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sports Diabierna 4 September 2020

Johnson gets 2-shot lead and another crack at FedEx Cup

By DOUG FERGUSON at East Lake. He needed to
AP Golf Writer stay upright for only four
ATLANTA (AP) — Dustin days, and the Fijian managed
Johnson is the No. 1 seed and fine.
starts with a two-shot lead at Johnson, however, is play-
the Tour Championship, not ing as well as anyone, and
nearly enough to tempt him he’s arguably the biggest tal-
into looking too far ahead at ent in the game. He has had
a FedEx Cup title that already the 54-hole lead in his last
has slipped away from him three tournaments, winning
once before. at the TPC Boston and fin-
“It’s not like I’ve got a two- ishing runner-up in the PGA
shot lead going into the final Championship and BMW
round,” Johnson said, who Championship. Imagine if
speaks from experience of he gets it going at East Lake
once losing a six-shot lead while staked to a two-shot
in the final round of a World lead.
Golf Championship. Kevin Kisner still thinks the
“I’m still going to have to play odds are a winner from the
some really good golf for four bottom of the pack is more
days if I want to be a FedEx likely to happen before
Cup champion.” someone from the top wins
And then there are play- in a landslide.
ers like Billy Horschel and “DJ could shoot 9 under to-
Mackenzie Hughes, who will morrow and run away and
be 10 shots behind Johnson it would be a total snoozer,”
before they even hit their Kisner said. “But I just think
opening drives at East Lake. there’s too many good play-
They have to play their ab- ers near the top. Ten shots is
solute best golf and get some Jon Rahm, ranked second behind Dustin Johnson in FedEx Cup points, tees off on the par-3 11th surmountable over four days
help. hole during his practice round for the season-ending Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club if somebody gets really hot.”
“I know I’m going to have on Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2020, in Atlanta. Horschel and Hughes at least
to do something special,” Associated Press have that chance.
Horschel said. Horschel secured the 30th
The strangest season in golf Rory McIlroy won last year this year, next year or the year were 10 back of one person,” and final position, but only
— no tournaments for three from the No. 5 seed, mean- after. If the top three guys get Thomas said. “But there’s 25 because Corey Conners
months because of the CO- ing he started five behind. off to a slow start ... 5 (under) people ahead of them, and four-putted the final hole at
VID-19 pandemic, only one He posted an actual score of could potentially be leading that’s the hard part. I think Olympia Fields (the last three
major championship in the 13-under 267 and still need- after one round.” if you gave me even par and putts from 5 feet). Hughes
last 14 months — ends on ed the top two seeds — Justin Thomas knows how that you gave ‘X’ player at 10-un- cracked the top 30 by making
Labor Day with the second Thomas and Patrick Cantlay works. He was the No. 1 der par and it was just us a 5-foot par putt on his last
year of a format that gives — to falter. McIlroy was 10 seed a year ago, opened with two, I think I’d have a better hole.
players a head start depend- shots better than Thomas, a 70 and was in a three-way chance of catching him.” It all starts to unfold Friday,
ing on how they played up to 22 shots better than Cantlay. tie for the lead after one day. More likely, at least this year, and there is plenty on the line
this point. That did the trick. The rest of the week didn’t is a scenario the PGA Tour for everyone, mostly money.
Johnson, also the No. 1 player Is it possible for someone to go much better. But while he has tried to avoid — a run- The $15 million payout —
in the world, starts at 10-un- start 10 shots behind and still witnessed McIlroy winning away with no drama. $14 million in cash, $1 mil-
der par and is two shots ahead win the $15 million bonus? from five shots behind at the Nothing will be as bad as lion deferred — is only part
of Jon Rahm, who beat him “It’s going to happen one start, a 10-shot deficit looks 2008 when the format al- of the $45.6 million in bonus
last week at Olympia Fields year,” Marc Leishman said. feasible only on paper. lowed Vijay Singh to wrap it money being paid out this
with a 65-foot birdie putt. “I just don’t know if it’ll be “It would be one thing if they up no matter how he played week.q

Lutsenko claims 1st Tour de France victory on Stage 6

MONT AIGOUAL, earn his first stage victory in in southern France.
France (AP) — On paper his fifth Tour de France. For the first time in Tour
at least, Stage 6 of the Tour Adam Yates of Britain kept history, the stage finished
de France looked interesting, the overall race lead, as he atop the Mont Aigoual, a
with a steep ascent toward and other contenders for vic- 1,560-meter (5,118-foot)
the end that the 117-year-old tory in Paris stayed bunched peak with commanding
race was scaling for the first together as a group, waiting views of southern France
time and which seemed like for bigger mountains that and an observatory opened in
it might tempt top contend- come later in the three-week 1894 to study its changeable
ers to test each other out on Tour, starting this weekend weather.
the rugged, narrow mountain in the Pyrenees. The last kilometers (miles)
road. While they kept tabs on each were a rolling uphill past
But the Tour’s top riders other, the 27-year-old Lut- pines and pasture to the fin-
turned the mountain into a senko profited. ish.
molehill, ruining race orga- He was part of an initial The relative ease of that final
nizers’ best-laid plans. group of eight lower-placed approach dissuaded top con-
Instead of seeing a reckon- riders that broke away early tenders from attacking each
ing between the favorites, from the main pack in search other on the steep Lusette
Kazakhstan's Alexey Lutsenko crosses the finish line to win the the Tour saw Kazakh rider of the stage victory on the pass that preceded it, because
sixth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 191 kilome- Alexey Lutsenko surge alone 191-kilometer (119-mile) they knew rivals would be
ters from Le Teil to Mt. Aigoual Thursday, Sept. 3, 2020. up the previously unclimbed route that sped southwest able to catch them back up
Associated Press Lusette pass on Thursday to from the start town of Le Teil toward the top.q