If Dustin Johnson can avoid the sort of slip-and-fall injury he sustained in 2017, this might be the year the laid-back South Carolinian finally adds a second major championship to his growing list of Hall of Fame qualifications.
In 2017, Johnson had won three straight tournaments – two of them World Golf Championships events -- and was the pre-Masters favorite when he slipped on the steps of the Augusta home he was renting, hurt his back and had to withdraw from competition. He watched Sergio Garcia slip on the green jacket that spring.
Circumstances look similar this fall. Currently the No. 1 ranked player in the world, Johnson is again playing at the same high level and enters the competition with plenty of confidence.
“It’s probably the best I’ve played in my career, but it’s more consistent,” Johnson said. “I feel like there’s still a lot of room for improvement, but it’s very consistent as far as day-in and day-out, my shot shape, my flight and controlling my distance. I’m very pleased with where my game is right now.”
Since the PGA Tour returned from its COVID-19 shutdown, Johnson has been hard to beat. During the 2020 season, he had seven top-10s and won three times, including the Northern Trust playoff event and the Tour Championship, where he successfully fended off challenges from the likes of Jon Rahm and Justin Thomas to win the FedEx Cup.
After finishing in a tie for sixth at the U.S. Open, his first appearance of the 2020-21 season, Johnson was tested positive for COVID and missed a couple of weeks. Johnson said his symptoms were minor, a slight fever for 36 hours, and otherwise “I felt like I had a cold. The worst part was the quarantining in the room for so long.” He’s still not sure how he got it.
The virus had no detrimental impact on his game. Upon his return, Johnson tied for second at the Houston Open and rides a wave of momentum into the tournament he’s wanted to win since playing putting and chipping games as a kid.
It just took a while for Augusta National to grow on him. After failing to crack the top 10 in his first five Masters appearances, Johnson has been in contention every year since, finishing tied for sixth in 2015, tied for fourth in 2016, tied for 10th in 2018 and tied for second in 2019.
“The first few years playing here, I felt like I was learning a lot,” he said. "I feel like I just keep getting better and keep getting more comfortable the more times I play it.
In fact, Johnson did all he could do to spoil Tiger Woods' run for his fifth Masters in 2019. Johnson birdied four of the last five holes to finish at 12-under 276, one shot behind Woods.
“I felt like I played really good golf,” he said. “Just didn’t get enough putts to go in the hole. Hit some good putts … they were just burning the edges. It was a lot of fun.”
Johnson has recently made an effort to improve his putting, where he ranked 48th in shots gained: putting last season. Johnson is looking for more consistency in that area and has been helped by drawing a line on the golf ball to assist his alignment, “so I know where I’m aiming instead of guessing where I’m aiming,” he said.
Credit: Curtis Compton / Curtis.Compton@
Credit: Curtis Compton / Curtis.Compton@
Johnson has 23 wins on the PGA Tour and has come close in other majors. He’s finished in the top five at six of the last seven U.S. Open Championships. He’s been in the top 10 at six of the last 10 majors and is eager to add to his lone major title, which came at the 2016 U.S. Open.
“Of course I would love to win a lot more majors,” he said. “I’d like to get my second one first, but then add on to that. I feel like if I can put myself in position come Sunday, I like my chances. But we’ve got to get there first. I’ve still got a lot more years ahead of me, so I’m not really too stressed about it.”
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