Dustin’s finding it
Johnson regaining his game after Masters fall
THERE’S a theory shared by most professional golfers that, in one of four rounds during a tournament week, they will not have their best stuff and if they can survive that one bad round, they can win.
With that theory in mind at this week’s Northern Trust, beware Dustin Johnson this weekend at Glen Oaks Club in Old Westbury.
A veteran PGA Tour caddie told me before the tournament began that he expected Johnson to run away with this first FedExCup playoff event of the year because the golf course plays right into his strengths. Glen Oaks is a long, brute of a challenge, and when he’s on, Johnson is the longest and straightest driver of the ball in the game.
So now the question is whether the 1-under 69 Johnson shot in Friday’s second round to put him into a share of the 36-hole lead at 6-under will end up being his bad round of the week.
If it is, then my caddie source will end up being rather prescient and Johnson will, indeed, win his fourth tournament of the year by sunset Sunday.
After Johnson’s openinground 65 on Thursday, he told reporters that he felt his game was as good as it had been before the Masters earlier this year. Well, when Johnson came to Augusta, Ga., in April having won his previous three tournaments, he looked as if he was never going to lose another tournament again.
Then he fell down some stairs at the home he was renting in Augusta, hurt his back, had to withdraw from the Masters and has had a mediocre summer.
It looks as if that mediocre summer might turn into a pretty profitable August and September. Johnson, who began his second round on the back nine, shot a 1-under in the second round while missing birdie putts of 11 feet on No. 10, 10 feet on No. 12, 16 feet on No. 13 and eight feet on No. 15.
On the front side, he fell into a brief malaise with his driver and sliced one into the right trees off the tee on No. 4 and yanked one onto the left trees on No. 5. Those poor drives cost him two shots, with good bogey saves on both.
Jon Rahm, who played with Johnson, was asked how close he looks now compared to that stretch leading into the Masters.
“I mean, if it’s not the same … ’’ Rahm said, his voice trailing off. “Besides the bump on [Nos.] 4 and 5 for him, if he hits the two fairways, he’s probably at 10-under. [Thursday] he hit it unbelievably good [and] he shot 5-under missing putts. Not many people were probably able to say that they shot 5-under missing putts.’’
Rickie Fowler, the third player in the Johnson threesome, said Glen Oaks “is right up DJ’s alley.’’
“But,’’ Fowler added, “there’s not many courses that don’t fit him. Long courses, they become somewhat shorter for him, and the shorter courses, can basically take driver and lob- wedge and putter.’’
Johnson was undaunted by his Friday stumbles, saying, “I felt like I was in control all day.’’
“I just need to keep striking it like I am [and] I’m going to be right there come Sunday for sure,’’ he said. “I feel like I’ve got it back on the right track. I’m looking forward to the rest of the playoffs.’’
Beware of Dustin Johnson.