In order for Rory McIlroy to have any chance on Sunday at the WGC–Mexico Championship, Dustin Johnson was going to have to do something he hadn’t done all week: beat himself. While he’s been a dominant player over the past decade, Johnson has also shown that he’s far from unbeatable on Sundays. With a player of McIlroy’s calibre chasing him on quirky course like Club de Golf Chapultepec, the outcome was far from a foregone conclusion.
But without much of an early push from McIlroy, Johnson made sure it was, cruising to a five-shot victory with a final-round five-under 66. The 34-year-old opened the door for McIlroy early, playing his first five holes in one-over par, but the Northern Irishman failed to take advantage. Johnson eventually settled in, playing his final 13 holes in six-under.
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The win is the 20th of Johnson’s US PGA Tour career, making him just the 38th player to accomplish the feat. He joins the likes of Doug Sanders, Greg Norman and Hale Irwin in tie for 34th on the all-time PGA Tour wins list.
“It means a lot, to get 20 wins out here is very difficult,” said Johnson, who has now won six World Golf Championships in his career. “To do it before I turn 35 is pretty incredible. This is a big win for me, it gives me a lot of confidence for the rest of the year. I feel like the game is in good form right now.”
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Johnson is also just the fifth player to win 20 times before age 35, joining an exclusive club that includes Tom Watson, Johnny Miller, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods.
As for McIlroy, who made six birdies on the back nine and finished with a 67, he continues to come up just short of victory in 2019, but he’s now finished inside the top five in four straight starts, something he’s never done on tour.
Paul Casey, Ian Poulter and Kiradech Aphibarnrat finished in a tie for third. It matches the highest PGA Tour finish of Aphibarnrat’s career, which came at the 2013 CIMB Classic.
Justin Thomas carded the low round of the week, firing a nine-under 62 that earned him a solo ninth finish. Tiger Woods tied for 10th after posting a final-round 69.
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