Dustin Johnson becomes new World No. 1 with runaway win at Riviera

Published Feb. 19, 2017 8:57 p.m. ET

Nick Schwartz

Abnormal weather in the Los Angeles area forced some players in the Genesis Open field at Riviera Country Club to play 36 holes Sunday, but no one could touch leader Dustin Johnson all day long.

Johnson, the 2016 U.S. Open champ, shot a phenomenal round of 64 early in the day to open up a huge six-shot lead, allowing him to cruise to his first victory of the 2017 PGA Tour season - and surpass Jason Day as the new top-ranked player in the world.

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Johnson was three-over par for his last 10 holes, but it didn't matter. Ryder Cup breakout star Thomas Pieters vaulted up the leaderboard with a 63, but the Belgian still fell five shots short of Johnson.

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The victory gave Johnson a win in his 10th consecutive season, putting him in rarified air. Johnson came into the tournament ranked No. 3 in the world, but leapfrogged both Rory McIlroy and Day to become the 20th man to be ranked No. 1 since the rankings began.

https://twitter.com/PGATOUR/status/833484366948995074

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