Dustin Johnson’s victory at the FedEx St. Jude Classic on Sunday not only gave him his eighteenth career victory, it also lifted him back up to the World Number one spot.
Holing out for an eagle from 170 yards on his final hole, Johnson went on to finish with a six-shot lead.
“What a cool way to end the day,” Johnson said.
A final round 66 (-4), including an eagle, three birdies and a bogey, granted Johnson his second PGA Tour victory this season, and the eighteenth of his career. He finished on a total of 19 under par (261) and it was also the second time that Dustin has won the FedEx St. Jude Classic
Starting his round tied for the lead with Andrew Putnam, Dustin parred the first hole, while Putnam double bogeyed, meaning a two-shot swing, and suddenly DJ was leading by two.
After hitting an iron off the tee at the twelve and going left of the cart path, Johnson saved par with a 16-foot putt to protect his two-shot lead.
“That was a big putt,” Johnson said. “That kind of gave me the boost I needed to finish out the round. Sometimes those par putts are just as big if not bigger than the birdie putts. Kind of gave me the extra boost I needed to finish the round.”
He then hit a 359-yard drive on the par 4 thirteenth, leaving him just a mere 95 yards to the pin. An approach shot to three feet gave him his second birdie and got him 16 under par.
On the par 5 16th, Dustin’s tee shot found the trees on the right-hand side of the fairway, and he threaded a shot up to the green. A chip to 5 feet and a simple birdie putt gave him a four-shot lead.
Johnson’s final hole is one that he will never forget. His drive found the semi-rough to the right-hand side of the fairway and left him with 170 yards to the pin. Hitting his second shot with a 9-iron, it bounced twice and found the bottom of the cup, much to the excitement of Johnson and fans.
Dustin shot four straight rounds in the sixties at TPC Southwind – 67, 63 and 65, before his final round 66.
In winning the FedEx St. Jude Classic, Dustin reclaimed the World Number 1 spot, which he held for 15 months, before Justin Thomas over took him on May 13th.
Well done DJ on your win at TPC Southwind and best of luck this week at the US Open Championship. We are all incredibly proud of you!
(Photo by Stan Badz/PGA TOUR)