Day would make an argument with a win in Atlanta, which would be his fourth of the year to three for Johnson – who also has that major championship. The Tour Championship for the top 30 players starts September 22 at East Lake. “Not only do I think Dustin Johnson has the talent to be the next number one, but I think he has the talent to hold that position for triple-digit weeks”.
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Johnson opened with a bogey, needing two shots to escape greenside rough, but answered with a four-foot birdie putt at the second and closed the front nine with a seven-foot birdie putt. J.B. Holmes, who finished tied for fourth, and Daniel Berger also played into the Tour Championship.
South African golf legend Gary Player congratulated Schwartzel on Twitter after the BMW Championship and wished him well for Atlanta, saying: “Nicely played today and good luck in Atlanta”.
European Ryder Cup captain Darren Clarke has already made his picks, but he may wish he had waited like the United States’ Davis Love III. While he was sure to be passed by Dustin Johnson, an incomplete round makes a player ineligible for the award.
Defending champion and world No1 Jason Day was forced to withdraw after incurring a back injury on the ninth tee.
England’s Paul Casey finished runner-up for the second week running, closing with a 67 of his own to be 20 under, with American Roberto Castro (67) playing his way into the season finale by finishing third at 17 under.
American Johnson recovered from letting slip his three-shot overnight lead to card a five-under par 67 and finish on 23 under.
Cape Town – Charl Schwartzel is South Africa’s lone ranger at one of the final golfing events of the year – the Tour Championship.
Four players managed to play their way into the top 30 with their Sunday finish. “Friends and family there, and I love going back to East Lake”.
“I’m not going to change anything”, he said.
“I feel like I played well enough to get that shot, ” Holmes said.
Day suffered a back injury earlier in the season, en route to victory at the WGC-Dell Match Play in March.
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“He’s all right, he’s just got some back issues and is in a little bit of pain”, Day’s manager Bud Martin said. Johnson has now won three times in a season for the first time in his career, and he has been the best golfer in the world for most (if not all) of 2016.
