With a hugely impressive 11-shot victory, Dustin Johnson takes home the first of three Fed Ex Cup playoff events.
It was a birdie bonanza in Boston as The Northern Trust Open showcased great scoring—none as good as Dustin Johnson’s. Loads of guys went low throughout the week, but it was Johnson who conquered the course from start to finish, finishing 30-under par, good enough to win his 22nd PGA Tour victory. Harris English finished second at 19-under, while Daniel Berger came third.
“This was a really good week. My ball striking was unbelievable, I found something on Wednesday and felt like I was swinging really good and then something clicked.” Johnson said after the win. “It was a lot of fun, and I’m looking forward to the rest of the Fed Ex Cup playoffs.”
With a five-shot cushion heading into Sunday, Johnson quickly increased his lead, making eagle on the second, followed by four birdies to shoot 30 on the front nine. Johnson kept steady one the back, shooting 33 for a final round 63, 8-under par. With the win, Johnson moves to number one in the world golf rankings and first in the Fed Ex Cup standings—a duo of aces for one of golf’s most talented players.
Sunday afternoon was a rather pedestrian event—at times sedative. Barring divine intervention, after the fifth hole, it was evident Johnson wasn’t going to lose, and then inclement weather extended the inevitable with two holes to play. However, it was fascinating to watch Johnson get to 30-under par, which tied for the second lowest under par tournament score in PGA Tour history, outdone only by Ernie Els’ 31-under performance at the 2003 Mercedes Benz Championship. The most nervous Johnson looked all week was on the 18th tee as thunder rumbled in the distance and threatened a Monday finish.
Despite Sunday’s relative uneventfulness, there was an off-script moment when Scottie Scheffler’s caddie, Scott McGuinness, was overcome with severe leg pain on the ninth hole, sparking concern and curiosity over who’d carry his bag. “He tried to jump with the bag on his back and he went down quick,” explained Scheffler. “I didn’t realize how much I rely on him until he wasn’t out there.” TPC Boston assistant pro, Eric Leadbetter, eventually got the nod and assumed looping duties. Other than that unexpected episode, the final round went as most planned—DJ won, and did so convincingly.
Historically Low Scores
Despite the large margin of victory and subsequent back nine coronation, this week was chock full of eventful, must-watch golf, with a few players going crazy low in the second round.
Scottie Scheffler became the newest addition to the ever-elusive 59 club after torching TPC Boston for 12 birdies on Friday. “You don’t ever really get too many opportunities to shoot a 59, so to be able to finish the job is really cool, and I definitely was nervous, very nervous over both those shots and coming down the stretch, but I think it helped me focus a little bit more,” explained Scheffler after his historic round.
Yet somehow, a hallowed 59 was momentarily second fiddle on Friday, as Dustin Johnson went 11-under through his first 11 holes, including a PGA Tour record 27 on his front nine. Yes, we were on a legitimate 57 watch. It was nuts—but alas, not meant to be. DJ eventually re-entered the atmosphere, playing his last seven holes in even par to shoot a moderately, somehow impossibly, disappointing round of 60.
Tiger Trials
Tiger struggled throughout the week, barely making the cut and shooting a 2-over 73 in his third round. However, like he did most recently at The PGA Championship, Woods finished his week off with a touch of class, firing a 5-under 66 on Sunday.
“I putted better. Everything was just cleaner and better today. It was good. Just wish I could have kept the round going a little bit more. I had a couple nice little eagle looks on the front nine,” explained Woods.
After starting his final round with four straight birdies, Woods grabbed another one on seven, before cooling off on the back nine. Woods finished the week tied for 58th. “It could have been one of those really low rounds, but I’ll take five under,” concedes Woods.
The game’s greatest attraction will be back next week at The BMW Championship. Woods will need to finish somewhere in the top-four to advance to East Lake for the season finale.
FedExCup Top Ten
- Dustin Johnson
- Justin Thomas
- Webb Simpson
- Daniel Berger
- Colin Morikawa
- Harris English
- Bryson DeChambeau
- Sungjae Im
- John Rahm
- Patrick Reed
SEE THE FULL FEDEXCUP SEASON STANDINGS: https://www.pgatour.com/fedexcup/official-standings.html
What’s in The Bag
Dustin Johnson is one of TaylorMade’s longtime players, once again proving himself with the company’s latest gear.
