Dustin Johnson wins third title of 2018 at RBC Canadian Open

Dustin Johnson eased to his third victory of the year and 19th PGA Tour title at the RBC Canadian Open on Sunday. 

The World No.1 bounced back from his first missed cut of the year at The Open last week with a three-shot victory at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ontario – his 19th win on the PGA Tour.

Johnson, who posted a final round six-under 66 to get to 23-under, finished three shots clear of South Korean pair Whee Kim and Byeong Hun An on his way to becoming the second three-time winner this season (Bubba Watson is the other). 

“It means a lot,” Johnson said of his win. “It’s the last time that RBC’s going to be here, at Glen Abbey, it’s a golf course that I really like, I play well at it. So it definitely means a lot to win here.”

With his win, Johnson remains on top of the FedExCup standings – as well as becoming the first player since Tiger Woods to win three or more events in three consecutive years (Woods did it in 2009).

“Obviously I’m doing something very well,” he said. “To even be mentioned in the same sentence as Tiger means a lot. What he’s done for the game, the things he’s done in the game. No one is ever really going to get to that level.”

“Obviously right now I’m in a very good position,” he said of his standing in the FedEx Cup. “I’m going to have to continue to play well though if I want to be in that number one spot heading into Atlanta for the Tour Championship.”

Johnson began the day in a four-way tie for the lead, and was dominant from the outset, making back to back birdies on his opening two holes to move ahead of the field. 

He converted a 12-foot birdie at the eighth to increase his lead to three shots, before a weather delay stopped play for almost two hours. 

Once play resumed, Johnson’s lead quickly reduced to two after both An and Whee made birdies, his lead remaining at that number after following a birdie on 11 with a dropped shot on 12. 

That briefly opened the door for Keegan Bradley, who moved to within one thanks to a late charge which included birdies on each of his final three holes, but Johnson was once again quick to stretch out that gap. 

A lay-up birdie on the par-five 13th gave him back a two-shot lead, and he went on to take advantage of the par-five 16th, converting from just under four-feet to move to 22-under and three shots clear.  

Johnson then birdied his final hole of the day, hitting the par-five 18th in two and needing just two putts to secure his win. 

Bradley finished in fourth behind Kim and Byeong Hun, while Mexico’s Abraham Ancer (67) took fifth place on 17 under and England’s Tommy Fleetwood put on another impressive showing to share sixth place with Danny Lee after a final round 67.

WITB: Dustin Johnson