Dustin Johnson Rebounds With a Rout at the Northern Trust

“My ball-striking was unbelievable; I found something on Wednesday,” Johnson said. “I was swinging really good but something clicked on Wednesday.”

Johnson began the day with a five-stroke lead and quickly made a statement to the rest of the field on the second hole when he rolled in a six-foot eagle putt. From there, Johnson only stomped on the accelerator, with birdies in four of his next six holes. It was an impressive stretch, although not nearly as striking as Friday’s round when Johnson was 11-under-par through his first 11 holes — a performance built on accurate, powerful tee shots, deft iron play and confident, precise putting.

As English, who also had four rounds in the 60s during the tournament, said of Johnson in a television interview during the rain delay: “Dustin hasn’t missed a shot and he’s putting really well. That’s a tough combination.”

For Johnson, this month has been a remarkable revival from a dreadful July when he shot 80 in back-to-back rounds at the Memorial Tournament and missed the cut. At his next tournament, he opened with a 78 and promptly withdrew. But the respite led to a turnaround in August which has seen Johnson record 12 successive rounds in the 60s, including at the P.G.A. Championship when he finished tied for second. With Sunday’s victory, Johnson also becomes the No. 1 ranked player in men’s golf as the PGA Tour nears the close of its truncated 2020 season.

“Obviously, I’ve got myself into a really good position,” Johnson said of the FedEx Cup playoffs, which he has never won. “It’s just something that I would really like to have on my résumé when I’m done playing golf. It’s a big title. It means a lot to all the guys out here.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/23/sports/golf/northern-trust-scores-dustin-johnson.html