By Paul Myers
Dustin Johnson is officially the number one ranked golfer in the world. If you follow professional golf closely, this news is not going to come as a surprise to you – Johnson has long been one of the most talented players in the world, and his ranking now reflects his true ability. Given good health, it is not hard to imagine DJ staying at the top of the Official World Golf Rankings for some time to come.
Climbing to the Top with a Win
So how did Dustin Johnson finally land atop the golf rankings? He did so in style, with a win at the Genesis Open at Riviera CC. Johnson took all of the drama out of the star-filled event, as he posted a third round 64 to pretty much put the title away. While the winning margin was ‘only’ five, the tournament didn’t even feel that close. This was Johnson’s all the way, and the rest of the field knew they were playing for second place. Johnson’s total of 17-under-par was extremely impressive around the difficult Riviera CC layout, especially considering the rough weather than plagued the event (on Friday, specifically).
Looking ahead to the rest of the 2017 season, it is hard not to see Johnson as one of the leading favorites in all of the big events. Now that he has rid himself of the pressure of winning a first major, Johnson may very well contend for all of the major trophies in the coming season. With a rare combination of power and control, there are few golf courses that can hold up when DJ is firing on all cylinders.
Stars Came Out in L.A.
As mentioned above, the Genesis Open at Riviera CC featured an impressive field. Some of the top names did come in near the top of the leaderboard, although none actually threatened for the title. 2016 Olympic Gold Medalist Justin Rose finished in a tie for 4th at 11-under. Major champions Jimmy Walker and Adam Scott were part of a tie for 11th at -9, as was formed FedEx Cup Champion Bill Haas. Other notable names to have finished in the top 30 include Jordan Spieth, Billy Hurley III, Stewart Cink, Matt Kuchar, and others.
With the completion of the Genesis Open, the PGA Tour is finished with its West Coast Swing for 2017. The Tour now heads east, with the Honda Classic as the first stop in Florida. The Masters Tournament is now in sight, so many of the top players on Tour will be working on their games with the goal of a Green Jacket in the back of their minds. Plenty of big events are to be played before the Masters, however, as there are two World Golf Championships between now and then, alone with the first Arnold Palmer Invitational since the passing of the King.