That’s right folks, I said it. Nobody in golf media has had the balls to speak out on this over the last 15 years but I’m willing to stand up to the man. DJ has been one of the best of our generation and is one of the most respected players in the game. He’s won 24 tourneys, a US Open, The Masters and has a smoking hot wife. That being said, there has always been one thing he’s missing, the clutch gene. Now, before you immediately comment that I should go fuck myself, let me explain why I’m right and you’re wrong.
For starters, this take was a lot easier before he won The 2020 Masters and I won’t even mention the fact that he won the fakest Masters of all time and went on to get cut the next time they played in normal conditions. Nor will I mention that his four stroke lead fell apart in three holes and the only reason he won was because he had a 22 year old Sungjae Im in second. I just won’t pander to the theory that it’s equivalent to Lebron’s mickey mouse ring, I won’t. So, since we’re not talking about that tourney, let’s look at some real facts. Prior to the 2020 Masters, DJ only won a single major. The “Next Tiger” who had nine Top Fives in majors, only converted ONE into a win. The guy that won a tournament 15 years in a row had one major. The guy that has the perfect swing, the perfect life, the farthest drive, the pride of South Carolina, had ONE major. How could that be you may ask. Well, ladies and gentlemen, he’s a choke artist.
I don’t have time to go round by round of those eight meltdowns but instead let me pick three that stand out the most and will make you think “hmm”
2010 US Open Championship
A young Dustin Johnson came out swinging at Pebble Beach in his run to win his first ever major. He finished the first two rounds at -1, going into the weekend tied for second. He then followed this up with a round three 66, jolting him into first place at -6 (take note of this score) with a three-stroke lead heading into Sunday. A brilliant performance and all he needed to do was close it out with one more solid round. Well folks, that’s not what happened. On the second hole, DJ posted a triple bogey, immediately giving up his lead. Painful, but just gotta shake it off and you can still win right? Nope. Third hole. Double bogey. So long lead. Now, I know what you’re thinking, “eh, tough start he prob finished strong,’ well that’s not what happened. Your hero Dustin Johnson posted a final round EIGHTY-TWO. In case you want it for scoring, that is +12. He fell out of contention immediately and you know what’s the worst part? The winner finished at EVEN. That means DJ could have posted a 75 to win his first major but instead he posted an 82. Yes you read that correctly, the guy could have shot +5 on Sunday to win the US Open at Pebble Beach and still failed.
2010 PGA Championship
This one is a doozy. Let me set the scene. After enduring a horrific meltdown at the US Open, Dustin Johnson returns for the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits to make up for it. He starts the week hot yet again, posting a 71 and 68 in the first two rounds to be top five going into Saturday. He then posts another fantastic round of 67 to set himself up in second place, three strokes back, the same lead he had blown just a couple months prior. It was written in the stars for DJ to go out there and get his first major win. And that’s exactly what he did untillll… something happened. Dustin Johnson had the lead through 71 holes at the PGA Championship. He just needed to par the final par 5, 18th hole, to at least be in a playoff and redeem himself for the US Open meltdown. Birdie will win it. DJ walks up and drives it outside of the ropes into some sand. Okay, no problem at all, birdie might be out, but let’s lock in the par and force a playoff. All he needed to do was finish the hole like he always has and just make sure not to do something stupid… but I think you all know what happened next. Now, I would like to preface this, I would have done the same thing, but it’s also not my responsibility to know the rules of the course. Whistling Straits clearly labeled any and all sand patches as bunkers, meaning at no point can you ground your club in them. DJ walked up, put his club behind the ball and hit his shot. He then had to chip from the rough and missed his 11 footer for the championship and tapped it in to go to a playoff. At least that’s what he and everyone else in the world thought. The PGA rules official came up to him immediately after and broke down that he grounded his club inside of a bunker, ignoring the rules posted all over the course and locker room, earning him a two stroke penalty. DJ obviously fell out of the playoff and choked away yet another Major Championship. Sure, some of you may say he got screwed over and that the PGA never wanted him to win, but rules are rules. Whether you want to blame it on his caddie or DJ himself, he choked. Not to mention, if he just learned to hit a drive straight, he never would have been in that mess and could have easily birdied to win.
2015 US Open Championship
Five years after some of the worst meltdowns in recent memory, we return to the scene where a now aged Dustin Johnson is still looking to capture his first Major. He heads to Chambers Bay and comes out ready to eat. In the first round, he posts a 65 to take an immediate lead. Follows this up with a lackluster second round 71, but still in second place heading to the weekend. He then hit a 70 in the third round to stay tied for first heading into Sunday with his eyes on his first Major. DJ played an average round and was +1 through 16, two strokes back. He birdied 17 to be just one back and heading on to an extremely birdieable par 5 18th. DJ hit the green in two after two spectacular shots giving him just 12 feet for his first ever major. What a way to do it, a walk off eagle. Wayne Gretsky is just off the green ready to see his son in law finally prove that he’s a winner. Jordan Spieth, the current leader, sits and wonders whether he will lose or go to a playoff, after all the guy just needs to two putt from 12 feet out. Welllllll. DJ walks up and hits his eagle putt three feet past the hole. Nothing to worry about, can’t leave an eagle putt short, especially when you’re looking to win the US Open. Now what you can’t do is miss the comebacker as the best player in the world to lose the tournament. Dustin Johnson did just that. He burned the edge and three putt to lose his chance to win the US Open. Three putt. On 18. To lose. The US. Open. One of the most embarrassing feats the golf world has ever seen. That my friends, is a choke artist.
I do want to conclude this that I’ve always liked DJ. He’s a fantastic player and is definitely one of the best of our generation. He seems like an extremely cool and genuine dude that I would love to meet one day and pray that he never reads this blog. He definitely knows how to party and I’m sure I would be a huge bitch and roll over if I ever met him. That being said, when the world needs to DJ to come thru for them, he fails. He fails and then he fails again.
If you read this all and still want to tell me to go fuck myself, I welcome any and all comments below.
Three Putt Bogeys 