Page 21 - ARUBA TODAY

A21
SPORTS Wednesday 25 april 2018

PGA Tour

Continued on Page 21 green jacket he loves to
(and should) show off. Win-
Dustin Johnson should be. ning the Masters makes it a
Jordan Spieth would settle great year no matter what
for one victory at this point. else happens, and Reed
The first half did a good job will have a hard time top-
setting the table for what ping this one even if he wins
should be a compelling five all five Ryder Cup matches
months. in France. Three others are
BATTLE FOR NO. 1 worthy of consideration.
Not long after Dustin John- Thomas faced a most dif-
son closed with a 67 at the ficult encore after he won
RBC Heritage, he left for five times last season, in-
the Bahamas as part of a cluding his first major, the
three-week break. His tie for PGA Championship, and
16th at Hilton Head was im- the FedEx Cup. He has
portant. It assured Johnson backed it up so far with two
of staying at No. 1 for a few victories. One of them was
more weeks, but maybe the Honda Classic, where
not by the time he returns he made two birdies on the
at TPC. par-5 18th — with a wedge
He will be No. 1 for at least to force a playoff, and with
62 weeks, significant in a 5-wood to set up the win.
that only three other play- Watson won against two
ers have stayed atop the strong fields at Riviera and
world ranking longer since Match Play. Kizzire won’t
it began in 1986 — Nick Fal- get as much recognition
do (81 weeks), Greg Nor- from winning at the OHL
man (96 weeks) and Tiger Classic at Mayakoba in the
Woods (264 weeks and 281 fall and the Sony Open in
weeks). January. But he went head-
It might not last much lon- to-head in beating Rickie
ger. Thomas, who could Fowler in Mexico and won
have replaced Johnson by a six-hole playoff on Oahu.
winning his semifinal match In a rarity, he won twice
in the Dell Technologies in a season while ranked
Match Play, gets another outside the top 100 in the In this Jan. 7, 2018, file photo, Dustin Johnson hits on the fourth fairway during the final round of the
chance next week at the world. Tournament of Champions golf tournament, in Kapalua, Hawaii.
Wells Fargo Champion- TIGER ANNIVERSARY Associated Press
ship. That’s at Quail Hol- One year ago, the Texas ago, no one would have Phil Mickelson tops the list. Tour card last year except
low, where Thomas won Open was the same week been surprised if he missed Ian Poulter isn’t too far be- for a clerical error and then
the PGA Championship Woods had his fourth the Masters. Instead, the hind. His victory drought was told at the Dell Match
last summer. Jon Rahm also back surgery, and all sorts surprise was that he didn’t approaching five years, Play that he was in the Mas-
had a chance to get to No. of speculation followed. break par until Sunday and Mickelson was on the verge ters, when in fact he need-
1 in January until a 75-77 Would he ever play again? tied for 32nd. of falling out of the top 50 ed to win one more match
weekend at Torrey Pines. Did he even want to play Interesting about Woods in the world for the first time (which he lost badly). Poul-
With so many big tourna- again? And if he did, how at this point in the season is in 25 years when he ran off ter opened with a 73 the
ments coming up, a half- much would fusion surgery that he played three of his four consecutive top 10s, following week in Houston,
dozen players are in the mix limit him? The answers: Yes, six tournaments on courses the last one a playoff vic- answered with rounds of
for No. 1 by the end of the yes and not much. where he has never won. tory in the Mexico Champi- 64-65, made a 30-foot bird-
season. He recorded a swing speed THE REVIVALS onship. ie putt on the 18th to force
BEST SEASON of 129 mph. He was runner- Even as the PGA Tour gets Poulter had gone more a playoff and won on the
Patrick Reed can easily up by one shot at the Val- younger, five players in their than six years without a win, first extra hole to get into
claim this because of that spar Championship. A year 40s managed to win. would have lost his full PGA the Masters.q