DUSTIN Johnson was marching to his first PGA title of 2017 last night at the Genesis Open at the Riviera Country Club in California.
The US Open champion had opened up an eight-shot lead on the field halfway though his final round as organisers attempted to get the final two rounds played on the same day following a series of weather delays.
Johnson added a 64 to his opening pair of 66s to get to 17-under and then picked up two shots in the first 10 holes of his final round to go clear of Wesley Bryan, whose third round 63 saw him burst through the field into second place. Bryan was one-under par after 14 holes of his final round and sharing second place on 11-under with Kevin Na and Ollie Schneiderjans.
Meanwhile, Brett Rumford regained his European Tour card in brilliant fashion with victory in the inaugural ISPS Handa World Super 6 in his home city of Perth.
Rumford defeated Thai teenager Phachara Khongwatmai 2&1 in the final of the £1.1million event, an innovative mixture of stroke and match play.
The 39-year-old was five shots clear of the field after the 54 holes of stroke play, although that only secured a bye in the first round of Sunday's match play stages, which were contested over six holes at Lake Karrinyup.
Rumford beat Hideto Tanihara, Wade Ormsby and Adam Bland to book his place in the final and, after winning the first hole but losing the second, moved in front for the second time with a birdie on the par-five fourth.
Khongwatmai, who had claimed the final berth in the match play stages after surviving an eight-man play-off for five places, then needed two attempts to escape a greenside bunker on the next and conceded Rumford's birdie putt.
Rumford won back-to-back titles in South Korea and China in 2013 but needed a medical exemption last season after an aborted 2015 campaign caused by eating an apple during the Tshwane Open which resulted in a blockage and led to 30 centimetres of his small intestine being removed.
"It's great to be back," Rumford said. "I've done a lot of reflection these past few months after missing my Tour card last year.
"I had a tough year and didn't see my family that much, only four weeks in six months. It was a gruelling six months but I'm back and I couldn't be happier.
"It's amazing to win in front of your home crowd, particularly being a new format. It's massive and I am just really proud of how hard I've worked."
Khongwatmai saw off the Australian quartet of Sam Brazel, Lucas Herbert, Matthew Millar and Jason Scrivener, but came up short in his bid to become the second-youngest winner in European Tour history.
"After the third round I didn't think I could get into the final but I got second place, I'm just happy," the 17-year-old said.
"If I play well, it's not a problem if I win or not. There is no pressure for me."
Pre-tournament favourite Louis Oosthuizen had earlier birdied the sudden-death shoot-out hole three times in succession to finally get the better of American Johannes Veerman, but lost to Australia's Bland in the quarter-finals.
Oosthuizen had a putt to win the match on the fifth hole of regulation play, but three-putted from 20 feet and missed another match-winning attempt on the second extra hole before a bogey at the third time of asking gifted Bland victory.
"Probably I'm disappointed but I played nicely this week," Oosthuizen said. "I think they've got a good concept.
"I think a few tweaks here and there would make it really good, but it's nerve-racking standing on that little 66-metre (shoot-out) hole. It's nice pressure and good fun."
