Dustin Johnson five shots ahead at Tour Championship as he nears his first FedEx Cup crown
It is Labor Day in America and Dustin Johnson is on the brink of securing a huge cheque for completing a very fine body of work.
For the fourth tournament in succession, the world No 1 is holding the lead after 54 holes and with a five-shot advantage at East Lake is the overwhelming favourite to lift his first FedEx Cup crown and take home the $15m (£11.2m) first prize.
A third-round 64 in Atlanta took him to 19-under at the Tour Championship, with fellow Americans Justin Thomas and Xander Schauffele his nearest pursuers.
Granted, Johnson’s dominance in Georgia is overplayed because as the FedEx points leader he started the week on 10-under due to the controversial handicap system adopted in 2019 - without the adjusted scoring Schauffele would be two ahead - but such has been his form in the last month that only the churlish would deny him this honour, if it comes to pass.
The 36-year-old finished second in the USPGA, won the first play-off event by 11 shots and then lost a play-off in the BMW Championship last week, where Jon Rahm holed from 65 feet on the first extra hole.
"It's something that's a goal of mine, to be a FedEx Cup champion, something that I really want to do," Johnson said after a round featuring seven birdies and a solitary bogey.
"Still got one more day. I like the position I'm in but I'm going to have to shoot a good score if I want to hold up the trophy at the end of the day.”
Thomas, the 2017 FedEx champion, is not ready to concede yet, pointing out the capricious nature of East Lake. "DJ is clearly playing well. It wasn't easy today. It's still East Lake," Thomas said.
"But anything can happen around this course. You can shoot 63 or 64 and you can shoot 73 or 74 very easily. I just need to hope that tomorrow is my 63 or 64."
But there will be no double celebrations for Rory McIlroy, who is 11 shots off Johnson’s pace after a 70. The defending champion, who last Monday became a father for the first time with the birth of daughter Poppy suffered a frustrating day that was summed up with a three-putt for par on the 18th.
