The past four days in Mexico City affirmed that which we already know.
When Dustin Johnson gets rolling, he can put a world-class beating on a world-class field of professional golfers. That’s exactly what transpired over 72 holes at the Club de Golf Chapultepec. D.J. played 69 really good holes, one bad one and two with small misfires and the end result was a runaway victory at the WGC-Mexico — his milestone 20th win on the PGA Tour.
D.J. started the final round Sunday afternoon four shots in front of Rory McIlroy and finished five in front of the four-time major champion. Rory never had a prayer. D.J. started cautiously. He let Rory make the front-nine mistakes then stepped on the gas with five back-nine birdies and a closing 66. Sure, Rory rallied on the back with a run of six birdies over a seven-hole stretch but that came once D.J. had built a five-shot lead and the pressure was basically off. Rory’s great when the pressure is off but then his other self showed up to finish the day when his missed from inside three-feet and bogeyed the final hole for a 67 and a 16-under par total.
Johnson beat Rory by five and Rory beat the third place guys by five, confirming that this was nothing more than a two-man competition to start the day and no-pressure Rory free-wheeled his way to that solo second, giving him something he’s never accomplished before — four straight top fives on the PGA Tour. Great consolation prize, eh?
It was Johnson who proved that length and accuracy kick butt on the PGA Tour. Add some really reliable putting and you see the end result.
“I struggled the last two weeks,” Johnson was quick to point out, reminding everyone of his short-comings at Pebble Beach and Riviera after his win in Saudi Arabia. “I got on the phone and talked to Butchie. I worked on what I was feeling here two years ago when I won,” Johnson said of his work with coach Butch Harmon coming into the week.
Then there’s the 20th win. “To get to 20 wins out here is very difficult. To do it before I turn 35 is pretty incredible.”
As for the residual effect, Johnson added, “This gives me great confidence for the rest of the year.”
Johnson admitted he wasn’t as calm inside as he looked all day. “There were some nerves there at the beginning of the day,” he said.
If there were nerves, the only indicator was the early bogey at the third, which he cancelled with birdie at the par five sixth. After the turn, it was smooth sailing, classic Dustin Johnson, long strides, longer drives, incredible wedge play and putting that was good enough to give the rest no chance to win.
D.J. beat the third member of the lead group — Masters champ Patrick Reed — by 14 shots. He was 15 better than Open champion Francesco Molinari and if that’s not impressive enough, D.J. was 18 shots better than U.S. Open and PGA champion Brooks Koepka.
Johnson’s performance was so stunning that it overwhelmed a closing 62 by Justin Thomas, who lost this one in a playoff with Phil Mickelson last year.
And what about Tiger Woods?
Well, his putter acted like a cranky three-year-old all week and left him tied for 10th at eight-under.
And speaking of Woods, these WGC event serve as a reminder of how good he used to be. He won 18 of these.
And now D.J. is second to him, a distant second with a half-dozen.
But you get the feeling that Johnson has a lot more of these WGC wins left in him.
