Dustin Johnson rubbed Rory McIlroy’s nose into any thoughts of regaining the World No. 1 title with victory in the WGC – Mexico Championship.
Johnson fought off a strong final round challenge not from McIlroy but from mop-haired Englishman Tommy Fleetwood for the American to win by a stroke courtesy of a closing 68 and a 14-under par tally.
The Southport-born Fleetwood produced a pair of 66s to fight his way to second place at 13-under par and just weeks after capturing the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
It was only Fleetwood’s fifth appearance in a WGC event and with his $US 984,270 good enough for ‘temporary’ PGA Tour membership while the 26-year old has moved to the top of the Race to Dubai money list.
Johnson’s win is his fifth WGC title and his second taste of success in a row since moving to the top of the rankings in capturing the recent Genesis Open.
“It means a lot for me to win my first event out as World No. 1 as there was a lot of pressure on me,” he said.
“But I came out and played really well. I hit the ball great all week and while the greens were tough to putt on, it meant I didn’t feel I putted my best but then I played well enough, I guess, to win by one”.
Spanish-born Jon Rahm shot a final round 68 to finish tied on 12-under par with Cheam’s Ross Fisher who carded a sizzling 65.
However, Rahm was left ruing dropping shots at 16 and 17 that no doubt cost him forcing a play-off.
Jahm had grown up in Arizona but it wasn’t till earlier this year he set the golf world alight in eagling the last to capture the Farmers Insurance Open in California.
And the Spanish-speaking Rahm proved a huge hit with Mexican supporters and in a week he revealed he joined the European Tour with the goal of eventually qualifying for Thomas Bjorn’s European Team
Fisher’s equals his best in WGC competition after also sharing third place in the 2015 WGC – HSBC Champions event in China.
McIlroy finished in a distant share of seventh place signing for a 71 and tied with Phil Mickelson (71) and Brandt Snedeker (65)
McIlroy went into the final round of the year’s first major showdown tied with Johnson and with both trailing a shot behind Justin Thomas.
McIlroy had given himself the opening final round nine holes to make-up ground on the leaders but it never happened with the current World No. 3.
He was in a greenside bunker left off the tee at the par three, third hole and took three shots to get up-and-down from 40-feet for bogey.
McIlroy birdied sixth but gave the shot back when he also three-putted the next par three at the eight, and some the front of the green.
However, McIlroy’s putting continued to the let him down with a series of two-putt pars over the next few holes, including missing a 12-footer at 13 before only the second birdie of his day in rolling-in finally draining an eight-footer at the 14th to 10-under in the $USUS 9.75m event.
McIlroy ended with in a round of 71 and in what was his first tournament in some six weeks since being diagnosed with a stress fracture of a rib.
The Ulsterman has his week off before returning to competition in what will be a very emotional encounter in the golf world for the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill in Orlalndo.
Thomas birdied the first but was soon struggling with a pair of bogeys in the next three holes but it all came unstruck for the World No. 8 in putting his drive into the drink at the par three 7th in taking a double bogey.
The American, who won back-to-back in Hawaii earlier this year, then dropped a shot at eight and make the turn at three-over for his round and well out of the event.
And Thomas may find himself being fined after letting his driver fly in anger and dangerously into the crowd at the 11th but later walked off with a birdie.
Lone Scot Russell Knox produced with a horror final round 81 in a 12-over par tally to crash to a share of 70th place.
It was Knox’s score in PGA Tour competition and a shot more than the 80 he posted at last May’s Players Championship when he put three balls into the island-green 17th and taking a ‘9’.
