Imperious Johnson takes six-shot lead

Dustin Johnson charged into a handsome six-shot lead at the $9.75mnWGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai yesterday after an anticipatedthird-round battle with close friend Brooks Koepka failed tomaterialise.In breezy conditions Johnson’s four-under-par 68 stretched his one-shotovernight lead on his fellow American, who shot an error-strewn 73,leaving the world number one in pole position for the final day today. Third at Sheshan International Golf Club, on 206 overall and seven shotsoff the imperious Johnson, was last year’s runner-up Henrik Stenson ofSweden.American Brian Harman and Englishman Justin Rose, the Rio 2016 Olympic champion, were joint fourth.“I’m not worried about what anyone else is doing, I’ve got enough toworry about with just myself,” said Johnson on his mindset going intothe decisive day with such a big lead.“I’m not going to change my game plan playing no matter what Brooks does, Henrik, whoever is out there playing.“I’m going to stick to it and hopefully execute.”Johnson and Koepka live near one another in Florida and are fishing and gym buddies.But the niceties were left in the clubhouse and reigning US Openchampion Koepka was immediately on the front foot, grabbing a birdie atthe first while Johnson carded just his third bogey of the week.That immediately wiped out Johnson’s slender overnight lead and was thefirst of three birdies on the spin for the 27-year-old Koepka to propelhim briefly into the lead.But that was as good as it got for Koepka.Johnson made birdies at holes two, four, seven and then at eight, whereKoepka’s challenge faltered badly with a horror triple bogey.The 33-year-old Johnson, the 2013 Shanghai champion and 2016 US Openwinner, made the turn having opened up a four-shot lead on his rival.Johnson gave a subtle shake of the head after a double bogey at thepar-four 10th, but Koepka failed to capitalise with a bogey of his ownand Johnson was always in control after that despite the tricky wind. Hideki Matsuyama, the reigning champion from Japan, had another poor day with a 72 to leave him firmly out of the reckoning.‘Very blah’Johnson identified the eighth hole as the turning point and Koepka called holes eight to 12 “a disaster”.“I don’t know what happened from eight on,” said a deflated Koepka, ranked 11 in the world.“It was kind of very disappointing — very blah. I didn’t really make anyputts, like those momentum putts. I didn’t make one of those.”Koepka also said he had been put off on the 18th hole, where he stumbledto a third bogey of the day, by multiple cameras going off.Rose carded a 72 and similarly struggled in the wind, having started the day in tied third and still in the hunt.“Wasn’t good enough, is what it was, but it was tricky out there,” hesaid. “But all in all, DJ (Johnson) played great golf today andobviously stretched out a little too far ahead.”The 37-year-old at least had the consolation of a birdie at the finalhole, but said he was only really chasing second behind Johnson onSunday.“You kind of walk away, the course didn’t beat me today,” he said of making a last-gasp birdie.“I feel like that birdie can hopefully make dinner taste good and come out and try and do something special.”