Coming Soon...
OKSomething went wrong!
Please try again later.
EXPANDING
Dustin Johnson showed why he is number 1 at the Sentry Tournament of Champions.
Johnson holed a 65-yard wedge shot down the hill and up the green for an eagle, and he powered his way to birdies on the par 5s at Kapalua for a 7-under 66 to build a two-shot lead over Brian Harman going into the final round at the Sentry Tournament of Champions.
Dustin Johnson proved why is number 1 on Day 3 at the Tournament of Champions
The world's No. 1 player with a lead is a daunting prospect anywhere, especially on a course where he is a past champion (2013) and has posted 20 out of his 30 rounds on the Plantation Course in the 60s.
Hope for the players chasing him comes from Johnson's most recent start on the PGA TOUR.
That was just over two months ago at the World Golf Championship-HSBC Champions in Shanghai, where Johnson lost a six-shot lead at Sheshan International. Most peculiar about that day is Johnson still was up by three shots, didn't miss a fairway on the back nine and still got beat.
Johnson says he didn't even remember Shanghai until it was mentioned to him.
"Look, it was a long time ago," he said. "It's a completely different golf course. It was what? Two months ago or something? So yeah, I'm going to try not to think about it tomorrow. Hopefully, I won't. But I just need to go out and play my game and just see what happens."
Johnson seized control quickly Saturday at Kapalua.
Coming off his lone bogey — a poor chip after his tee shot went just over the back of the 11th green — he had 65 yards from fluffy rough, straight down the hill toward the Pacific to a green that was uphill but with the grain and the wind.
Johnson wasn't sure how far it was, and that wasn't really significant. "I was looking just left of the flag, but short of the green," he said. "I knew once it got on the green that it was going to be pretty good. And obviously, it went in. So that was definitely a nice bonus."
Harman began the day tied with Marc Leishman, who didn't make a birdie until the 16th hole
Harman couldn't keep pace, dropping two shots early on the back nine until a late rally for a 69 to stay within two shots. Harman began the day tied with Marc Leishman, who didn't make a birdie until the 16th hole and wound up with a 76 to fall nine shots behind.
Jon Rahm made up a lot of ground quickly with a birdie-eagle-birdie burst on the scoring holes in the middle of the back nine. A final birdie gave the explosive Spaniard a 66 and left him within range at four shots behind.
