BMW likes to call itself “The Ultimate Driving Machine.”
Not on the golf course.
That moniker belongs to Dustin Johnson.
Johnson, golf’s Ultimate Driving Machine, simply did his thing once again on Sunday at Crooked Stick. He overpowered a 7,500-yard golf course, shot 23-under par and won the title by three-shots over out-gunned Paul Casey.
It looked as if Casey might have a chance to get within two shots of Johnson on the 15th hole. D.J. had worked his way to a three-shot lead and Casey ran in a 35-foot eagle putt to get to 20-under par. The only problem is that Johnson wasted no time and promptly ran in his own 18-foot eagle putt to get to 23-under and slammed the door on Casey’s slim hopes.
That’s the way it would end, Johnson the winner with a closing 67 and minus 23 on a monster-length golf course.
Casey was in the final pairing for the second straight week, finishing runner up to Johnson with his own 67 and pushing his way into the magic No. 5 spot in the FedEx Cup race. Of course, Johnson is No. 1.
The top five control their own fate. Win in Atlanta take the title and the $10 million bonus that goes with it.
Johnson is first, Patrick Reed second, Adam Scott third, Jason Day fourth and Casey in at five.
Heading to East Lake, Johnson is brimming with confidence.
“I’ve got a lot of confidence in all parts of my game,” he admitted as he walked off the 72nd hole. He also was happy with his switch to another putter prior to the event. “The putter worked really well this week.”
Thing is, every part of Johnson’s game worked really well. His drives were long and spectacular and his wedges left him a lot of birdie opportunities. “I’ve put in a lot of work with my wedges and it showed,” Johnson pointed out.
He’ll be the favorite in Atlanta but the FedEx Cup has not been kind to No. 1 seeds. Tiger Woods was the last No. 1 seed to win it all and that was back in 2009.
2 Comments
hrfdez
Is this guy good or what? Great article Tom!
Tom Edrington
Lee Trevino used to say “God didn’t give any player everything.” What he meant is that even the greatest were all missing something…..maybe with the exception of Woods and Nicklaus. You watched the way DJ played, he has ENORMOUS length, great accuracy and really sweet distance control with his wedges. He basically plays a different golf course. Next time you go out, just walk each hole, drop a ball at wedge distance and see what you shoot. Butch Harmon has done an amazing job polishing DJ’s game. DJ has also put in the hard work and now he’s found a putter he likes. He will be the favorite going into East Lake but this FedEx Cup has not been kind to the top guy. Only Woods came in as the No. 1 and won in 2009.