Dustin Johnson watched a six-shot lead shrink to two before putting together enough birdies Saturday for a 5-under 66 and a four-shot lead over Rory McIlroy going into the final round of the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship.
Johnson nearly threw away his six-shot lead through eight holes when McIlroy made a 35-foot birdie putt on No 9, and then the American ran into some serious tree trouble on the 10th hole. He hit trees with three consecutive shots and had to two-putt from across the green to salvage a double bogey.
It was his first score worse than par at Club de Golf Chapultepec this week.
And it was his last of the day.
‘I didn’t let it bother me because I knew I was playing well and there were plenty of holes I could make birdie,’ Johnson said.
Johnson answered with two straight birdies, sandwiched two birdies around a big par save, and restored a cushion going into Sunday. McIlroy got no closer than two shots all day and had to settle for a 68.
No one else was closer than seven shots off the lead.
Tiger Woods pulled within four shots after Johnson’s blunder, but his hopes ended on the greens.
Woods had a 5-iron from the middle of the fairway on the par-5 15th, put it into a bunker, blasted out weakly to 25 feet and four-putted for a double bogey, with the last three putts from just outside 3 feet.
He followed that with a three-putt bogey on the 16th, and a birdie on the final hole gave him a 70. Woods, who hit 16 greens in regulation, was 10 shots behind and in no mood to speak to anyone after the round.
Johnson, the only player to capture all four World Golf Championships, is going for his sixth WGC title and his 20th career victory on the PGA TOUR, which would make him a lifetime member at age 34.
McIlroy did his best to hang around. He made back-to-back bogeys on the front nine that put him six behind, and then ran off three straight birdies to close the gap. He missed a 3-foot par putt on the 14th hole and was suddenly left a tall order for Sunday.
It’s even tougher on everyone else.
Masters champion Patrick Reed finished with three straight birdies for a 64 and was in the group seven shots behind with Patrick Cantlay (65), Sergio Garcia (69) and Cameron Smith (68).
Louis Oosthuizen (69) hit 12 of 14 fairways, but could find just three birdies on moving day. His back nine once again showed less action, with a single bogey. He dropped into a share of ninth alongside Tiger Woods and Tommy Fleetwood.
