For Dustin Johnson, it was simply a Sunday walk in the park at TPC Boston in Norton, Mass.
Johnson started the day with a five-stroke lead and recorded a bogey-free, 8-under-par 63 while coasting to a lopsided 11-shot victory over Harris English in The Northern Trust, opening event of the PGA Tour playoffs.
By winning, DJ regained the No. 1 spot in the World Golf Rankings and took the lead in the FedEx Cup point standings heading to the second playoff event, the BMW Championship beginning Thursday at Olympia Fields Country Club outside the Chicago.
The top 70 players in the standings moved on, with only the top 30 making it to the Tour Championship the following week at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, where the 2020 FedEx Cup champion will be crowned.
“Obviously, it was a really great week for me,” said Johnson, who claimed his 22nd PGA Tour victory, five coming in the playoffs, although he has never won the FedEx Cup. “I found something on Wednesday and hit the ball well all week, but didn’t putt so well the first day. So I worked on it and rolled the ball well the last three days.
“I’m in a really good position and am looking forward to the rest of the playoffs, next week in the BMW and then the Tour Championship. … Things just clicked for me this week, I played so well and it was a lot of fun.”
Johnson, who carded a 60 in round two, pulled away early with an eight-foot eagle putt on the second hole and four birdies on the front nine. Then he birdied No. 12 and had to wait out a weather delay of more than an hour before playing the last two holes, finishing with a four-foot birdie putt to wind up at 30-under 254.
English, who was tied for the lead at 64 after the first round, never made a run at DJ in the final round while shooting 69 but climbed 27 spots to sixth in the FedEx Cup standings.
Daniel Berger sank a seven-foot putt on the final hole to shoot a second straight 67 and finished 12 back in solo third, while Scottie Scheffler, who shot 59 in round two, made a four-foot birdie putt on No. 18 for a 71 to wind up one more behind in a tie for fourth with Kevin Kisner, had a 66.
Jon Rahm of Spain, who will lose the No. 1 ranking to Johnson, closed with a 65 that included a four-foot birdie putt on the second hole, and was 14 shots back in a tie for fifth with sixth-ranked Webb Simpson, who had a 66.
Ryan Palmer shot 67 and wound up 15 down in a tie for eighth with Russell Henley and Alex Noren of Sweden, who both totaled 68.
Tenth-ranked Xander Schauffele of La Jolla and San Diego State posted a second straight 67 to tie for 25th, while defending champion and ninth-ranked Patrick Reed had a 70 and wound up in a tie for 49th that included second-ranked Justin Thomas, the 2017 FedEx champion, who finished at 71.
Two-time FedEx Cup champion Tiger Woods birdied the first four holes in a 66 that is his best score of the year to tie for 58th, while third-ranked Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, the defending FedEx Cup champ, tied for 65th after a 69.
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