Watch: Dustin Johnson reclaims No. 1 ranking after incredible walk-off eagle

By Dave Kovaleski June 11, 2018 at 11:08am

Dustin Johnson put together a dominating performance this past weekend to win the St. Jude Classic.

But it was his final shot of the tournament that put an exclamation point on the victory.

After an impressive drive on the par-4 18th hole, Johnson pulled out a 9-iron for the 171-yard approach shot.

The exclamation point on the victory!@DJohnsonPGA wins the @fesjcmemphis with a walk-off eagle on 18.#LiveUnderPar pic.twitter.com/HKkthusswe

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 10, 2018

He hit a perfect drive that landed about five feet in front of the cup. It then took one bounce and rolled into the hole for an eagle.

Johnson had already had a four-shot lead over Andrew Putnam, so the eagle gave him a score of 19-under for the tournament, six shots clear of Putnam.

“What a cool way to end the day,” Johnson said later, according to ESPN.

Not only did the victory give him his second win of the year, it also vaulted him back to the No. 1 ranking.

Johnson had held the top ranking for 64 weeks until Justin Thomas overtook him last month after The Players Championship.

Do you consider Dustin Johnson to be the best golfer int he world?

“It means a lot,” Johnson said of reclaiming the No. 1 ranking.

“It was a long way to get there, and I held it for a long time, and obviously (Thomas) took it from me for a little while. It was nice to finish like that and get it back.”

So, Johnson heads into this week’s U.S. Open as the top-ranked golfer in the world and one of the odds-on favorites.

Dustin Johnson won the St. Jude Classic to reclaim the No. 1 spot in the Official World Golf Ranking

Since Tiger Woods won the 2008 U.S. Open, only 1 of the 39 majors have been won by the World No. 1 ranked golfer. The lone win was by Rory McIlroy at the 2014 PGA Championship pic.twitter.com/AzEarbaquZ

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 11, 2018

It’s a tournament where he’s experience his greatest triumph, winning in 2016 for his only major championship.

But it’s also where he’s had a major disappointment.

In the 2015 U.S. Open at Chambers Bay, Johnson missed a 12-foot eagle putt for the win on the 18th hole on Sunday, then missed a four-foot birdie putt coming back that would have tied it. He wound up finishing second to Jordan Spieth.

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Dave Kovaleski

Contributor, Sports

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Dave is a lifelong sports fan who has been writing for The Wildcard since 2017. He has been a writer for more than 20 years for a variety of publications.

Dave has been writing about sports for The Wildcard since 2017. He's been a reporter and editor for over 20 years, covering everything from sports to financial news. In addition to writing for The Wildcard, Dave has covered mutual funds for Pensions and Investments, meetings and conventions, money market funds, personal finance, associations, and he currently covers financial regulations and the energy sector for Macallan Communications. He has won awards for both news and sports reporting.

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Massachusetts

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English

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Sports