The year of Dustin Johnson continues. The World No. 1 kept his hot 2017 going by staving off a serious challenge from Jon Rahm who was 6-0 heading into the Dell Match Play final.
🏆 That’s a winner 🏆
Dustin Johnson defeats Jon Rahm 1UP to win the @DellMatchPlay for his third consecutive victory. pic.twitter.com/at1GgFeqkA
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 26, 2017
Johnson won his third straight PGA event and his fourth WGC title, giving him the grand slam in the World Golf Championship series, a distinction he holds all by himself. He won five holes on the front nine, including four straight, but Rahm started his rally by winning the ninth.
Rahm then went on a serious run, winning four holes on the back nine while Johnson only won the 12th, but he couldn’t go any further after halving both the 17th and 18th with Johnson.
“I definitely didn’t play my best today in the first match or the second,” Johnson said about his Sunday in Austin. “To win both those matches not having my best stuff is definitely a positive. I’m definitely proud of the way I hung in there and played tough, and just tried to never give away holes. I feel like I did a pretty good job of that.”
Johnson defeated Hideto Tanihara in another close match earlier in the semifinals while Rahm took down Bill Haas, the third-place winner. Tanihara did have the highlight of the day though, acing a hole-in-one on the 7th against Haas in the consolation match.
🚨 ACE ALERT 🚨
Hideto Tanihara collects the fourth ace in @DellMatchPlay history. #QuickHits pic.twitter.com/8Opgn6KR5V
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 26, 2017
With the Masters less than two weeks away, it certainly looks like Johnson will go into the tournament with a bit of a mental edge over the rest of the field. With that comes the most pressure of course, since expectations will arguably be the highest he’s ever faced in his career.
“It’s impossible to win every week, I know that,” Johnson said about the pressure going forward. “Obviously, I’ve won my last three, but I’m just gonna have to keep working hard, keep working on the things I’m working on right now and keep trying to get better.
“Being No. 1, it kind of drives me to work harder and to get better. There’s still a lot of room for improvement in my game so I’m gonna just keep working on it.”
The subplots and storylines heading into Augusta are only going to magnify as we get closer, but there is no denying all eyes will be on Johnson.
Barring a change in mind, he is planning to play in the upcoming Shell Houston Open (March 30 – April 2).
*UPDATE – 3/27/17* – Per ESPN, Dustin Johnson will not play in the Shell Houston Open to rest up for the Masters.
h/t: pgatour.com
