Switch to old putter benefits Johnson

Everyone knows Dustin Johnson can drive for show. But at the moment the PGA Tour bomber is more focused on the putting for dough part of his game.

Johnson ranks 14th in average driving distance on tour (308.8 yards) and is tied for the longest drive at 430 yards. His abilities on the green — 21st in putts per round — are more than respectable, but on a tour where one extra stroke per round can mean the difference between winning and finishing outside the top 10, Johnson understands that he needs to make more putts.

With that in mind, the No. 2-ranked golfer turned to an old friend on Friday to help improve his putting. Not swing coach Butch Harmon, although Harmon did text Johnson on Thursday night with some advice.

The friend was Johnson’s old putter.

“I went back to my old putter I putted all last year with and it worked,” he said. “I felt good this morning on the putting green. I felt comfortable with it in my hand. I’ve played a lot of rounds of golf with it, so it was nice to see a few putts go in.”

Johnson needed 28 putts on Thursday but only 26 on Friday en route to a 6-under-par 66 that matched J.B. Holmes for low round of the day, moving him into a tie for 14th. He had seven birdies and one bogey, the only glitch on his card.

“Today, I didn’t hole anything crazy. Just made the putts I should have,” he said.

It always feels good to drain long putts, but Johnson thinks it is more important to take care of business on the putts a player expects to make.

“I would rather make all the ones I should than make a bunch of long ones,” he said. “You want to make both, but for me it’s about starting the putt where I’m looking. If they don’t go in … just keep on going. It’s when they’re coming off sideways that you kind of get frustrated.”