Johnson, new No. 1, wins in Mexico City
MEXICO CITY — The only elevation that mattered at the Mexico Championship is how much higher Dustin Johnson can go.
In his first start since a five-shot victory in the Genesis Open two weeks ago that made him No. 1 in the World Golf Ranking, Johnson captured his fourth World Golf Championships title Sunday by blowing past some of golf’s biggest names, then delivering his best shot at the end to secure a oneshot victory over Tommy Fleetwood.
He won for the fifth time in his past 15 starts on the PGA Tour, with the victories including two World Golf Championships and last year’s U.S. Open. And at nearly 7,800 feet above sea level at Chapultepec Golf Club, Johnson kept soaring.
He closed with a 3-under-par 68, finishing it off with one of the most difficult shots in golf. Clinging to a one-shot lead, his feet on the edge of the bunker and the ball below his feet, Johnson hit a three-quarter shot from 127 yards with his 54-degree wedge to the middle of the 18th green for a two-putt par.
He called it a “dink.” He also could have called it clutch.
“Probably the best shot I hit all week, especially under the circumstances, was that second shot on 18,” he said. “A fantastic shot.”
It wrapped up a spectacular few days in Mexico City, where Johnson finished at 14-under 270.
After 54 holes, Justin Thomas had a one-shot lead over Johnson, with Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson another shot behind. It was an All-Star cast that Johnson turned into a one-man show with a 31 on the front nine to build a four-shot lead. And then just like that, it was gone.
“Around here, anything can happen,” Johnson said.
Thomas fell back with a double bogey in the water on the par-3 seventh. Neither McIlroy nor Mickelson got anything going. The challenge came from Jon Rahm, who made an eagle and two birdies in a five-hole stretch on the back nine. That’s right when Johnson had his only real struggles, three-putting from 25 feet for bogey on No. 12 and taking bogey from a bunker on No. 13.
And then he was one shot behind, but only as long as it took him to get up and down from a bunker on the par-5 15th for birdie to tie for the lead. Johnson was flawless with pars. Rahm, who had gone 59 holes without a threeputt, took two straight for bogeys that took him out of the game.
The 26-year-old Fleetwood receives quite the consolation prize.
His 40-foot birdie putt on the final hole for a 66 put him alone in second and secured a spot in the Masters for the first time. He moves to No. 35 in the world and is certain to stay in the top 50 over the next three weeks before the cutoff to get an invitation to Augusta National.
Rahm’s two late bogeys gave him a 68 and a tie for third with Ross Fisher, who closed with three straight birdies for a 65. That assures Fisher a place in the next WGC event, the Dell Match Play, which is three weeks away.
Park’s putter helps deliver LPGA Tour win in Singapore
SINGAPORE — Inbee Park used self-described “amazing” putting to win the HSBC Women’s Champions tournament by one stroke at Sentosa Golf Club.
Park closed with an 8-under 64, making a bogey on the final hole to finish at 19-under 269. Ariya Jutanugarn was second after a 66 in the final round.
Sung Hyun Park (68) was third at 16 under, and third-round leader Michelle Wie (72) shared fourth place at 14 under with 2016 winner Ha Na Jang (69) and Brooke Henderson (66).
Park won in her second start since earning a gold medal at the Rio Olympics last summer. She took the long break to recover from thumb and back problems. Park has 18 LPGA Tour titles, winning for the first time since the 2015 Lorena Ochoa Invitational.
This year’s edition of that tournament is May 4-7 in Mexico City, and the tournament’s namesake said Sunday at the Mexico Championship that she would return to LPGA Tour competition for the first time in five years only to play her event.
Ochoa was 28 and at the top of her game when she shocked the golf world by announcing her retirement in April 2010 when she still was No. 1 in the world. She was recently married and said she wanted to work on her foundation and start a family.
Breakthough win for Burmester at Tshwane Open
PRETORIA, South Africa — Dean Burmester won the Tshwane Open for his first European Tour title, closing with a 6-under 66 for a threestroke victory. Burmester finished at 18-under-par 266 at Pretoria Country Club, ahead of runners-up Mikko Korhonen (67) and Jorge Campillo (68). Peter Uihlein (66) was another stroke back.