In case you thought Dustin Johnson would be a one-hit wonder at No. 1, think again.
Johnson overcame a hard charge by Spanish rookie Jon Rahm to win the WGC-Mexico City in his first tournament since taking over the No. 1 ranking from Jason Day.
I didn’t feel like I putted my best, but I really hit the ball well,” Johnson said. “I played just well enough, because I won by one.”
He’s the fifth player to win his first tournament after ascending to No. 1. England’s Tommy Fleetwood wound up finishing second by a single stroke. Fleetwood drained a 40-foot putt on his final hole to finish with a 66 which moved him up to 35th in the world, guaranteeing him a spot in the Masters next month.
The power trio of Justin Thomas, Phil Mickelson, and Rory McIlroy never posted a threat to the No. 1 player. Thomas was the leader by a stroke after 54 holes but double-bogeyed No. 7 and was done after that.
The last player to win his first tournament while ranked No. 1 was Adam Scott in 2014.