Club de Golf Chapultepec did not lay down and let the best players in the world roll over it during the WGC-Mexico Championship. The track proved to be a survival of the fittest test that was won by American Dustin Johnson who led by as many shots as four in the final round, then fell behind by one to Spain’s Jon Rahm, but bounced back to squeeze out a one-shot victory over England’s Tommy Fleetwood. The players had to contend with the new to the PGA Tour par 71, 7,245 layout that sits 7,780 sq.-ft. above sea level and is higher than anywhere else they’ve played.
The thin air made everyone try to become math experts as they factored in their targets to be 15% closer on the tight tree-lined track due to the thin air.
Kept drama alive
Johnson kept the drama alive at hole No. 18 when his drive took up residence in a fairway bunker while leaving him facing an awkward ball-below-his-feet stance. The always easy-going South Carolina native remained calm as the eyes of the golf world looked upon him as he cracked a spectacular shot to the center of the green. He easily made the two-putt par to come away with his 14th career victory, fourth overall WGC win and second straight triumph this season. He won the Genesis Open two weeks ago at Riviera Country Club to move past Jason Day of Australia and into the top spot in the world golf rankings.
With the victory in Mexico, he bounced up to third place in the FedExCup points standings, 384 points behind fellow American Justin Thomas who now owns first after finishing T5 alongside Thomas Pieters of Belgium. Last week’s first-place holder, Hideki Matsuyama of Japan, dropped into second thanks to his T25 performance at Club de Golf Chapultepec, which is on the fringes of Mexico City.
Posted course record
Meanwhile, Inbee Park of South Korea posted a course-record 8-under 64 to win the LPGA Tour’s HSBC Women’s Champions tournament in Singapore by one stroke over Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand. It was Park’s first LPGA competition since June as she dealt with a thumb injury. She did, however, compete in the Olympics where she won gold for her country in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Park later pulled the plug on playing until this weekend.
