Johnson defeated Japanese star Hideto Tanihara 1-up yesterday in the semi-finals of the $9.75 million PGA Tour event.
“I thought I played pretty solid. I hit the ball well, drove it well. I hit a lot of good putts and just on the back nine, they just didn’t go in,” Johnson said.
“I hit the hole a bunch on the back nine, hitting good putts with good speed. That’s what I’ve got to keep doing, rolling the putter really well and I think I’ll be tough to beat this afternoon.”
Spain’s Rahm had an easier time ousting Bill Haas 3 and 2 as the winners will square off in the championship match Sunday afternoon.
Former FedEx Cup champion Haas and Tanihara will play for third place on the Austin Country Club course in Texas.
Johnson, who won the World golf Championships-Mexico Championship earlier this month, is seeking to become the first player to win each of the four World golf Championships events, with this being the only one missing from his trophy case.
He took over the top perch in the world golf rankings by winning his last two tournaments, the Genesis Open and the WGC Mexico. He seeks to become the first player to win three straight starts on the PGA Tour since Rory McIlroy in 2014.
Johnson could also match Tiger Woods as the only players to win consecutive WGC events.
Tanihara made Johnson work for the victory as he almost delivered the biggest upset of the tournament.
Tanihara can look back on the week with pride as he earned his best PGA Tour finish, topping his two top-10 finishes in 43 previous career starts.
He joins Toru Taniguchi as the lone players from Asia to reach the semis of this event.
For some time now Rahm has been a rising star in the sport. He is a former world No.1 amateur and he’s showing the ability to transition that success to the big stage.
If Rahm beats Johnson in the championship match he will jump inside the top-10 of the official world golf rankings and he’s set to move to fourth in the FedEx Cup standings.
Stroud grabs lead at Puerto Rico Open
Chris Stroud capped his five-under 67 with a birdie to seize a one-shot lead after three rounds of the US PGA Tour’s Puerto Rico Open on Saturday.
Stroud broke out of a three-way tie atop the leaderboard, finishing 54 holes at Coco Beach Golf and Country Club with a 15-under par total of 201.
He was one shot in front of fellow Americans D.A. Points and Bill Lunde, who had shared the second-round lead with Bryson DeChambeau and both carded 69s. DeChambeau fired a 70 to join a group of six players sharing fourth on 203 that also included England’s Andrew Johnston, South Korean Kim Whee, Puerto Rican Rafael Campos, New Zealander Tim Wilkinson and American Jonathan Randolph.
Stroud, who started the third round one shot off the lead, had five birdies without a bogey to put himself in position to challenge for a first US PGA Tour title.
His previous best finish was a playoff loss at the Travelers Championship in 2013. “I feel like I’m way overdue,” Stroud said. “I’m playing very, very well. I’m making some nice putts.”
He said his approach on Sunday would be simple.
“Nothing fancy — just go out there and hit a lot of fairways, a lot of greens. There’s a lot of guys behind me. I’m just going to keep looking forward.”
Points had four birdies and a bogey in his round, but couldn’t find a birdie after the 12th.
Lunde, seeking a second US PGA victory almost seven years after capturing his first, had joined the second round leaders with three pars to end his weather-disrupted 68 on Saturday morning. He followed with a three-under effort that included five birdies and two bogeys.
Johnston stormed up the leaderboard with a bogey-free six-under par 66. His six birdies included two to cap his round.
Whee carded a 67 and Randolph a 68. Wilkinson followed up a second-round 63 with a 69 and Campos, who had seized sole possession of the lead with five birdies on the front nine, settled for a 69. The tournament offers a chance for lesser lights on the PGA Tour to contend while top-ranked talent plays at Austin, Texas, in the World Golf Championships Match-Play tournament.
Leading scores
201 — Chris Stroud 69-65-67
202 — D.A. Points 64-69-69, Bill Lunde 65-68-69
203 — Andrew Johnston (ENG) 70-67-66, Kim Whee (KOR) 71-65-67, Jonathan Randolph 66-69-68, Rafael Campos (PUR) 66-68-69, Tim Wilkinson (NZL) 71-63-69, Bryson DeChambeau 68-65-70
204 — J.T. Poston 66-72-66, Scott Brown 67-68-69
205 — John Peterson 70-69-66, Peter Uihlein 69-68-68, Boo Weekley 68-68-69, J.J. Spaun 66-68-71
206 — Fabian Gomez (ARG) 71-68-67, Kurt Kitayama 70-68-68, Sam Saunders 70-69-67, Mark Anderson 68-69-69, Luke List 71-66-69, Ryan Blaum 68-69-69, Harold Varner 66-74-66, Kyle Reifers 70-66-70, David Hearn (CAN) 66-69-71, Retief Goosen (RSA) 68-67-71, Tom Hoge 69-65-72.
