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Dustin Johnson wins World Golf Championships Match Play

 
Dustin Johnson wins the WGC Match Play by never trailing in any of his seven matches.
Dustin Johnson wins the WGC Match Play by never trailing in any of his seven matches.
Published March 27, 2017

AUSTIN, Texas — Dustin Johnson won the Match Play with more drama than he needed Sunday to cap off an otherwise dominant week that made him the first player to sweep the four current World Golf Championships events.

Johnson never trailed in any of his seven matches over 112 holes, ending with a 1-up win over Jon Rahm for his third straight victory that left no doubt who was No. 1 in the world.

But his look of concern, especially as Rahm made a charge in the final hour, spoke to a long day.

Johnson was 4 up with six holes to play, but the 22-year-old rookie with a big game and no fear birdied Nos. 13, 15 and 16 to cut his deficit to one.

Johnson escaped when Rahm failed to birdie the 18th hole.

"That was a tough day, a long day," Johnson said. "I'm proud of the way I played, the way I hung in there."

None of his first five matches went longer than 16 holes until Sunday, when Johnson faced his first threat of the week. Hideto Tanihara caught him with two birdies on the back nine, and Johnson needed a pitching wedge to 6 feet on the short but troublesome par-3 17th to take the lead again. Then, he had to make an 8-foot par putt to beat Tanihara and avoid extra holes and advance to the final.

Rahm dispatched Bill Haas in the semifinals 3 and 2.

Johnson also won the World Golf Championships Mexico Championship, Bridgestone Invitational and HSBC Champions.

PGA: D.A. Points shot 6-under 66 to win the Puerto Rico Open at Rio Grande for his third tour title. His total of 20-under 268 was two shots better than Retief Goosen (64), Bill Lunde (68) and Bryson DeChambeau (67). Third-round leader Chris Stroud (71) was 16 under. Points won for the first time since the 2013 Houston Open. The win doesn't get him into next week's Masters because the Puerto Rico Open is the same week as a World Golf Championships event. It does get him into the PGA Championship and the Players Championship and gives him a two-year exemption.

LPGA: Third-round leader Mirim Lee shot 7-under 65 to win the Kia Classic by six strokes and tie the tournament record of 20-under 268 at Carlsbad, Calif. So Yeon Ryu (66) and Austin Ernst (67) were second. Seminole's Brittany Lincicome (72) was 9 under.