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FedEx St. Jude Classic 2018: Dustin Johnson Regains No. 1 Ranking with Win
June 10, 2018
Dustin Johnson collected his second PGA Tour victory of the season, winning the FedEx St. Jude Classic at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee.
Johnson shot a four-under 66 on Sunday to finish at 19 under for the tournament, six shots better than runner-up Andrew Putnam.
The outcome was already decided as Johnson headed to the 18th tee, but he still provided some excitement at the end. He holed out from the fairway to earn an eagle on his final hole:
Plenty of fans were shocked to see Johnson find the bottom of the cup from 171 yards out:
Entering Sunday, Johnson and Putnam held a five-shot lead, turning the final round into a two-horse race. The only question was whether Johnson or Putnam would be the guy to blink first.
Putnam stumbled out of the gate and never recovered. He double-bogeyed the opening hole to give Johnson a two-shot advantage, which was a relatively big gap when most golfers were hovering close to par throughout the day:
Especially after Putnam lent a helping hand, Johnson didn't have to be perfect and instead just needed to avoid any critical mistakes. The 2016 U.S. Open champion more than achieved that goal, putting together a bogey-free round and reaching 12 greens in regulation, according to PGATour.com.
Even when Johnson made a mistake, he managed to recover. His drive on No. 16 sliced well right of the fairway and into the trees. Johnson somehow navigated his way out and back onto the fairway before carding a birdie:
That birdie all but secured the title for Johnson. Putnam made the turn at two over and reeled off nine straight pars to wrap up his tournament.
Johnson has been excellent in 2017-18, with the FedEx St. Jude Classic his seventh top-10 finish in 11 tournaments. The 33-year-old is in great form with the 2018 U.S. Open teeing off Thursday at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York.
According to OddsShark, Johnson (11-1) is the betting favorite to win the U.S. Open, and his odds may fall even further after this weekend.
Historically speaking, Sunday's victory could be a foreboding result for Johnson, though. Bob Pompeani of CBS Pittsburgh noted no golfer has won the week before the U.S. Open and then gone on to take the title at the second major of the season.
Based on his performance this season, there's no reason Johnson can't be the guy to end that drought.