Johnson shot a 29 on the front nine of rain-softened Plainfield Country Club for the second straight day and closed with a 6-under 65 to pull away from mistake-prone Matt Kuchar (68) for a two-shot victory.
The Barclays was reduced to 54 holes because of Hurricane Irene, and there was as much drama in the sky as on the course. Kuchar started the third and final round with a one-shot lead. If the round could not be completed, the tournament would have reverted to 36 holes and Kuchar would have been declared the winner.
The rain came down hard right after Johnson holed a bunker shot for eagle on No. 4. But it held off just long enough for Johnson to collect his first win of the year and fifth of his career. He is the first player since Tiger Woods to go straight from college and win in each of his first four years on the PGA Tour.
Johnson, who finished at 19-under 194, wasn’t the only big winner on Saturday.
Ian Poulter birdied four of his last five holes for a 64, making him one of eight players who moved inside the top 100 in the FedEx Cup standings and advance to the second playoff event next week outside Boston.
William McGirt, the last of the 125 players who qualified for the playoffs, birdied the 17th hole that pushed him to No. 96. Padraig Harrington went from No. 124 to No. 80 with his tie for 13th. And then there was Ernie Els. He would have been eliminated had the tournament been cut short to 36 holes. Els had a 67 to from 118th in the standings to No. 99.
Dustin Johnson Wins at The Barclays
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