‘Snowman’ ices Johnson
He finishes strong but can’t contend after an 8 on No. 1
SHEBOYGAN, Wis. — No one knows better than Dustin Johnson how one disastrous hole at Whistling Straits can ruin a final round in a PGA Championship.
In 2010, it was No. 18. On Sunday, it was No. 1.
Johnson had a quadruple-bogey 8 on that first hole, spoiling his chances of challenging barely 10 minutes after getting to the tee box.
Even two eagles on the back nine, where he shot a 5-under 31, couldn’t resuscitate Johnson’s chances. He finished with a 3-under 69 to tie for seventh at 12 under, eight strokes behind winner Jason Day.
“Obviously, a little disappointed to get off to that kind of start,” Johnson said. “But that kind of comeback ... was key, I think.”
In 2010, Johnson took a two-stroke penalty on 18 after grounding his club into a bunker way right off the fairway. It dropped him out of the lead and out of a chance to take part in a playoff won by Martin Kaymer.
The stakes weren’t as high this year — Johnson was six shots back of Day when the fourth round began.
Still, there was nothing cool at the first hole after Johnson’s “snowman.”
The tee shot landed in a bunker, and his second shot sailed into rough. It only got worse:
Third shot: 15 feet into a bunker, 51 feet from the pin.
Fourth shot: 22 feet into rough, 29 feet from the pin.
The backbreaker was the next shot, an errant chip that didn’t make it up to the green and caromed 4 feet back into a bunker.
The sixth shot finally bounced on to the green and left Johnson 20 feet from the pin. He twoputted from there.
Mound of trouble: An errant tee shot on No. 5 left BubbaWatson feeling a bit antsy. Watson got into an animated discussion with a rules official about whether he could take a free drop after the ball landed on an anthill.
The official consulted a colleague over a radio before delivering an answer.
“It’s not fire ants or anything, so there’s no relief on them. It’s basically just a loose impediment,” the official said. Watson followed up. “Since the animal — it is an animal, right? You agree with that?” he asked while the two men bent over to look down at the little insects.
“It’s burrowing. It’s digging a hole,” Watson continued. Not so, the official said. Watson got to the green in two shots and made a 4foot putt for a birdie.
No complaints: Talk of bumpy greens and horrendous weather dominated the U.S. Open and British Open. At the PGA Championship, that angst was replaced by smiles— from both the players and spectators.
Rory McIlroy called Whistling Straits “a fantastic venue for a major championship,” and Phil Mickelson said: “It is going to be a great Ryder Cup site.”