If Johnson wins on Sunday (Monday NZT), he will also claim the FedExCup and the $10 million prize awarded to the victor of the season-long points race.
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And the US Open champion seemed determined to do just that as he turned a one-shot halfway lead into a three-stroke advantage over playing partner Kevin Chappell midway through Saturday’s third round.
Johnson reached 10 under in the third round with his fourth birdie of the round on the 12th hole and opened up a four-shot lead before consecutive bogeys on 13 and 14 and a messy bogey on the par-4 17th dropped him to 7 under and a shot behind Chappell.
Jason Day’s US PGA Tour season has come to a sad and abrupt halt, with the world No.1 forced to give up the fight for the championship and lucrative FedEx Cup with a recurring back injury.
“I’ve got a lot of confidence going into tomorrow”, Johnson said.
Rory McIlroy, who has gone 28 holes without a bogey at East Lake, had three birdies over his last six holes for a 66 and was two shots behind. “Other than that, I thought the round was pretty solid”.
Johnson, fellow American Chappell and Japan’s Matsuyama headed Australian world number one Jason Day, South Korean Kim Si-woo and American Kevin Kisner by one stroke in the elite 30-man field.
“It feels great”, said Caldwell, who takes home £10,000 along with a brand new Motocaddy S1 Lithium trolley, Bushnell Tour X Range Finder and Bolle Sunglasses.
They will also more closely monitor traveling after complaints from coaches that players are getting away with too many steps on the perimeter.
Johnson had back-to-back birdies at the fifth and sixth and again at 10 and 11 before is first bogey of the day at the 12th.
Day withdrew through seven and a half holes of round two, giving up a chance to claim $US11.53 million and likely his shot at Player of the Year. “But I’m still going to go out and try to shoot as low a score as possible”.
Day was three under for the tournament, just three shots behind the leaders, when he chose to withdraw.
“Obviously I’m not playing my best when I do stuff like that”.
Chappell already has three runner-up finishes this season and now has to face the best player in golf at the moment.
“I came here this week to win a golf tournament and I’m 100 percent focused on that”, Moore said.
Dustin Johnson is looking to cap off his best season yet on the PGA Tour with a victory this week at the Tour Championship and a FedEx Cup title.
Jason Day leaves the course after withdrawing due to back issues during the second round of the tour championship at East Lake Golf Club.
With nearly seven hours of play lost due to early morning fog over the first two days at Bad Griesbach, Levy completed his first round with five birdies in nine holes to lead at nine-under.
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In the past four years, the victor of the TOUR Championship and FedExCup Playoffs was in the top five entering East Lake: 2015 (Jordan Spieth, second); 2014 (Billy Horschel, second); 2013: (Henrik Stenson, second); and 2012 (Brandt Snedeker, fifth).
