• World rankings

Relieved Johnson rises to No. 4 in the world

Dustin Johnson won the Barclays © Getty Images

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Dustin Johnson has moved up to No. 4 in golf's world rankings after his victory at the Barclays Championship on Saturday.

The American, who held off Matt Kuchar to win the tournament after it was shortened to 54 holes due to the impending Hurricane Irene, leaps five places after the victory - while Thomas Bjorn moves up 11 places from 70th to 59th after his own triumph in the Johnnie Walker Championship on the European Tour.

Johnson's rise means the top four in the world rankings are are now all major-less, as he sits behind Luke Donald, Lee Westwood and Steve Stricker in the pecking order. Martin Kaymer, in fifth, is the highest ranked major champion on the list.

Johnson started the year with high hopes of many victories, but the American has had to wait until late August to get his first win of the year. However, he says he was never worried by his form.

"Well, I was never concerned. More frustrated than anything," Johnson said. "Because I felt like I played some really good golf this year. Just have not been able to quite get it done.

"And it wasn't that my golf game was bad. Just the putts I needed to make, I just had not been able to make them and this week I felt like I didn't do anything crazy with the putter. I just made the ones I was supposed to. "

Keegan Bradley's victory at the US PGA Championship saw a number of columnists proclaim the 25-year-old as the best young American golfer around. Johnson, 27, denied that made him determined to prove people wrong.

"I don't care. I play golf," he said. "I don't really read the press too much. But it doesn't really matter. I think I'm a pretty good, young American player."

Elsewhere, 14-time major champion Tiger Woods continued his slide down the rankings, dropping a further two spots to sit 38th. Matt Kuchar is up to seventh after his finish last week, dislodging Nick Watney from the top ten.

World Rankings: 1. Luke Donald (ENG), 2. Lee Westwood (ENG), 3. Steve Stricker (USA), 4. Dustin Johnson (USA), 5. Martin Kaymer (GER), 6. Rory McIlroy (NIR), 7. Matt Kuchar (USA), 8. Adam Scott (AUS), 9. Phil Mickelson (USA), 10. Jason Day (AUS), 11. Nick Watney (USA), 12. Charl Schwartzel (RSA), 13. Graeme McDowell (NIR), 14. KJ Choi (KOR), 15. Bubba Watson (USA), 16. David Toms (USA), 17. Ian Poulter (ENG), 18. Paul Casey (ENG), 19. Robert Karlsson (SWE), 20. Kim Kyung-tae (KOR).

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