Dustin Johnson back to No. 1 with FedEx St. Jude Classic win

Dustin Johnson walked off from the FedEx St. Jude Classic with a dominating win on Sunday, and returned to No. 1 in the world ahead of the U.S. Open.

Dustin Johnson is still the best golfer in the world. He just didn’t have the title to go with it for a few weeks. That’s all changed now, as he left little doubt just how dominant he could be at the FedEx St. Jude Classic.

Johnson didn’t lead wire to wire, but he might as well have. Johnson made a mere five bogeys all week, with just two coming on the weekend. His 21 birdies led the field, and more impressively, he wound up inside the top 15 in basically every category that matters.

That DJ led the field in driving distance was a given, but his work on and around the greens was just as immaculate. He hit more than half of his fairways in regulation, and led the field in strokes gained tee-to-green. The flat stick was working brilliantly, too, as Johnson gained nearly four strokes on the field putting.

Four, coincidentally, was his cushion heading to the 72nd hole on Sunday. Then, he hit the walk-off to end all walk-offs.

The best part of that clip is how Johnson reacted…or, better to say, didn’t. He hardly even cracked a smile as he sauntered up the 18th fairway to recover his ball from the bottom of the cup. It was almost as if he expected it to go that way the entire time.

While Johnson has never come off as excessively cocky, there’s nothing cooler than that victory march. And it’s the perfect time for him to get rolling in that groove again.

Dustin Johnson is the favorite at the U.S. Open, and beyond

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We’ve seen Johnson get on this kind of roll before. Last year, he did it early in the season running off three straight wins before getting hurt ahead of the Masters. The time before that, it was two years ago, almost to the day.

The week before the U.S. Open at Oakmont, Johnson shot a Sunday 63 in Memphis to finish inside the top five. What happened next?

Johnson won his first major championship by three shots, the only player at Oakmont to go lower than 1-under for the week. Oh yeah, he won two more tournaments that season, and went on to be a key factor in the U.S. team’s win in the Ryder Cup at Hazeltine.

In my book, this makes Johnson more than a favorite at Shinnecock. If he can keep anything resembling this form up, he’ll be a threat at every big event for the rest of the year. Don’t forget, Johnson could easily be a four-time winner on TOUR already in 2018. He had a six-shot lead entering the final round in China last fall, and he was tied for the lead through 54 holes at Pebble Beach, as well.

Next: U.S. Open Power Rankings: Top ten at Shinnecock Hills

The top of the golf world is as crowded as it’s been in a long time. Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, even Justin Rose could all stake their claim again. While Dustin Johnson has the No. 1 spot right now, there’s no guarantee that he keeps it for an extended period without some big wins ahead.

At this pace, the biggest one might be less than a week away. Don’t bet against it.