DUSTIN THE WIN
JOHNSON STORMS PAST SPIETH IN EPIC SHOWDOWN ON LI
JORDAN Spieth warned us Saturday. “Expect anything,” Spieth said.
He was sitting on a three-shot lead entering Sunday’s Northern Trust final round, and although he had converted nine of his previous 10 54-hole leads into victories, some of those included some bumpy rides along the way.
Of course, the 2016 Masters (losing a five-shot lead with nine holes to play) always lingers. So, too, does his remarkable turnaround at the British Open last month when, just as it looked like he was about the throw the Claret Jug away, he rebounded in historic fashion to win it.
“I’ve kind of shown that anything can happen — unfortunately and fortunately,” Spieth said. “I’ve shown that things can get a little off and have to get back on track. But I’ve also had cruises. That’s what I would obviously like [Sunday].”
He did not get one.
Spieth, who all day looked poised to win his fourth tournament of the season, was overtaken by Dustin Johnson in a onehole playoff Sunday at Glen Oaks Club. Playing in the final pairing together, Johnson shot a 4-under 66 to Spieth’s 69.
They ended up in a playoff, which Johnson won on the 18th with a birdie thanks to a colossal 341-yard tee shot that left him a 60-degree wedge onto the green, which he left 3 feet from the cup.
“I thought that was a fun show to be a part of,” Spieth said afterward. “I was hoping it wasn’t going to be that much fun. I think the way it played out, if I had been a fan, I would have been obviously very pleased with the way this tournament went.”
On Saturday, Spieth insisted: “If I don’t win tomorrow, it’s really not that big a deal in my mind. Obviously, I’m going to fight like hell to win, but it’s a fantastic year no matter what. I accomplished a tremendous goal in winning the British. So everything after is just a nice addition.’’
After the round Sunday, though, he
conceded this one was “going to sting for a minute.’’
“I didn’t lose the tournament,’’ Spieth said. “He won it.’
oth parts of that statement were true. Spieth did not play poorly. And Johnson played beautifully. But Spieth opened the door for Johnson at a time when he had a chance to run away and hide.
Spieth built a five-shot lead over Johnson with birdies on Nos. 3 and 5, and that’s when he left the door ajar — with a poorly judged iron off the sixth tee that landed in a pond and left him with a double bogey on perhaps the easiest par-3 on the course.
Suddenly, his five-shot lead was three again, then Johnson started finding his birdie rhythm.
“It’s very difficult holding a lead on a difficult golf course when the guy you’re playing with goes bogey-free and doesn’t even really sniff a bogey and shoots 4-under,” Spieth said. “Hats off to DJ.”
Spieth said his goal at the start of the round was to shoot 2-under. As it turned out, that would have been enough to stave off Johnson in regulation. “I got off to a good start and just made a mistake on 6 and kind of flustered me for a couple holes,” Spieth said.
“Jordan is a tough competitor,” Johnson said. “He played really well all day.”
The truth is Spieth, despite the few flaws he’s the first to cop to, plays well virtually all the time. It seems every time you look up at a leaderboard, he’s in contention.
“Jordan? He’s just good every single year,” Jason Day said. “He’s a competitor. I don’t know what he’s doing — if he’s trying to chase history or if he writes down goals or something like that — but he just seems like he’s on every single week.
“That takes a special person. Deep down, it takes a lot of grit, a lot of heart to be able to pick yourself up every single week and try and compete. He does it very well because he’s always in contention.”