Spieth holds head high after playoff loss to Johnson

The win was Johnson’s fourth of the year, but it was just his third top 10 since injuring himself before the Masters.

“Jordan’s a tough competitor”, Johnson told CBS’ Dottie Pepper in the immediate aftermath.

The last hour of play was as tense as any tournament of the season outside the majors, both players producing some extraordinary clutch shots over the closing stages. “It was good to make the putt, especially when I really needed to make one”.

“Mistake on six kind of flustered me for a couple holes. It was nice in the play-off here, the wind sort of switched so I could cover the water”.

“I feel the game’s finally back in form like it was leading into the Masters”, Johnson said in a greenside interview.

“Right after I hit my drive, I was like, ‘What am I doing?’ ” Johnson said. Got a lot of control over the golf ball. “But to finally come out and do it, especially after the string of good finishes this summer, is really special”.

“It was a big win, for sure, especially after the start I got off to his year”, Johnson said, alluding to three straight victories against strong fields. Wesley Bryan also noted the specific 18th-hole advantages for those who can bomb it as far as Johnson did.

Spieth again found the green safely but needed to hole his birdie putt from 25-feet after Johnson knocked his approach to within a few feet to nearly guarantee a three.

The risk paid off, leaving the 2016 US Open Champion a lob wedge in to the green.

Speaking afterwards Open Champion Spieth said: “I didn’t lose this tournament”. (“Right after I hit my drive”, he would later say, “I was like, ‘What am I doing?’ Because I put myself in the worst possible spot.”) He chopped out from the rough, then eventually holed a delicate, bending, critical 17-foot par putt to force a playoff.

But he made it pay off with a par, that got him into the playoff after Spieth lagged a 75-foot putt perfectly to get his par.

It was great theater between the two friends. And while players of his caliber are judged exclusively – and perhaps unfairly – by their major performances, the work Johnson has put together this year warrants nothing but acclaim.

“When someone is playing as well as Julian was, you know that you are going to have make birdies and it really focuses you on what you have to do. But no surprise, either”.

Jon Rahm and Jhonnattan Vegas tied for third at minus-9. Sort of a little inconsistent with my swing and sort of with everything else. “The fans like me, and I hope they continue to like me, because if they don’t, that’s not any fun for sure because they can be mean”.

Sunday’s win was Johnson’s second Northern Trust victory and fourth FedExCup Playoff title.