e s t e r d a y, following storms on Friday.

Johnson took to the course on day four with a one-shot lead but was six strokes clear after the third round.

The 32-year-old started with a birdie on the first and picked up f urther shots on the fifth, eighth and 12th before birdieing the last three holes for a seven-under 64.

That t ook him t o 17 under for the tournament, equalling t he 54-hole record.

The 72-hole record of 20 under was well within his sights after he gained shots on the first, second and sixth in his final round but a first bogey i n 50 holes dropped him back to 19 under at the turn.

He also recorded backto-back bogeys on the 15th and 16th but t he damage had already been done and he made sure of a PGA title for the 10th successive season with pars on the 17th and 18th.

Johnson said: “Today was great. I played really good all day long and I’m very happy. It’s obviously a big bonus to finally get to that No 1 spot.”

Dustin Johnson