Johnson stuns Spieth at Glen Oaks

OLD WESTBURY, N.Y. — In a FedEx Cup playoff opener that felt like a heavyweight bout, Dustin Johnson delivered back-to-back blows to beat Jordan Spieth in The Northern Trust at Glen Oaks.

One was a putt from 18 feet.

The other was a drive that traveled 341 yards.

Down to his last shot, Johnson watched his 18-foot par putt stay on the high side of the hole and thought for sure it would miss. He took two steps of hope to the right, and then pumped his fist in a rare show of emotion when it swirled around and dropped in the back side of the cup for a 4-under 66 to force a playoff.

Given new life, Johnson relied on his strength and powered a drive over the lake to the far edge of the fairway. It was the longest drive all week on the 18th hole, and it left him a 60-degree wedge to 4 feet for birdie and a victory he badly needed.

The No. 1 player in the golf finally looked the part again.

“It was fun to be in the hunt again and know that my game is going to hold up under pressure,” Johnson said.

Spieth lost for the first time in six tries when leading by two shots or more, and there wasn’t much he could do except take back that tee shot into the water on the par-3 sixth hole after building a five-shot lead. Johnson played bogey-free over the final 29 holes.

“I didn’t lose the tournament,” Spieth said after closing with a 69. “He won it.”

It was great theater between Johnson and Spieth, good friends who now are No. 1 and No. 2 in the world.

“I thought that was a fun show,” Spieth said. “I was hoping it wasn’t going to be that much fun.”

Sung Hyun Park added the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open title to her U.S. Women’s Open crown with a comeback victory at Ottawa Hunt in Ottawa, Ontario. Park birdied the final hole for a 7-under 64 and a twostroke victory over fellow South Korean player Mirim Lee. Michelle Wie withdrew before the round to have surgery to remove her appendix. Wie was tied for 23rd, six strokes back entering the day.

Jerry Kelly won the Boeing Classic for his first PGA Tour Champions title, closing with a 6-under 66 for a one-stroke victory over Jerry Smith at TPC Snoqualmie Ridge in Snoqualmie, Washington.