Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas and Xander Schauffele. Pic: Getty Images/ PGA Tour
Atlanta, Sept 7: After struggling to find fairways on the first two days, but still managing to score and flourish, Dustin Johnson was, well Dustin Johnson, which is a leader and a contender as is fast becoming the norm.
Dustin Johnson started with the lead, matched the low round Sunday at the TOUR Championship with a 6-under 64 and now is one round away from capturing the FedExCup. He is five clear of Xander Schauffele and Justin Thomas.
After hitting just two of 14 Fairways in Regulation in Round 2, Johnson hit 11 of 14 Fairways in Regulation in Round 3 and led the field in Strokes Gained – Off the Tee at 1.681.
Johnson missed only three fairways and had a birdie putt in all but three holes. He carded 6-under 64 with seven birdies against one bogey and holds a five-shot lead over Justin Thomas and Xander Schauffele with one round to go at East Lake, Atlanta.
Starting the week at 10-under as per the staggered start based on FedExCup standings before the tournament, Johnson is nine-under for three rounds, which becomes 19-under when the 10 shots ‘given’ to him are added.
The best player solely on the scores over the past three days has been Xander Schauffele whose rounds of 67-65-67 have him at 11-under, which is added to -3 he started with to get to 14-under.
Justin Thomas (66-71-66) is also 14-under comprising 7-under, he is over last 54 holes plus 7 shots he started with.
Johnson could yet shoot another low one and win the Tour Championship with and without the staggered start advantage.
This is the fourth successive start he is in the lead group with at least the share of the lead.
Johnson has never won the FedExCup though he came close in 2016 but shot a final round 73. Now he seems to be in as a good a spot he has ever been and has been in excellent nick.
He converted the lead into an 11-shot victory two weeks ago at TPC Boston. But lost when Collin Morikawa to a 65 in the PGA Championship and last week Jon Rahm holed a 65-foot putt in a playoff at BMW Championship at Olympia Fields.
Schauffele, the 2017 winner here at East Lake, dropped one shot on the front nine and played steady including a 10-foot birdie on 18 for 67 but Johnson was in a different league with 64. He will now go in the final group with Johnson.
Schauffele has trailed after 54 holes in all four of his PGA TOUR victories. In his last win at the 2019 Sentry Tournament of Champions, he trailed Gary Woodland by five entering the final round but blitzed the field with a final-round 62.
Thomas may have been sole second but for a missed a 16-inch par putt on the 10th hole where a careless tap-in missed. He bounced back with a 25-foot birdie putt on the toughest par 3 at East Lake and holed two more birdies coming for a 66. Yet he will rue that small miss.
Thomas, the player with three victories this season, is in search of first victory at East Lake despite winning the 2017 FedExCup.
Thomas said, “DJ is clearly playing well. It wasn’t easy today. It’s still East Lake. But anything can happen around this course. You can shoot 63 or 64 and you can shoot 73 or 74 very easily. I just need to hope that tomorrow is my 63 or 64.”
Jon Rahm played a bogey-free 66 that became a better round with the two birdies at the end and Morikawa rallied with five birdies on the back nine for 67 and make amends for a rough start. Rahm was six behind and Morikawa was seven behind.
Daniel Berger (64) equalled the best round of the day, but remained nine behind Johnson.
Korean youngster Sungjae Im (72), who played in the final group with Johnson was left far behind at 10-under and nine behind Johnson. Korea’s Sungjae Im began his third round with three consecutive bogeys on Hole Nos. 3, 4 and 5 before making his first birdie on sixth from six feet. A fourth bogey came on Hole 11 before closing his round with a tap-in birdie on 18th.
Rory McIlroy was 11 back after a third round 70, which included a birdie on the par-5 18th.
The PGA of America’s Vardon Trophy and the PGA TOUR’s Byron Nelson Award for lowest adjusted scoring average will be decided after Monday’s final round.
Things to Know
- For the second season, the TOUR Championship is weighted by FedExCup Starting Strokes, with the format crowning a single champion. At the conclusion of the TOUR Championship, the player with the lowest score in relation to par combined with his ‘FedExCup Starting Strokes’ will win the TOUR Championship and the FedExCup.
- Last year through 54 holes, Brooks Koepka (15-under-par) led Xander Schauffele (14-under-par) and Rory McIlroy (14-under-par) by one stroke. McIlroy ultimately shot a final round 66 to win the TOUR Championship by four strokes over Schauffele.
- The largest final-round comeback in TOUR Championship came from Camilo Villegas in 2008; he trailed Sergio Garcia by five and posted a final-round 66 and defeated Garcia in a sudden-death playoff.
- Five different players have held the No. 1 position in the Official World Golf Ranking in 2020. Four of those players – Dustin Johnson (1), Justin Thomas (T2), Jon Rahm (4) and Rory McIlroy (T9) are inside the TOUR Championship top 10 heading into Monday’s final round.
- Four players among the top five through 54 holes have accounted for nine of the PGA TOUR’s 35 wins this season: Dustin Johnson (1/2 wins), Justin Thomas (T2/3 wins), Jon Rahm (4/2 wins), Collin Morikawa (5/2 wins).
Read also:
Sungjae Im closes in on Johnson at Tour Championship
Rahm catches up with Dustin Johnson at Tour Champs; Thomas right behind
Papa McIlroy celebrates new status with 64, set for title defence at Tour Champs
