ECONOMIC CITY OF KING ABDULLAH, Saudi Arabia – Best-placed Dustin Johnson beat Saudi International for the second time in three years on Sunday, after hitting a 2 under 68 in the final round to end with 2 strokes ahead of Justin Rose and Tony Finau.
Johnson, who was also runner-up in 2020, registered his highest scoring round of the tournament at the Royal Greens Golf Club, but still finished at the top of the standings with 15 under the total.
Scotland’s Calum Hill reached par five in 18th, finishing fourth with Frenchman Victor Perez.
Johnson managed a 2-shot lead in the final round, but the Masters champion fought on the greens and was caught by Finau when his American compatriot did a birdies hat-trick on the 11th.
However, Johnson returned to the front with a birdie on the 13th and had some breathing space when Finau fired on the 16th and 17th and Perez double-bogeyed on the 16th.
Johnson also hit a shot on the 16th to see his advantage drop to 1, but responded in style with a massive tee shot the next and a 2-foot shot to set up a decisive birdie.
“I saw the leaderboard a little bit; the guys were playing well, but I kept giving myself a lot of chances,” Johnson told Sky Sports. “I didn’t hit many of them, but I finally made a beautiful putt at 13
“Seventeen was a very good birdie, he hit in a great direction and had a great chip, but it was difficult all day today.
“I can’t play around the world as much as I would like, but it’s definitely good to get a win not on my tour and after Augusta, get my first win again, obviously the game is still really in good shape and I’m really excited about the rest of the year. “
Rasmus Hojgaard, Ryan Fox, Viktor Hovland and Tyrrell Hatton ended in a four-point tie for sixth place, 11 below.
Saudi International is the last of the three “Gulf Swing” events that opens 2021 on the European Tour.