Justin Rose’s short reign at the top of the golf world came to an end after his top five finish wasn’t enough to fend off Dustin Johnson.
Rose finished in a share of fourth, enough to win the $10-million FedEx Cup winner’s cheque, but one behind Johnson.
‘There were a lot of scenarios at play this week and that’s what the beauty of this format is,’ said Rose. ‘I think obviously for me this year it rewarded consistent golf.
‘For me, I was trying to do my best to win this golf tournament and scoop the double jackpot.
‘But far and away, being next to this trophy is something I’m very, very proud of, and it was -definitely with five, six holes to play, it was pretty precarious.
‘I was in a great position around the turn, and then things just got tricky out there.’
Johnson, who slipped to third in the rankings heading into the finale at East Lake, enjoyed a 64 week stay at the top before Justin Thomas replaced him in May.
It took four weeks for DJ to return to the top where he stayed for another 13 until Rose joined the elite group of players, now 22 in total, to have summited the golf world.
‘No, it doesn’t really matter and while I wanted to make back to the top, I would have hit it the same way,’ said Johnson.
Tiger Woods moved up eight places to 13th while Louis Oosthuizen remains SA’s best in 36, down one place after failing to progress into the final FedExCup playoff event.
