• The Barclays, Round Three

Johnson claims Barclays title

Justin Rose is four shots off the lead in New Jersey © Getty Images

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Leaderboard

Dustin Johnson held his nerve to claim victory in The Barclays, the first event of the FedEx Cup.

PGA officials took the decision to cut the event to 54 holes on account of the threat of Hurricane Irene, leading to a Saturday finish.

Matt Kuchar started the day with a one-shot lead, but failed to combat the threat of Johnson who hit a 65 to take the title by two shots for his fifth win on the PGA Tour.

Johnson made an early statement with a birdie-birdie start and rebounded from a bogey at three with an eagle at the fourth - holing a bunker shot for a two. Further birdies followed at five, seven and nine to turn in 29.

The big-hitting South Carolina native has played the front nine better than the back all week and it proved the same again on Saturday. He was able to manage his score with a run of nine successive pars and it made the difference as defending champion Kuchar blinked coming home.

A birdie at 11 drew Kuchar level with Johnson at 19-under but costly bogeys on 12 and 13 checked his momentum and a sloppy wedge approach from 70 yards on 15 summed up his afternoon as he failed to exert any pressure on Johnson.

Brandt Snedeker took the low-round award and fired himself well up the FedEx Cup standings with a blistering effort of 61. The American birdied six of his first seven holes to set the tone for his round. He hit five more birdies coming home, with his one blemish coming with a bogy at the par-four 13th.

Brian Davis is still seeking his first win on the PGA Tour, but the Englishman can be proud of his effort on Saturday as a round of 64 took him into top five.

YE Yang was another player to make a big move, with the Korean shooting a 63 to climb to 14-under alongside Davis.

Luke Donald claimed a second 66 of the week to finish the tournament at 11-under, while Ian Poulter closed with a 64 for the same score.

Nick Watney entered the week as the FedExCup points leader. He closed with a bogey-free 64 to finish at 10-under for the tournament to drop to three - with Johnson one and Kuchar two.

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