By Kent Gray
Good players win. Players destined for greatness find a way to win when they’re not at their best.

Dustin Johnson showed all the attributes of the latter when he collected his second Saudi International title in three years on Sunday, extending a legend that has seen him finish no worse than second in the event’s three edition history.

The 36-year-old South Carolinian’s closing 68, once again full of spectacular ball striking from tee to green and a catalogue of perplexing miss-reads on Royal Greens Golf & Country Club’s tricky putting surfaces, was enough to edge Justin Rose and perennial bridesmaid Tony Finau by two strokes.

Johnson’s 265 aggregate earned him €475,425 and took his winnings in King Abdullah Economic City to €1,336,570. But all the euros, even when they are converted to greenbacks, won’t be nearly as satisfying to the already ridiculously wealthy American as the way he ground out victory and extended his advantage atop the world rankings. It was his 16th worldwide victory in his last 100 starts and more impressively his third win in his last eight starts.

“Yeah, obviously just the way I was swinging the club. I felt like I really controlled the golf ball well in some windy conditions. I drove it well. I did everything really well except for hole putts,” Johnson said when asked what pleased him most about his week’s work.

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Johnson lets rip from the 18th tee in the final round Sunday.

“I didn’t hole a lot of putts. It was really nice and I’m very pleased and proud of winning when I didn’t feel like I had — I wasn’t completely on all cylinders as far as where everything was working well.”

As the line of questioning moved on in his champion’s press conference, the reigning Masters champion’s answers would have left others feeling like they might be playing for second more often in 2021.

“I’m definitely going to work on the putting but I feel like there’s always room for improvement throughout [your] game no matter how you’re hitting it. I still can get better with a lot of things I feel like.

“I come into a tournament looking to contend and I prepare as best I can. Obviously, I’ve been playing some really good golf the last six months. Hopefully, I’m going to continue to play this kind of golf. But I’m seeing a lot of the same things each and every week, and that’s what I do, and I’ve got a great team around me that helps me kind of stay in that form. So I can perform at the highest level each and every week.”

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Tony Finau described another top-10 finish as “bittersweet”.

Finau came closest to challenging Johnson, drawing level with the world No.1 with a birdie on the 13th. But sloppy bogeys on the 16th and 17th left the American ruing another near moss. It was Finau’s 41st top-10 without a win across all tours since 2017.

“I’ve enjoyed my time here,” said Finau. “A little bittersweet at the moment. I knew I could put some pressure, but unfortunately made a couple of bogeys on 16 and 17. I was floating three or four back going into 11 and knew I was running out of holes to make something happen.

“I know how well I’m playing and I’ve got to just keep positive. If I keep playing at a high level and give myself a chance to win, I just know it’s bound to happen. I hit a lot of greens and I actually didn’t feel like I putted that well. That’s what I’m going to look back on as what I need to get better at to close out some of these tournaments. I have to make some of those putts from a little bit closer.”

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Justin Rose in action during the final round.

Rose was also left to bemoan putts missed despite a bogey-free 65 that highlighted a welcome return to form for the 2013 U.S. Open champion.

“I’ve been working on a lot of stuff but really staying patient,” Rose said.

“I haven’t been playing my best golf and it’s been easy to get frustrated. This three-week trip has felt like slow going. My good golf hasn’t been rewarded and I’ve made silly mistakes. Momentum hasn’t quite been on my side yet. So to play a bogey-free 65 on a Sunday is something I can take to fuel the upcoming run.”