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Johnson clinches win

August 31 - September 6, 2011
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Gulf Weekly Johnson clinches win


In a sport where slow play is often an issue at the highest level, it would be interesting to find out the average speed of play during the final round of the Barclays.
 
It looked as though the players were trying to finish their rounds quickly to make sure they avoided the wrath of Hurricane Irene.

The opening event of the FedEx Cup Play-offs was held in New Jersey at Plainfield Country Club, but the tournament was shortened to 54 holes due to the expected arrival of severe storms on Sunday.

This was not enough to deter big hitting American Dustin Johnson, who fired a final round 65 to reach a stunning 19 under par total and pip compatriot Matt Kuchar by two shots.

Overnight leader Kuchar came firing out of the blocks early on Saturday and raced to the turn in an impressive four under par 31. Unfortunately for him, Johnson was even hotter on the front nine and thanks, in part, to an eagle at the par 4 second hole, he made the turn in 29 strokes.

Despite an incredible effort from Brandy Snedeker, who threatened to shoot a Tour record-tying 59 but eventually finished with 61, the tournament was turning into a two-horse race.

Kuchar, who trailed by one stroke heading into the final nine holes, tied things up with a 17-foot birdie putt on the par three 11th hole. His challenge was effectively ended over the next two holes where a couple of uncharacteristic three-putts dropped him two strokes behind with only five holes to play. Johnson managed to par every hole on the back nine for his second FedEx Cup Play-off win.

On the European Tour, Thomas Bjorn won an epic five man play-off to lift the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles in Perthshire, Scotland.

Englishman Mark Foster had the title within his grasp and required a par on the final hole to lift the trophy. Sadly for him, he made a bogey to let Bjorn, George Coetzee, Pablo Larrazábal and Bernd Wiesberger back into the tournament.

Wiesbergerwas the first casualty of the play-off when he made a bogey and was soon followed by Spaniard Larrazábal on the next hole when he failed to get down in two from the edge of the green. After the remaining players birdied the third hole, it was Foster who was next to drop out when he couldn’t match the birdies of Coetzee and Bjorn.

On the final hole with Coetzee out of position, Bjorn seized his chance and fired a magical eight iron to within three feet of the pin. When Coetzee’s birdie putt slid past the hole, Bjorn tapped in for birdie and lifted his second European Tour title of the season.







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