MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Dustin Johnson emphatically reclaimed the No. 1 ranking Sunday, holing out for eagle from 170 yards on the final hole for a six-stroke victory in the St. Jude Classic.
Johnson shot a 4-under 66 for his second PGA Tour victory this year and 18th of his career to take back the No. 1 ranking he held for 64 straight weeks before dropping down a month ago. He won the event for the second time, finishing with the eagle, three birdies and a bogey for a 19-under 261 total.
Andrew Putnam started the final round with a share of the lead for the first time in his career. He shot 72 and finished at 13 under.
Preparing for the U.S. Open, Johnson took the lead to himself with a par on No. 1, while Putnam double-bogeyed, and cruised to the $1.18 million winner’s check. Johnson turned in the lowest score under par by a winner here since David Toms won at 20 under in 2003, and that was before the course was redesigned with par dropped from 71 to 70 after the 2004 tournament.
Johnson, who won the U.S. Open in 2016, heads to Shinnecock Hills after stringing together four straight rounds in the 60s. He went 67, 63 and 65 before wrapping up a final round that felt almost like a practice round with the only question remaining how low Johnson would go.
At least until his dramatic walk-off eagle. Johnson was in the intermediate rough to the right of the fairway, and the ball bounded twice before rolling into the cup.
CURTIS CUP
SCARSDALE, N.Y. (AP) — Kristen Gillman led a U.S. singles sweep Sunday in the biggest blowout in Curtis Cup history.
Gillman, the 20-year-old University of Alabama star from Austin, Texas, beat 16-year-old Annabell Fuller 5 and 4 to cap a perfect weekend at Quaker Ridge in the amateur competition.
The Americans won 17-3, breaking the record for margin of victory of 11 set in a 14 1/2-3 1/2 victory at Denver Country Club in 1982. They improved to 29-8-3 in the series, rebounding from a loss in 2016 at Dun Laoghaire in Ireland.
Gillman, the 2014 U.S. Women’s Amateur champion, joined American Stacy Lewis (2008) and England’s Bronte Law (2016) as the only players to go 5-0-0 since the format was changed to three days in 2008.
Sophia Schubert, the Texas senior and 2017 U.S. Women’s Amateur champion, started the singles rout with a 2-and-1 victory over Olivia Mehaffey. In the other matches, top-ranked Lilia Vu defeated Sophie Lamb 2 up; Jennifer Kupcho, the NCAA individual winner this year for Wake Forest, beat Lily May Humphreys 2 and 1; Andrea Lee edged Alice Hewson 2 and 1; Lauren Stephenson beat Shannon McWilliam 2 and 1; 15-year-old Lucy Li defeated India Clyburn 5 and 4; and Mariel Galdiano held off Paula Grant 1 up.
The U.S. won all five sessions for the first time, and every American earned at least two points.
LPGA TOUR
GALLOWAY, N.J. (AP) — Annie Park won the ShopRite LPGA Classic for her first LPGA Tour victory, closing with an 8-under 63 for a one-stroke victory over Sakura Yokomine.
The 23-year-old Park, from Levittown, New York, had an eagle and six birdies on a cloudy day over the Bay Course at Stockton Seaview to complete 54 holes at 16-under 197, a stroke off the tournament record.
Yokomine, the winner of 23 events on the Japan LPGA Tour, flirted with a 59 but parred the par-5 18th for a 61 to tie the course record.
New Jersey native Marina Alex was third at 14 under after a 64. She made a hole-in-one at the par-3 17th. Sei Young Kim, who broke the course record Sunday morning when she finished her second round with back-to-back birdies for a 61, had a 70 to finish fourth at 13 under.
Park won the 2013 NCAA individual title as a freshman at Southern California and helped the Trojans take the team crown.
PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Tom Lehman won the Principal Charity Classic when final-round play was washed out at Wakonda Club.
Tournament officials delayed the start of the third round by nearly five hours because of bands of light but persistent rain before calling the event.
The 59-year-old Lehman shot a 7-under 65 on Saturday to reach 13 under and take a two-shot lead over Bernhard Langer, Glen Day, Woody Austin and Scott Parel. From neighboring Minnesota, Lehman won for the 11th time on the 50-and-over tour.
EUROPEAN TOUR
ATZENBRUGG, Austria (AP) — Mikko Korhonen of Finland won the inaugural Shot Clock Masters by six strokes for his first European Tour title.
Korhonen closed with a 3-under 69 to finish at 16 under. Connor Syme of Scotland, who only turned professional in September, holed a 60-foot birdie putt on the 18th for a 69 to finish second. The event was the first on the tour with a 40-second shot clock for most strokes.
WEB.COM TOUR
MUNDELEIN, Ill. (AP) — Chase Wright won the Rust-Oleum Championship for his first Web.com Tour victory, beating Alex Prugh with a birdie on the second extra hole.
The 28-year-old Wright won a week after losing a playoff in a U.S. Open qualifier. He closed with his third staight 4-under 68 to match Prugh at 17-under 281 at Ivanhoe Club.
Wright hit a 7-iron from 170 yards to 5 feet to set up his winning putt.
Prugh shot a 67. Christian Brand was a stroke back after a 70.
OTHER TOURS
MEN
Panuphol Pittayarat of Thailand closed with an even-par 70 to win the Thailand Open by one shot over Poom Saksansin on the Asian Tour. Panuphol won on his home course at the Thai Country Club. … Charlie Saxon closed with a 3-under 69 and won the Guilin Championship for his fourth title on the PGA Tour Series-China, matching the fledgling tour’s record by Dou Zecheng. Saxon, who lives in Edmond, Oklahoma, won by one shot over Zhang Jin. … Neil Schietekat shot a 5-under 67 for a one-shot victory over Louis de Jager in the Sun City Challenge on the Sunshine Tour in South Africa. … Pedro Figuerido of Portugal overcame a four-shot deficit by closing with a 7-under 64, and then won the Hauts de France Golf Open on the European Challenge Tour in a three-man playoff over Anton Karlsson of Sweden and Stuart Manley of Wales. … Sam Fidone won the Bayview Place DC Bank Open in Victoria, British Columbia, for his first PGA Tour Canada title. The 25-year-old former SMU player shot 64-66-66-65 for a five-stroke victory over Blake Sattler. … Meenwhee Kim went home to the Korean PGA Tour and won the Descente Korea Munsingwear Match Play.
WOMEN
Maia Schecter closed with a 6-under 66 to overcome a five-shot deficit and win the Four Winds Invitational on the Symetra Tour. Schecter finished at 11-under 205 at Blackthorn Golf Club in Indiana for a one-shot victory over Jeong Seong and Louish Stahle. … Seung Hyun Lee won her first Korean LPGA Tour event of the year by closing with an 8-under 64 for a one-shot victory in the S-Oil Championship. … Misuzu Narita shot 6-under 66 and won the Suntory Ladies Open in a playoff over Chie Arimura on the Japan LPGA Tour.
