Johnson overpowering in Northern Trust victory
NORTON, Mass. — Dustin Johnson looked dominant as he ever as, and nothing could stop him Sunday in the Northern Trust.
Johnson played the final two holes in near darkness after a late storm delay and finished with a birdie for an 8-under 63 and an 11-shot victory over Harris English.
It was the 22nd victory of his PGA Tour career, and he never made it look easier. Johnson won his fifth FedEx Cup playoffs event — tied with Rory McIlroy for most — and returned to No. 1 in the world. He finished at 30under 254.
After a birdie on the 12th put him at 29 under, Johnson settled into four straight pars.
He is only the third player to finish 30 under, joining Ernie Els and Jordan Spieth.
In other golf news:
• Sophia Popov marked her ball a few inches from the hole on the 18th green, pulled the brim of her cap over her face and began to cry .
Moments later and still wiping away tears, Popov tapped in the putt to complete a two-stroke victory at Scotland’s Royal Troon and another fairy-tale story at the Women’s British Open.
Ranked No. 304, Popov lost her card on the LPGA Tour at the end of last year.
She qualified for the British Open via a top-10 finish two weeks ago at the Marathon Classic, which she was playing only because higher-ranked players couldn’t attend due to COVID-19 restrictions.
She also revealed she has been bothered by health issues for the past six years, notably Lyme disease.
Popov shot 3-under 68 in the final round to finish ahead of Jasmine Suwannapura of Thailand (67) and become the first female golfer from Germany to win a major title.
“I had a lot of obstacles thrown in my way so I’m glad I stuck with it. I almost quit playing last year — thank God I didn’t,” said Popov, 27.