Johnson new No. 1
The only question about Dustin Johnson going to No. 1 in the world is: What took so long? Johnson went 49 consecutive holes without a bogey to win the Genesis Open on Sunday. The victory allowed Johnson to become the 20th player since the World Rankings began in 1986 to reach the No. 1 spot.
GOLF
Johnson goes to No. 1
The only question about Dustin Johnson going to No. 1 in the world is: What took so long? The talent was never an issue. Jordan Spieth once referred to Johnson as “a freak athlete,” a term rarely heard in golf. Pat Perez was partly in awe and partly exasperated Sunday as he stood behind the 10th green during the final round of Johnson’s victory at Riviera and said, “The guy hits it 40 yards by me, hits his short irons great and makes 30-foot putts.” Johnson looked like a world-beater against the strongest field of the year at the Genesis Open. With his five-shot victory, he became the 20th player since the World Golf Ranking began in 1986 to reach No. 1. At Riviera, he went 49 consecutive holes without a bogey. During the third round Sunday morning, when he shot a 7-under-par 64 and built a five-shot lead, his two longest par putts were from 4 feet. On the 606yard 17th hole in the second round, on a day when no one could get it back to the flag, Johnson went over the green. Johnson has won every year on the PGA Tour except for 2014, which was cut short when he stepped away for six months to seek professional help for personal challenges amid a published report he had tested positive twice for drugs.
2020 British Open set
The British Open will be staged at Royal St. George’s in 2020. The Royal & Ancient, which organizes the world’s oldest major, made the announcement Monday. The course in southeast England will be hosting the British Open for the 15th time, and for the first time since 2011 when Darren Clarke won. Walter Hagen, Henry Cotton, Bobby Locke, Sandy Lyle and Greg Norman are among the other previous champions at Royal St. George’s.
BASEBALL
Locke rests arm
Miami Marlins left-hander Jeff Locke has stopped throwing for a few days due to bicep tendinitis. The Marlins expect him to resume his program by the end of the week. “We just want to get him calmed down before we get him back started again,” Manager Don Mattingly said. “We got plenty of time.” Locke is still participating in most of each day’s workout — bunting and fielding drills and the like — but not the throwing portions. He doesn’t expect this pause in his ramp-up activities to be a big deal.
Feliz at camp
After sorting out work visa issues in his native Dominican Republic, the Milewaukee Brewers’ Neftali Feliz arrived in Phoenix on Monday morning, ready to get to work with his new team. Feliz enters camp as Milwaukee’s leading candidate to be the closer after the team parted ways with Jeremy Jeffress and Will Smith at the deadline last season, and with Tyler Thornburg during the winter. Feliz, 28, has 99 saves in his eight-year career, including 72 in 2010-2011 for the Texas Rangers,.
Cueto still missing
Johnny Cueto remains in the Dominican Republic helping his ailing father a week after pitchers and catchers reported to spring training in Scottsdale, Ariz., and the San Francisco Giants plan to reach out to him to see how he is doing and whether he thinks he will be ready to pitch for his country in the World Baseball Classic. San Francisco Manager Bruce Bochy said he is not worried about Cueto’s preparation. The right-hander has been throwing and working out regularly at the club’s academy. Cueto, who signed a $130 million, six-year contract before last season, went 18-5 with a 2.79 ERA and 5 complete games in 32 starts last year.
HORSE RACING
Charismatic dies
Former Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner Charismatic, whose bid for the Triple Crown ended with a dramatic leg injury as he neared the finish line in the Belmont Stakes, has died at a thoroughbred retirement farm in Kentucky. The chestnut horse that won the first two legs of the Triple Crown in 1999 was found dead in his stall Sunday at Old Friends farm near Georgetown, Ky., the farm said. The stallion ate all his food Saturday and looked fine, Old Friends President Michael Blowen said Monday. The cause of death is unknown and a full necropsy was being done. The farm said Charismatic was 21. Charismatic arrived at Old Friends last December after a long stud career in Japan. He quickly became a favorite among the farm’s visitors in central Kentucky. The unheralded Charismatic ran in claiming races, then emerged unexpectedly as the best of the 3-year-old crop in 1999. After winning the Lexington Stakes, the colt, trained by D. Wayne Lukas, won the Derby as a longshot and followed by winning the Preakness.
TENNIS
Querrey opens defense
Defending champion Sam Querrey of the United States began his Delray Beach (Fla.) Open title defense Monday with a victory over Dudi Sela of Israel. Querrey, the No. 4 seed, was leading 6-2, 2-1 when Sela retired. Querrey, who is ranked 35th in the world, advanced to a second-round match with either Jared Donaldson or Mikhail Kukushkin. Last year, Querrey beat Rajeev Ram in the Delray Beach final for his first ATP World Tour title since 2012. No. 8 seed Kyle Edmund of Great Britain also advanced Monday with a 6-3, 6-0 victory over Adrian Mannarino of France. Edmund next plays YenHsun Lu, who came from behind to beat Bjorn Fratangelo 4-6, 7-5, 6-4. Yoshihito Nishioka of Japan won his first-round match 6-3, 6-3 over qualifier Kimmer Coppejans of Belgium. Nishioka will next face either No. 5 seed Steve Johnson or Stefan Kozlov.
Simon advances
Two-time champion Gilles Simon of France rallied to beat Karen Khachanov of Russia 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 in the first round of the Open 13 In Marseille, France, on Monday. The seventh-seeded Simon, who won the first of 12 career titles here 10 years ago, next faces either countryman Julien Benneteau or 17-yearold Canadian Denis Shapovalov. Russian veteran Mikhail Youzhny reached the second round with a 6-1, 4-6, 7-5 victory against 18-year-old Stefanos Tsitsipas, a Greek player ranked 205. Youzhny, who broke Tsitsipas’ serve five times, will play either sixth-seeded Richard Gasquet or Robin Haase of the Netherlands. Tunisia’s Malek Jaziri beat Russia’s Andrey Kuznetsov 6-3, 6-3 and next plays defending champion Nick Kyrgios of Australia, who is seeded third in Marseille.
Vandeweghe upset
In an all-American matchup, Alison Riske upset 11th-seeded Coco Vandeweghe 6-4, 6-4 to move into the second round at the Dubai Championships on Monday. The unseeded Riske, making her Dubai debut, has won four of their past five outings. Caroline Wozniacki won her first-round match over Daria Kasatkina of Russia 6-2, 7-5. American teen Cici Bellis, playing her first official match of 2017, upset 17th seed Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan 6-1, 7-5. Monica Puig, the Olympic gold medalist from Puerto Rico, needed more than two hours to get past Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.
SOCCER
Fans’ racist chants
Partizan Belgrade midfielder Everton Luiz was in tears after persistent racist chants during his team’s victory over Rad in the Serbian league Sunday. The Brazilian, who joined Partizan last year, played through “monkey” chants and other abuse, including a racist banner in the stands where Rad fans were standing. The banner was removed after intervention from the referee. There were scuffles between the players after the match Sunday, which Partizan won 1-0. Serbian fans are notorious for racist outbursts against black players. Rad supporters are known for their nationalist ultra-right behavior.