Dustin Johnson had golf’s world number one ranking in his sights on Sunday after powering to a seven-under par 64 in the third round of the US PGA Tour Genesis Open.
Johnson birdied the last three holes at Riviera Country Club to head into the afternoon’s final round of the weather-disrupted tournament in control and on a roll.
His 54-hole total of 17-under par 196 was five better than Wesley Bryan’s three-round total of 201.
And Bryan, who completed an eight-under par 63 on Sunday morning, had fallen back to 11-under for the tournament through three holes of the fourth round before Johnson had even completed his third.
The frantic race to finish 72 holes by nightfall followed a first-round fog-delay and a Friday storm that prevented most players from completing the second round.
A win for Johnson and a worse-than-third finish for reigning world number one Jason Day would see the American rise to the top for the first time in his career.
Australia’s Day carded a third-round 75 that left him languishing near the bottom of the field as they headed into the afternoon.
Johnson opened his day with a birdie at the first and picked up shots at the fifth, eighth and 12th before his storming finish.
He kept his foot on the accelerator with a birdie at the first to launch the final round.
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