Back on course
Sidelined since just before the Masters, world No. 1 golfer Dustin Johnson will return to competition,
The pain in Dustin Johnson’s back is gone. The disappointment from not being able to play in the Masters when the world No. 1 was the pre-tournament favorite after rolling over his foes with three consecutive wins has also departed. Which isn’t surprising, seeing as the unflappable South Carolinian doesn’t play the “what if ” card and always sees his glass as half full instead of half empty.
“Crazy things happen,” Johnson said Wednesday after his pro-am round in the Wells Fargo Championship at Eagle Point Golf Club in Wilmington, N.C. “The only time it was maybe tough was just watching the tournament, but after Sunday, it’s been fine.”
The crazy thing that happened on the eve of the Masters involved a small flight of wooden stairs — Johnson slipped on them and fell hard enough to injure his lower back and left elbow. Less than 24 hours later, after trying to shake off the pain on the driving range as the first round was in full flight, Johnson had to ground himself moments before his tee time.
An MRI revealed a deep bruise that has healed during rest and rehab. Friday was the first day he hit balls without feeling pain in his back. While he hasn’t played or practiced much, Johnson said he was good to go after not hitting a shot in a competitive round in 39 days.
“Healthy, so can’t complain,” he said. “Body’s all good. Glad to be back out playing again. … Obviously, I haven’t played much. I feel like I haven’t practiced much, but I’ve practiced enough to compete.”
Few were able to compete with him for months. Heading down Magnolia Lane, Johnson had three starts in a row — the Genesis Open, the World Golf ChampionshipsMexico Championship and the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play. In his last 20 worldwide starts, dating to last year’s Memorial Tournament, he had six wins, two runner-up finishes, three third-place finishes, five other top-10s and two missed cuts.
“I was on a good roll, playing the best golf of my career leading into Augusta,” said Johnson, who won his first major — the U.S. Open — last year and has 15 PGA Tour titles in all. “I’ve had a lot more time off than I would have liked to have had. Still feel like I’m swinging really well, hit a few good shots out there today, but we’ll just have to see.”
What he and his colleagues see this week is a new golf course. With Quail Hollow Golf Club in Charlotte being home to the PGA Championship in August, the Wells Fargo tournament had to move to Eagle Point for one year.
“I played five holes yesterday, and then played obviously all 18 today. The golf course is great,” Johnson said. “It’s really pretty; it’s in perfect condition. Can’t find anything wrong with it condition-wise. It’s one of the best-conditioned courses we play all year. I think it’s going to be challenging, especially with the firmness of the greens, and they’ve got a lot of slope in them.”
Johnson spent extra time during the proam studying each of the greens and the surrounding chipping areas.
His mind was thinking about the first round, then the second and so on. It was not thinking about his back or the Masters. Both are behind him.