DJ’s chants slip through his grasp
When Dustin Johnson finally emerged as the one player to make a run, everyone noticed. Bethpage Black was finally buzzing again, chants of “DJ! DJ!” echoing over the acres of sand, right into the ears and psyche of leader Brooks Koepka.
But on a day that will be remembered for its attrition, for the Black Course finally showing its teeth, it was never enough. Johnson got it to within a shot, but he bogeyed Nos. 16 and 17 to tarnish what was otherwise a sterling final-round 69 on Sunday of the P GA Championship, leaving him at 6-under for the tournament and two shots behind his good buddy, Koepka, who successfully defended his major title.
“I couldn’t ask any more from the fans,” said Johnson, who was the only player in the field to be under-par in all four rounds. “They were definitely out there and on my side. They were pulling for me. They were great. It was a lot of fun. You know, it’s why we play golf, to be in these kind of situations. And for me, I had a great time out there today, even in these tough conditions. I gave it a good shot.”
He surely did, playing two groups in front of Koepka and going out in 3-under 32. By the time Johnson birdied the difficult 15 th hole, the cheers made their way all the way back to Koepka standing on the 14th tee. After Koepka’s sloppy bogey at that short par-3, his lead was only one shot and the fans were letting him know about it.
As Koepka crossed Round Swamp Road to the 15th tee, Johnson was coming up to the 16th green, no more than a lob wedge away. The fans were jammed together, singing in full throat.
“I heard everything ,” Koepka said. “[Johnson] did an unbelievable job putting pressure on me.”
But Johnson was walking over to the green, where his ball had landed in a spot that was the one place he couldn’t miss. After piping a drive in the middle of the 16th fairway, Johnson had 194 to the hole into a stiff breeze off the right, the kind of breeze that gusted upwards of 20 mph all day.
Johnson thought about going back for his 4-iron, but stuck with the 5-iron and flew it an astounding 200 yards into the heavy wind.
“I didn’ t think the 5 was going to even come close, based on the shots that I had hit earl i er in the round into the wind ,” Johnson said. “The wind was just really eating the ball up when you’re hitting it into it. So I tried to hit kind of a little low-draw. Hit the shot I wanted to right at the flag. I just don’t know how it flew 200 yards into the wind like that.”
After a good chip down a slick hill, he had a tough 8-foot putt he missed, taking the sails out of his charge.
“Hit a great chip and a good putt, and you know, made a 5,” Johnson said. “[After] that one, I knew I needed to birdie one of the last two when I did that.”
Johnson then missed the 17th green — and a scream from the crowd very close to before he made contact had nothing to do with it.
“I made a bad swing,” he said. “It had nothing to do with anyone else.”
A poor chip and a two-putt essentially ended his run, essentially handed the Wanamaker Trophy to Koepka. But at the very least, Johnson made the final round interesting.
“Obviously I knew starting seven back that it was going to be a big feat to catch Brooks,” Johnson said .“I definitely gave him a run, though, so I was happy with that.”