After a tense back nine and a playoff on the 18th hole, Dustin Johnson clinched the win Sunday over runner-up Jordan Spieth at The Northern Trust Open at Glen Oaks Club in Old Westbury.
After trailing Spieth by five strokes at the beginning of Saturday, Johnson sank a key putt on the 18th during normal play to send the match into a playoff. A risky, but successful opening drive over the lake on the hole set up Johnson for a smooth wedge drive and an effortless putt to take the win in Old Westbury.
“Yeah, it was a lot of fun,” Johnson said when asked about the day. “Jordan is a great player. It was a tough day but I feel like even on the front nine, I hit the ball really, really well. “
The turning point of the day was on the sixth hole, where Johnson shot par and Spieth sank a double bogey after shooting his ball in the water due to the constantly-shifting winds.
Johnson, who won the tournament in 2011, now holds the lead on the FedExCup standings at 4,466 while Spieth trails behind near at 3,871 points going into the Dell Technologies Championship on Sept. 1-4. Johnson, who was fourth in the FedExCup rankings going into The Northern Trust Open, will now have a sizable competitive edge over Spieth and Hideki Matsuyama, the former leader who was cut from the tournament after the second round.
After suffering a back injury from a fall before the Masters in April, Johnson is feeling well going into future playoff tournaments after this win.
“I’m expecting to play very well,” Johnson said. “I feel like the game is finally back in form like it was leading into the Masters. I feel like I’m swinging everything really well. Got a lot of control over the golf ball. I’m feeling really good. Obviously getting the win here today gives me a lot of confidence going into next week and the rest of the Playoffs.”
This tournament marks the first time that a major tournament has ever been held at Glen Oaks Club in Old Westbury. The course recently underwent a major renovation by club superintendent Craig Currier in 2014. A conglomerate of 27 different holes over three courses on the club ground, the course presented an invigorating challenge to both Johnson and Spieth going into the final day.
“We had a really tough time trying to figure out what the ball is going to do on the green,” said Spieth. “Some greens were landing really soft and then others were just taking one massive hop.”
While golf was the main focus at The Northern Trust, fashion and food also took center stage over the weekend. Different golf fashion vendors, such as Trendygolf and Kendra Scott had vendor booths set up for fans, while players wore scripted outfits each day to celebrate fashion as an integral part in the sport. There was no shortage of good food onsite, as Taste NY had a marketplace set up for fans to try local favorites such as Blue Point Brewery and Fuku by Momofuku.
