Dustin Johnson within spitting distance of first major after Shanghai win

DUSTIN Johnson provided both the spit and polish in Shanghai this weekend.

Dustin Johnson wins Champions

DUSTIN Johnson provided both the spit and polish in Shanghai this weekend.

The American said he was now ready to win a major and he was so good that the only doubt seems to be whether he will be dehydrated when he does.

Despite late charges by Ian Poulter and Graeme McDowell, Johnson finished on 24 under par to win the WGC-HSBC Champions at Sheshan International by three strokes from Poulter, the defending champion, with McDowell a further shot back in third.

It was a good enough performance from Johnson for him to turn his attention to bigger fry.

 "A major is always the next step and if I play like I did this week then I'm going to win one for sure," he said. "You know I really like Augusta. I grew up down the street."

The only downside was his prolific spitting. On the scale of sporting sins, that may be mere phlegm-flam, but the sight of Johnson coughing up almost everything but the lead will not have endeared him to golf's more genteel watchers. Given the Twitter mither over Tiger Woods spitting during this year's Open, Johnson would be well advised to nip the habit in the bud.

It was a good day for the UK's golfers, but not a great one. McDowell has given himself a chance of topping the European Tour money list if he can see off Henrik Stenson in Dubai in a fortnight. Rory McIlroy called it a "step in the right direction" after tying for sixth place on 15 under par, and he will at least qualify for the Race to Dubai denouement after making the top 60.

However, the remarkable fact is that, of last year's Ryder Cup winners, only McDowell and Justin Rose, a shot ahead of McIlroy here, have won since Medinah. That briefly looked like changing yesterday. Poulter and McDowell, who both matched Johnson's closing round of 66, six under par, had him worried early on, with five birdies between them in the first three holes.

By the 6th, Johnson's lead had gone and by the 12th Poulter was in front. However, over his next five holes the resilient Johnson made birdies at the 13th, 14th and 17th, plus a game-changing eagle, chipping in from 20 yards, at the 16th. Game over. It meant that we did not get the thrilling finish we had wanted and, at several stages, expected.

McDowell said he was skipping next week's Turkish Airlines Open because he did not want to be away from his wife and family for five weeks. He will return in Dubai, but his prospects of overhauling Stenson may have taken a decisive hit by then. "As long as Henrik doesn't do anything too unsensible in Turkey, then I'll have a good shot going into Dubai," he said.

His fellow Northern Irishman McIlroy was also in good spirits. "Something to build on, not too bad," he said, adding that nobody could have competed with Johnson on this form. The first European Tour win of the American's career was a polished breakthrough. As for the spit, it is worth remembering that Woods was fined for spitting on the green during a European Tour event in 2011, while Keegan Bradley, a US PGA champion, issued a public apology last year. England expects; the US expectorates.

Stateside commentators have more often damned Johnson for the habit of wrecking good rounds with mad moments, as in his third round here when he hit his final drive in the water and then found the sand, effectively making a beach holiday from a par-five begging to be birdied.

Yesterday, he had got himself in good enough position to chip his way down the 18th for a routine win. Monster driving and soft hands, it was the classiest of acts in almost every way.

The Times