Johnson leads by shot in hunt for No. 1 spot
Genesis Open field playing catch-up after rain delays.
Dustin Johnson left the Genesis Open in the t wilight Saturday realizing he could be as little 24 hours away from reaching No. 1 in the world.
He wasn’t the least bit concerned, mainly because he still had 36 holes ahead of him. And all that really mattered to Johnson was winning at Riviera, the course he loves that has done nothing but tease him over the last five years.
Johnson had it really easy on a sloppy Saturday of light rain and a muddied course. He only had to play 18 holes of the second round, making three birdies over his last four holes for another 5-under 66 that gave him a one-shot lead at the halfway point of the rain-plagued tournament.
“I want to win this tourn a ment , ” J o h n s o n s a i d . “Whether I get to No. 1 or not doesn’t affect me at all.”
The tournament lost an hour to fog Thursday, then seven hours when heavy rain and wind arrived in southern California on Friday, and two more hours Saturday morning to get the course cleaned up for play.
Jordan Spieth hit his first shot at 9 a.m. and his last shot at 5:40 p.m. That’s a total of 10 shots for the day — two pars to close out his second round at 68, and two shots on the par-5 opening hole to start the third round.
Johnson was at 10-under 132 and had a one-shot lead over Pat Perez, who birdied his last two holes for a 66, and Cameron Tringale, whose wedge from 82 yards flew straight into the cup on No. 18 for a birdie and a 64.
Jhonattan Vegas finished his second round well before lunch with four pars for a 68. He was in the group at 7-under 135 along with Patrick Rodgers (67) and PGA Tour rookie J.T. Poston (69).
S a m S a u n d e r s , w h o opened with a 7-under 64 on Thursday and didn’t play at all Friday, stumbled to a 77 and was nine shots behind.
The PGA Tour got a big break when 71 players made the cut, making it possible to complete 72 holes by today. The third round began Saturday afternoon, though the last two groups did not tee off because of darkness and will face 36 holes on the final day. The weather had coop- erated enough that players no longer could lift, clean and place their golf balls in the short grass.
Johnson would have to win and have world No. 1 Jason Day finish out of the top three to go to No. 1 for the first time. Day had another 70 and was eight shots behind and tied for 40th.
Champions: Miguel Angel Jimenez birdied two of the last four holes to take a onestroke lead over Fred Couples and Kevin Sutherland into the final round of the Chubb Classic in Naples, Fla.
Jimenez had a bogey-free 5-under 67 that got him to 12-under 132. Couples shot a 65 in perfect conditions. Sutherland had a 63 for the best round of the week.
Women’s Aus t ra l i a n Open: American Lizette Salas shot a 2-under-par 71 to take a two-stroke lead heading into the final round at Royal Adelaide.