WGC-Mexico Championship: Dustin Johnson eases to victory

WGC-Mexico Championship leaderboard

-21 Johnson

-16 McIlroy

-11 Casey, Poulter, Aphibarnrat

-10 Garcia, Smith, Cantlay

-9 Thomas

Day four report

Six birdies on the back nine were not enough for Rory McIlroy to get close to Dustin Johnson, who won the WGC-Mexico Championship by five shots.

McIlroy did his best after making the turn one-over par, but though he made six birdies in seven holes before a bogey on the last, Johnson was every bit as good.

The American recorded five birdies in seven holes in a final-round 66 as he collected his 20th PGA Tour win and sixth World Golf Championship crown.

Things started well for McIlroy as he capitalised on an early bogey from Johnson to cut the gap further with a birdie on the second.

But dropped shots on the fourth and the sixth cost him momentum and by the time he rediscovered it, Johnson was matching him shot for shot.

The pair finished well clear of the rest of the pack, with McIlroy five shots ahead of a three-way share of third place, split between English duo Paul Casey and Ian Poulter, and Thai Kiradech Aphibarnrat.

Casey moved up 10 places on the leaderboard with a final round of 65, sparked by four birdies on the opening six holes.

Round of the day belonged to Justin Thomas, who carded a nine-under 62, while Tiger Woods had three birdies in a closing round of 69.

Day three report

Dustin Johnson extended his lead to four shots as he seeks a second victory in three years at the WGC-Mexico Championship.

Saturday's third-round 66 was enough to double his lead over Rory McIlroy, who recovered to shoot 68, and there's a further three-shot break to a four-way tie for third which includes Masters champions Patrick Reed and Sergio Garcia.

Ian Poulter broke 70 for the third day running to move into a share of seventh but Tiger Woods is down to ninth place having followed a four-putt with a three-putt for the first time in his career as the greens in Mexico wreaked havoc deep into the afternoon.

Johnson had comparatively few problems with them but such was the quality of his long-game that he was able to move clear of the field early on, a drive at the second hole to just four feet setting up the simplest of eagles.

Another fine approach unlocked a birdie at the fifth and Johnson made the turn in three-under, without a single bogey on the scorecard throughout the entire tournament - some 45 holes.

Disaster struck at the 10th, however, as a wayward drive followed by an errant second resulted in a double-bogey - though, in truth, it might have been even worse.

Johnson's drive appeared to be heading out of bounds before bouncing back into play, and his second was a virtual carbon copy after clipping the branches of an over-hanging tree.

After a free drop due to a drainage pipe, Johnson's third again rattled around the trees and threatened to go out of bounds but he was then able to punch his fourth onto the green and walk off with a double.

With McIlroy following a birdie at the ninth with another at the 10th, what had been a six-shot lead had been reduced to just two, but Johnson responded in typically calm fashion to birdie the next two holes and pull away once more.

McIlroy had started with a series of wild shots and a bogey at the first, but gradually worked his way back into the shadow of Johnson and was within three once more after a birdie at the par-four 16th.

Johnson responded, though, and appears to have all the answers as he seeks a sixth World Golf Championship victory. He already sits second on the all-time list to Woods, whose bid for a 19th surely ended in clumsy fashion with four putts from 25 feet at the 15th.

He wasn't the only one to struggle, with Matt Kuchar falling from tied second to tied 30th after a third-round 79 on a day which saw two players establish a private battle, within which Johnson is firmly in the ascendancy.

Day two report

Dustin Johnson will take a two-shot lead over Rory McIlroy into the third round of the WGC Mexico Championship.

McIlroy, who has won just one PGA Tour title since 2016, topped the leaderboard after an opening-round 63 but could only follow that up with a 70.

The Northern Irishman made a storming start to his second round, birdieing three of the first four holes, but was back to level for the day after a double bogey at the ninth and only managed one birdie on the back nine.

Johnson was the man to take advantage with a round of 67, posting four birdies and not dropping a shot as he moved to 11 under par.

McIlroy was joined on nine under by Matt Kuchar, who is letting his golf do the talking after last week's caddie controversy and birdied the first four holes in a round of 67.

Sergio Garcia and Tommy Fleetwood are a further two shots back on seven under, two ahead of Tiger Woods, who is among a group of players on five under.

The former world number one hit arguably the shot of the day on the 18th when he played out of a fairway bunker to a matter of feet and holed the birdie to finish with a round of 66.

Day one report

Rory McIlroy took pole position at the WGC-Mexico Championship after an impressive opening round.

The Northern Irishman hit 17 of 18 greens to get round Club de Golf Chapultepec to shoot an eight-under 63 and take the lead.

His near-faultless round put him a shot ahead of Dustin Johnson in second and three ahead of Justin Thomas and Matt Kuchar, who are tied for third.

The former world number one, whose last PGA title was at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March, suggested victory at the WGC would be a happy by-product of his current focus on the fundamentals.

"Practising the right way, thinking well, training well, eating well, all the stuff that I try to do," he told the Golf Channel.

"Winning is a by-product of doing all the little things well and I feel like I'm on a really good journey of doing that. I think it's just a matter of time.

"I can't put pressure on myself, I can't push it. I'm off to a great start this week but I literally have taken each and every day this year one day at a time and that's the way I'm going to treat it. Not just this week, but going forward."

Setting off down the back nine, two-time WGC winner McIlroy picked up shots on the 11th, 12th, 15th and 17th.

He nearly pulled off a remarkable feat after the turn, coming close to acing the 305-yard first hole with a two iron.

Picking up an eagle, he notched up more birdies on the second and fourth and, after dropping a shot on the par-five sixth, he added another birdie on the eighth and parred the ninth.

It was an encouraging performance for McIlroy, who announced on Thursday that he will miss the Irish Open to focus on preparing for the Open Championship at Royal Portrush.

It was also a decent day for Englishman Tyrell Hatton, whose 67 put him just behind the chasing pack of Johnson, Thomas and Kuchar.

Tied for fifth with South African George Coetzee, Hatton is a shot ahead of fellow Englishman Ian Poulter, who sits in seventh with Billy Horschel, Kiradech Aphibarnrat and David Lipsky.

Tiger Woods, who has 18 WGC wins under his belt, hit par to sit tied for 25th with England's Paul Casey and eight others.

And it was a wholly disappointing day for last year's champion Phil Mickelson, who shot eight over to finish a shot off the bottom tied 70th.