Johnson was left alone in the lead when Poulter was unable to get up-and-down from a greenside bunker on the 15th, although with the 16th being a reachable par-4 and the par-5 18th still to come, the result was far from settled.
None of the final group tried to drive the green on the 16th, although Johnson's length meant he could hit a long iron just 10 yards short and he promptly chipped in for an eagle two.
Poulter's birdie putt did not look like going in until it just caught the left edge of the hole and wobbled in, but Johnson still held a two- shot lead with two to play.
That became a three shot lead thanks to a birdie on the 17th from five feet and gave Johnson a welcome cushion playing the 18th, the hole where he drove into the water to run up a double bogey seven in the third round.
Unsurprisingly Johnson hit an iron off the tee and laid up with his second, eventually missing a short birdie putt after Poulter and McDowell had done likewise.
Pages
Click here to see the published article.
