Dustin Johnson was back and that was the big talk on the PGA Tour this week.
The Big Guy was back and he’s 100 percent after his infamous stair-stumble at The Masters.
Comfy socks and a hardwood stairs proved a bad combination for the guy the world expected to win the season’s first major.
Fate can be a crazy factor and fate sent D.J. home to Jupiter for the past four weeks.
He was back at Eagle Point Thursday with that long stride and What Me Worry? attitude that makes him the Easy Rider of the PGA Tour.
Johnson started on the back nine Thursday and looked like he hadn’t missed any time at all.
He looked virtually flawless.
He feathered a short wedge shot into the par five 12th and dropped a five-footer for his first birdie. He added a second at the 199-yard par three 15th where his tee shot stopped within nine feet and he holed that to go two-under. A short wedge from 137 yards (yes, that’s a short wedge for D.J.), stopped just six feet away on the par four 16th and he made that one to go three under.
Pars at 17 and 18 gave him a 33 at the turn and he was doing what he so often does — he makes it look TOO easy. Hit all nine greens, no problem, keep going. Find it, hit it, hit it good.
A par at the first made it 10-for-10, greens in regulation. Then golf happened.
Of all places to make bogey, you wouldn’t figure a 160-yard par three would be the place. Johnson’s tee shot came up just short of the green and he then hit his first really bad shot of the day, a pretty-trashy chip from 24 feet that only got halfway to the hole. Two putts later he had his first bogey. Unforced error.
After four straight pars, he got that one back at the short par four seventh where he hit a baby wedge and holed one from 13 feet.
D.J.’s day ended on a sour note thanks to a tee shot he pulled left into the junk at nine. His second came up short and he didn’t get up-and-down for par.
Bogey for 70, probably the worst he could have done on a day where he hit 16 greens and bogeyed both the holes where he missed the greens. A bit of rust, thank-you.
“I’m happy with the way I played,” the world’s No. 1 told everyone afterward. “I didn’t score that great, didn’t really hole that many putts but other than that, yeah, I played really well. All in all I’m very pleased with the day.”
Johnson also reported that he’s just fine physically and there was nothing that showed on Thursday that would indicate otherwise.
The big cat simply strolled his way to an opening 70. Didn’t look like he had to break a sweat. Maybe two shots that cost him all day.
Two shots.
The thing that continues to amaze everyone is how easy he makes it all look.
His longest drive sailed 340 yards. He’s right, he’s 100 percent.
Back at it with a healthy back.
And about six weeks to go until the U.S. Open.
